CLASSIC COURSE - OLD COURSE ST ANDREWS

Hole 1 Burn
The hole is named after the Swilcan Burn which cuts through the first and 18th fairways and guards the front edge of the first green.

Hole 2 Dyke
Refers to the old wall which forms the boundary between the 17th Fairway of the Road Hole and the Old Course Hotel.

Hole 3 Cartgate (Out) & Hole 15 Cartgate (In)
These holes get their name from their proximity to the old cart track which crossed the fairway giving access to West Sands Beach.

Hole 4 Ginger Beer
This was the site of Old Daw Anderson's mobile refreshment cart dispensing ginger beer to thirsty golfers.

Hole 5 Hole O'Cross (out) & Hole 13 (in)
The two most given explanations for the origin of the name of these holes is that golfers had to 'cross' the chasm on their approach to the green, others say an ancient cross once stood on the site.

Hole 6 Heathery (out) & Hole 12 (in)
Believe it or not, the name comes not from the flora in the rough, but the original composition of the green which consisted of earth, heather and shell fragments in earlier days.

Hole 7 High (out) & Hole 11 High (in)
The greens of the 7th and 11th holes enjoy relatively elevated positions overlooking the Eden Estuary.

Hole 8 Short
Don't let its seemingly short yardage fool you, even downwind, this 'short' hole deserves the utmost respect.

Hole 9 End
Aptly named as you turn back to home.

Hole 10 Bobby Jones
In 1971 the great Bobby Jones passed away, it took only a year for the town council to decide to name a hole in his honour.

Hole 14 Long
Just as Hole 8 is aptly named short, the name speaks for itself, especially into the breeze.

Hole 16 Corner of the Dyke
The green is tucked into the corner of the Dyke that the 2nd hole is also named after.

Hole 17 Road
Perhaps the most well known name of a golf hole. The 'Road' is an old turnpike road which forms the hole's southern boundary near the green and is in play.

Hole 18 Tom Morris
Not all of the Old Course dates back 500 years. Old Tom Morris designed the current 18th green and called it his finest work.

THE OLD COURSE ROUTING

The Old Course has undergone many changes over the past 500 years. Originally the course consisted of 22 holes. The modern standard of 18 holes (courses previous to that were of varying hole numbers 5, 9, 12, etc.) came about in 1764 when the Royal & Ancient Golf Club combined some of the shorter holes. The narrow spit of land that the Old Course occupies dictated that many of the holes share a common green (white flags out, red flags in). The original route of play was in a clockwise direction, which is why so many of the bunkers look as if they were designed to catch shots going the other way. After Old Tom Morris designed the current first green, the acceptable route of play became counter-clockwise and has remained so until this day. The St Andrews Links Trust on April 1, 2002 has authorized to play the course in the original direction for one day only. They may extend the experiment in the 2003 season. The Advisor will keep you posted of this unique opportunity.