History puts St Andrews on the Tourist Map

America may be the biggest golf loving country but if you want to feel the history of the game, pack your golf clubs to St Andrews .

Spiritual home

For golf lovers all over the world there is one place that is their spiritual home � St Andrews , Scotland . Not only is it the spiritual home of golf, where anyone who values their golf clubs dreams of playing, but it is seeped in history.

Royal links

The fact St Andrews has held on to its sense of tradition is also down to the fact it is still a place with living links to British royalty for example. Going back in history, King James II banned the game in 1457 because it became more popular to swing golf clubs than practice archery � weakening his defences.

Historic Golf club

The Society of St Andrews Golfers was formed almost 300 years later and another King; William IV made history once more by bestowing his patronage to the group, making it the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

Holy Grail

In 1873, the golf clubhouse was built and hosted the first 25 Open Championships.

It is no wonder than that the place is drenched in history and tradition and that it is the Holy Grail for anyone with a set of golf clubs. Every major golf star has swung their golf clubs here - including celebrities such as Sean Connery � and Tiger Woods made history at the 1995 Open at St Andrews .

Prince William

In more recent history, Britain 's Prince William kept up the influence of royalty on St Andrews when he attended the university there, and would often take his golf clubs down to the golf range in town to practice his technique.

Not only does St Andrews host the oldest and most famous of golf clubs in the world, the sense of history is also exasperated by the fact the university is the oldest in Scotland, and the third oldest in Britain. The town was also central to religious life in medieval times.

Seeped in history

 The ruins of the cathedral of 1160 still stand and back then the town was a place of pilgrimage not for golfers but for religion when it was consecrated in front of Robert the Bruce in 1318. The Protestants destroyed it in the 16 th century. Adding to the strong history of the town are the remains of St Andrews castle, built in 1200, proving that the town is not just for those carrying a set of golf clubs.

Get your golf clubs out

But the game of golf dominates, despite the rich history, and tourists mainly visit to try out their golf clubs on the famous courses. 15,000 people live there but hundreds and thousands visit the town, which is now the third most expensive place to live in Scotland .

On the map

If you have never picked up a set of golf clubs, than you can still enjoy the game and find out about the history of the sport at the British Golf Museum on the Bruce Embankment. Golf has put St Andrews on the map.

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