St. Andrews Links Trust | traveling golfer

The scope of these new developments has not been lost on the St. Andrews Links Trust, which has been making radical changes of its own and plays a large part in the golfing renaissance. Since Old Course tee times are in incredible demand, and thus hard to come by, the Trust has sought to increase demand for its other courses by investing heavily in improvements.

While the greens at The Old Course are in spectacular shape, the same has not historically been the case for its siblings. To that end, the Trust spent $17.4 million renovating the greens and much of the rest of the courses, which are now every bit as well maintained as The Old Course. The first and second holes of the Jubilee course, considered weak starting holes because they are so difficult and because their greens sit in the shade and are prone to frost damage, are being redesigned and will reopen in April as part of an improved routing. In 2000, a new clubhouse was built at the Eden course, serving both that layout and the Trust's two other courses, the Strathtyrum and Balgove. These are both shorter courses aimed at those just learning the game. The former is a par-69, 18-hole design, and the latter is a 9-hole course for juniors. The new clubhouse offers additional dining facilities and makes playing the wonderful Eden routing much more convenient.

The result of all this activity is nothing less than revolutionary in the world of golf. In less than 10 years, the number of full-size public courses in St. Andrews has doubled, after remaining stagnant for nearly a century. While some destinations have one heralded "must-play" layout, St. Andrews has four. A town where most guests once had no choice but to stay in small inns or bed-and-breakfasts now has two modern, full-service resorts. The St. Andrews Links Trust is actively looking for land on which to add a sixth course to its very public portfolio. Golf was born here, but for the traveling golfer, there has simply never been a better time to visit St. Andrews.