St Andrews Links Trust has published its financial results for 2025 with total revenue of £50.6 million and a surplus for reinvestment of £8.4million.
A total of 296,728 rounds of golf were played across seven courses in 2025, a five per cent increase from 2024. Visitor play across the courses remained at a consistent level with the increase attributable to more rounds played by local golfers and others who hold an annual ticket to play the courses.
The Links Trust, which manages the world-famous Old Course and seven other public courses in the town, uses its surplus to reinvest in its facilities and to protect and maintain the Home of Golf for current and future generations. Its obligations extend to promoting participation in sport and the provision of recreational facilities.
In 2025, the Trust strengthened its commitment to local golfers by providing exclusive windows for play, with the balance of play moving towards an equal split between ticket holders and visitors.
Over the 12-month period, a number of key investments were made including a major project to install advanced irrigation across the courses. The first phase of this began in November 2025 with the Old Course and included upgrading of sprinklers and pipes. The work was completed in March 2026. The overall course irrigation project will represent an anticipated investment of around £10.5 million over a multi-year period.
Another major strategic investment was the completion of a lease on the Craigtoun Course, owned by the Kohler Group. St Andrews Links Trust has taken over the running of the venue which provides Links ticket holders with additional playing opportunities, more capacity for visiting golfers and other opportunities to support both the commercial and charitable activities of the Trust.
During 2025, the Links Trust also introduced The Drive initiative offering low-cost access to Scottish golfers on all courses, including the Old Course. And the School’s Participation Programme with Community Champions was launched with staff delivering after school golf activities to nearly 100 pupils.
The Trust remains committed to expanding its junior golf programme and investing in further community outreach programmes to allow the widest possible access to the next generation of golfers.
The Trust’s commitment to protecting and maintaining the local environment was also underlined with the completion of a project in April 2025 to rebuild a 200m sand dune at the Outhead peninsula between the Jubilee Course and the Eden Estuary. More than 28,500 tonnes of sand were used as part of a nature-based solution to protect the Links coastline as part of the largest and longest-running dune restoration project in Scotland.
Sandra Tuddenham, Chair of Trustees, said: “These results illustrate the continued demand to play at the Home of Golf and ensure we can continue to deliver sustainable economic, social, and cultural benefit to St Andrews, Fife and Scotland. As a charitable trust, we work to provide our local community and visitors with the best possible experience, while providing opportunity for golfers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
“The Trust has made significant investments to upgrade courses, player experience and capacity. We have launched a number of exciting community initiatives to deliver against our charitable objectives and undertaken vital environmental projects to maintain and protect the Links for current and future generations.”
Richard Holland, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “The role of St Andrews Links Trust is to protect and maintain the Home of Golf, while looking for opportunities to enhance and develop for the future. These results give us the confidence to continue to reinvest in accessibility, sustainability, innovation and people to meet our objectives and obligations. I look forward to building on the sustainable management of the Links by further enhancing the experience we offer and ensuring the reinvestment in our estate is planned to deliver maximum impact for our golfers and our community.”
The 2025 annual report & accounts for St Andrews Links Trust can be found by clicking here.