The Old Course at St Andrews: a profile for the research-minded

The Old Course at St Andrews is the home of golf and the headline venue of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. A par 72 links of around 7,305 yards, it is defended by wind, firm ground and famous hazards rather than length. Positioning, the ground game and putting on its vast double greens decide scoring here.

The venue in brief

St Andrews in Fife is where the game was first played on these links, and the Old Course has shaped golf for centuries. It set the 18-hole standard in 1764. The layout is unusual and instantly recognisable: seven double greens shared between pairs of holes, wide shared fairways, and more than a hundred named bunkers, each with its own character and story. The Swilcan Bridge, a stone footbridge many centuries old, frames the 1st and 18th. Its tournament history is unmatched. The Old Course has hosted The Open Championship around 30 times, most recently in 2022, and it anchors the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a pro-am played across three courses with the Old Course as the centrepiece. The course traditionally closes on Sundays to rest and for public enjoyment.

What the course asks of a player

Links golf at St Andrews is a different examination from target golf. The turf is firm, the wind is the primary defence, and the ground game matters as much as the air game. The two most talked-about hazards are the Road Hole 17th, a par 4 of around 495 yards with the notorious Road Hole bunker and the road behind the green, and the 14th, a par 5 of around 618 yards guarding Hell Bunker. The 16th brings the Principal's Nose bunkers into play. Large double greens can leave enormous first putts, so lag putting and green reading are decisive. In research terms, three things are worth checking on any player before a links event here: a record of playing well in wind and on firm ground, control of ball flight and trajectory rather than pure carry distance, and strong putting from distance. Course fit at St Andrews leans towards experienced links players and controlled ball-strikers. You can read how we weigh these factors in how we pick.

How this fits ProPlace research

ProPlace models every player in the field, not just the favourites, and course fit is one input alongside form and field strength. On a wind-dependent links like the Old Course, the model tends to reward proven links pedigree and control over raw power, though a calm week can flatten those edges. A profile like this is context, not a tip: it explains what the course rewards so the numbers on the performance record and the tournament pages read clearly. For the idea behind matching a player to a venue, see course fit. For related links venue reading, see our profiles of Royal Birkdale and Trump International, Doonbeg. This week the Old Course also anchors the Dunhill Links alongside Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

For readers aged 18 and over. ProPlace publishes golf research and data, not tips or guaranteed outcomes. Past performance is not a guide to future results. Please gamble responsibly. Support and information are available at BeGambleAware.org.