The Old Course St. Andrews, otherwise referred to as ‘The Home of Golf’ is a course full of history and prestige. The Old Course was founded in 1764 (18 holes) and was designed by both Mother Nature and Daw Anderson, Dr Alister MacKenzie and the great Old Tom Morris. The Old Course originally consisted of twenty-two holes, eleven out and eleven back. The player would tee up 2 club lengths away from the previous hole making use of a pile of sand to tee up the ball. It was not until 1764, the Society of St Andrews Golfers, which later became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, decided that some holes were too short and combined them. This reduced the course to eighteen holes and created what became the standard round of golf throughout the world.
All avid golfers should make the pilgrimage to golf these special links at least once in their lifetime. While it is one thing wanting to play here, getting an impromptu tee time is a difficult task. Tee times fill up fast during the May-September months to golf the world’s most famous golf links. For golfers eager to experience the Old Course St Andrews, sometimes the off-season is your only option.
Here are our top three reasons why you should play the Old Course St Andrews this October:
1. More availability
Ask anyone who has golfed The Old Course during the height of Scottish summer and they will tell you that it is packed. Finding a spare tee time is comparable to finding the holy grail and you can forget about do-overs if you show up late. Golfing in October allows you to beat the crowds and enjoy more rounds of golf due to increased availability.
Many of our customers have a much more enjoyable golf experience on the Old Course during the quieter periods because they can play at their own pace. As an added bonus, off-season rates are lower, so you can reallocate your budget to seeing more of the magnificent sights and attractions Scotland has to offer, such as touring the renowned Edinburgh Castle, dining in one of our many 5-Star restaurants and taking a private helicopter tour over to the Macallan distillery or overhead of some of our natural beauties such as the Isle of Skye, Isla and Loch Ness.
2. The condition of the course is just the same as it is during the high season
Golf has been played over these links for hundreds of years rain or shine. By October, the Old Course has grown through the summer and is still uncut before winter course maintenance commences. The course conditions are actually just as outstanding in October as it is during the high season months.
For Scotland, unpredictable weather can occur anytime throughout the year. As long as the occasional rain spell does not scare you off, there is no reason why you should miss out on a chance to golf the Old Course in October. It is definitely an experience you will remember for the rest of your life.
3. You can follow the footsteps of Hollywood stars and the best golfers in the world
Did you know that The Open Championship was first played on the Old Course at St. Andrews in 1873 and is the oldest major golf championship? The Old Course has hosted this major 29 times since 1873, most recently in 2015 and has hosted as one of the three rotation courses for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship every year since 2001. The Dunhill Championship has been deemed one of the richest golf tournaments on the European Tour and is played on The Old Course at St Andrews, Carnousite Golf Links (where the 2018 Open Championship was hosted) and Kingsbarns Golf Links. The Championship takes place on the 4th until the 7th of October 2018 during the off-season this year and has attracted Hollywood stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas, Hugh Grant and Kevin Costner over the years.
In a way, golfing the Old Course after Dunhill is pretty much our Scottish equivalent of the Hollywood walk of fame, except golfers from around the world come to fall in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest players. Some of the previous winners include Tyrrel Hatton who won the last two years (2016 and 2017), Martin Kaymer, a two-time major champion, and Padraig Harrington, two time Dunhill winner and three time major champion. Famous Scots such as Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher and Paul Lawrie have also taken home the lucrative $5 Million Dollar Prize. Bottom line if you have got the chance to golf the old course any time you can you should because it is a once lifetime experience for any genuine golfer.
One of our clients even said: “I have dreamed of playing golf in Scotland for many years and it was everything I had imagined and more. Everything was first class all the way. I can’t wait to go back again.” – Steve Abelman, Hampshire Greens Golf Club, Maryland
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We hope you enjoyed our three reasons why you should play the Old Course St Andrews in October blog. If you are looking to fulfill your bucket list tour to St Andrews, Executive Golf & Leisure still have some availability in the month of October 2018 with some fantastic packages to choose from, see below for details starting from only £769!
Our team of experienced golf tour coordinators are all golf enthusiasts and between them and have first-hand knowledge of your desired courses. Leave the hard work of creating your tour to us and all you have to do is to practice your putts and look forward to your golf tour.
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