golf

It is almost unnecessary to say that the Royal & Ancient Golf Club is the premier golf club in the world. All the courses are an immense attraction to vacationers, and it is the ambition of every golfer to play on the world famous "Old Course". St Andrews and its Royal and Ancient Golf Club is built on public land - and warmly welcomes visiting golfers from all over the world. Golf in Scotland at its immortal best.

Green fees are very affordable – but beware – play is mainly controlled by a ballot which can be massively oversubscribed – so be there early. A trip to St Andrews is a quite unique golfing experience - almost a pilgrimage. The town has almost been completely given over to golf and therefore offers the golfer every possible amenity.

Here, by the sixteenth century the game of golf began to take shape and direction. Even before 1457, when the Scottish Parliament tried to ban the game, golf or a distant relative of it was enjoyed on these links. Mary Queen of Scots was known to enjoy the odd round. It was not until 1895 that a second course to the Old, the New, was laid out by the R&A. The Jubilee course came next in 1897. Recent additions, including the Monarch, Kingsbarns and St Andrews Bay courses - less crowded too -offer superb affordable golf.

It may be hard for non-golfers to fully grasp the significance of St Andrews to the game of golf, but the well-presented British Golf Museum, situated behind the Royal and Ancient clubhouse brings a potentially 'stuffy' subject for non-golfers to life with the use of audio-visual and hands on presentations.

And golfing in Fife has a life beyond St Andrews, with a magnificent array of links and parkland courses, many used as Open Golf Championship qualifiers. We particularly recommend Lundin and Leven Links, Ladybank, Elie and Scotscraig. Remember too that we are not far from famous Carnoustie Golf Club and the famous Dundee Open Golf Qualifying courses at Downfield, Panmure and Monifieth either.

www.scotland-carhire.co.uk - To hire vans and minibuses for golf travel St Andrews

www.eastofscotlandgolf.co.uk - Guide to Carnoustie Country and Golf Course

www.saint-andrews.co.uk - Guide to golf in St Andrews

www.uk-golfguide.com - Good guide to golf and golf courses in Scotland

Local golf courses

www.st andrews.org.uk - St Andrews golf courses

www.cupargolfclub.co.uk - Cupar, oldest 9 hole golf course in the world

www.leven-links.com - Levenlinks championship golf course near St Andrews

www.lundingolfclub.co.uk - Lundin Links Golf Club

www.ladybankgolf.co.uk - Ladybank Golf Club, Fife

www.kingsbarns.com - Kingsbarns golf Club

www.scotscraig-golfclub.co.uk - Scotscraig golf club, Tayport, Fife

www.panmuregolfclub.co.uk - Panmure Golf Club

www.downfieldgolf.co.uk - Downfield Golf Club

www.carnoustiegolfclub.com - Carnoustie Golf Club

www.kirriemuirgolfclub.co.uk- Kirriemuir Golf Club

www.monifiethgolf.co.uk - Monifieth Golf Club

www.theblairgowriegolfclub.co.uk - Blairgowrie Rosemount Golf Club