Each winter, as thoughts turn to spring break trips, college students ponder a timeless riddle: Cancun or the Bahamas? Acapulco or Vegas?
But before you're blinded by thoughts of booze cruises and string bikinis — and before you get worked over by spring-break travel packagers (all-inclusive never means all-inclusive, kids) — consider greener pastures. Namely, .
Seriously. You won't miss much coming here to play golf instead of hitting the tropics.
OK, you'll miss sunny beaches, barely-there swimsuits and post-all-nighter sunrises. But St. Andrews offers plenty more.
Long before it was a golf Mecca, this was a college town, a big reason why the streets stay alive here long after sunset, in contrast with most small Scottish golf towns. University of St. Andrews co-eds from all over Europe promenade and hang out in the bars on North and South streets.
Celebrities seem to have discovered the St. Andrews scene as well. During the 2006 Dunhill Links Pro-Am, reportedly befriended a pair of students at Ma Bells Bar; they invited him to a house party, where he spent the night drinking vodka out of a coffee mug and even washed the dirty dishes.
"He couldn't fail to have a good time, the party was overflowing with stunning Scandinavian blondes," fellow attendee Tom Wright told the local press.
"Are you kidding? This place is awesome," a study-abroad student from told me as he waited for his pizza at One-O-One Connection, a late-night take-out joint on South Street. "There's tons of bars and at the end of the night we all usually end up together at the [student] Union."
Even with its lively bar scene, St. Andrews offers parents a less worrisome destination for teen celebration than the Caribbean, where binge drinking and bad decisions are the norm.
"Sending me to St. Andrews was the only way my parents were going to keep me away from Cancun in high school," said J.O. Delancey, whose folks were less than thrilled at the thought of sending their 17-year-old south of the border with the rest of his senior class. As a result, the High School DI golf champ and his buddy got a free ride to the cradle of golf.
The golf courses
Few college students think a year ahead about anything, let alone booking tee times. But if you're in St. Andrews for even a few days you've got a good chance of via the daily ballot.
"I'd say at worst odds are about one-in-four, but it's usually much better than that," said John Stewart of the St. Andrews Links Trust.
If you aren't selected, the next door is first come, first served, or you can play or . For hurting mornings after, the rents carts — no doctor's or bartender's note needed.
Along with the proximity of all the golf courses, another positive is the atmosphere. For all their historic cachet, the Links Trust courses are unpretentious and low-key. Even upscale "" (staffed with numerous hotties from the university) will treat you right. No eyeballing from starters or rangers like at ritzy clubs in or . You're one of the people when you play here.
The equally storied is just a half-hour drive away, but you'll want return to St. Andrews after your round: Carnoustie is pretty dead unless the or Dunhill Links is in town.
(If you're looking for value, though, Carnoustie offers a package that justifies an overnight stay: Rounds on all three of the resort's tracks for little more than the cost of playing the Championship Course alone.)
You won't get much of a suntan and you won't come home with braided hair, but spring break in St. Andrews more than repays ditching the Caribbean crowds. Just remember to check the Old Course ballot results for your morning tee time before setting off on another long, hard night out.
Stay and play
If you've got the dough, consider taking the Young Tom Morris suite at the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel overlooking the 18th green at the Old Course; it can house a foursome, albeit in cramped style, and the huge balcony is perfect for post-round cocktails. For tighter budgets St. Andrews has numerous hostels and B&Bs.
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}West Port Café & Bar on South Street is a hipper but equally casual alternative that draws a younger clientele. The clued-in wait staff can point you to the best bars to hit on a given night, and there's a big-screen TV for sports.