Scotland is widely considered the ‘Home of Golf’, so it’s no
surprise that the oldest golf courses in the world are pretty much all found
there. That said, most oldest courses lists will differ as to when the club was
first founded, as that’s often contested.
However, what we do have in this blog are 10 of the most interesting and, in some cases, iconic golf courses and holes on the planet.
The courses in this list have stood the test of time and are all deserving of a visit if you’re ever ‘north of the border’.
What are the oldest golf courses?
Old Course, St Andrews
Opened: 1552
Location: Fife
Green fee: £320
This is widely considered the oldest course in the world, and
many also deem it the best. It’s also thought that golf was played here well
before 1552, but it was then that the townspeople of St Andrews were given the
right to play on the now iconic hallowed ground.
The Old Course has many quirks—it features seven double
greens, all of which add up to 14 (e.g., the 4th and 14th sit together), more
landmarks and famous bunkers than any other course, and has also held more
Opens than any other course (30).
Its most famous hole remains the 17th, the Road Hole, which is played over a railway shed before a green that sits just in front of a road. In the modern era, both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won two Opens at the Old Course. It became known as the Old Course after the opening of the New Course in 1895.
Montrose
Opened: 1562
Location: Angus
Green fee: £150
There are two courses at Montrose, with the ‘1562 Course’
the elder of the two. The lesser-known Broomfield Course offers a shorter
par-67 layout. The main course sits comfortably inside the top 100 courses in
Scotland, and parts of it are the very definition of a rugged links.
The holes that run alongside the coast are the most spectacular, and the deep bunkers, fast-running turf, wind, and superb greens make it a worthwhile visit. Carnoustie is only 20 miles away, too.
Elie
Opened: 1589
Location: Fife
Green fee: £135
You won’t meet many golfers who have played at Elie and didn’t
fall in love with the old links. It lies just 12 miles from St Andrews and
makes for a lovely accompaniment to any trip to this corner of Fife.
The opening blind tee shot is played from the shadow of the
submarine periscope above the starter’s hut and offers one of the course’s
signature shots straight off the bat.
Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson described Elie as ‘quirky and the most enjoyable course I know. If I had my way, I’d build Elies all over the world.’ There are no par 5s here.
Musselburgh Links
Opened: 1672
Location: East Lothian
Green fee: £23.60
The Old Golf Course, which sits inside the racecourse, has
held six Opens and is often the forgotten stage for the Claret Jug in any quiz.
There are nine holes here (it was originally a seven-holer before two more were
added in 1874 and 1889).
It was once regarded as the oldest golf course before that title fell to St Andrews. It remains brilliant value, though, and should you visit it, you should definitely take advantage of the hickory clubs on offer to help you see it as it was originally laid out.
Fortrose and Rosemarkie
Opened: 1793
Location: Highlands
Green fee: £95
Golf may well have been played here earlier in the century, but
we’ll settle on 1793 for the purpose of this list. The course lies on a narrow
peninsula, Chanonry Point, and everything is squeezed into a small parcel of
land— none more so than the par-5 4th, which heads towards the
lighthouse.
All but three of the par 4s are under 400 yards, and many of them offer the opportunity to take on the green. The putting surfaces are small and subtle, so trying to locate them is plenty of fun. This is another layout that has withstood the test of time, and today, it remains a fun but testing challenge.
Kingsbarns
Year opened: 1793
Location: Fife
Green fee: £374
Kingsbarns is just seven miles along the coast from St
Andrews and is one of the finest and most enjoyable golf courses on the planet.
Golf has been played here for centuries but it was shut at
the start of WW2, and work on the current layout only began in 1997 under
designer Kyle Phillips, before opening three years later.
Since then, it has received worldwide acclaim, hosting the Dunhill Links every year alongside the Old Course and Carnoustie, and it also held the Women’s Open in 2017. Much of the charm of this place is that you can see the North Sea from nearly every spot, and it boasts so many iconic holes. The par-5 12th is one of the greatest holes anywhere in the world, while the short 15th is most likely one of the most photographed.
Scotscraig
Opened: 1817
Location: Fife
Green fee: £100
Scotscraig is one of the few golf clubs in the world which
has been able to celebrate its bicentenary. It was founded by the St Andrews
Society of Golfers, which would become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, as they
wanted to play more golf than just the occasional society meeting.
While close to the Old Course, this presents a very different test, with a mix of heathland, links, and parkland. To give you an idea of how good Scotscraig is, it has staged Open qualifying six times in recent years and it is a welcome addition to visitors in the area.
North Berwick West Links
Opened: 1832
Location: East Lothian
Green fee: £285
Only St Andrews has played golf continuously over the same
course for longer, and many regard North Berwick West Links as a different version
of the Old Course.
It begins and ends by the clubhouse with the final tee shot
being played, like the Old Course, with a row of cars flanking the right side
of the fairway. There’s also the chance to finish with a big hurrah by finding
the green and putting for an eagle. In between are some truly spectacular
holes, most noticeably the 13th, Pit, where the approach is played
over a wall before moving on to the world-famous 15th Redan, which has been copied at many courses.
This is a frequent host to Final Qualifying and another course to feature highly in any World Top 100.
Carnoustie
Opened: 1842
Location: Angus
Green fee: £222
There are no fewer than three courses on the property at
Carnoustie, but the Championship Course is the oldest and best known.
Eight Opens have been played over these famous links, the first in 1931 and the most recent in 2018, when Francesco Molinari prevailed. In between, we’ve seen the likes of Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Paul Lawrie, and Padraig Harrington pick up the Claret Jug here.
Lawrie’s win on home soil remains maybe the best-known due
to Jean van de Velde’s horrible finish in 1999. On a week where the scoring was
impossible, the Frenchman came to the 72nd hole
needing just a double-bogey to win The Open. He would eventually get up and
down from the sand to make a three-way play-off. It’s widely regarded as one of
the toughest Open layouts, with a particularly strong finish where the Barry
Burn can often play havoc.
The Women’s Open has also visited this corner of Angus twice.
Monifieth Links
Opened: 1845
Location: Angus
Green fee: £125
There are 36 holes of ‘links heaven’ here, with the Medal
Course the best-known, the other being The Ashludie. The early holes are played
alongside the Aberdeen to London railway line, and the course sits just down
from nearby Carnoustie. Panmure also began life here before moving to its
current home in 1899.
This is another genuine links with fast-running fairways, a prevailing wind from the Firth of Tay, gorse, clever bunkering, and brilliant greens. Monifieth would rank somewhere around the middle of most Top 100 Scottish rankings.
Of course, golf does also exist outside of Scotland
(although this list might have made you feel otherwise!) The oldest golf courses
elsewhere include Royal North Devon in England (1864), Tenby in Wales (1875),
and Royal Curragh in Ireland (1852).
On the continent, France’s Pau Golf Club boasts the oldest course, having been founded in 1856.
*Green fees in this blog are based on peak summer rates and may vary.
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