West Coast Scotland

St. Andrews attracts hundreds of thousands of golf travelers to Scotland every year, and for good reason. For most, a pilgrimage to the birthplace of golf is a once-in-a-lifetime experience punctuated by rounds played on The Old Course and photos taken on its Swilcan Bridge. However, six other exceptional golf courses make up St. Andrews Links’ 741 acres, including the New Course—which having been designed by Old Tom Morris in 1895 is not, in fact, new—and The Castle Course, a David McLay Kidd creation that opened in 2008 and challenges golfers with its severely undulating greens.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day

Golf

Hotel

Day One:

Gleneagles PGA Course

Old Course Hotel

Day Two:

St. Andrews – Jubilee Course

Old Course Hotel

Day Three:

Dumbarnie Links

Old Course Hotel

Day Four:

Carnoustie Golf Course

Old Course Hotel

Day Five:

Kingsbarns Golf Links

Old Course Hotel

Day Six:

St Andrews – Old Course

Old Course Hotel

GOLF COURSES IN THE PACKAGE

Plenty of exceptional golf destinations surround St. Andrews, too. Along the coast to the south, Kingsbarns Golf Links earned the distinction in 2009 of being the number one European course on Golf Magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Courses Created in the Last 50 Years. Further south, the Crail Golfing Society is quite a bit older—it’s the 7th oldest golf club in the world—and features a celebrated course conceptualized by Old Tom Morris and a newer cliff-top course designed by Gil Hanse in 1998.

Those looking to play on other stretches of hallowed ground within an hour’s drive of St. Andrews can tee it up at Carnoustie Golf Links, a revered course on The Open rota that has witnessed major victories by Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Tom Watson (among others); and Gleneagles, an exemplary golf resort that has hosted multiple Ryder Cup matches.