St Andrews - home of golf

The famous R&A clubhouse was built in 1854

"Unwritten body of beliefs, facts, etc, handed down from generation to generation" is one dictionary's definition of 'tradition'.

Taken at face value, it is perhaps not a word which should be applied to golf - a game with a set of rules clearly written down and zealously presided over by the R&A.

But enter St Andrews and a sense of tradition and history is immediately apparent.

Not only is the city the spiritual home of golf, it also has Scotland's oldest university (third oldest in Britain) and was a focal point of Scottish religious life in medieval times.

Tiger Woods played at The Open in 1995 at St Andrews

The cathedral, now just a ruin, was built around 1160 and consecrated in the presence of Robert the Bruce in 1318. It became a place of pilgrimage before being torn apart by an angry mob, organised by Protestant nobles, in the mid-16th century.

Nearby stand the remains of St Andrews castle, which was first built on the site around 1200 and was the scene of the murder of Cardinal David Beaton in 1546.

Golf domination

But it is the game of golf which has come to dominate the life of the 'Auld Grey Toon'.

It was first played in St Andrews in 1400 and became so popular that King James II saw fit to prohibit the game 57 years later, supposedly because it was interfering with the archery practice of his subjects.

Nevertheless, almost 300 years later, the Society of St Andrews Golfers was formed.

Setting precedents has almost become a rule at St Andrews since the original course was reduced from 22 holes to 18 in 1764.

When William IV bestowed his patronage on the society, it became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

The famous clubhouse was built 20 years later, and 20 years after that, in 1873, it hosted the first of the 25 Open Championships to be played there.

Rules of Golf

St Andrews' role as the sport's focal point was further strengthened when it was decided at the end of the 19th century that a formalised set of rules should be drawn up.

Accordingly, the Rules of Golf committee sat at the R&A for the first time in 1897.

The R&A was handed responsibility for the organisation of The Open by the consortium of 26 clubs which had previously run the championship.

St Andrews also lays claim to being the founder of women's golf as in 1867, the Ladies' Golf Club was formed there.

Ballesteros is a past Open winner at the course

St Andrews now has a population of 15,000 and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. It is the third most expensive place in Scotland if you fancy buying a house there.

Tourist attraction Golf is at the centre of the town's tourism industry, with the British Golf Museum on the Bruce Embankment a focal point.

"People understand that St Andrews has an international image because of golf. No-one has heard of Fife in California, but everyone has heard of St Andrews, said Neil McFarlane, Manager of Leisure Tourism for the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board.

St Andrews has six courses, with four more at varying stages of planning and construction.

But it is the Old Course which is the focus of attention for the Open Championship and as Jack Nicklaus once said: "If a golfer is going to be remembered he must win the title at St Andrews".

The 7,115-yard par 72 course has undergone little change over the years, and certainly the winds which come in off the east coast have not eased.

Famous names, other than the Road Hole, like the Swilcan Burn, which cuts across the fairways of the 1st and 18th holes, the Coffins bunkers on the 13th and the Valley of Sin on the 18th, still make even the most amateurish of hackers salivate at their mention.

The world's top golfers will hope they can add their name to the roll of honour at the Old Course at The Millennium Open.