Religious pilgrims first visited St. Andrews in the 10th century to see the relics of the town’s eponymous saint. In more recent times, golfing pilgrims have flocked to pay homage to a stretch of weather-beaten land on the edge of the North Sea, where the game was invented 600 years ago. The hallowed Old Course lies on public ground, but there’s no other place a golfer feels more privileged to play. The course isn’t the most technically challenging, but teeing off in front of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club is as nerve-racking as it gets.
Top 10 Most Difficult Golf Courses
The Augusta National course is storied, exclusive, very opulent and very private — the perfect location for Tiger Woods to make his much anticipated return to golf. As the pros gear up to take the green in the annual Masters tournament, TIME takes a look at the toughest courses in the game