St Andrews Links Clubhouse expansion plans as demand to play historic courses soars

It caters for golfers playing the Old Course as well as the New and Jubilee courses, and comes at a time when visitor numbers to the Home of Golf have soared.

St Andrews Links Trust (SALT), which manages the courses, has submitted its plans to Fife Council which will make a decision in the coming months. The boom in demand for golf from locals and visitors to St Andrews saw the Trust record revenue in excess of £40m and more than 283,000 rounds of in 2023.

The Links Clubhouse is the main hub of activity at the renowned venue, catering for golfers playing the three oldest courses in the town, as well as non-golfing visitors and locals on a daily basis. The plans include the extension of the clubhouse to incorporate a new café, bag drop area and enhanced retail space as well as a renovation of locker room facilities for golfers. New windows will offer uninterrupted, expansive views of the Links from the bar and grill, whilst an upgraded roof terrace will take advantage of the views across the Links and back towards the town of St Andrews.

Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust said: “We’re excited to unveil these plans to deliver a significantly enhanced experience at the Links Clubhouse for the benefit of all golfers and non-golfing visitors to the Home of Golf.

“The appetite and demand to play at St Andrews Links since the pandemic has been unprecedented, which has allowed us to not only fully recover financially but to begin the process of strategic reinvestment back into the site to benefit current customers as well as future generations. We look forward to sharing more details for reinvestment into the Links, which will include a mixture of on and off-course projects such as irrigation and coastal management.”

Since its completion in 1995, when it became the first public clubhouse in the town, the Links Clubhouse has proven popular with local and visitor golfers alike with its mix of golfer amenities, food and beverage and retail outlets.

As it approaches its 30th year of operation its mechanical and electrical infrastructure and building fabric is now inefficient and associated with high energy costs. Much of this infrastructure is approaching the end of its recommended service of life and needs to be replaced

As part of the Links Trust’s sustainability strategy, the plans will improve the energy efficiency of the building with outdated double glazing replaced and triple glazing introduced. Separately, a standalone energy hub will be introduced adjacent to the existing recycling point on West Sands Road, including air source heat pumps.

Enhanced access will also be introduced with a customer lift linking the floors as well as accessible changing rooms, showers and toilet facilities. The refurbishment will also upgrade staff facilities and welfare area.

Details of the renovation and refurbishment plans are available to view in the Links Clubhouse reception area as well as in the Eden Clubhouse and the Links Trust’s HQ at New Pilmour House.

The Links Clubhouse is situated at the heart of St Andrews Links adjacent to the second fairway of the Old Course and the first tees of the New and Jubilee courses. The Trust said a recent survey of St Andrews Links ticketholders found that 56% of ticketholders used the Links Clubhouse at least once a month, with only five per cent not using it at all during the year.

At the same time, a new group, St Andrews Resident Golfers Association (STARGA), revealed its survey findings on the back of concerns local golfers were being ‘squeezed out’ by demand to play the famous courses.

It said its survey showed 92% of respondents felt that availability of tee times has got worse or much worse over the years. STARGA launched the survey to gauge opinion among resident golfers who have a historic right to get a ticket to play the seven courses run by the Trust.