St Andrews Links

St Andrews Links is a historic golf links complex in the town of St Andrews in Scotland, where golf has been played since the 15th century, earning it the nickname "home of golf". There are seven public golf courses owned by Fife Council and operated by the St Andrews Links Trust charity. An area north of the town holds six adjacent courses: the Old, New, Jubilee, Balgove, Eden, and Strathtyrum. The seventh, the Castle Course, lies one mile to the south-east. The Balgove Course has nine holes, the rest 18. The Old Course is widely considered one of the world's best and regularly hosts the Open Championship. The St Andrews Links Trust organises several amateur tournaments at the links, of which the most prestigious are the St Andrews Links Trophy for men (comprising one round on the New or Jubilee Course followed by three rounds on the Old Course) and the St Rule Trophy for women (two rounds on the New followed by one on the Old). Several golf clubs are based at the links. The oldest and most famous of these clubs is The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (founded 1754), which co-administered the rules of golf until the R&A was spun out of it in 2004; its clubhouse is by the first hole of the Old Course. Others, with clubhouses on the block just south of the links, include the St Andrews Thistle Golf Club (founded 1817 and 1865), St Andrews Golf Club (founded 1843), The St Rule Club (golf section founded 1898), The New Golf Club (founded 1902), and St Regulus Ladies Golf Club (founded 1914). While members of these clubs have favourable access to the Links courses, non-members may also play for a fee; most courses require advance booking, and many slots on the Old Course are subject to ballot (lottery). The St Andrews Links Trust built the St Andrews Links Clubhouse in 1995 by the first holes of the New and Jubilee courses. Pilmour Cottage, a 19th-century villa, was redeveloped from 1998 into the Trust's headquarters and the Eden Clubhouse which serves the Balgove, Eden, and Strathtyrum courses. The two "Clubhouses" have no eponymous clubs and are open to all. The Old Course Hotel is a landmark building abutting the 17th hole of the Old Course (the "Road Hole"). 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. In addition to the public courses there are two courses at the privately owned Fairmont Hotel (Torrance and Kittocks) to the south of the town; and the Duke's and Drumoig, both inland parkland courses to the west. A few miles further South are the modern links of Kingsbarns and the traditional Balcomie links at Crail. Also nearby are the courses at Elie, Lundin, Leven, Scotscraig and Anstruther. Within 45 minutes' drive are Monifieth, Carnoustie and Panmure.