History of the Links - 600 years of golf at St Andrews

Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400 AD and the Old Course is renowned throughout the world as the Home of Golf. The game grew in popularity and by the 19th century it was part of the way of life for many local people. Even if they did not play the game, a number of families had a direct involvement as caddies, ball makers and club makers. Golf now plays a major part in the culture and economy of St Andrews today.

As the 600 year history of the Links has unfolded, one simple track hacked through the bushes and heather has developed into six public golf courses, attracting hundreds of thousands of golfing pilgrims from around the globe. St Andrews Links is the largest golfing complex in Europe and all five 18 hole courses can be booked in advance.

Golf was clearly becoming popular in the middle ages, as the game was banned in 1457 by King James II of Scotland who felt it was distracting young men from archery practice. This ban was repeated by succeeding monarchs until James IV threw in the towel and in 1502 became a golfer himself.

In 1764 the Old Course consisted of 22 holes, 11 out and 11 back, with golfers playing to the same hole going out and in, except for the 11th and 22nd holes. The golfers decided that the first four holes, and therefore also the last four holes, were too short and that they should be made into two holes instead of four. This reduced the number of holes in the round from 22 to 18, and that is how today's standard round of golf was created.

In 1797, the bankrupt St Andrews Town Council sold the links to local merchants who turned them into a rabbit farm in 1799. There then followed over 20 years of 'war', both legal and physical, between the rabbit farmers and the golfers, with success going to the golfers in 1821 when James Cheape of Strathtyrum, a local landowner and keen golfer, bought the links and saved them for golf.

Golf started to become more popular at St Andrews in the middle 19th century and the course became more crowded. The result was that golfers playing out began to meet golfers playing in, at the same hole. Not surprisingly, this led to difficulties and disputes. To solve the problem, the decision was made to cut two holes on each green, with white flags for the outward holes and red flags for the inward holes. This was the origin of the famous double greens.

In 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded under its original name of the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This club, originally composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners, was to become the foremost golf club in the world, and now governs the rules of golf everywhere except the USA. The club also runs the Open Championship and the important amateur championships.

It was the Royal & Ancient Golf Club which built the New course at St Andrews in 1895, and paid for the maintenance of both the Old and New courses until the early 1950s. The St Andrews Town Council, which had re-acquired the Links from the Cheape family in 1894, built the Jubilee course in 1897 and the Eden course in 1914. So in less than 20 years, St Andrews had developed from one to four 18 hole courses.

In 1974, the St Andrews Links Trust was created by an Act of Parliament to continue running the Links as public golf courses open to anyone. In 1993, a new 18 hole course, the Strathtyrum was opened along with a nine hole course, the Balgove, and a Golf Practice Centre. In 1995, the first Clubhouse freely available to visitors was opened - the Links Clubhouse by the Old, New and Jubilee Courses. This was followed in 2000 by a second clubhouse, the Eden Clubhouse for golfers on the Eden, Strathtyurm and Balgove Courses.

St Andrews Links Golf Shops Limited is owned by St Andrews Links Trust. All the items sold on this website have been authorised and approved by St Andrews Links Trust and carry the official logo of the Trust.  All of the profits derived from this site will be applied to the preservation and maintenance of the historic golf links at St Andrews.