St Andrews and the 189 Hole Challenge

St Andrews has forever been a Mecca for golfers. After all this is The Home of Golf, where it all started hundreds of years ago, the home of the St Andrews Old Course, the most famous and sought after golf course in the world. The whole town lives and breathes golf and to say that this is one of the biggest golfing hotspots in the world is a sizable understatement. However it is not just the St Andrews Old Course that draws golfers from all four corners of the globe, a fact which is highlighted by the “189 Hole Challenge” which will take place in aid of various charities this summer.

Yes that’s right…we said 189 holes! That is precisely how many are on offer in St Andrews over no less than 11 golf courses. The “189 Hole Challenge” will see a group of four golfers attempt to play all eleven St Andrews golf courses in the same day to raise funds for three charities.

The St Andrews Old Course has been attracting golfers to St Andrews for centuries however it is not the only reason to visit this amazing part of Scotland.

The four golfers, three of whom are former St Andrews University students, are: Graeme Dawson and Angus Watson, who work for the fabulous Fairmont St Andrews Resort, Alastair Love who runs St Andrews for Golf and Gary Davidson, who works for The Professional Sports Group in London.  The charities to benefit from the project are Cancer Research UK, the Pilgrimage Trust and the Scottish Disability Golf Partnership.

Graham Dawson, said, “We will be attempting to break two world records on the day, the first is the Most consecutive different holes played in 1 day by a walking four ball and during the challenge we will be trying to beat the fastest 18 holes played by a walking four ball which currently sits at just over one hour four minutes”.

The Castle Course is one of 11 being played during the 189 Hole Challenge. How many of the St Andrews golf courses have you played?

But which courses will be part of the 189 hole super course I hear you say? Well the seven courses that straddle the St Andrews Links (Old, New, Castle, Eden, Balgove, Strathtyrum and Jubilee) are all in the hat as are the Torrance and Kittocks courses which belong to The Fairmont St Andrews. The Dukes Course, which is part of the Old Course Hotel, and the mighty Kingsbarns Golf Links complete the set. Not a bad collection and one that points out just how good St Andrews is for a dream golf holiday but playing them all in just one day!?!

We can only wish the four brave souls well and pray for some good weather!

For information on St Andrews Golf Tours and other Scottish Golf Breaks please visit www.yourgolftravel.com or call free on 0800 043 6644