The Open Championship is returning to St. Andrews in 2022 for the first time in seven years. It was bumped off its normal five-year rotation when The Open was canceled in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, golf has returned again to one of its classic venues and fans of the sport will get a chance to see action again from the historic course.
The Old Course is steeped with plenty of tradition from the previous 29 Open Championships it has hosted. However, its overall history goes back a lot further than that, and while some elements of the course have changed, other notable portions of it remain the same.
St. Andrews' course is fairly long and filled with plenty of obstacles that should give golfers fits during The Open in 2022. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from the course as well as some of the most notable bunkers, water hazards and landmarks for which to keep an eye out.
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St. Andrews Old Course history
St. Andrews' Old Course has been around for a long time. It was first played upon during the 1400s, and St. Andrews is considered "The Home of Golf" as a result.
The Old Course endured some difficulties in its early stages. King James II banned golf in 1457 as it became "too popular" with young men that he wanted to be practicing archery. That ban stayed in place until James IV reversed it and became a golfer in 1502.
Later, in 1797, the course went bankrupt and rabbit farmers tried to challenge the golfers for the land. That started 20-plus years of wars, both legal and physical, between golfers and rabbit farmers until James Cheape, a local landowner and golfer, bought the course.
From there, The Old Course only grew in fame. Its 18-hole layout — which had been 22 until 1764 — became the standard golf course length. Eventually, it hosted The Open for the first time in 1873, when Tom Kidd won the event for the first and only time.
In 1894, the St. Andrews Town Council was able to buy back the links, which helped to safeguard them for locals and visitors alike to use. Shortly thereafter in 1895, St. Andrews built what was known as the "New Course" to create another playing option there. That is when the Old Course got its moniker.
The Old Course now has a lot of company. There are seven courses at St. Andrews, including the Old Course, New Course, The Castle Course, Jubilee Course, Eden Course, Strathtyrum Course and Balgove Course.
Still, the Old Course is the course used for championships like The Open. It is hosting one for the 30th time in 2022, making it the most-played course in tournament history.
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St. Andrews Old Course layout
- Par: 72
- Length: 7,305 yards
The Old Course at St. Andrews is a fairly long one, playing to a distance of 7,305 yards. That's among the longest links courses at which golfers play during The Open.
Below is a breakdown of each hole on the course, including its par, nickname and 2015 scoring average, per Golf Channel. Also included is where the holes ranked among the most difficult in 2015 with 18 representing the easiest and one representing the hardest.
| Hole | Par | Distance (yds.) | 2015 scoring average (rank) |
| 1 | 4 | 376 | 3.84 (13) |
| 2 | 4 | 453 | 4.04 (8) |
| 3 | 4 | 397 | 3.86 (11) |
| 4 | 4 | 480 | 4.15 (4) |
| 5 | 5 | 568 | 4.46 (18) |
| 6 | 4 | 412 | 3.86 (12) |
| 7 | 4 | 371 | 3.8 (15) |
| 8 | 3 | 175 | 3.04 (7) |
| 9 | 4 | 352 | 3.81 (14) |
| 10 | 4 | 386 | 3.78 (16) |
| 11 | 3 | 174 | 3.09 (6) |
| 12 | 4 | 348 | 4.01 (9) |
| 13 | 4 | 465 | 4.19 (3) |
| 14 | 5 | 618 | 5.01 (10) |
| 15 | 4 | 455 | 4.11 (5) |
| 16 | 4 | 423 | 4.24 (2) |
| 17 | 4 | 495 | 4.66 (1) |
| 18 | 4 | 357 | 3.79 (17) |
And if you want a visual of each hole, you can check out this informative video tour of the Old Course from Golf Digest:
Notable holes, features on St. Andrews' Old Course
The Old Course's best-known hole is the 17th, known as the Road Hole. It is considered one of the toughest Par 4s in championship golf, as the approach to the green is extremely complex. The left side is guarded by the Road Hole Bunker while anything long of the green will result in a shot from the road behind the green.
Of course, controlling spin and run on a links course is extremely difficult, especially given the hot, dry conditions that have persisted in Scotland recently. So, this should prove to be a difficult test just as it was for golfers in 2015.
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All told, there are countless obstacles on the Old Course. There are a whopping 112 bunkers on the course and numerous other ridges, valleys, hollows and water hazards that will give golfers fits throughout the week.
Holes 1 and 18 contain within them three of the more notable obstacles. The Swilcan Burn, a waterway which flows across the Old Course, is something that players must avoid. So too is Grannie Clark's Wynd, a paved, public road that can create difficult shots for golfers.
Additionally, the Swilcan Bridge is located on these holes. It is one of the most notable landmarks at St. Andrews, as the footbridge across the Swilcan Burn was originally built 700-plus years ago.
Another notable landmark is the "Hell Bunker" on the 14th hole. The bunker is 100 yards shy of the green, but those that find their way into it won't be looking to see if they can land an approach shot on the green. They'll just be looking to get out of it in general.
The Hell Bunker has an extreme slope and is seven feet deep in spots. If you get up against any of its side walls, it will almost certainly take multiple shots to get out. It once took Jack Nicklaus four shots to escape the bunker's clutches.
Welcome to Hell (Bunker!)#TheOpen #150th #StAndrews #OpenCountdown pic.twitter.com/TTeQRDYhpb
— Kieran Clark (@KieranClarkGolf) July 7, 2022
So, suffice to say that those that find the Hell Bunker will have a hell of a time.
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