Ranking All 18 Holes at The Old Course, St Andrews

The Old Course at St Andrews has long been the most scrutinised layout on the planet. Golf course architects - from the golden age to the present day - have studied it closely, both taking inspiration from and reacting against the principles that evolved organically through centuries of natural development.

Much of what we have today was created by accident and circumstance, but we shouldn't underestimate the Victorian-era minds of Daw Anderson and Old Tom Morris, who both had a hand in shaping the landscape that has given us the most venerable - and consequential - golf course in the world.

Given its history, uniqueness, and iconography, it's almost impossible to objectively view the Old Course through a conventional lens, but here is my impression of the spiritual Home of Golf.

Living in St Andrews, I have played the Old around 120 times, walking it even more, and it's a slice of good fortune that I never take for granted.

It's my favourite golf course. I love everything that it represents. I cherish the heritage. I value the accessibility and the fact that on most Sundays it becomes a public park. But I also find the holes themselves to be enduringly fascinating. The more you play them, the more you can appreciate the variety of shots required and just how radically the challenge can change depending on the wind direction and pin positions of the day.

But how would I rank the holes? The only way to honestly do that is by judging them from my own perspective. 

The question I have asked myself is; what are the holes that I look forward to playing the most? 

Using the official yardages from the 2024 AIG Women's Open, here are my favourite holes on the Old Course, from least favourite to most favourite.

1st, Par 4, 375 Yards

I can - with uncharacteristic confidence - declare that no one in human history has played this hole worse than me. Standing on that first tee, with the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse behind you, meeting your playing partners, and feeling the weight of the setting upon you is something that I'll never tire of.

But the sense of anxiety remains overwhelming - and I will invariably embarrass myself. I have missed the widest fairway in golf repeatedly, I have topped and whiffed my tee shots, I have hit three consecutive approaches onto the adjacent Himalayas putting course, and I have found the burn more often than I care to admit.

Despite my many attempts, I have only parred this supposedly easy hole three times. That's what we're dealing with here. I can't wait to get it out of the way and the round truly starts for me on the second.

6th, Par 4, 370 Yards

Featuring a blind tee shot, assuming you hit the fairway, the sixth should be fairly straightforward to navigate. But I generally find it to be one of the least interesting holes on the course and it merely serves as a prelude to the upcoming loop.

10th, Par 4, 341 Yards

Named after the great Bobby Jones, the 10th retains a place in my heart as it was the first hole on the Old that I birdied, but it's a fairly innocuous way to begin the sensational back nine with a few fairway bunkers to avoid and a relatively flat green to hit.

2nd, Par 4, 400 Yards

The pin position here is most defining. If it's placed more centrally on the raised section of the double-green, it becomes a testing par 4, whereas the flatter partition on the right makes it far easier. But I always comment on the huge undulations that merge from fairway to green on this hole, which is among my favourite natural features on the whole course.

3rd, Par 4, 366 Yards

I managed to craft a birdie here just after the 150th Open in 2022, and it's a fond memory of an underrated hole. Typically, a safe tee shot on the Old is towards the left, and that's the case here, but electing for that line leaves you with an approach over the ominous Cartgate bunker. With that element of strategy and a surprisingly undulating fairway, it's a quiet encapsulation of what makes the Old special.

15th, Par 4, 415 Yards

The back nine has so many great holes, and the 15th is a good one, but it's arguably the least memorable, at least in my mind, but that's probably more a reflection of what has come just before and what is coming next.

9th, Par 4, 349 Yards

It might just be the easiest hole - assuming you find the fairway with your tee shot - as the flattest green on the course is inviting for birdie - or maybe even eagle - chances. But I appreciate the sense of respite and playing back towards the town gives you that sense of place.

7th, Par 4, 361 Yards

Following a succession of fairly straight tee shots, the seventh offers a dogleg from left to right, and it's a hole that can become challenging if you aren't the longest hitter. Shell bunker is always a cool visual and stands as one of the more iconic landmarks on the front nine.

8th, Par 3, 173 Yards

This is a fairly simple par 3 on a calm day, but it's a positive milestone in the round as you turn back to face the skyline of St Andrews in the distance. That serves as a welcome reminder of where you are, and - in my case - it's a warm embrace from home.

5th, Par 5, 525 Yards

I really, really like this hole. There's a lot going on here. You have the Seven Sisters bunkers on the right (girls you never want to get entangled with), the Elysian Fields to the left, loads of bumps on the fairway, and a fun approach shot to the largest green you will likely ever see.

The green sits above the fairway level - with a huge dip just short. People often say that the course is flat, but that is certainly not the case here. Depending on where the flag is, you can play so many different shots on this hole, and there's hope that you can walk off with birdie or better.

16th, Par 4, 380 Yards

Do you try and carry the Principals Nose bunkers, take the easy option left, or be aggressive and challenge the out-of-bounds to the right? This is one of my favourite tee shots on the Old - and, as is often the case on this most risk-reward of golf courses, fortune favours the bold, so go for it!

18th, Par 4, 354 Yards

This hole is more about the walk and the view. Ben Crenshaw said that the Old Course ends with a handshake, and it's a rewarding one. Looking towards that iconic backdrop, crossing the Golfers' (Swilcan) Bridge, striding up the fairway towards the final green, emulating Open champions past and present, it's always a thrill.

But there is more to the 18th than you think. Playing into the wind, it becomes shockingly long, whereas downwind it's a drive and flick or pitch for most of us. Depending on where your tee shot lands, you have a variety of options, with chipping or even putting being a shrewd move to avoid the Valley of Sin.

Once on the green, which slopes dramatically from the back-right corner, you'll find it almost impossible to encounter a straight putt, but if you can hole one, you may even receive acclaim from the gallery watching on.

4th, Par 4, 413 Yards

The best hole on the front nine, and you have decisions to make from the tee, whether you attack the narrower right-side or play it safe on the left. But even if you are in prime position, you have a tricky approach that can be deflected by a large hump just short of the green, which is one of those natural features that wouldn't be designed today and is part of the magic of the Old Course.

12th, Par 4, 351 Yards

This is the most interesting of golf holes and one whose character is altered dramatically by the wind direction. Gazing out across the Eden Estuary from the back of the tee offers a lovely view, but with a collection of bunkers on the fairway (which are essentially invisible from the tee) it's what you can't see that makes this so curious. You have to carefully plan your shot and work from there. I am yet to be fully satisfied that I have found the right answer when playing this hole - and that is a sign of a great one.

13th, Par 4, 430 Yards

Beginning the long stretch back into town, the 13th is a brilliant, underappreciated hole. The three Coffin bunkers have to be avoided on the fairway - and there are potential benefits to playing either left or right of them depending on the wind and pin position. Your approach shot over a mound towards the large green (shared with the fifth) is a tester and completes what is a proper par 4.

14th, Par 5, 577 Yards

When people think of great par 5s, they instantly consider the 13th at Augusta National, but this is right up there. You can either play straight down the fairway (missing the out-of-bounds and bunkers) or aim left and take an alternative route down the fifth. I favour the latter if I can as it opens the green up and should take the fearsome - and aptly named - Hell Bunker out of the equation. 

With a raised barrier to the front, it's a difficult green to hit and stick to, meaning that any positive score on this hole is one to be grateful for.

17th, Par 4, 439 Yards

When you started reading this, you probably thought it was a certainty that the 17th would be ranked as my favourite hole. But it isn't - not quite.

That said, the Road Hole is always an experience. The tee shot is the most purely "fun" on the course, but the examination only begins from there as the green is incredibly difficult to hit - with the bunker and road being inviting hazards. If you're in the rough on the left, then your only sensible option is to aim short-right of the green and hope for the best.

I often say that on the Old Course you are presented with shots that you would never see elsewhere - and that is most apparent on the Road Hole.

I have managed to make par here three times - including earlier this summer - which was an absolute treat, but it's always a pleasure to take on the most famous of holes and that alone is worth the price of admission.

11th, Par 3, 165 Yards

This is my favourite hole on the Old Course. It's a par 3 that - depending on conditions - can demand the shortest of irons or require the longest of woods to reach. We call this the shortest "par 5" in Scotland - and for very good reason. You have to avoid the terrors of both Strath and Hill bunkers - and DO NOT GO LONG as you will be left with an impossible recovery shot. Your only option is to hit the green, and even then you can be faced with a treacherous putt or two.

Much like the 17th, it's an eventful hole, especially from the elevated tee, as so much can happen here. It's a regular card-wrecker, meaning that any slither of glory is an achievement to be treasured.

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