Property in St Andrews

Unlike so many areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the property market in St Andrews has made it through the past couple of years relatively unscathed. A large proportion of students and travelling golfers means there is always a generous rental return throughout the year. So although a beautiful place to live, the price tag of homes is usually skewed by the very attractive ROI. 

Making a St Andrews property your primary address also affords you the distinct privilege of becoming a season ticket holder at The Links Trust. This magical piece of plastic grants you access to The Old, New, Jubilee, Eden, Castle, Strathtyrum and Balgove courses at a very attractive annual fee.

So what's available just now in The Auld Grey Toon? Well, the former University dorm at Hamilton Hall is currently being transformed into 26 ultra-luxurious homes. I was placed here in my freshman year at St Andrews, and I am fairly sure that my fail in entry level statistics was directly proportional to the square root of the distance between my bed and the first tee of The Old Course. This 5th floor room was approximately 10' x 6', and struggled to accommodate a single bed and small writing desk (the former was utilized much more than the latter). How times have changed. Today, it is being transformed and incorporated into an apartment that is being marketed at £5,100,000. Hamilton Grand as it has been re-named, is being developed by Herb Kohler - bathroom plumbing tycoon, and owner of the adjacent 5* Old Course Hotel.

A little further down the fairway, Savills are marketing a beautiful 6 bedroom Georgian townhouse. Built in 1822 by the Playfair family, this home pre-dates the Royal & Ancient clubhouse, and it boasts tremendous views across The Old Course and The West Sands. The cost? A cool £1,250,000. But can anything be classed as expensive that makes the 18th your back garden?

If St Andrews were a Monopoly board then Hope Street and Abbotsford Crescent would probably be the colour green. Not quite Mayfair, but still an area of extreme distinction. Most commonly, these stone townhouses are divided into 3 or 4 separate apartments. A few are currently on the market and these range from the mid 200's to the high 300's depending on the number of bedrooms.

With great golf, schools, restaurants, nightlife, scenery and shopping, St Andrews has it all. The only problem for 99% of the population is the price. A very true summary of work, money and golf...

- When you're young you've got the spare time to play and your health but no money.

- Throughout your career you've got your health and the money but no time to play.

- In retirement, you've got money and the time to play but perhaps not your health.

It's a strange old world...

2011 Spring Invitational Results

A week of glorious weather greeted the entrants of the inaugural St Andrews Spring Invitational by Connoisseur Golf. Light winds, clear skies and not a single drop of rain made for a great week of golf and superb scoring. Our flagship event attracted 20 players from 4 different nationalities. The Invitational's base - The 5* Old Course Hotel & Spa - again proved why it is considered one of the most luxurious accommodations in the UK.

Round 1 was played on The Championship Course at Carnoustie Golf Links. Bob Fagan from Royal Dublin Golf Club took the opening days spoils with a very impressive score of 36 stableford points.

Round 2 took the players to Kingsbarns, and those who were there for the first time walked around the course in awe. One player, who has been fortunate enough to enjoy invites to many of the world's most exclusive and top-rated clubs, called it the best course he had ever played. The best score at Kingsbarns was 36 points by Congressional's Greg Kubasik.

Round 3 saw the players take on the formidable challenge of The Castle Course. This is the newest of the 7 courses in St Andrews and undoubtedly the toughest. It was not a surprise to see many of the players in contention struggle on 'moving day', but Northern Ireland's Boyd Hunter posted a great score of 36 points to land the individual day prize.

The final round was played over the most famous stretch of golfing terrain on the planet - The Old Course at St Andrews. Many of the players were virgins to this experience and quite a few nerves were visible on the first tee. With perfect conditions it was inevitable that final day scoring was going to be low. Raymond McGerr (a close friend of Darren Clarke) succeeded where his old pal had formerly came up short, and captured success at St Andrews with a blistering score of 43 points. Raymond (pictured second from left), who plays off 11, traversed the Old Course in 76 shots to win the individual day prize and overall event by a comfortable margin. A mention must also be made for former world number 4 snooker player, Alan McManus, who posted an impressive scratch round of 73.

Our thanks must go to the four wonderful venues of Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, The Castle and The Old Course. The 5* Old Course Hotel were the perfect host throughout. Thanks also to our dining venues at The Old Course Grill, Sands and The Seafood Restaurant.

To register you interest for next year, e-mail info@connoisseurgolf.com.