The Old Course is nurturing a young tradition. It started in 2024, when the St. Andrews Links Trust turned back time by setting up the Old Course in its original clockwise routing. The event aroused such interest that organizers opted to repeat it. The Old Course Reversed is now an annual occasion.
In 2026, it’s returning for a third spin. The next edition of Old Course Reversed is set for April 17, 18 and 20 (in keeping with Sunday tradition, the Old Course will be closed Sunday, April 19). Applications for it will be accepted during a 48-hour window beginning at 10 a.m. GMT on Dec. 8, and closing at the same hour on Dec. 10.
Like a buddies’ trip in a time machine, the event sets participants loose on the Old Course as it was played long ago, starting on the 1st tee and hitting to what is now the 17th green, then on to the 16th and so on before concluding on the 18th green. That was how things worked until around 1870, when Old Tom Morris separated the first and 17th greens. For much of the following century, the course was frequently played in both directions. But the counterclockwise routing — the one used for daily play and also as an Open Championship host site — eventually became the standard.
Now, everything that’s old becomes new again. Once a year.
Advanced public packages for 2026 are £800 and include three rounds over the three-day event (Sunday through Tuesday) on the Old Course, the Old Course Reversed and the Castle Course, plus food-and-drink vouchers and access to the practice grounds at the St. Andrews Links Golf Academy.
GOLF.com was on hand for last year’s edition, capturing the scene and the switchback setup. For a more detailed look at that experience, check out the full video on our YouTube channel below.
For more information — or to apply once the window opens — click here.
