Other courses include Carnoustie and Gleneagles, both world class and within easy reach of St Andrews. The Edinburgh area also boasts a rich selection - Gullane, North Berwick and Dunbar complementing the championship venue of Muirfield.

Carnoustie - East Scotland

Carnoustie is probably the hardest Open Championship course in Scotland, with a finish that may be the toughest in the world.

Hogan, Player and Watson won Open Championships here on a links course which offers one of the severest tests in golf.

A challenge you must face at least once!

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Carnoustie in eastern Scotland, today.


Crail Golf Club - East Scotland

Crail Golfing Society was established in 1786 and lays claim to being the 7th oldest golf club in the world. The No 1 course, Balcomie Links, has occupied its present site since 1895 and was laid out by Tom Morris.

Shortish by modern standards but nonetheless a pleasant test and has some particularly tricky par 3s. The North Sea is in view from every hole, even coming into play on a few occasions!

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Crail Golf Club in eastern Scotland, today.


Gleneagles Golf Courses - East Scotland

Set in the grounds of the internationally famous Gleneagles Hotel the resort offers three magnificent courses - the King's, Queen's, and PGA Centenary Courses - with the latter Nicklaus creation taking its place alongside the earlier James Braid masterpieces.

The views of the rolling Perthshire countryside are superb from all three courses.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Gleneagles, in eastern Scotland today.


Gullane Golf Courses - East Scotland

Rolling and scenic links spreading westwards from the town provide the setting for a complex of three courses. No 1 is a final qualifying course when the Open is at Muirfield. Fast, true greens and excellent fairways are a feature, as are striking views across the Firth of Forth towards Fife. Gullane allows offers exceptional golf on their No 2 and 3 courses.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Gullane Golf Club, in eastern Scotland today.


Kingsbarns Golf Links - East Scotland

A superb new links course just 6 miles from St Andrews. Opened in July 2000 the course has already been added to many golfers' 'Must Play' lists. The Kingsbarns Golfing Society has origins dating back to 1793. A 9-hole course existed on the site until taken over for military purposes in 1939.

The sea figures prominently on many holes, often directly in the line of sight. Generous fairways and large greens are in keeping with the heritage of classic links golf, while deceptive design of some holes requires golfers to consider their course strategy at all times.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Kingsbarns Golf Links in eastern Scotland, today.


North Berwick Golf Club - East Scotland
Step Back In Time And See What Golf Course Architects Have Copied Since 1832

The North Berwick Golf Club hosts the 13th oldest golf course in the world, which was founded in 1832. The designer of the course is unknown, but the brilliant holes he created have been copied by golf architects all over the world.

The 15th hole, the Redan, is probably the most copied short hole in the world.

The West Links was initially a six-hole course and was not extended to an eighteen-hole course until 1877. The course was re-lengthened in 1895 and today measures 6,420 yards. North Berwick offers continuous play over the same course; this is second only to St. Andrews. The West Links is an authentic links course with outstanding views of the sea, sandy beaches, and a vision of the dark, rocky islets of the Forth estuary.

At the same time observers can see the Fife Coast and May Island in the distance. The scenery is breathtaking and the course historic. This course cannot be just explained as challenging. It is, in fact, a stimulating links with each hole presenting a different challenge of judgment, skill, length, and direction. There are blind holes, shots over the bay, drives over walls and burns, and bunkers deep enough to make it appear as though the golfer has disappeared.

The West Links has had very little assistance from men; it is a truly natural course and one of a kind. This course has been used as an Open qualifier on several occasions. North Berwick also offers a Children's course, which was created in 1888 as a ladies course. The club offers low greens fees for this course, hoping to encourage children to participate.

Historical Side Note

In the early days the North Berwick Golf Club offered Challenge or Brag matches. These competitions between leading professional golfers could attract 8,000 spectators or more.

In September 1875 a challenge was held between Willie Park, his brother Mungo, and both Old and Young Tom Morris. The match ended suddenly when a telegram arrived which stated young Tom's wife was critically ill following the birth of their child. Young Tom Morris and his father started to leave for home in St. Andrews, but before the yacht left a second telegram arrived with tragic news that both the mother and son had died.

Old Tom did not tell his son until they were within view of the pier at St. Andrews. Young Tom was so devastated that he never recovered. He died three months later, on Christmas Morning, at the age of 25. The New Club at St. Andrews and the North Berwick Golf Club hold an annual match to commemorate this tragic event.

A charming, traditional links course, with the 18th greeen almost in the middle of the town. North Berwick was founded in 1832, making it one of Scotland's oldest courses.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to the North Berwick Golf Club, in eastern Scotland today.


St Andrews Old Course - East Scotland
For Many Golfers Worldwide, This Is THE Golf Course They Must Play, and THE Town They Must Visit

First established around the year 1400, The Old Course at St. Andrews is the Home of Golf, and still ranked among the very best golf courses in the world.

The original course consisted of twenty-two holes, but in 1764 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club deemed some holes too short and they were combined. The resulting eighteen-hole layout became the standard for all other courses throughout the world. The current 18 play anti-clockwise and are remarkable for the number of shared greens and fairways, hidden bunkers and unpredictable lies.

In 1873 The Old Course hosted its first Open Championship and since then has hosted the event more often than any other course. In addition, the course has hosted the Dunhill Cup and several Dunhill Links Championships.

In his book 'The Spirt of St Andrews,' Alister Mackenzie, writing after he had designed Royal Melbourne and Cypress Point, described the Old Course as the yardstick by which all other courses should be judged.

Of the Old Course, Tiger Woods says 'It is my favorite course in the world.'


St. Andrews Links Trust manages and maintains a total of six public courses. The Old Course is the most popular because it is the birthplace of golf.  However, the New Course and the Jubilee are stern tests enjoyed by both amateur and professional golfers alike.

The New Course was designed by Old Tom Morris and opened to the public in 1895. The course was built because so many people wanted to play golf at St. Andrews and the Old Course could not accommodate everyone.

The Jubilee was created in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Originally, it was a twelve-hole course designed for women and beginners. It was changed to an eighteen-hole course in 1905. More recently, Donald Steel re-designed both courses and extended the Jubilee to meet championship standards. Many say the Jubilee is now the toughest test of golf at St. Andrews.

Other courses at St. Andrews include the Eden, the Balgove, and the Strathtyrum.

For many people, that position remains unchanged. Home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the birthplace of golf, these world famous links have played host to many notable winners of the Open including Nicklaus (twice) and Ballesteros.

Guaranteed Old Course Tee-Times.

International Golf Travel /Adventures In Golf, are one of a small number of tour operators that are allocated guaranteed Old Course tee-times by St. Andrews Links Trust, for the main golfing season.

We also supplement our own allocation by working closely with our partner hotels in St. Andrews that are allocated tee times.

If you have travel plans for 2007, and playing the Old Course is crucial, please contact us for availability and advice on how best to access the course.