David J Whyte’s Signature Golf Guide
St Andrews & The Kingdom of Fife
The Home of Golf — Properly Explored
There are golf destinations. And then there is St Andrews.
For more than six centuries golfers have been drawn to this small corner of Scotland. The Old Course may be the reason many first come, but it is only the beginning.
Well within an hour lie some of the greatest links courses in the world, ancient clubs, wonderfully eccentric local courses, fishing villages, historic towns, whisky, exceptional food and the unmistakable landscape of the Kingdom of Fife.
The trick isn’t finding things to do.
It’s knowing what’s worth your precious time.
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The Value
A $29.95 Decision Before A Multi-Thousand-Dollar Golf Trip
A premium round of golf in Scotland can cost hundreds of dollars. A good hotel room in St Andrews can cost considerably more.
But there’s something even more valuable.
Your time.
If you’ve travelled thousands of miles to Scotland and have six or seven days to appreciate it, wasting one of them on the wrong course, the wrong location or an unnecessary journey has real consequence.
This guide is designed to help you make better decisions before you arrive — and discover considerably more once you’re here.
Better decisions before you travel. Better experiences when you arrive.
The Old Course
So, You Want To Play The Old Course?
Of course you do.
But securing a game on the Old Course is unlike booking almost any other famous golf course.
The guide explains the realistic ways of getting onto the Old Course, how the ballot works, what alternatives are available and — crucially — how to plan a St Andrews trip that remains exceptional even if an Old Course tee time doesn’t happen.
Because one of the great mistakes visitors make is allowing a single tee time to dictate their entire journey.
And St Andrews & The Kingdom has far too much golf for that.
The St Andrews Courses
Seven Courses. One Remarkable Town.
St Andrews is not one golf course. It is seven.
The Old Course rightly takes the headlines, but the New Course may be the course many St Andrews regulars would choose for themselves.
The Jubilee offers a sterner links challenge than its name suggests, while the Eden has charms of its own.
The Castle Course sits apart from the others entirely — spectacular clifftop ground overlooking the town and the bay.
The Craigtoun course, St Andrews’ only healthland track also offers spectacular views.
And then there are Strathtyrum and Balgove, gentler, more forgiving, ideal for beginners or those looking for a quick warm-up round.
And that’s before you’ve driven out of St Andrews.
The Linksland Signature Guide tells you exactly what each offers — and helps you decide which deserve a place in your itinerary.
Beyond St Andrews
Then There’s The Kingdom
Drive ten minutes beyond St Andrews and the journey changes again.
Kingsbarns. Dumbarnie. Crail. Elie. Lundin. Leven.
Names that belong on any serious Scottish golf itinerary.
But one of the pleasures of Fife is discovering the courses most overseas visitors overlook.
Scotscraig. Ladybank. Aberdour. Burntisland. Kinghorn. Cupar. Kingarrock and more.
Some are historic. Some eccentric. Some extraordinarily good value.
And some may provide the round you talk about long after you’ve forgotten the score at one of the famous ones.
Off The Fairways
Golf Is Only Half The Journey
St Andrews rewards the golfer who puts the clubs aside occasionally.
The guide takes you into the East Neuk and its fishing villages, through Fife’s history and stories, into its whisky, restaurants and pubs — and to the places that give this small kingdom its extraordinary character.
Walk the old streets of St Andrews.
Follow the coast.
Eat seafood overlooking a harbour.
Have a dram somewhere you didn’t know existed.
Discover the landscape behind Outlander.
And understand why generations of golfers have come for the golf and found themselves falling for Fife.
Accommodation
Where Should You Stay?
In St Andrews itself? Just outside town? A luxury hotel or a historic inn? Somewhere overlooking the links, or somewhere quieter?
Accommodation can be one of the largest expenses of a Scottish golf journey, and location can have a profound effect on the experience.
The guide looks beyond a simple hotel directory and helps you understand where makes sense for the trip you’re actually planning.
Food & Drink
Eat. Drink. Linger.
A great golf day shouldn’t end when you walk off the 18th.
St Andrews has changed enormously as a food and hospitality destination, but the old institutions remain part of its appeal.
The guide covers where to eat, where to drink and the places where golfers have been gathering, arguing about putts and embellishing their game for generations.
Because sometimes the best part of a golf trip happens after dark.
The Contents
What’s Inside
St Andrews
- The Old Course
- Getting Onto The Old
- The New Course
- The Jubilee
- The Eden
- Strathtyrum & Balgove
- The Castle Course
- The Craigtoun Course
- St Andrews Golf Academy
- St Andrews Mean Time
- Where To Stay
- Where To Eat
- Where To Drink
Northeast Fife
- Scotscraig
- St Michaels
- Drumoig
- Cupar
- And More
The East Neuk & Firth Of Forth
- Kingsbarns
- Crail — Balcomie & Craighead
- Elie
- Lundin
- Lundin Ladies
- Leven Links
- Anstruther
- Dumbarnie
- Fairmont St Andrews
- Aberdour
- Burntisland
- Kinghorn
Inland Fife
- Ladybank
- Kingarrock
- Balbirnie Park
- Charleton
- Pitreavie
- Dunnikier Park
- Kirkcaldy
- Thornton
- Dunfermline
- Forrester Park
- And More
And Beyond The Golf
The East Neuk · Robinson Crusoe & Lower Largo · Whisky In Fife · The Founding Fathers · Outlander Country · Travel & Practical Information · Scottish Weather · Understanding The Cost Of Golf
A First Look
See What You’re Buying
A glimpse of the photography, places and courses covered inside — from the Old Course to the corners of Fife most visitors never find.
The New Course
The Old Course
Dumbarnie Links
The Craigtoun Course
Crail & The East Neuk
Lower Largo
David J Whyte
David J Whyte has spent more than three decades travelling, writing and photographing golf destinations.
As one of Scotland’s leading golf landscape photographers, his work has taken him across Scotland and much of the golfing world, writing and photographing for publications internationally and working extensively within Scottish golf tourism.
His knowledge of Scotland was acquired the long way round.
He has travelled the country and photographed every golf course in the land. He remains an authority on Scottish golf travel and a long-serving judge for the annual Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.
The Signature Golf Guides bring all that experience together with David’s images, observations and recommendations for golfers who want much more than rankings, green fees and a list of places to play.
“I don’t want simply to tell you where the golf courses are. Google can do that. I want to tell you why you will want to play them — and what you will discover along the way.”
The Smallest Investment In Your St Andrews Trip
This is designed as a practical companion to one of the world’s great golf journeys.
A single piece of useful advice can save an unnecessary journey, help you choose between expensive courses, point you towards an overlooked experience or simply make one precious day in Scotland considerably better.
Compared with the cost of getting to Scotland, staying in St Andrews and playing its great courses, $29.95 is a very small part of the journey.
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Both are included with your purchase.
St Andrews & The Kingdom of Fife
Seven St Andrews courses. The Kingdom of Fife. One complete guide.
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This Is Only The Beginning
Plus: Portugal — The Complete Golf Guide.
More destinations will follow.