Golfers offered rare chance to play Old Course at St Andrews in reverse

A rare chance to step back in time by playing the Old Course in reverse has been teed up next year by St Andrews Links Trust.

What is being termed as Old Course Reversed has been unveiled by the Trust to commemorate 50 years of the organisation being custodians of the world’s most-renowned golfing landscape.

It is set to become an annual event to give golfers a glimpse of the Old Course’s storied past, having been designed to be played in either clockwise or anti-clockwise direction due to holes having the same greens and using the same fairways.

Running from 28 March to 2 April, Old Course Reversed will see the historic clockwise routing in play for three full days, with the remaining days played in the current-day routing to give golfers the unique perspective of playing both ways.

Golfers are being offered the rare chance to play the Old Course in reverse in 2024. Picture: St Andrews Links Trust

Tee times will be available for St Andrews Links ticketholders through the usual local ballot and a dedicated ticketholder day, while other golfers will be able to enter an open ballot as well as applying for a limited number of advanced packages.

These are priced at £575 and feature three rounds of golf with one Old Course, one Old Course Reversed and one on the Castle Course. Applications for packages will open for a limited 48-hour window from 11-12 December.

Neil Coulson, CEO of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “We are excited to introduce Old Course Reversed, which will give more of our ticketholders and golf visitors the opportunity to experience something unique in the world of golf.

“The anti-clockwise routing is such a vital piece of the history and evolution of the Old Course we feel it is important to celebrate this during a dedicated event open to all golfers from near and far. We believe the introduction of Old Course Reversed will be hugely popular and will capture the imagination of golfers around the world.”