Roger Hermiston makes a pilgrimage to play St Andrews golf course, while Eileen Wise explores the local spa.
For anyone, but for a golfing aficionado in particular, it had to be one of the finest views imaginable. There we were, looking out from our balcony in Room 278 at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews on a lovely summer’s day, the vast expanse of the most famous golf arena in the world stretching before us, the West Sands beach (of ‘Chariots of Fire’ fame) in the far distance, and beyond it the dark blue waters of St Andrews Bay.
Closer up and just below us, if we looked to the left we could watch the golfers teeing up on the Old Course’s most formidable and iconic hole, the 17th, the Road Hole. Straight ahead, across undulating fairways, rough grass and gorse, lay the impressive yellow, sand stoned Links Clubhouse, with the Himalayas putting ground alongside.
Finally to our right, the most majestic vista of all. The famous Swilcan Bridge in the foreground – scene of a million photos of awestruck golfers – then the triumphal march up the 18th fairway, the fine houses of The Links street on the right, and the enormous red-bricked Hamilton Grand and the classical Royal and Ancient Club buildings looming over the 18th green.
Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa St Andrews
We had arrived at the Old Course Hotel, the undisputed Home of Golf, after a weekend in Glasgow, and an exhilarating day spent watching the final round of The Open at Royal Troon. Now, for Roger, was the exciting prospect of playing four of the finest links courses anywhere, and for both of us away from the golf the chance to explore a region full of history and rugged beauty.
We were there courtesy of The Experience Golf, a sporting travel company which, we were quickly discovering, provides excellent hospitality and unique sporting (and cultural) adventure at some of the world’s greatest golf venues. St Andrews may be The Experience Golf’s base and home, but Northern Ireland (Royal County Down and Royal Portrush – the latter which hosts The Open in 2025), is on their books, as is Ireland (Adare Manor) and England (Royal Birkdale). It seems to be expanding all the time.
We had already experienced the company’s smooth service and organisation for the Royal Troon outing. We had then enjoyed the coach trip from Glasgow to St Andrews, with our driver Norman regaling us with witty and insightful observations about landmarks of Scottish history along the way. Now we settled into our home for the week at the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa guided by the always courteous and highly efficient two Iains – Iain MacCallum and Operations Manager Iain Meiklejohn.
There are many historic buildings dotted about the fine town of St Andrews – but the Old Course Hotel is a more modern construction. It was erected in 1968 on the site of the old rail station, which had been built at the height of the railway boom in the 1850s – a boom which had helped to spread the game of golf in Scotland. The former stationmaster’s house still stands, but in much different form now as the cosy Jigger Inn, a favourite post-round watering hole for golfers and their friends.
The American Kohler family acquired the hotel in 2004 and have expended great effort in improving every aspect of it. The Old Course Hotel nowadays is a bright, expansive, luxurious establishment with a variety of eating and drinking options (aside from The Jigger Inn) – including the 3 AA Rosette Road Hole Restaurant, the seafood bar and chophouse Swilcan Loft, the comfortable Road Hole Bar and the rooftop West Deck for al fresco drinks and dining.
Reaching our suite, which has been part of the more recent expansion of the hotel, was the longest walk from lift to room that we had ever taken! But its value was in being able to study the many historic, mainly black-and-white photographs adorning the walls of the long corridors – for example a well-dressed party of friends attending The Open in 1935, a gentleman in suit and tie playing out of Hell’s bunker in 1924, and a group of stern lady wardens of the university in 1912.
Everywhere in the hotel there are reminders of the glorious golfing past of St Andrews. Just off the spacious main reception area is a ‘corridor of fame’ where there are some wonderful blown-up photographs of the characters who shaped this land and this course – the ‘father’ of the St Andrews links, Old Tom Morris, famous old caddy J.R. Ayrton, the feathery ball maker David Anderson out on the course with his ginger beer barrow, and a group of unknown ladies in long black dresses putting, playing no doubt at a time when their participation in the game was frowned upon.
Oak boards detailing every winner of The Open championship from 1860 to the present day line the corridor leading to the pro shop, from Tom Morris senior and junior to the modern-day heroes, Faldo, Els, Woods, Harrington, Mickelson and McIlroy. The pro shop, with a team of friendly assistants, sells every piece of golf clothing and equipment you might need, and has a room adjoining it where groups like ours could store our clubs between rounds.
Aside from the amazing view, our room, contemporary in design with striking striped wallpaper – one of the Fairway suites in the newish Millennium Wing – was really everything you could desire, with an extremely comfortable king-sized bed, and equally restful couch and armchair. A spacious desk was situated by the window. An attractive marble-floored bathroom featured twin sinks and excellent walk-in shower.
Kohler Waters Spa
For Eileen who is not a golfer she enjoyed a pampering afternoon in the Kohler Waters Spa – a most relaxing and luxurious treat. It has a 20m indoor spa pool, sauna, steam room, a hydrotherapy pool excellent for relaxing tired muscle after a day on the golf course. But the highlight for her was the wonderful full body and head massage administered by Leanne who made the stresses and aches of every day life disappear and left her feeling floaty and relaxed. Highly recommended.
Now nicely settled in, it was time for Roger to hit the golf course. There were four of them to tackle during our week-long stay, one ancient and three newcomers – first the Castle Course, opened in 2008 and the latest addition to the seven-strong group of St Andrews link courses, next the historic Old Course, then Dumbarnie, 12 miles south outside Leven and the baby of the four (opened in 2020), and finally Kingsbarns, nine miles south-east and just 24 years old.
Roger: The new Castle Course, perched on the cliff top, has breathtaking views looking out over St Andrews Bay and back into the town. It is named after Kinkell Castle which stood on headland known as Kinkell Ness back in the Middle Ages. The Moneypennys (almost certainly no relation to Bond’s secretary) were the landowners here for centuries, and the centrepiece of their family’s coat of arms, a Scottish peer’s helmet, was adapted as the course’s logo.
I played the course on a Monday afternoon with an engaging American couple, Bradley and Ghyslaine from San Antonio, Texas, accompanied by their knowledgeable caddies Neil and Chris. The fairways were generous but if you strayed from them it was tough as the rough was long and the bunkers deep. I struggled initially, but perked up to play the back nine holes in 43 strokes, just eight over par, thus playing to my handicap.
The signature par three 17th is a terrifying all or nothing hole, played across a ravine on the edge of the cliffs. Yet I played a well-struck five wood left of the green, from where it rolled nicely down the slope onto the putting surface. Two puts from twenty feet and I had a very satisfying par! I then followed that up with an equally gratifying par five on the scenic final hole (named Rock & Spindle), with the bay just below us and the sun beginning to set in a vast, gorgeous blue sky dotted with black and white clouds.
Playing the Castle Course
Playing the Castle Course was an encounter with a force of nature. Playing the iconic Old Course in St Andrews town two days later was a journey into the very heart of golf’s history. Prestwick may have held the first Open Championship in 1860, but it was here in St Andrews that Old Tom Morris and his son Tommy blazed a golfing trail in Victorian Britain that would ignite worldwide.
My three accomplished playing partners were Jamie, the professional at Effingham Golf Club in Surrey, Elliot, his old schoolmate and an elegant scratch golfer, and Andrew, a rangy left-hander from Chicago who had won his place on the ballot system. None of us had played the Old Course before, and we were all absurdly nervous as we prepared to tee off.
We posed for the camera in front of the instantly recognisable neo-classical, pale-coloured facade of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, with the massive rebrick Hamilton Grand building to its left. I think we all felt the hand of history on our shoulders – all those famous moments on the turf on which we were now standing, embedded in our psyche. Doug Sanders missing his two-and-a-half-foot putt on the 18th just a few yards to our left, Seve Ballesteros fist-pumping after a birdie putt on the same green secured him the claret jug. Memories of Tiger Woods claiming the title here without once landing in a bunker, and Palmer, Watson, Faldo et al strutting their stuff.
We all hit poor tee shots on the first. After spraying mine left, I then deposited an eight-iron into the Swilcan burn, An indifferent chip to just off the green, plus three putts, meant I finished up with a seven on one of the ‘Old Lady’s easier holes!
Then I – we – relaxed, and threw off the shackles of past glories. On a calm, bright day, the Old Course actually felt less of a stiff challenge than the Castle Course two days earlier. A lovely up-and-down gave me a par on the second (named Dyke) and then to my huge delight I birdied the fifth (Hole O’Cross Out). I was on the outer edge of one of these vast greens in two, followed by two putts from about fifty yards.
Until the 15th I even managed to get out of each, usually cavernous bunker first time. After taking an eight on that hole, I promptly parred the 16th (Corner of the Dyke), and was then happy enough to take a bogey at the great Road Hole, scene of disasters for even the very best.
Like thousands before us, both paupers and princes of the game, we posed for our photograph on the little stone Swilcan Bridge before tackling the 18th. I hit a nice second shot onto the green and walking towards it, into that veritable amphitheatre of the Valley of Sin and enormous putting surface, imagining I was playing the last hole of The Open itself, was almost a spiritual experience.
I three-putted from 45 yards but still received a smattering of applause as my ball hit the bottom of the cup. There is a great intimacy to this famous old course – it is in the town, feels very much the property of it, and you are guaranteed a supportive audience of locals and visitors around first tee and last green.
Dumbarnie
The third course, Dumbarnie, is the baby of them all. It was opened in May 2020 unfortunately just as Covid hit, but visitors started to flock here once restrictions were lifted. English Ryder Cup hero and golf designer Clive Clark created it, and it was quickly acclaimed as a ‘masterpiece of golf design’ by Golf Monthly.
Sitting some 80 feet above sea level on a magnificent promontory, Dumbarnie has several elevated tees which command extraordinary views over the Firth of Forth, and many of the greens are close to the water. It has a fair number of what are described in golfing parlance as ‘risk and reward’ par 4s – short, seemingly straightforward, but with traps, rough or bunkers, should a shot go astray.
The starter at the first tee bade us welcome with an offering of a wee dram of Loch Lomond malt whisky. Not necessarily because of the alcohol, but after a good first nine – with three pars – too many of my shots began to go astray. Not so my partners Jamie and Elliot who turned in outstanding rounds. Elliot eagled the par-5 7th, and on the 13th Jamie hit an audacious 300-yard approach shot with his driver, thus setting up a birdie.
The last of my golfing challenges was the Kingsbarns course, opened in 2000 in its current incarnation, but with a golfing history on this land dating back well before the time of Tom Morris. In the 1790s, dressed in their blue coats, the Kingsbarns men would meet for their Spring and Autumn meetings on these links on the Cambo Estate, enjoying dinner afterwards in the Golfers Hall.
The links was ploughed up to make way for arable land in 1850, but golf was revived in 1922 by Lady Erskine of Cambo, when a nine-hole course was established and a Kingsbarns Golf Club born. This club served the needs of the locals until war broke out in 1939 when the course was mined for the national security effort, eventually reverting to rough pasture.
Kingsbarns is a beautifully maintained links course, with simply immaculate fairways and greens. It has gorgeous sea views from every hole as you play along almost two miles of North Sea coastline. Jamie declared that it was the best course he had ever played; it has regularly been ranked one of the top 100 courses in the world, and has co-hosted the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
A scary hole is the par 3 15th, with a long carry over crashing waves and rocks on to an enormous green. I did the hard work and landed my ball on the green, but then three putted for a bogey. Equally nerve-wracking is the elevated downhill approach to the final hole, with a wide burn waiting to gobble up any misdirected shot. Fortunately I hit a lovely nine-iron close to the flag to leave me with a great memory of my four rounds of superb links golf.
Aside from its golf tours – both fully organised and bespoke packages – The Experience Golf also provides various cultural tours for a window on the world of this fascinating region. For example there’s a St Andrews Walking Tour, a visit to watch gin making at Darnley’s Distillery, and the one we elected to go on – the East Neuk Tour.
East Neuk Tour
The East Neuk (neuk means corner) is a picturesque coastal region of Fife, lying east of a line between the village of Leven and the town of St Andrews. It’s studded with delightful fishing villages, coves, inlets and beaches, and has a rich history. James VI of Scotland (later to become also James 1 of England) famously described this area as ‘a beggar’s mantle fringed with gold’ – meaning that in the late 16th century this rugged coastline housed the bustling, profitable industries of fishing, coal and especially salt.
We had the best possible guide in Amy, a graduate of St Andrews University and a native of these parts, and Steve, our driver, had plenty of knowledge too. We requested that our first stop should be the village of Lower Largo, where we could add to our list of recent literary landmarks, following on from James Joyce and Oscar Wilde in Dublin and Dylan Thomas in Laugharne, Wales.
Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe
Here, on Main Street, Alexander Selkirk, the son of a shoemaker, was born. Selkirk was Daniel Defoe’s inspiration for his famous character Robinson Crusoe – the book of that name now widely accepted as being the first real ‘modern’ novel.
Selkirk’s statue above the bright red front door gazes out into the distance, presumably looking for a ship as he yearns to end his island existence. The plaque below gives the bare bones of his story – he was a sailor, a kind of nautical mercenary, who may not have been actually shipwrecked but left purposely on the island of San Fernandez off the coast of Chile after questioning the sea-worthiness of his ship. Whatever the truth, he did survive four years until his eventual rescue. Appropriately, Lower Largo is today twinned with San Fernandez.
Moving on, Amy was keen we should stop to admire the grey sandstone St Monan’s Church in the village of that name. Named after the legendary 9th century saint, an Irish missionary who was killed by the Danes, it is situated in a magnificent location, on a hillside overlooking the sea. A religious house may have existed on this site in the 13th century, but St Monan’s was first built as a chapel by King David II around the 1340s. Legends abound about events here – the Scots may have seen off the invading English in a major battle in the 1550s.
Elsewhere, we tarried awhile in the pretty seaside resort of Elie, with its busy harbour. Here, we were intrigued to learn, serious games of cricket between neighbouring villages take place on the beach once the tide is out – and the proof was there in the shape of a fixed scoreboard on the front, and a board outside the pub advertising the next match between The Ship Inn CC and Free Forresters CC!
Pittenweem
The fishing industry is obviously not what it was in James VI’s time, but the village of Pittenweem is still a highly active port, where boats jostle for position and the daily catch is evident on the menus of its excellent restaurants. In the window of one of those, The Dory Bistro, a plaque on the window informs visitors that The King, Elvis Presley, visited East Neuk on a stopover from Germany to America in 1960. ‘At each village’, we were astounded to learn, ‘Elvis stopped and exchanged banter with starstruck locals ……describing Fife as ‘very cool’.
A great piece of marketing by the restaurant, but sadly there is no substance to its story. The furthest The King got in Fife that day was the tarmac and maybe the airport lounge of Prestwick Airport before his trip home!
Amy and Steve dropped us off at the gates of St Andrews Cathedral on the way back to our hotel. It is but a splendid ruin now, having suffered damage from fires and storms, and its demise was hastened when John Knox and his congregation sacked it in the Religious Reformation of 1559.
We made a beeline for the back wall of the graveyard, where a splendid marble memorial of a golfer stands. Sixty golfing societies around Scotland and the world contributed to this splendid dedication ‘In Memory of Tommy’ – young Tommy Morris, son of Old Tom the father of St Andrews, who died at the tender age of 24. ‘He thrice in succession won the Champion’s Belt and held it without rivalry and yet without envy’, the inscription reads, ‘His many amiable qualities being no less acknowledged than his golfing achievements’.
That Champion’s Belt from the 1870s can be found in the excellent World Golf Museum, which sits behind the Royal & Ancient Club. There’s much else to see in this superb museum, clubs from the Morris era, old feathery golf balls, cups, letters, memorabilia donated by some of the great players, and the wooden ballot box which decided, back in the day, who gained entry to the prestigious R & A Club – one side saying Admit, the other Reject.
The story goes that local businessman Thomas Hamilton applied for membership of the R & A – but was rejected in the ballot. In a fit of high pique he commissioned the construction of the massive building that still bears his name, a hotel he resolved to make so grand that it would overshadow the R & A Club alongside it that had thwarted him.
Sadly, after a week’s sumptuous sporting and cultural entertainment, it was time to leave the land of golfing legend. We will certainly endeavour to be back soon.