Sunday at the Old Course

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I will be traveling in Scotland with my family this summer.  I am angling to be in St. Andrews on Sunday, July 26th, in the hopes of walking the Old Course.

I am having trouble finding details online about how this works.  The only real mention of it on the web site is at:

http://www.standrews.com/Latest-News/Sunday-openings-on-The-Old-Course

But it mostly lists Sundays in 2013 on which the course will be used for golf.

Can anybody point me to a resource that describes what is available? 

Thanks.

[Mark Chaplin]

How it works? People wander where they wish but stay off the greens. No security guards, admission fees or queuing.

[Tony_Muldoon]

The links trust organise a walking tour. It's excellent and all the better because it skips 8,9 and 10.

As we stood by the 14th tee

"Ladies and Gentlemen I am told if you by chance wander down the Champs Elysees...in Paris; you can look into windows containing the finest garments, the brightest jewells and the richest foods.  In Scotland we are made of sterner stuff. If you are not sufficiently respectful as you cross the Elysian Fields,  you may find yourself in Hell bunker!"


http://www.standrews.com/Relax/Walking-Tours-of-St-Andrews-Links


The course is closed for golf. The 18th flag is moved off the green towards the first tee,  so the tourists can have their picture taken without realising.  All other flags are removed and I don't beilve there's anything to stop you wandering wherever you will.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Be mindful of the dogs, apparently dogs playing fetch have the right of way on Sundays.

[Tom_Doak]

Be mindful of the dogs, apparently dogs playing fetch have the right of way on Sundays.

There will also be kids playing football, but my favorite memory is of a very small dog running and hurdling over the small pot bunker on the approach to the 13th.

There is no better way to get to know the course (and town) than going out there on Sunday.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Thanks for the info.  I guess it's simpler than I thought!

What else should we see while we are there?  My kids are 11 and 9, and not the least interested in golf. 

Thanks!

[Tom_Doak]

Thanks for the info.  I guess it's simpler than I thought!

What else should we see while we are there?  My kids are 11 and 9, and not the least interested in golf. 

Thanks!

My son was not much of a golfer when he went to St. Andrews with me at a similar age.  However, he was excited to see Hell bunker.  Perhaps you can get them out on the Ladies' Putting Green, too.

Beyond that, St. Andrews Castle (about a mile behind the R & A clubhouse) is a great spot for kids, as are all the passageways through the university grounds on that end of town.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

St. Andrews Castle looks perfect; and awesome! 

Thanks.

[Marty Bonnar]

You'll be there the week after the Open, so they'll still be dismantling the stands, etc. You can pretend to be walking up 18 with the crowd cheering your name!
If you're looking for some golf, let me know. Leven awaits!
Cheers,
F.

[Chris Kane]

It is a public park on Sunday - you just walk on.

As Tom Doak mentions, the Himalayas is good for non-golfers (when I lived there I used to take non-golfing visitors as its a good taste of the golfing culture of the place). West Sands is a GREAT beach. I also liked the Acquarium (about 100 yards behind the R&A clubhouse).

[Martin Del Vecchio]

If you're looking for some golf, let me know. Leven awaits!

Thanks for the kind offer, but I have been an ex-golfer for about ten years now.  

This is a family trip, to visit my sister-in-law's friends from when she taught in Aberdeen, with maybe some research on my McFarland ancestors.  Sunday at St. Andrews is as close as I will get to golf for the foreseeable future!

[Marty Bonnar]

When in St A, I heartily recommend a visit to the happy hacker:

http://www.happyhacker.co.uk/

One of those mad wee golf shops which stocks everything from utter tat to potential treasures. I'm sure this is where I'm eventually going to find that pristine copy of 'The Links'... for a Fiver!

Enjoy!
F.

[David_Elvins]

Martin,

Even a non golfer should carry a couple of balls in his pocket whilst walking the old course. 

[Bill Gayne]

I visited the Old Course last summer on a Sunday and you just turn up. I would suggest going early because parking in St Andrews gets tight as the day goes on.

The only spots off limit were the 18th green, road hole bunker and green, and there was some separation between where you could stand and the windows of the R&A clubhouse.

You can bring a putter for the Himalayas putting course.

Everyone seems to stop for pictures on the Swilican Bridge.

[Bill Brightly]

Hmmm,you could create a "scavenger hunt" for the family onTOC on Sunday. First one to find the Road Hole bunker, strath, principals nose, etc. educational and gca related!

[Colin Macqueen]

Martin,
As your whole family is in tow there will,no doubt, be dirty washing just laundered. Now in days of yore the "green" was just that. A windy place for hingin' oot yer washin'!  Now I am not convinced that this custom still continues but we would certainly look forward to the story if you gave it a go!

It is terrific to just wander all over this hallowed turf ... great fun. An evening stroll is particularly pleasant.

Cheers Colin

[Bill_McBride]

Martin,
As your whole family is in tow there will,no doubt, be dirty washing just laundered. Now in days of yore the "green" was just that. A windy place for hingin' oot yer washin'!  Now I am not convinced that this custom still continues but we would certainly look forward to the story if you gave it a go!

It is terrific to just wander all over this hallowed turf ... great fun. An evening stroll is particularly pleasant.

Cheers Colin

And it will be light until when, 11 pm?

[Ed Brzezowski]

If you get a chance buy a bottle of something and just go sit somewhere and take it all in, late afternoon is the best. The contrast as the suns lowers on the horizion shows alot of the features you will not see in the middle of the day. The Jigger Inn has some nice outside tables or grab a seat on the wall and people watch. We saw picnics on the 1/18 fairway and some  activity under a blanket. No one seemed to mind.

[Scott Weersing]

I heard this quote on Sunday at church,

"There is no such thing as fun for the whole family." -Jerry Seinfeld

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I visited the course the Sunday after the Open Championship, and I was surprised to see that most of the bleachers were still up.  The good news is that they provided perfect vantage points for these panoramic photos. 


There is a single scroll bar below that lets you scroll through both images.  Or you can click on each to see it full-screen.