Tee times on the New, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum Courses can be booked online now. Dates until March 31, 2005. Linksnet now makes it possible to reserve adult and junior times at the Home of Golf.

From tomorrow, the days start lengthening again at the Home of Golf so there will be more time to get in a winter round.

The Scotch Embassy home to those who love our greatest gifts Golf and Malt Whisky:The relationship between these two spans over 500 years.

The Old Course's mammoth bunker refacing programme ended today.

The South African rugby squad visited St Andrews today to take on the Jubilee Course.

The popular guided walk on the Old Course, a feature of summer on the Links for the last three years, will be available again on November 30, in celebration of St Andrew's Day. The tour will commence at 11 am from the shop behind the 18th green.

The re-launched St Andrews Links Trust shop has more golfwear and gifts available now, all endorsed with the official Links logo.

St Andrews Links Trust held a ceremony in the grounds of Pilmour House on 11 November 2004 to honour the 125th anniversary of the achievement of a St Andrews golfer, Jamie Anderson (1842-1905).

The hickory tree is planted today by Jim Hunter,
a descendent of Jamie Anderson.

To mark a two minute silence for Remembrance Day, the R&A will be firing its cannon at 11am tomorrow and again at 11.02.

Congratulations to Iain Donald of St Andrews who had a hole-in-one on the 12th of the Old Course yesterday. The par 4, 316-yard hole proved no problem for Mr Donald, a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, who was playing with fellow members, Eric Thain and Arthur Morris. The golfers in the game ahead were putting out when Mr Donald's ball rolled across the green and into the hole. A heroic shot - but is it unique?

Four members of the Basrah GC in Iraq swapped their home course for the Old Course today. The Basrah course is situated in the grounds of a former palace belonging to Saddam. It has one hole with some severe bunkering, which can change daily. A strict dress code insists on body armour and kevlar helmets. Not a bad idea for an autumnal Old Course!

St Andrews Links general manager, Alan McGregor, (second left)

meets the Basrah members.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has requested that the Old Course, St Andrews, be closed for three weeks before the Open Championship, which will be held between 14-17 July 2005.

The Old Course will therefore be closed from Monday 20 June until Tuesday 19 July 2005. The other five St Andrews Links courses will remain open until July, with the Jubilee closing 4-21 July, the Strathtyrum and Balgove closing 7-21 July and the New and Eden closing 10-17 July. The Golf Practice Centre closes from 23 May until mid-August.

The only official shop site for St Andrews Links, the Home of Golf, has been launched. There are many new products available, including the '2005 Open The Old Course' range. All purchases help to ensure the long-term preservation and maintenance of the golf courses at St Andrews Links.

Scotland's Stephen Gallacher today won the Dunhill Links Championship on the Old Course. He triumphed at the first extra hole in a play off with Graeme McDowell. Both finished the tournament tied at 19 under par.

Stephen Gallacher is presented with the Dunhill Links Trophy
on the first green of the Old Course.

Frazer Ogston, the 14 year-old SALJGA Order of Merit winner, today completed the third of his three rounds in the Dunhill. The St Andrews youngster, playing with Lian-Wei Zhang of China, netted an eagle and 13 birdies from his visits to Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course, helping to post a team score of 12 under par for the championship.

Frazer marks his ball at the first.

After 54 holes, the tournament is led by Ryder Cup hero Luke Donald, on 17 under par.

Following Thursday's record equalling 62 from Graeme McDowell, the Old Course again served up some excellent scores today. On a perfect day, six players returned 65s, including new tournament leader David Howell and defending champion Lee Westwood.

In readiness for the Open Championship 2005, the Road Hole Bunker, the notorious bunker on the most famous hole in world golf, the 17th hole of the Old Course, is being made more difficult for golfers to avoid.

In readiness for the Open Championship 2005, the Road Hole Bunker, the notorious bunker on the most famous hole in world golf, the 17th hole of the Old Course, is being made more difficult for golfers to avoid.

Following discussion with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), it has been agreed that there will be no change to the height or steepness of the bunker face. The key change requested by the R&A is to extend the bunker to the west into a more oval shape so that it will gather golf balls landing nearby more effectively.

Open Champion and inaugural Dunhill Links winner, Paul Lawrie, Honorary President of SALJGA, today met the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association's Order of Merit winners for 2004.

 
Paul Lawrie pictured with, from left,
Camilla Tait, Andrew Whyte and Frazer Ogston.

The Old Course has been awarded the accolade of best golf course in Britain and Ireland by Golf Monthly magazine.

The panel of judges, composed of golf writers, administrators, course designers and photographers, assessed over 500 courses and rated them according to the challenge presented to players, course condition, visual appeal and off-course facilities.

World No1 Vijay Singh was among a group of players who took on the Old Course with hickory clubs today in a curtain raiser to this week's dunhill links championship.

Vijay Singh chips in for a birdie at the 2nd

St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA), always at the forefront of junior development, is taking the lead in helping other clubs in Scotland encourage youngsters into the sport.

When Edinburgh's new Hermitage Golf Course and Education Centre, the first course in UK designed specifically for children and for people with disabilities, ran an advert for clubs and equipment to help meet the demands of the 400 weekly visits, SALJGA quickly obliged with 10 sets of new junior clubs.

With the dunhill links championship only a week away, players on the Old Course have the opportunity to experience the thrill of taking on a course set up for a major international competition.

Although the six Links courses and Golf Practice Centre are closed for the Dunhill, two composite courses will be open for golfers, including a fascinating challenge that combines the Jubilee and the New

The downpours in August kept local golfers at home while visitors to St Andrews Links continued to flow in. The excessive rain (over four times higher than average) resulted in the rare occurrence of the courses being closed because of flooding after 95mm of rain fell in three days.

This week marks an important stage in the preparations for the 2005 Open Championship, with the start of a large-scale programme of revetting for the bunkers on the Old Course. 90 of the course's 112 traps have been targeted for this work over the autumn and winter.

Old Course greenkeepers working on the Students cluster of bunkers
between the 4th and 15th fairways

The popular guided walks on the Old Course are to be extended until Monday, September 6th. This will include the Golfer's Tour, the Sunday lunchtime walk out to the loop area of the world's foremost links and venue for next year's Open Championship.

With the completion of the August Tournaments, the popular summer barbecues and putting evenings at the Eden Clubhouse resume today. Phone 01334 466666 for details. Further barbecues take place on 27 August and 3 and 10 September.

Following several days of poor weather, the format is now 36 hole strokeplay. Leading the Eden Tournament from yesterday are Stephen Marshall (Baberton), Craig Donaldson (Downfield) and Adam Hawkins (Rutland County), each made par 70 yesterday on the Eden Course. Teenager Holly Aitchison (Bedfordshire) has a two stroke lead in the Strathtyrum after achieving par 75 on the Eden Course yesterday.

The Eden Trophy, Eden Tankard, Strathtyrum Trophy and Strathtyrum Salver will resume on Thursday morning as 36 hole strokeplay competitions, weather permitting.

Midday update: Courses at the Links are closed as a result of continued heavy rain.

Nearly 350 golfers start their quest for these prestigious titles. The holder of the Eden Trophy is James Corfield, and the Strathtyrum Trophy is held by Karen Marshall. First round leader in the men's competition is James Peachey of Wollaton Park with a 69 over the Eden. In the Strathtyrum Trophy, Karen Marshall, Lynda Brebner and Laura Collin all returned 74s.

The Old Course will be open for play in reverse again in Spring 2005. Golfers who wish to book in advance have a choice of three options starting at £110 for a two round package on the Old Course backwards and the Jubilee Course.

St Andrews Boys' Champion 2004:
James Housby (Penrith) 5 and 4.

St Andrews Junior Ladies' Champion 2004:
Laura Eastwood (Yelverton) 3 and 2.

Handicap events
(Murray Mitchell Cup and the Open Quaich)
Clark Nelson (Douglas Park) 4 and 3.
Rachel Myles (St Leonards) 19th hole.

The finalists in today's Boys' and Junior Ladies' Opens at St Andrews. The boys, James Housby and Greg Paterson, pictured below with Golf Services Manager Niall Flanagan, are competing for the Merchants' Cup, and the girls, Sophie Walker and Laura Eastwood, are vying for the Golf Monthly Salver.

The defence of his Open crown came to end for Richard Gurney today when he lost to local boy, Adam Killen. Adam's fellow St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) member, Greg Paterson, also reached the last eight. The competition now moves to the Old Course. In the girls' event, three of last season's semi finalists are through: champion Rachel Bell, Sophie Walker, and Faye Sanderson.

Defending champions Richard Gurney and Rachel Bell both qualified for the match play stages of the Boys' and Junior Ladies' Opens. Top qualifier on the Eden Course with a round of 68 was Greg Paterson, who last week finished joint runner up in the Scottish Boys' Strokeplay Championship. On the Strathtyrum, Faye Sanderson was leading qualifier with a round of 70.

Well known PBS presenter, Rudy Maxa, was in St Andrews to film footage for a programme in his Smart Travels series. Mr Maxa, a Pulitzer Prize nominated reporter, spent time at the Golf Practice Centre recapturing the golfing prowess of his youth.

Transatlantic celebrations took place in the summer of 2005 as two of the world's most historic, public golf venues each host a major within a month of one another. In June 2005, Pinehurst, the revered golf venue in North Carolina, hosted the US Open, while in July St Andrews was again the venue for the Open Championship.

That championship also went down in the record books as the last victory of Payne Stewart, achieved with an outstanding 18ft putt, before his untimely death three months later.

Visitors to the Old Course can follow in the footsteps of golf's greats and experience a player's eye view of the entire fabled Links, all in the company of an expert and informative guide. Every Sunday, throughout July and August, St Andrews Links Trust is offering this new service to golfers and non-golfers alike eager to learn more about the world's most famous course and the venue for next year's Open Championship.

Newly crowned British Amateur Champion, Stuart Wilson, and St Andrews Links Trophy winner, Jamie McLeary, have further reason to celebrate their recent successes at the Home of Golf. Both have now been invited to play in the Scottish Open to be held at Loch Lomond in July.

Louise Stahle from Barseback, Sweden, won the St Rule Trophy by four shots. Louise's two round total was 141, ten under par. It was a double success for her, as Sweden won the team event.

This year's competition is the 21st, and previous winners include world number one Annika Sorenstam. The international field includes members of the Curtis Cup winning America team and Scottish champion, Anne Laing. The field of 72 will tee off between 09.30 and 13.30 on the New Course on Saturday and at the same time on the Old Course on Sunday.

Rapidly rising demand has prompted St Andrews Links Trust to seek planning permission to convert some of the present outdoor bays at the Golf Practice Centre to indoor ones.

"Usage of the Centre in winter has risen by over 60% since it was opened and demand so far this year is almost a third up on a year ago," said Links Trust General Manager Alan McGregor. "This has put enormous pressure on the indoor bays resulting in lengthy waiting times for golfers. We have applied for approval to convert some of the outdoor bays beside the entrance road into 14 indoor bays to meet this burgeoning demand.

St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association has received a £1250 boost to its funds following the UK premiere of Stroke of Genius, the film of the life Bobby Jones.

The money was raised at an auction held after the film screening, which was attended by over 400 guests. Among these were members of the cast, the producers and people of the town who had been involved in the filming which took place on the Links in August 2003.

Jamie McLeary of Leven Golfing Society today won the Links Trophy by a record equalling margin of seven shots. He was the only competitor to return under par figures in strong westerlies, displaying a masterful links game at the Home of Golf.

St Andrews Links Trust has won the prestigious Environment Excellence Award for its commitment to best environmental practice, both on and off the courses, making it one of only 24 golf venues throughout Europe to achieve this award.

Colin Wood, chairman of the Scottish Golf Environment Group which runs the award scheme, praised the Links Trust for the effort that it had put into the development of its environmental programme.

Only two players returned red figures today in the first round of the St Andrews Links Trophy. With a CSS of 77, the New Course played at six over its normal par. Jamie McLeary of Leven Golfing Society and Gareth Wright of West Linton both scored admirable 69s, with Richard Walker from Frodsham signing for a 71.

The sixteenth St Andrews Links Trophy gets underway on Friday. An international field will gather to compete in one of Europe's premier amateur stroke play events. Five of the quarter finalists in last week's Amateur Championship return to play the New and Old Courses, with new title holder, Stuart Wilson, the star name.

Stuart Wilson defeated Lee Corfield 4 and 3 in the 36 hole final over the Old Course. 'I've always loved St Andrews,' said Wilson afterwards, 'and to win at such a special place makes it even better.'


Stuart Wilson and Lee Corfield with the Amateur trophy

Kevin McAlpine from Alyth set a new amateur record of 62 on the Old Course. He scored birdies at six consecutive holes from the second on his way to an outward 29. On the way home he birdied four holes and missed chances on four others. After a 73 on the Jubilee, his aggregate of 135 puts him at the head of the field.

McAlpine shares leading place with James Heath from Coombe Wood, who created a new record of 63 on the Jubilee.

Eighty players on 143 or better go forward to the matchplay stages.

The Old Course has been the scene of many of golf's greatest moments. Not only have Open champions been crowned here, but 15 amateur champions have been hailed in St Andrews. The most famous was Bobby Jones, who won the Amateur in 1930 en route to his legendary grand slam.

The St Andrews Links Trophy has broken all records this year with a total of 223 players entering for the 132 places in the 72-hole tournament over the Old and New Courses, St Andrews from Friday, 11th to Sunday 13th June.

The New and Eden Courses will today play hosts to a Ryder Cup style competiton between two Usenet discussion forums, the British-based uk.sport.golf and rec.sport.golf of North America. The competition is one of the first ever examples of a match being organised by people who have made contact only through the internet.

Only one month into the 2004 golfing season, the rising demand to play on the Links by local golfers shows no signs of lessening. In April, a further 40 names were added to the already lengthy waiting lists for yearly tickets for golfers living outside the town.

The number of golfers on the waiting lists for North East Fife tickets and Ordinary tickets - both of which require membership of a local golf club - plus those on the list for Open Links tickets, is almost 400 and set to continue rising.

St Andrews Links, the Home of Golf, is hosting the first event in the Atos Origin Olympic Classic Golf series on Wednesday 21st April. The series has been created as part of the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) fundraising events programme in the build up to Athens 2004. The St Andrews Links Trust is hosting the event on the Jubilee Course, a championship course and reputedly the toughest on the Links.

The Third Annual Father and Son Tournament, held in St Andrews Scotland, was won yesterday by Mr. Kao-Cheih Huang and his 12 year old son Mr. Kuang Nan Huang from Taipei, Taiwan
Mr. Kao-Cheih Huang and Mr. Kuang Nan Huang, with handicaps of 10 and of 14 respectively scored a record total 158 points in the 72 holes of better ball Stableford competition, during which they were playing off three-quarters of their handicaps.

Krystle completed her two rounds over the Strathtyrum in 136 strokes to take the title. Scotland No1 (Krystle, Roseanne Niven and Carly Booth, below) won the team competition.

The SLGA St Leonards Under-16 Girls' Open got underway today on the Strathtyrum Course. This mixture of individual and team stroke play lasts for two days and features 88 competitors.

Today was the second of two days set aside this year for golfers to experience the challenge of taking on the Old Course's clockwise, or reverse, circuit.

Friends of St Andrews Links, Kati and Rob Donatucci from New York prepare to play the Old backwards.

Golfers heading for the Home of Golf can look forward to a greater choice of courses in years to come as St Andrews Links Trust yesterday received permission from the planning authorities to create a new golf course on the edge of the town.

The new 18 hole course will be joining the Trust's portfolio of six courses, which includes the Old Course, venue for the Open Championship in 2005. It will be a public course, open all year round and affordable. Work will start on site this summer and while progress is dependent on weather conditions, it is hoped the course will be open for play in 2006.

A head greenkeeper for the 109-year-old championship New Course at St Andrews Links has been appointed following Euan Grant's move to the Old Course.

David Coull, currently Course Manager at Glen Golf Club in North Berwick, will take up the position at the Links in mid-April. Mr Coull, 37, has been at the Glen Golf Club since 2000 and has made a number of improvements including lengthening the course, building new tees and greens and revising bunkering. In 2002 he was one of three additional greenkeepers to work at Muirfield for the week of the Open Championship.

The number of golfers living outside St Andrews who are on the waiting lists for Yearly Tickets to play on St Andrews Links has reached over 590. This compares with 280 in September last year when the Links Trust submitted its planning application for a 7th golf course.

The first of what are destined to be the most famous and most photographed tee plaques in the world was installed today on the 4th hole of the Old Course.

Golfers wishing to hone their skills can now opt to use the latest automated teeing technology, which has been installed at the St Andrews Links Golf Practice Centre.

To use the new device, called Power Tee 2, players fill a hopper under the ground with golf balls and after each shot a new ball pops up from below the mat ready to be struck. The player can press a button to choose from four tee heights, including one suitable for the most up-to-date drivers. The height of the tee can be changed at any time.

The number of rounds played on St Andrews Links by local golfers has risen by 27% in the first two months of 2004. Almost 13,400 rounds were clocked up over the six courses compared to 10,770 for the same period last year. Residents of St Andrews account for over half the total - 7,100 rounds compared to 5,600 last year. Visitor rounds for the same period were 3,066 - a rise of 24%.

The most talented young golfers in the UK will be returning to St Andrews Links in September 2004 for the grand final of the HSBC Wee Wonders Open Golf Championships.

St Andrews Links Trust has appointed Euan Grant as Head Greenkeeper in charge of the Old Course, following the
recently-announced departure of Eddie Adams to a position with The European Tour.

One of the top jobs in the world of greenkeeping has become vacant following the appointment of Eddie Adams, head greenkeeper of the Old Course, St Andrews Links, to the position of Greenkeeping Consultant for The European Tour.

Adams, 35, has worked for St Andrews Links Trust for 19 years. He became Head Greenkeeper of the Old Course in 1993 at the age of 24, making him the youngest person to hold that position in the course's 600 year history.

Golfers on the Links were caught out today by a sudden blizzard but this did not stop them playing until the bitter end. It just proves that the Old Course is a 'once in a lifetime experience' which cannot be curtailed whatever the weather!

Members of Marsden Park Golf Club, Lancashire, demonstrating the Swilcan Bridge huddle

The Old Course is being played in reverse (the left hand circuit) on Saturday, 3rd April and Monday, 5th April 2004.

As in previous years, there will be a ballot giving local yearly ticket holders a chance to guarantee their place at this popular event.



Playing the Old Course backwards, c.1900

St Andrews Links Trust has won the Scottish final of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) annual environmental competition for the first time.


Gordon Moir, Links Superintendent (holding award) with members of the Links staff

At their first meeting of the year the Trustees of St Andrews Links Trust welcomed a new Trustee, Peter Forster. Mr Forster was nominated by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and replaces Angus Ogilvie, who was a Trustee for six years.

At their first meeting of the year, the Links Management Committee (LMC) of St Andrews Links Trust welcomed three new members: Val Johnston, Angus Mitchell and Roy Verner.

St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) received a welcome boost to the start of 2004 with the news that former Open Champion and Dunhill Links winner, Paul Lawrie MBE, has agreed to become its Honorary President.

Proceeds from the St Andrews Links Trust's staff Christmas raffle went to the Douglas Ward Hospice at the St Andrews Memorial Hospital.

Pictured above, from left, are Rosemary Beaton (Auxiliary Nurse), Karen Nolan (Snr Charge Nurse) and Kim Band (Staff Nurse) receiving a cheque for £800 from Mandy Strachan of the Links Trust. An additional £200 was also donated to the Maggie’s cancer care centre which is planned for Kirkcaldy.

The funeral of Tip Anderson, a well-known local caddie who caddied for Arnold Palmer, will be held on Monday 12 January at 11am in the Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews.

St Andrews golfer, Harry Liddle, celebrated his 84th birthday in style in October. He marked the occasion by scoring his 10th hole-in-one in as many years on the Balgove Course, acing the 8th hole with a seven iron. His first ace was on the 5th hole back in 1993, just after the 9-hole course opened after being remodelled.