According to the St. Andrews Links Trust, golf has been played on the Links at St. Andrews since around 1400 A.D. There are 10 courses in the immediate area and more than 30 within a 30-minute drive of St. Andrews. In 1457, King James II of Scotland banned golf, deciding it was distracting young men from archery practice; the ban was later revoked by King James IV.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews was established in 1754 and evolved through two and a half centuries as a leading authority in the world game. When the Club celebrated it’s 250th anniversary in 2004, a group of companies collectively known as The R&A was formed to take over the responsibility for the administration of the Rules of Golf worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the USGA. The R&A also oversees the running of The Open Championship and other key events, and the development of the game in existing and emerging golfing nations. As a separate entity, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews remains as a private golf club with a world-wide membership of 2,400.

Inaugurated in 1984, the St Rule Trophy is the top amateur event for women played over the Old and New Courses. Previous winners include today’s top stars, including Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew. There is also a team event and a prize for the best finisher in the under 18 category.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 6:40 pm and is filed under Places to Golf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.