Saints Golf

There is nowhere more special than the Home of Golf in which to be a student golfer.

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University of St Andrews Golf Club

Founded in 1855, the University Golf Club is one of the oldest sports clubs at the University.

Saints Golf has opportunities for all members of golf so that we can all experience the Home of Golf in some way.

The Golf Club hosts weekly competitions for its members, offers professional coaching and partakes in regular fixtures with other golf clubs from across the UK. These are followed by Wednesday night Men’s and Women’s socials that bind our community of golfers.

The competitive section of our club is split into two programmes: The Performance Squad (1s Team) and the BUCS Squad (2s, 3s, 4s, & 5s Teams). Both programmes get training from Links Academy professionals and compete against other Universities.

The Golf Club also offers a Development Program for complete beginners or those who might not feel confident enough to tee it up in our Wednesday competitions.

The main focus is to enable all members to better their game and build upon the rich golfing tradition of St Andrews.

Saints Golf Performance Scholars 2023-2024

Performance golf

Golf is one of a small number of targeted performance teams at St Andrews. The performance golf programme provides a comprehensive programme of training, competition and support to enable our top student players to harness their full potential and achieve sporting and academic excellence whilst studying at St Andrews.

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Training sessions

Day	Time	Location
Monday	18:00-20:00	Indoor Centre/The Links
Tuesday	17:00-18:00	Performance Suite
Wednesday	13:00-17:00	The Links
Thursday	17:00-18:00	Performance Suite
Saturday	09:00-12:00	The Links

Day	Time	Session	Location

Day	Time	Session	Location

Day	Time	Session	Location

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The club runs a hugely successful and well-established lessons programme in partnership with Saints Sport and the St Andrews Links Academy

The programme aims to support and develop club members who want to improve their game, learn skills, and take advantage of living at the Home of Golf.

All Lessons are led by PGA Qualified St Andrews Links Golf Academy professionals and take place during term time at the Links Academy. Most sessions take place at the driving range with some lessons taking place on the course to help develop different aspects of the game.

For more information please see the Saints Sport website.
British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships

Student golfers can access both individual stroke play events and team match play leagues throughout the season in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships. The BUCS golf programme is supported by The R&A, helping to enhance the standard of competition and continue to develop golf at university level.
Team Championships – Match Play
The University currently supports four competitive BUCS teams who compete in weekly matches and knockout competitions as part of the BUCS team championships programme.

The mixed 1st Team compete in BUCS Premier North and are the current BUCS National Match Play Team Golf Champions. The 1st Team squad is formed from Saints Golf Scholars and is part of the University’s performance sport programme.

Individual Championships – BUCS Order of Merit (Golf Tour) – Stroke Play The BUCS Golf Tour is played at some of the UK’s most prestigious courses and takes place over two periods, between September to October and March to April. The Order of Merit is decided over nine qualifying tour events followed by the Tour Finals.
Coaching
Coaching for the BUCS squads is provided by the club in partnership with the St Andrews Links Academy, and delivered by PGA Qualified St Andrews Links Golf Academy instructors. Most sessions take place at the St Andrews Links Academy driving range with some lessons taking place on the course to help develop different aspects of the game. Team training happens every Wednesday from 2-4pm at the driving range. The lesson content changes every week, and can vary from working on specific techniques, to on-course sessions on one of the many St Andrews Links courses.

Social matches

The Golf Club also boasts a very impressive fixture list against golf clubs both within St Andrews and throughout the rest of the UK. These social fixtures are a key part of the club and are a great opportunity to play world famous courses. In the past couple years Saints Golf has played matches against Muirfield, Royal St Georges and Royal Liverpool. Selection for these fixtures is open to all members and teams are selected by the Captains.
Full time University of St Andrews students have the unique opportunity to purchase a Links Ticket giving them year round access to all seven St Andrews Links courses at the Home of Golf, including the Old Course.

With six of these courses being within walking distance of University halls of residence and all of them being open and in excellent condition year round, there is no other university in the UK that can come close to matching the playing opportunities our students have.

Application forms can be downloaded from the link below and should be emailed to [email protected] with a copy of your matriculation card, a head and shoulders photo (selfie) and handicap certificate (36 or below) if applying for a full student ticket.

More information and student guidelines, including prices and how to apply, can be found on the St Andrews Links website.
Student Application Form 22-23 Renew your Links Ticket Student Guidelines 2022-2023
Courses
Students at St Andrews have unrivalled year round access to to all seven St Andrews Links courses at the Home of Golf, including the Old Course. The yearly Links Ticket is valid from 1 September – 31 August and allows play on the following courses:

Old Course

The Castle Course

New Course

Jubilee Course

Eden Course

Strathtyrum Course

Balgove Course

St Andrews Links Golf Academy

The world renowned St Andrews Links Golf Academy is situated adjacent to the Old Course, only a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.

Featuring 60 flood-lit bays, 22 indoor bays, TrackMan Range and short game area, this world-class facility provides cutting edge technology and the ideal venue for students to work on their game.
Whether you are new to the sport or an experienced golfer, already attend the University or if you are thinking about attending, please get in touch to register your interest and find out more about our club.

The University hosts a Sports Fayre at the beginning of each academic year during Orientation Week, giving prospective players the opportunity to talk to club members and sign up to ‘Give It A Go’ sessions.

Please email the club to register your interest: [email protected]

Club Membership

All matriculated students at the University can join the Golf Club.

Please visit the Saints Sport website for a full list of club membership options, prices and information on how to purchase your membership.

Director of Golf

Ian Muir

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2190

Ian joined the University from the Glenalmond College where he was Head of Golf, having previously held that position at Loretto School. He brings a wealth of experience to his new position at St Andrews, as the first permanent full-time Director of Golf for Saints Sport.

Ian was previously Hannah Darling’s coach for many years, achieving much success on a global scale. A Freshman at the University of North Carolina, Hannah is the highest ranked Scottish female golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (currently 14th) and is the reigning British Girls Amateur Champion. Ian has also coached many other male and female golfers to national success having previously worked for Scottish Golf as their Regional Performance Coach and Talent Advisor. He has also coached players to Arnold Palmer Cup selection, at multiple Curtis Cups and numerous NCAA accolades. AS one of the most qualified coaches in Scotland, Ian has over 30 years of experience in coaching, working with both male and female players at a performance level within national squads, academic intuitions and as individuals.

Coaching Team

Performance Analyst

Ali Pearson

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Allan Gartshore

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Scott Teister

Saints Golf

Founded in 1855, the Golf Club is long established as one of the largest and most successful clubs at the University. The main focus is to enable all members to better their game and build upon the rich golfing tradition of St Andrews, whether that be from beginners to golf scholars. Being able to compete on beautiful courses all over the world, links us to the golfing heritage and fierce competition.

Join Saints Golf

All matriculated students at the University can join the Golf Club.

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Saints Golf

University of St Andrews Golf Club