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Andy Murray beats Tiger Woods to rare St Andrews golfing experience
By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Tennis legend among more than 670 golfers to play The Old Course Reversed
Tennis legend Andy Murray was among more than 670 golfers who enjoyed the once-a-year opportunity to enjoy one of the most sought-after experiences in golf – The Old Course Reversed.
The three-day event restores the original clockwise routing on the world’s most-iconic venue to provide a glimpse back to the course as it was first played in the 15th century.
The latest bucket-list opportunity hosted by St Andrews Links Trust saw over 7,900 golfers from 63 countries apply for packages.
Murray, meanwhile, enjoyed the challenge that 15-time major winner Tiger Woods is determined to face one day as a Callaway Golf ambassador.
Third staging of event at Home of Golf
“The Old Course Reversed is one of golf’s most unique and sought-after events, and it’s an experience that both professional and amateur golfers will always remember,” said James Ralley, commercial director at St Andrews Links Trust.
“The rich history of our courses is a key element of our identity at the Home of Golf and celebrating the ancient roots of the sport is hugely important to us. We were delighted to bring the event back for a third year to allow more golfers than ever to experience The Old Course as it was originally played.”
Callaway Golf ambassador Andy Murray plays at The Old Course Reversed | St Andrews Links Trust
For those who were unable to secure a tee time, The Old Course Reversed has been added to Toptracer’s Virtual Golf offering for a limited time. In 2025, 41,354 rounds were played by golfers from 35 countries across the month-long virtual competition.
This year’s competition will run from 16 April to 17 May, and entry will be available at Toptracer Range sites. The player with the lowest score will win a tee time for two at The Old Course.
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Ewan Murray disgusted at Crowd behaviour at Ryder Cup
Legendary Scottish
golf commentator, Ewen Murray has spoken out about witnessing the
"disgusting" Ryder Cup comments aimed at Rory McIlroy made him want to
retire. 
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Inspirational Scottish golfing duo tee up 'pioneering' Tuesday Links venture
By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Bailey and Stephen loving life in golf despite giving up on dream to be professional stars
Catriona Matthew in particular but also the likes of Janice Moodie, Mhairi McKay and Kathryn Imrie were the main role models in Scottish women’s golf at one time as they carved out careers on the LPGA Tour, and now Gemma Dryburgh is the player providing the biggest inspiration as she flies the Saltire on the US circuit.
It’s not just through playing the game, though, that young Scottish girls and women are being shown how the sport can provide a platform for successful careers. Just look at Iona Stephen and Rosie Bailey, both of whom dreamt of going all the way to the top of the ladders as tour professionals but turned to different career paths in golf and have now joined forces to launch a “pioneering” business.
Stephen is a familiar face in the game as part of the Sky Sports Golf team after breaking into the broadcasting business following a wrist injury that curtailed her professional career. Bailey, meanwhile, worked as a partnership director for the DP World Tour then had a spell as a strategic project manager for Ryder Cup Europe. As Rosie Niven, she won the Ladies British Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2008 at a time when The R&A event was dominated by Scots but, although probably good enough to give it a go, wasn’t tempted by a switch to the paid ranks.
The pair became friends through golf and their shared passion for the game. After first properly chatting about it during a game together at Denham Golf Club in Uxbridge, they have co-founded Tuesday Links, a new travel company for women, with the inaugural journeys to Scotland having been planned for this year.
“We are super-excited,” Bailey told The Scotsman. “Iona and I have been working on this quietly in the background for pretty much a year now. We’ve been doing a lot of reaching out to our network and speaking to some contacts and we just felt we are ready to build on that and establish our credibility and distribution, hence our official launch this week, which is timed quite nicely with International Women’s Day on Sunday.
“A big part of where our hearts are is around supporting other girls and women in Scotland getting into the world of golf, whether that is playing or in business and industry opportunities. If we can do anything to help to get the message out there, that’s important to us.”
An initiative which forms part of the St Andrews-based governing body’s ongoing commitment to The Women in Golf Charter, The R&A Women in Golf Leadership Programme has, in the eyes of both Bailey and Stephen, become an important platform for empowering women and supporting greater diversity and inclusion across all levels of the sport.
‘I still think we have a long way to go in women’s game’
“Although there are more and more women coming into the game, I still think we have a long way to go,” observed Stephen, who grew up near St Andrews, went to St Andrews University and still has a strong connection with the Auld Grey Toun. “Even just last week, I was giving a talk at the Marlow Rotary Club and they were asking me about my experiences of women in golf and, unfortunately, I can still think of so many times where I turned up on golf days etc and be the only woman in the room out of 300.
“The R&A Women in Golf Leadership Programme is about helping women understand that there is more than just one route of being a professional golfer available to them in the golf industry. As a woman in golf, you can do so many things. You can be a manager. You could go into the coaching side of things. You could go into the hospitality side of things or the branding or the marketing.
“Rosie and I have had a taste of playing the game at the top level and obviously our careers moved us into slightly different paths but parallel paths on the tour. Now we are creating something of our own. I think that is quite powerful as well and can hopefully inspire other women to think about what they could possibly create in this golf space as well and not just be there to fill a seat at the table but to create change and help to continue to grow the impact women have always had in the game of golf.”
As a member of Crieff, Bailey came through the Scottish Golf ranks at a time when Karyn Dallas was the national women’s coach. She also had a spell at UC Berkeley when Anne Walker, now working wonders at Stanford, was the assistant coach.
“Golf is the greatest gift of my life,” she declared. “I had been with the DP World Tour quite a long time and I had always wanted to create something myself. I felt compelled to do something in the women’s golf space and, in the last couple of years, there has been a build up and excitement in the women’s game with participation on the rise and it felt the timing was right.”
Iona Stephen tees off on the 18th on the Old Course at St Andrews, where she has a strong connection | Contributed
On coming up with the idea for Tuesday Links - the name is a nod to what is traditionally ladies' day at golf clubs - and working in tandem with Stephen to get it to the launch stage, she added: “I sat next to a lady on a flight 18 months ago who was flying in from Illinois. She hadn’t had a passport before, was in her 50s and was landing into Edinburgh to meet a group of ladies she’d never met before and she was going horse-back riding up the west coast of Scotland. For her, it was an absolute bucket-list. She said ‘I’ve not done something for myself in so long as I am so ready and excited for this’.
‘I felt there was space and an opportunity’
“It sparked this idea and I did a whole bunch of research on the back of that. Looking at the golf market base in Scotland in particular, I just felt there was space and an opportunity for something with a bit more female-minded approach and bit more holistic in terms of travel experiences. So golf being the core but actually it is about the whole experience of being in Scotland.”
It sounds as though two very proud Scots who just love golf have come up with a great idea.
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New St Andrews event teed up for young Scottish golfers
By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Scottish Golf and St Andrews Links Trust join forces with ‘Road to Home of Golf’
Junior golfers throughout Scotland are being offered the chance to tee up at St Andrews through an exciting new competition.
The Road to the Home of Golf has been launched by Scottish Golf and St Andrews Links Trust and is open to youngsters aged 18 and under with handicaps between 8.5 and 54.
Junior golfers in Scotland are being offered the chance to tee up in a new event in St Andrews later this year | Scottish Golf
Junior golfers, both male and female, can enter a qualifying event at their local club, with 102 players - 51 golfers in two separate handicap categories - being invited to a final in St Andrews.
Players with handicaps between 8.5 and 19.4 will play their final on the Eden Course and those from 19.5 to 54 will compete on the Strathtyrum Course.
Having been included as part of the overall five-figure tournament budget underwritten by the Links Trust, financial support is on offer for any youngsters requiring significant travel to attend the final.
‘Our role is to enhance junior development’
“This event represents an extremely positive step forward for our National Junior Framework and the programmes within it,” said Scottish Golf’s CEO Robbie Clyde.
“The framework provides fun and structured events and competitions for juniors across Scotland. However, beyond this, our role is to ensure programmes provide positive environments and experiences in golf that support and enhance junior development.
Scottish Golf CEO Robbie Clyde is delighted with a boost for the governing body’s National Junior Framework | Scottish Golf
“The Road to the Home of Golf Final in October will provide a player experience to remember for those who qualify, rewarding and recognising their achievement.”
Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, added: “Scotland’s junior golfers are the future of the game, and at the Home of Golf we believe we have a responsibility not just to provide playing opportunities, but competitive opportunities for youngsters to support them thrive in the sport.
“Working alongside Scottish Golf to develop the Road to the Home of Golf has enabled us to create a unique competition which ensures geography and costs of travel will not stop any young golfer from taking part.
New event hailed as a ‘great opportunity’
“We are incredibly proud of the work which has already been done and we are looking forward to hosting the first annual competition later this year.
“I would encourage all eligible junior golfers at affiliated clubs to enter. The Road to the Home of Golf will be a great opportunity to play, but also to meet others and build friendships across the sport.”
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Iconic St Andrews golf shop raided by ‘professional gang’
By John Turnbull - Bunkered
The world-famous Auchterlonies of St Andrews golf shop was raided by a ‘professional gang’ in the early hours of Thursday morning.
As reported by The Courier, thousands of pounds worth of equipment was pinched from the store on Golf Place after thieves reportedly smashed their way in shortly before 1am.
It’s understood that four individuals were involved and a suspect said they were in the shop for around five minutes before fleeing the scene in a black Range Rover.
Putters, drivers, and fairway woods from the likes of Scotty Cameron, Ping, TaylorMade, Odyssey, and Callaway were stolen.
An Auchterlonies spokesman confirmed the business is assisting Police Scotland with their inquiries, while police confirmed they are probing the break-in.
“On Thursday, January 15, we received a report of a break-in at a premises on Golf Place in St Andrews that happened around 0.45am that day,” a police spokeswoman told the paper.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
The much-loved store, less than 100 yards from the first tee of the iconic Old Course in the Home of Golf, was established in 1895 by former Open champion Willie Auchterlonie.
It’s one of the longest standing and largest high street golf retailers in the UK, stocking all of the game’s biggest brands.
Few golfers make the venture to St Andrews without stepping foot in the store, which spans 10,000-square feet. A few famous faces have also stopped by in recent years, including Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, who spent around half an hour in the shop during a visit in 2024. Singers Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi have had a look inside, too.
Auchterlonies, meanwhile, has an online shop, which launched in 2020 to mark its 125th anniversary.
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Members snap up memorabilia before demolishment of historic Scottish clubhouse
By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Tables and chairs, curtains, shoe cleaner and even pots and pans were taken as souvenirs
Royal Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton welcomes members at the soon-to-be-demolished old clubhouse at the Sutherland club | Royal Dornoch
The old clubhouse at Royal Dornoch will be demolished next month after a new £13.9 million replacement at the world-renowned Sutherland opened its doors last month.
Before it disappears, though, members were offered the chance to see if there was anything they wanted to get their hands on from the old clubhouse, which dates back to 1909.
“It was especially busy for the first couple of hours as members snapped up everything from tables and chairs to curtains, shoe cleaners and pots and pans, in addition to pictures, signage and locker doors for souvenirs,” said secretary Neil Hampton.
Money raised is being donated to charity
“We have raised well over £3500 already in donations to the Captain’s Charity, which is supporting Mikey’s Line and the East Sutherland Rescue Association, and the club’s Heritage and Junior Foundations.
“By the time the dust settles, I suspect we might even double that figure because we have had an offer for all the kitchen equipment and clubs in the region will have the opportunity to snap up anything that they can make use of.”
The demolition process will begin on 2 February and Hampton added: “We have appointed Nairn specialists G.F. Job for the project, and it will take around eight to 10 weeks to level the site.
The impressive new clubhouse at Royal Dornoch opened last month | Matthew Harris / Golf Picture Agency
“It’s not about bringing in a wrecking ball and bulldozers nowadays. The internal work takes place first, with different materials going into separate skips for recycling.
“The future use of the site has yet to be decided but, in the short term, it will be landscaped and in good shape for the start of the golf season.”
The three-storey new clubhouse has been completed two years after the project was given the green light and will be used by visitors from all around the world.
“I’m delighted to say our new clubhouse is being warmly embraced by local members and townsfolk and we look forward to welcoming golfers from around the world to see it for themselves in the spring,” added Hampton.
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'Game is thriving' - Huge rise in scores registered by Scottish golfers in 2025
By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman
Increases across the board, including 14 per cent jump in scores posted by females
Golf in Scotland is “thriving”, according to the game’s governing body in its birthplace on the strength of 2025 having been a record year for golfers submitting scores through the World Handicap System™.