HecklerAtlas

Fife, Scotland · Unusual rounds

St Andrews

The Road Hole · No. 17

  • Tee shot over a hotel
  • Roadside green
The Old Course Hotel beside the links at St Andrews.
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Course, details
& surroundings.

The Old Course Hotel beside the links at St Andrews.
Photo creditPhoto: Richard Sutcliffe · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized; display crop may vary.
Access
Ballot & advance-booking routes
The round
Old Course · 18 holes

Why go

The line off the tee involves a hotel.

A hotel is normally somewhere to put down your clubs. At the Old Course, it helps define where you aim them.

The 17th at St Andrews is inseparable from the Old Course Hotel. The bold tee-shot line takes on the corner by the hotel, creating one of golf’s most unusual meetings of everyday architecture and tournament strategy.

The town is part of the course

The hotel corner, road and bunker are not just scenery. They force different decisions on the same hole, which is why the 17th holds up beyond its famous photograph.

More of the story

Reaching the fairway does not finish the argument. The Road Hole bunker guards the approach to the green, with the road waiting beyond. The hole compresses several decisions into a setting that is familiar from photographs but remains thoroughly odd when described aloud.

Its appeal comes from that intimacy. The game has grown beside a town, and the edges have not been tidied into a generic sporting arena. Buildings and road are part of the story you came to experience.

Make it happen

How to play St Andrews

  1. Start with St Andrews Links’ Old Course booking information for advance applications and ballot options. A visit to the town does not secure a round.
  2. Check current handicap requirements, busy dates and caddie arrangements with the Links Trust before making non-refundable travel plans.

Before you go

Build some flexibility into your stay if relying on a ballot, and have another round in mind if you do not get a place.

A playing thought

At the Road Hole, choose a tee-shot line you can actually carry. Around the green, a conservative miss can be worth more than a heroic attempt at the flag.

Heckler’s take

Planning sources: Links Trust: Old Course booking ↗ · Golf Monthly: 2026 reported fees ↗

Find it

Fife, Scotland

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Sources & editorial notes

Researched September 12, 2026. This is an independent researched guide, not a report of a personal visit. No course affiliation or booking service. Playing thoughts are editorial suggestions.

Prices retain their local currency and published season. Historical and reported figures are labeled; missing prices are not estimated. Check current access, conditions and your final total before travel.

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