Fife holiday 2026 #12
Amongst its many claims to fame, St Andrews prides itself as 'the home of golf'. Golf has been played here since at least the 15th century. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was formed in 1754 and its iconic clubhouse (the rear of which you can see in my photo above) was built in the mid-1800s. It is the ruling authority for golf in every country in the world other than the USA and Mexico. Beyond the clubhouse, the famous Old Course regularly hosts major championships. In the foreground of the photo above, the grassy area is known as the Bow Butts and was used for archery.
I couldn't get a good shot of the clubhouse frontage as there were hospitality tents in the way. It's on the left (below) and the other lovely building is the Hamilton Grand, formerly a hotel, then halls of residence for the university and now luxury apartments. It featured in the film 'Chariots of Fire', as did the West End beach in the distance in my last photo.
People come from all over the world to play golf here. There was some serious equipment on show, and if you forget anything there are plenty of shops selling all the clothes and gear.
There are of course, monuments and plaques commemorating famous golfers. This one is Tom Morris (1821-1908) 'The Grand Old Man of Golf', who was born and died in St Andrews.
As I mentioned earlier, the long sweep of sand beyond the golf courses is known as the West Sands. The two mile long beach was the iconic filming location for the legendary opening running scene of the 1981 Oscar-winning film 'Chariots of Fire'.
I had heard of the golf course.
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