Despite knowing almost nothing about golf, it’s not lost on me that St Andrews is its ancestral home, so it’s pretty hard to avoid. My friends play golf, my family plays golf, and it seems to be everywhere. Even Owala has joined the golf drive (pun very much intended). So rather than avoiding it, I’ve decided it’s time to understand the basics, even if I never play a round myself. This is my comprehensive guide to what you actually need to know about golf as a St Andrews student, from a total beginner.
The aim of the game
Pretty simply, you’re just trying to get the ball in the hole in the fewest shots. To do this from different distances, there are different club types to hit the ball as close as you can to the hole. You want to keep your ball on the green to make it as easy as possible (though, in my admittedly limited experience, which consists entirely of mini golf, that still isn’t very easy). Otherwise, you end up in several of the obstacles on the course; these can be water features, thicker grass, or sand pits, which are called bunkers. Rounds of golf are usually played in 9 or 18 holes and can take several hours, but beginners often start on shorter courses.
Essential Golf Terms
Joining my dad and brother in the pub after they’ve played a round of golf feels a lot like going to the dentist – they look at me and start reciting a load of words and numbers that I don’t know the meaning of. I’ve made the effort to learn some of the most common terms; some are still beyond me, but the words below are usually enough to get me by.
Par: The number of shots a hole should take, usually around 3-5. A course of 9 or 18 holes will also have a total par. A birdie is scored when you complete a hole in one shot under par.
Handicap: Handicaps are basically the golf rating system. The lower your handicap, the better the golfer you are. The aim of handicaps is to make a round of golf fairer between different abilities. Your handicap number is subtracted from your final score at the end of your game, so the better you are, the less you can take off.
19th hole: Not a technical golf term, but you’ll hear it a lot around golfers. As a round of golf is usually 18 holes, the 19th hole is the next destination; the nearest pub, restaurant, or clubhouse. It’s wherever players decide to meet up after, and probably the only part of a golf course I will ever be found.
Fore: If there is one word you remember, make it this one! When a ball is hit and goes off course, or towards people, golfers will shout ‘fore’ as a warning to move out of the way. Golf balls may be tiny, but they’re pretty solid and travel at speed, hence the netting you see on a lot of balconies along the Old Course.
Honourable mention: Less of a word, more of a rule. If you score a hole-in-one, a bell rings in the bar, and you have to buy everybody a drink. This is why many golfers will actually not tell people when they score a hole-in-one. Brilliantly, I also learned that my dad has golf insurance, which will actually pay out to cover the cost if he hits a hole-in-one. Lucky for him, he hasn’t quite managed it yet.
Golf in St Andrews
St Andrews is the home of golf, so what better place to get to grips with it? Over by West Sands, you can find the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, which even put into writing the first set of rules. For the golfers in my life, this was the most exciting thing about me moving to St Andrews, but I didn’t really understand the significance at the time. That said, I want to get the most out of my experience here, so if you want to dip your toes into the golfing world here, these are some of my tried and tested suggestions for getting stuck in without ever hitting a golf ball.
Walk the Old Course
It can feel like the world of golf, particularly in St Andrews, is quite exclusive and hard to even get a look into. I’m here to burst that bubble and tell you about the little-known fact that the Old Course is not only open to pedestrians, but on Sundays, it is closed to golfers and exclusively open for walking. It’s a great morning walk to wake you up, with beautiful views of the sea.
Go to a Championship
In the pursuit of the full St Andrews experience, I knew I needed to go and watch some golf at the Old Course. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is popular for celeb spotting. This year, I took advantage of its free student tickets, and took my golf-playing bestie with me to explain what was going on. It was beautiful weather with a great atmosphere, and knowing the history of golf here, it felt very special. Standing at the 18th hole meant that I didn’t need to know the ins and outs of golf to know when to cheer, and I didn’t have to walk across the whole course.
Find a Favourite 19th Hole
There are plenty of popular post-golf spots in St Andrews, at varying distances from the courses. Obviously, the closer you get, the busier it’s likely to be, but if you’re looking for a good atmosphere and to soak up some golfing knowledge, the Dunvegan is a popular spot. Combining spots like these for a coffee or other treat with a walk on the Old Course is a pretty perfect way to spend a crisp winter Sunday in St Andrews.
Hopefully, next time you sit next to a golfer in a bar or play a round of mini golf, you’ll have a slightly better idea of what is going on. Perhaps you’ll take up one of the golf-adjacent adventures I’ve suggested. Who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll decide to go and play a round. In the meantime, though, you’ve now got your go-to guide to avoid all the golfing pitfalls. Good luck, or, as the golfers say, ‘fairways and greens!’