Last month, golf enthusiasts from across the world tuned in to see the 150th British Open, which was hosted by the historic “Old Course” in St Andrews, Scotland.
The Old Course is also commonly referred to as “The Home of Golf”. The game that is now a global phenomenon was born in this Scottish seaside town in the early 15th century.
About a month before the tournament was played, Sidney and I had the opportunity to explore the famous course and the town of St Andrews!
St Andrews is located in a region that is known as the Kingdom of Fife. Most of the towns in Fife are located right on the sea, since they were all originally born out of the fishing industry.
St Andrews is located about an hour and a half north of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
However, the only available route from Edinburgh crosses over a body of water known the Firth of Forth, which leads directly into the North Sea. It is also a fantastic tongue-twister!
The Firth of Forth is extremely wide, and the only way to travel across it is a massive suspension bridge called the Queensferry Crossing. There is also an adjacent rail bridge for trains.
Our day trip brought us over the Queensferry Crossing and up the east coast, where we were able to see some of the fishing villages!
We stopped in the charming town of Anstruther for a quick walk around. Anstruther is extremely small, but has a lot of character.
The most unique aspect of this small fishing village is the seashell mosaic on a few of the cottages.
It is something that you don’t notice until you walk right up to the outside walls, but seashells cover the entire exterior of the houses!
There are definitely superstitious origins to this practice, as the fishing industry often depended on ideal fishing conditions. Many fishermen had all sorts of rituals and superstitions in an attempt to keep the storms away.
After a nice morning walk around the town’s coastline, we made our way up to The Home of Golf!
St Andrews is obviously most well-known for the Old Course, as well as a collection of other world-renowned courses.
Even during the years when they are not hosting The Open, golf enthusiasts travel from all over the world to see the birthplace of the sport with their own eyes.
The first glimpse you catch when approaching the course is the famous shared fairway of holes 1 and 18, which is boxed in by a row of stone buildings.
The course is actually not all that imposing on first glance. There are absolutely no trees or water to worry about, so the fairways appear to be wide open.
However, the illusion of ease is deceiving. The course is actually very difficult because of the thick fescue around the greens, and the famous “pothole” bunkers that can ruin scorecards for even the most skilled sand-shot specialists.
One of the most unique aspects of the course is not the links style or the shared fairways and greens, but actually the fact that it is completely open to the public on Sundays.
We had no idea this was the case when we first decided to take the trip on a Sunday, and we couldn’t believe our luck!
Even with all of the stadium seating and setup for the major tournament, which was only a month away, we were given complete access to walk around the course!
We made sure to stop at the famous Swilken Bridge. It was amazing to think that we were standing on the exact place where Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, and so many other golfing legends walked on their way to the 18th green.
We also got a look at the 17th green, which is known as “The Road Hole”. This is because there is a stone road right behind the green, and believe it or not, it is considered a part of the course and there is no relief offered for balls that land on it!
To quote Happy Gilmore, “play it as it lies!”
Even the pros end up landing their shot on this road from time to time. They have no choice but to hit it off the stone surface and hope for the best.
Now I should point out that even if you are not a golf enthusiast, there is still plenty to see in the town of St Andrews.
It is home to one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, and Sidney was quick to point out that Prince William and Kate Middleton met while attending this university!
Neither the town nor the university are all that big, but the setting could not be more reminiscent of Hogwarts if it tried!
We were also extremely intrigued by the remains of a famous cathedral on the east end of the town.
The entire grounds of what was once a massive building is filled with old sculptures and relics from the medieval age.
The cathedral fell into ruin after the Scottish Reformation in the 16th-century, which made practicing Catholicism illegal.
After a perfect afternoon walking around the town of St Andrews and enjoying the seaside ambience, we headed west for one more stop before heading back to the city.
We were very excited to check out the inland town of Falkland. This is one of the most recognizable filming locations from the popular Netflix series, Outlander!
Somewhat ironically, the location is meant to be Inverness in the show, which is actually located way up north in the Highlands region.
The main square of Falkland is instantly recognizable as the primary location for the pilot episode!
This town is worth a visit even if you haven’t seen the show. It is extremely small, and home to only a few thousand people. The setting is truly stunning as it is right at the foot of the Lomond Hills.
We couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday in the Kingdom of Fife, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Edinburgh! There is a lot to see, and it is not too far from the city.
The seaside location of St Andrews and the fishing villages is both picturesque and peaceful.
It is certainly a much shorter trip than the Highlands, although I wouldn’t skip out on that either!
Scotland is a truly magical place that we absolutely cannot wait to return to someday. I’ll admit that we were both a little sad on the day we left.
But alas, more adventures await!
Next up, a small English town that we want to check out before returning to where it all started for us! That is all I will say for now. Hope to see you in the next one!
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Anyone who hasn't seen Outlander certainly should ... especially if you're a woman! Just saying! Great info ... what a fun adventure!!
Hey guys, thank you for dropping more knowledge on me. The St Andews section of the newsletter gave me a Lambeau Field hallowed ground feeling. You know that's good.
Tom