Kingsbarns & St Andrews South

Kyle Phillips built this in 2000 on land that looks like it's been there since the Picts and somehow nobody questions it. The closing stretch along the North Sea — 12, 15, 18 in particular — produces the kind of golf you fly across an ocean for. Walking only, caddies recommended, and the wind off the firth means your stock yardages are fiction.

Seventh-oldest golf club in the world, founded 1786, and the routing has more quirky brilliance than courses ten times the price. Old Tom Morris had a hand in it and the par-3 fifth is a postcard hole nobody outside Fife talks about. Green fees under £100, the clubhouse pours a proper pint, and you can walk it in under four hours if the wind isn't punishing.

Open rota, hardest course in the rotation by most measures, and the back nine — Hogan's Alley, then 16, 17, 18 — is the most demanding stretch in championship golf. The Barry Burn will eat your scorecard. Play the white tees unless you're a single-digit and you actually like suffering. Day trip from Fife, about an hour with the Tay Bridge.

The newest of the St Andrews Links seven, perched on a cliff above the town with views back toward the West Sands that nobody warns you about. David McLay Kidd routing, lots of movement, greens that have been softened twice since opening because they were genuinely unfair. Cheaper than the Old, almost always available, and a much better walk if you want photos.

Founded 1589, par 70, no par 5s, and the starter uses an actual periscope salvaged from a WWII submarine to check if the blind opening fairway is clear. James Braid grew up here. Green fee around £100 in season, and it's the round in your week where you stop checking yardages and just play golf. Pure Scottish links, zero pretension.

The second course at Crail, opened in 1998 by Gil Hanse before anyone in America knew his name. Sits up on the headland above Balcomie with bigger views and more room off the tee. Pair it with Balcomie for a 36-hole day and the second round is half the price.

James Braid links five minutes from Elie that gets criminally overlooked. Old railway line splits the course in two and the front nine is proper seaside, the back climbs inland. Solid walk, fair green fee, and a clubhouse that treats visitors like members. Good fill-in round if Kingsbarns is booked.

If you want the address, this is the address — overlooking the Road Hole and a five-minute walk to the first tee of every St Andrews course. Rooms on the course side are worth the upcharge, the rest face a parking lot. Expensive, but the location does what it says.

Renovated top-to-bottom in 2021 and now the most interesting hotel in town. Rooftop restaurant looks straight down the 18th of the Old Course. Smaller and sharper than the Old Course Hotel, better for groups who want a base in town without the resort feel.

In Anstruther, ten minutes from Kingsbarns, twenty from Crail. Family-run, golf-friendly, drying room for waterproofs, and rooms in the £100 range. This is the play if you're following the editorial advice and basing yourself on the Fife coast instead of in St Andrews.

Sits on the road into Crail, walking distance to the Crail Golfing Society. Old-school Scottish hotel, decent restaurant, no pretension. If your group wants to roll out of bed onto Balcomie, this is the move.

1,200-acre estate between Kingsbarns and Crail with self-catering cottages and apartments inside the manor house. Sleeps groups of six to twelve depending on the unit, full kitchens, and you're five minutes from Kingsbarns and Crail. Best play for a foursome that wants to cook a steak and not deal with hotel breakfast.

Big resort on the cliffs south of town with two on-property courses and a shuttle into St Andrews. Better for the buddy trip that wants gym, multiple restaurants, and rooms that actually have space. Less character than the in-town options but easier logistics.

Michelin-starred seafood in a converted Anstruther cooperage, run by Billy Boyter. Tasting menu only, books a month out, and worth structuring a night around. This is the dinner you tell people about back home.

Multiple-time UK fish-and-chip-shop-of-the-year winner and the line still moves fast. Haddock, large chips, eat it on the harbor wall watching the boats. Lunch on the way back from Kingsbarns, no debate.

Glass cube on the West Sands cliff in St Andrews with the best dinner views in town. Italian-leaning seafood, proper wine list, and the sunset table is worth booking ahead. Date-night spot if your group has a non-golfer in tow.

The post-round pub in St Andrews, full stop. Walls covered in golf memorabilia, regulars have been drinking here for decades, and the bartender will pour you a pint while you tell him about the Road Hole. Pub food is fine — you're here for the atmosphere.

Former stationmaster's cottage attached to the Old Course Hotel, sits right beside the 17th of the Old Course. Pints, pies, and the feeling of being in the middle of the action. Touristy in summer but unavoidable for a reason.

Best non-fish dinner in St Andrews. Proper steaks, modern Scottish menu, decent cocktails, and the kind of room you can take a group to without anyone complaining. Book ahead — it's small and locals know it.

Michelin-starred country inn six miles inland from St Andrews, run by Geoffrey Smeddle. Tasting menu, serious wine cellar, and rooms upstairs if you don't want to drive back. The other big-night option besides The Cellar.

St Andrews fish-and-chip spot that goes head to head with Anstruther. Sit-down or takeaway, fries are properly chunky, and it's a five-minute walk from the R&A clubhouse. Lunch fix on a town day.

Best coffee and breakfast pastry in St Andrews. Order before the round, get out the door fast. Not a sit-down for thirty minutes — it's a fuel stop, which is the right kind of breakfast on a golf trip.