Discover the history behind The Home of Golf

The picturesque town of St Andrews is renowned throughout the world for being The Home of Golf and for its historic old course. Why not take the time to discover the surprising history of this 600-year-old sport?

 

Visit the town’s British Golf Museum and learn intriguing facts such as what’s inside a golf ball and why the sport was banned in 1457. There are plenty of beautiful artefacts to admire from ornate cups to sepia photos of golf mansions across the world and antique clubs. Seize the chance to don some Edwardian tweeds and try out some period clubs on an indoor putting green. Fans of the Open Championship will especially enjoy the rooms dedicated to the links courses, winners and history of this prestigious sporting event.  Afterwards, you can climb the hill behind the museum to stand on its grass-covered roof and feel the refreshing sea breeze on your face.

 

The town’s Old Course is Fife’s most famous, but there are many other superb golf courses in and around St Andrews to discover. The New Course is more than a century old and was designed by ‘Old’ Tom Morris, the four-times Open Champion who designed Muirfield, Carnoustie and Royal Dornoch. A more recent addition to Fife’s stellar golfing greens is Kingbarns, located six miles down the coast from St Andrews. Opened in 2000, it was immediately praised as one of the region’s finest courses.

 

Discover more golfing surprises across Scotland.