Old Course at St. Andrews to receive alterations to several holes

AI-assisted summary
• The Old Course at St. Andrews will undergo a series of changes ahead of the 2027 Open Championship.
• Modifications include lengthening six holes, adding new tee boxes and altering several bunkers.
• Architectural firm Mackenzie & Ebert will conduct the work, which is set to begin Nov. 3.

The Old Course at St. Andrews is ground zero for so much of golf, and its architectural features have been mimicked by every course that followed since rudimentary play began on the grounds in the 15^th century. 

But like all golf courses, the Old is a living thing, subject to countless changes over the centuries. Some of those changes occur naturally over time, and others come at the hands of architects, especially in the lead-up to Open Championships. Soon, more changes are on the way. 

The St. Andrews Links Trust, which manages the Old Course and its six companion layouts, and the R&A, which runs the Open Championship, announced Tuesday that a slew of changes are coming to the Old Course in the run-up to the 2027 Open. With an eye on refining the strategic challenges of the Old, several holes will be lengthened, new tee boxes will be introduced, existing bunkers will be modified and new bunkers will be added, among other alterations.

The firm of Mackenzie & Ebert, which has extensive experience with renovations to Open Championship sites, will conduct the work. The project will begin Nov. 3. In addition to the renovations, work on upgrading the Old’s irrigation system began Oct. 27. 

 “Working with St. Andrews Links Trust, we have commissioned Mackenzie & Ebert to carry out a carefully planned program of work to enhance and restore the challenge of the Old Course in a few key areas," Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said in a media release announcing the project. “Our approach is grounded in deep respect for the course’s unparalleled history. We believe this work is important in ensuring the Old Course continues to evolve and challenge the world’s best golfers in the years to come while enhancing the experience of local and visiting golfers.”

There’s always a fair bit of anxiety when shovels go into the ground on the Old Course for any alterations, large or small – especially when length is being added to combat distance gains by modern players. The layout is a global treasure of golf and is ranked No. 2 by Golfweek’s Best among all courses outside the United States. Neil Coulson, Chief Executive of the St. Andrews Links Trust, tried to assuage some of that concern.

“Every generation has played a part in shaping the Old Course, and this latest program continues that long tradition,” Coulson said in the media release. “The work will restore features that have changed subtly over time and refine others to preserve the course’s unique character.

“Our guiding principle is simple: to protect what makes the Old Course so special while ensuring it continues to offer a fair, challenging and enjoyable experience for golfers of every level. The Old Course has never stood still. Its enduring greatness lies in its ability to adapt while retaining its soul.”

The full media release with details about specific holes is as follows: 

28 October 2025, St Andrews, Scotland: Work will begin next week on a carefully planned programme of enhancements and restoration to the Old Course ahead of The 155^th Open in 2027. The project will refine the strategic challenge for elite players in a small number of areas for future championships while restoring traditional features that have evolved over time to improve the everyday playing experience for local and visiting golfers on the world-renowned links. Separate upgrades to the course’s ageing irrigation system will also be carried out during this period, providing a more efficient tool for turf management. Both projects will take place simultaneously, minimising disruption. Following The 150^th Open in 2022, the course was reviewed and the proposed changes have been carefully planned with the agreement of St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the Old Course, and The R&A, which is responsible for The Open. The design work will be carried out by leading international golf course architects and links golf specialists, Mackenzie & Ebert. Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Working with St Andrews Links Trust we have commissioned Mackenzie & Ebert to carry out a carefully planned programme of work to enhance and restore the challenge of the Old Course in a few key areas. Our approach is grounded in deep respect for the course’s unparalleled history. “We believe this work is important in ensuring the Old Course continues to evolve and challenge the world’s best golfers in the years to come while enhancing the experience of local and visiting golfers.” Neil Coulson, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said, “Every generation has played a part in shaping the Old Course, and this latest programme continues that long tradition. The work will restore features that have changed subtly over time and refine others to preserve the course’s unique character. “Our guiding principle is simple: to protect what makes the Old Course so special while ensuring it continues to offer a fair, challenging and enjoyable experience for golfers of every level. The Old Course has never stood still. Its enduring greatness lies in its ability to adapt while retaining its soul.” The upcoming changes to the Old Course ahead of The 155^th Open continue an evolution of the links over the centuries. There have been several periods in its history where substantial changes have been carried out including, for example, the adding of over 60 new bunkers between 1899 and 1905, and nearly 350 yards of length being added across The 129^th Open in 2000 and The 134^th Open in 2005. The most recent adjustments of significance were undertaken in advance of The 144^th Open in 2015, which included bunker additions and removal, and the regrading of the back left portion of the 11th green to create more options for hole locations. One of the most significant areas of work will be on the 16th hole where an historic playing route will be restored to the left of the Principal’s Nose and Deacon Sime bunkers along with the addition of two bunkers to add risk on the left hand side of the extended fairway. Six holes will be lengthened – the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th and 16th – while one will be shortened slightly – the 12th. The overall championship yardage of the course will increase by 132 yards to 7,445 yards. New championship tees will be created on the 5th, adding 35 yards, the 6th, adding 17 yards, the 7th, adding 22 yards, and the 10th, adding 29 yards. Tee enlargements will see increases in length at the 11th (21 yards) and the 16th (10 yards). On the 2nd, the two right side drive length bunkers will be relocated farther on and to the left to make them more relevant to the line of play. New bunkers will be added at elite level drive length on the 6th and the 10th. On the 9th, the right side approach bunkers will be extended slightly toward the line of play, including Boase’s Bunker which will be restored to its larger and less rounded shape. The championship tee on the 12th will be realigned slightly to help ease championship spectator movement in this location and the main daily play tee on the 14th will be realigned and re-positioned slightly. On the 17th, the Road Hole Bunker will be sympathetically restored to reduce the effect of sand splash build-up over time. Work is scheduled to get underway on-site on 3 November. Separately, work on upgrading the Old Course irrigation system commenced week beginning 27 October.