Playing the Old Course at St Andrews – The 7 Best Places to Stay!

Written by Mel Sole on July 14, 2015. Posted in Golf Travel

Playing the Old Course at St Andrew’s – The 7 Best Places to Stay!

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If you are inspired by the Open Championship this weekend and start thinking of a trip to the mecca of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews.

You need to know where to stay. GOLF.com has put together a list of great places to stay. Some will cost you an arm and a leg, and others are a penny pincher’s dream, so go ahead and check these out as you start your planning!

The stately Rusacks Hotel offers terrific views of the Old Course’s 18th hole.

by Craig Morrison

It’s anyone’s guess who will win the 144th British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews. But this much is certain: With glorious shots of the ancient links and its enchanting surrounds filling up the telecast, you’ll be pining to pay the Auld Toon a visit. You know where you’re playing: the Old Course, Kingsbarns, Crail, and, if you care to venture a bit further north, mighty Carnoustie. But where are you staying? Options abound for all tastes and budgets. Here are seven of the best places to lay your wind-battered bones.

BEST LOCATION: RUSACKS HOTEL

This beloved, iconic hotel has always been notable thanks to its location overlooking the Old Course’s 1st and 18th holes. Now it is notable thanks to its style and fine dining. All 70 bedrooms recently have been upgraded and many wholly refurbished. And its restaurant, Rocca, is run by Michelin-rated chef Davey Aspin and now offers dining worth traveling for — and not just because it overlooks golf’s greatest arena. (Try the Orkney rib-eye steak with dauphinoise potato, cauliflower gratin, and a red wine sauce.) The Rusacks makes a cameo at the beginning of the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire. Following the famous training run on the West Sands beach (where Old Tom Morris used to take a quick swim every morning), the action moves to the hotel, showing it off in all its Edwardian glory.

Rooms from about $385; Pilmour Links, St. Andrews, +44 (0)1334 474321

BEST B&B: CLIVEDEN HOUSE

St. Andrews is awash with B&B’s. Some are professional outfits, others homespun. The best of the bunch is Murray Place and Murray Park, where almost 20 guesthouses line walkways just a two-minute walk from the Old Course. Cliveden House is one of the most popular, a tightly run ship with excellent rooms and scrumptious breakfasts. Charlie Huldal and his wife Ray run the place with plenty of charm. Charlie is a former captain of The New Club (a golf and social club housed along the 18th fairway of the Old Course), so his golf chat is excellent, second only to his porridge, which has been voted best in the country. It’s a thing of creamy deliciousness more than virtuous healthiness.

Double rooms start at $140 in the high season; 3 Murray Place, St. Andrews, +44 (0)1334 474212

BEST FOR LUXURY: THE OLD COURSE HOTEL

The Old Course Hotel is the one you recognize from watching the Open on the “telly.” It’s a hulking hazard (it obstructs the tee shots on the par-4 17th hole), as well as something of a sprawling ’60s architectural adventure. Inside, though, it’s lovely and utterly luxurious. Sir Nick Faldo reckons there are few better things than a round at St. Andrews before retiring to the O.C.H. for a warming glass of his favorite Scotch, Glenmorangie Original, then a relaxing soak in a Kohler bath. (The hotel is owned by the American plumbing magnate, Herb Kohler.) Don’t miss the whisky bar, which is a well-stocked thing of wonder.

Rooms start at $425; Old Station Road, St. Andrews, +44 (0)1334 474371

To see the other 4 places to stay at St. Andrews, go here.

Source: GOLF.com Craig Morrison

Pictures: GOLF.com

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Playing the Old Course at St Andrews – The 7 Best Places to Stay!

If you are inspired by the Open Championship this weekend and start thinking of a trip to the mecca of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews.

BEST LOCATION: RUSACKS HOTEL

BEST B&B: CLIVEDEN HOUSE

BEST FOR LUXURY: THE OLD COURSE HOTEL

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