St Andrews Links
Encyclopedia
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is regarded as the "home of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
". It is one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. Today there are seven public golf courses; the Balgove, Eden, Jubilee Course, Strathtyrum, New, the Old Course
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
(which is widely considered one of the finest, and certainly the most famous and traditional, courses in the world), and the new Castle Course, sited on the cliffs a mile to the east of St Andrews and designed by the architect David McLay Kidd, which opened in June 2008. The courses of St Andrews Links are owned by the local authorities and operated by St Andrews Links Trust, a charitable organisation. St Andrews is also home to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, one of the most prestigious golf clubs and until 2004 one of the two rule making authorities of golf (in that year, the Royal and Ancient Club passed on its rulemaking authority to an offshoot organisation, The R&A).
In general, St Andrews is a popular hub for golf tourism, as there is a high density of links and heathland courses in the area. A few miles to the South are the modern links of Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns
The village of Kingsbarns lies on eastern coast of Fife, Scotland, in an area known as the East Neuk, 6.5 miles southeast of St Andrews and 3.6 miles north of Crail....
and the traditional Balcomie links at Crail
Crail
Crail ; ) is a former royal burgh in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland.-History:Crail probably dates from at least as far back as the Pictish period, as the place-name includes the Pictish/Brythonic element caer, 'fort', and there is a Dark Age cross-slab preserved in the parish kirk, itself...
. Also nearby are the courses at Elie, Lundin
Lundin Links
Lundin Links is a small village in Fife, Scotland. The village is best known for its two golf courses. The 18 hole course, Lundin Golf Club, was used as a pre-qualifying course when The Open Championship is held at St. Andrews. Lundin Links Ladies 9 hole course is the oldest woman's golf course in...
, Leven
Leven
-Surname:* Earl of Leven a title in the Peerage of Scotland* Jackie Leven, a Scottish singer / songwriter* Narcisse Leven, a lawyer.* Peter Leven, association football player for Milton Keynes Dons-Places:* Leven, Fife, a town in Scotland...
, Scotscraig and Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
. Within 45 minutes drive are Monifieth
Monifieth
Monifieth is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the North bank of the Firth of Tay on the East Coast...
, Downfield, Carnoustie
Carnoustie
Carnoustie is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast...
and Panmure
Panmure Golf Club
Panmure Golf Club is a golf club in Barry, Angus, Scotland. It is one of the clubs that originally helped purchase the Amateur Championship trophy, and is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, dating back to 1845. It is a private club that plays over the Barry Links, and is sometimes referred...
.
Balgove
The Balgove Course, named after the farm on which it was built, is a 1520 yard, nine-hole course. It was originally opened in 1972 and remodeled in 1993.Castle Course
Castle Course opened in June 2008, becoming the seventh public course at St Andrews. The course is a par 71 and measures 6,759 yards from the back tees.Eden
The Eden Course opened in 1914 after demand on the existing courses grew. It was designed by Harry Colt, and alterations in 1989 by Donald SteelDonald Steel
Donald Maclennan Arklay Steel is a former golfer and is a noted golf course designer, as well as being a writer and journalist. Educated at Fettes College and Christ's College, he has designed a large number of golf courses or modifications to existing courses, mostly in the United Kingdom and...
maintain Colt's standards. It was named after the Eden estuary by which it resides, as the profits from mussels collected there once made up an important part of the St Andrews economy.
Jubilee
The Jubilee Course is the longest of the seven golf courses. It was named after Queen Victoria's Diamond JubileeDiamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
celebration in 1897.
Originally intended for Victorian dressed ladies, and other golf beginners, it has evolved into one of the hardest courses at St Andrews Links. The course is commonly used to test junior and amateur golfers for the British Mid-Amateur Golf Championship, as well as the St Andrews Link Trophy.
Initially a 12 hole course, it was expanded to 18 holes in 1905. The course has seen considerable developments under the management of Willie Auchterlonie, Donald Steel, David Wilson and Graeme Taylor. It now plays at around 6,745 yards, and is host to the St Andrews Links Trophy
St Andrews Links Trophy
The St Andrews Links Trophy is an international amateur golf tournament contested on the St Andrews Links in Scotland. It has been played annually since 1989....
. Jubilee is one of several courses in Scotland that are under threat from erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.