Bairdstravel is not a golfer but I thought it only right I gave you a small guide
to Golf in Scotland.According to the most widely accepted account, however, the modern game originated in Scotland around the 12th century, with shepherds knocking stones into rabbit holes on the current site of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
GOLF IN SCOTLAND
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world (the oldest being the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield). It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf". Formerly, it was also one of the governing authorities of the game, but in 2004 this role was handed over to a newly formed group of companies, collectively known as The R&A.
No While winning the Open Championship is a crowning achievement for any golfer, a win at St Andrews is considered particularly important due to the course's long tradition.
Past winners at St Andrews include Tiger Woods (twice), John Daly, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus (twice), Tony Lema, Kel Nagle, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sam Snead, Richard Burton, Denny Shute, Bobby Jones, Jock Hutchison, James Braid (twice), John Henry Taylor (twice), Hugh Kirkaldy, Jack Burns, Bob Martin (twice), Jamie Anderson, Tom Kidd and Lorena Ochoa.
In 2005 the Old Course was ranked as the greatest golf course in the rest of the world, i.e., outside the United States, by Golf Digest.
HERE IS A LIST OF LINKS TO THE FAMOUS GOLF COURSES OF SCOTLAND
Annes Golf Course
A golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick (pin) and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes. Some, however, only have nine holes and the course is played twice per round, while others have 27 or 36 and choose two groups of nine holes at a time for novelty and maintenance reasons. Many older golf courses, often coastal, are golf links, of a different style to others. For non-municipal courses, there is usually a golf club based at each course.
Most courses have only par three, four, and five holes, though some courses include par six holes. Typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows.
Men
- Par 3 – 250 yards (230 m) and below
- Par 4 – 251 to 450 yards (410 m)
- Par 5 – 451 to 690 yards (630 m)
- Par 6 – 691 yards (632 m) or more
Women
- Par 3 – 210 yards (190 m) and below
- Par 4 – 211 to 400 yards (370 m)
- Par 5 – 401 to 575 yards (526 m)
- Par 6 – 575 yards (526 m) or more
Harder or easier courses may have longer or shorter distances, respectively. Terrain can also be a factor, where a long downhill hole might be rated a par four, but a shorter uphill or treacherous hole might be rated a par five. Professional tournament players will often encounter longer Par 3 holes (up to 290 yards) and longer Par 4 holes (up to 520 yards).