The Himalayas isn’t just a heaving mountain range in Asia — it’s also a wildly undulating putting course between the famous Old Course at St. Andrews and the West Sands beach. Making the green even more special is its role as the home of the Ladies Putting Club of St. Andrews, the world’s oldest ladies putting club.
Just a 10-minute walk from the St. Andrews town center, the Old Tom Morris-designed “miniature course” debuted in 1867 as the St. Andrews Ladies Golf Club, with the stated goal of providing R&A members’ daughters a suitable place to putt.
By 1904, the putting club had several hundred members, about a third of whom were men who were not considered full members but assisted with scoring and could participate in some competitions. More than century later, in 2010, the passing of the UK Parliament’s Equality Act stipulated that a club must decide if it wanted to be fully mixed-gender or single gender. The Ladies Putting Club of St. Andrews decided on the latter.
The Challengers
The club membership now stands at 142 ladies, mostly between the ages of 75 and 85, though there is at least one active member who is 93. The club’s putting season extends from April to the end of October, and there are two tournaments per week: Wednesday afternoon, played in twosomes over 36 holes, and a Thursday-morning 18-hole event. There are also inter-club matches between area clubs, including the R&A.
The course’s hole locations change weekly and vary greatly. After each event, tea and coffee is served with cakes and biscuits, and prizes — including ball markers, notepads and key chains — are awarded to the day’s winner.
The Himalayas course is open to the public every day in season, with certain tee times available to members only. A round on the Himalayas is undoubtedly one of the game’s best deals. Prices are 4 GBP per round for adults and 2 GBP per round for seniors and children under 16.
For more on the Ladies Putting Club of St. Andrews, check out “Challengers,” an award-winning video series from Charles Schwab that profiles innovators who push the boundaries of the game. Among the other pioneers featured in the series are course photographer Evan Schiller and the apparel brand Holderness & Bourne.
You can watch “The Ladies of the Himalayas” in action here.
