Golf has been a Scottish national pastime since long before the Scot's ignominious defeat at the hands of the English at the Battle of Flodden Field. King James II of Scotland was so concerned that that golf was a contributing factor to that merciless defeat, as it was interfering with the practice of archery and other martial skills, that he decreed in the Scottish Act of Parliament of 1457 that "golfe be utterly cryed downe, and not be used". There was every evidence however that the people of Scotland took little notice of the Act and subsequent bans, that the Act itself was banned in 1502 when James IV took up golf with a set of clubs, ironically made by a local bow-maker.

By the end of the16th century golf had gained respectability among the highest levels of society and was played by James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne as James I in 1603. His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was also a notable devotee. It was this royal interest that contributed greatly to the spread of the game throughout Scotland and ultimately to the rest of the world.

The Old Course at St. Andrews has evolved slowly over the last six hundred years. Formed by nature and molded by dedicated golfers, the Old Course was played as a 22-hole course, 11 outward and 11 inward, when the Society of St Andrews Golfers was formed in 1754. In 1764 the Society changed the number of holes to 18 by telescoping the first four holes into two thus creating the standard round of golf.

In 1834 King William IV, who also held the title of Duke of St. Andrews, awarded the title of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews to the Society. Since then the R & A has developed into the governing body of golf for almost the entire world. In 1854, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews constructed the Clubhouse. Already insufficient to meet the needs of its members, the Clubhouse was extended in 1872 to its current form.