Any golfer worth his or her clubs knows of the town St Andrews, Scotland, where golf was first played in the 15th century. 600 or so years later, the eyes of the golfing world will once again all be on St Andrews when the Open Championship returns there on 15-18 July 2010.

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St Andrews has an ancient history that stretches back to the Bronze Age. The area was settled by prehistoric hunter-gatherers and by Celtic peoples, and was also the site of Roman military camps. The town received its name when relics of St Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, were brought there during the Dark Ages, and it became the seat of the Bishop of Alba and an important religious centre for newly Christianised Scotland. The modern town of St Andrews was established in 1140 by Bishop Robert.

However, St Andrews’s religious influence suffered a severe blow during the disruptions of the Scottish Reformation and the Civil War of the 17th century, and the town did not recover until the 19th century. And one of the factors that helped St Andrews begin growing again was golf. No one is quite sure when golf was first played in the area, but it was likely sometime in the 1400s.

Ancient writings testify to the popularity of golf even then. 1754 saw the founding of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which grew into the modern governing body of golf and the Open’s hosts, the R&A. Today, St Andrews Golf Club has seven world-class, publicly owned golf links, and it is only a slight exaggeration to say that every golfer dreams of the chance to play a round at St Andrews, particularly on the Old Course, home of the Open.

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The 2010 Open Championship will feature some of golf’s best players. As of this writing, qualifying tournaments are still going on around the world, but many great golfers are already expected at St Andrews, including champion Tiger Woods, Tom Watson (the 2009 runner-up), John Daly, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, David Duval, and Ben Curtis. If you are travelling to St Andrews for the Open, be sure to book early! Hotels will be filled to overflowing once players, spectators, and media start arriving.

Fortunately, St Andrews is a popular tourist destination and has many excellent lodgings available. If you have well-lined pockets, you can choose from 5-star St Andrews golf hotels such as the Old Course Hotel and the St Andrews Bay Golf Resort, but there are many other hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs to choose from, both in St. Andrews and the surrounding Fife region. This includes Birkhill Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Dundee, which provides lodging to corporate and private groups, as well as B&B service to individuals.