The town of St Andrews, Fife is regarded as the “home of golf”. It has some of the oldest golf 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 (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 rulemaking authorities of golf.
For many, many years the St Andrews Links has felt the tread of every great champion.
It is the ambition of every golfer to tread the fairways, play the 17th tee-shot and have their photograph taken on the Swilcan Bridge and stride up the 18th fairway to the cheers of an appreciative crowd, welcoming The Open winner!!
