Historic Heartland Scotland
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The Old Course at St. Andrews |
You venture into the heart of the Kingdom of Fife where the world’s most famous golf course resides – the Old Course at St. Andrews! Home to the Millennium Open and again in 2005. Certainly, St. Andrews offers so much more than the famous old links – there are five other courses that come under the St. Andrews Links Trust banner - the Dukes being the only inland course. A little distance out of the town are the two superb St. Andrews Bay courses and nearby Kingsbarns is a must play! Other local gems are Crail, Elie, Leven and Lundin links.
Northwards through the village of Leuchars and over the picturesque Tay Bridge is the famous Carnoustie Championship Course (host to the 2007 Open). Be sure not to focus all your attention on the famous championship links as Panmure, Montrose and Monifieth are gems well worth your time.
One of the world’s top golfing resorts is Gleneagles offering three courses – the Kings, Queens and the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary where the Ryder Cup will be played in 2014.
The Old Course at St. Andrews
The Open Championship was first played on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1873. With the 27th staging of the world's premier golf event taking place again on the Old Course in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more often than anywhere else. In modern times, the Dunhill Cup and the subsequent Dunhill Links Championship have been played at St Andrews since 1985, while the Walker Cup, the Amateur Championship and a host of other professional and amateur competitions for men and women have been held over the fabled links at the Home of Golf.
Length 6609 yds: SSS 72
The St. Andrews New Course
It has frequently been said that if the New Course were not situated next to the Old, then its star would have shone with a far greater degree of brilliance.
Located as it is in the shadow of its illustrious neighbor, the New Course can be considered one of St Andrews' best kept secrets. Opened in April 1895, the course was built in response to increasing demand for golf at St Andrews.
The result is a classic links course which is a first class golfing challenge. The course has the traditional out and back layout, with the 18th green just to the right of the first tee. It also has, in the great St Andrews tradition, shared fairways and even a double green at the 3rd and 15th holes.
Length 6604 yds: SSS 72
Kingsbarns Links Course
The Kingsbarns Golf Links site has long been known for its intimate connection with the sea. The fact that its golf origins date back to 1793 is testimony to the attributes of the site which foster ideal conditions for links turf to flourish amid interesting natural terrain. This unique part of East Fife has sandy soils, undulating ridges and hollows, Cambo burn running into the sea, all set immediately against the rugged coastline of the North Sea.
Carnoustie Golf Links
Carnoustie’s championship course has become regarded as one of Britain’s finest, and most challenging, tests of golf. Not only is it a formidable challenge, but also one of the best-conditioned courses in the country as well. It is visited by countless thousands of tourists, both from home and abroad. What they find is a course that is difficult but still eminently playable, provided the golfer hits the right shots at the right time. It is, in short, a wonderful test of golf, and one that, thankfully, still has not been made obsolete by advances in modern equipment.
Length 6941 yds: SSS 75
Gleneagles
Kings Course – this course was designed to test even the best players' shot-making skills over the eighteen holes. When they play the King's the world's greatest golfers admire the cunning and craft with which he achieved that goal.
Selecting the right club for each approach shot is the secret on the King's. It is certainly one of the most beautiful and exhilarating places to play golf in the world, with the springy moorland turf underfoot, the sweeping views from the tees all around, the rock-faced mountains to the north, the green hills to the south, and the peaks of the Trossachs and Ben Vorlich on the western horizon.
Length 6125 yds: Par 68
PGA Centenary Course - A feature of the PGA Centenary Course is the feast of views of the spectacular countryside in which Gleneagles is set. Putting on the two-tier second green, you are distracted by the lush panorama of the rich Perthshire straths. As you move westwards over the next few holes, the rugged Grampians come into view on the right, then distantly purple ahead, Ben Vorlich and the mountains above the Trossachs.
Length 6141 yds: SSS 72
