How to play the old course in reverse – No need to fly to Scotland

Old course. New technology.

This opposing pairing inspired the first virtual contest involving the ancient golf home. From now until the end of April, visitors to any driving range equipped with Toptracer shooting technology will have the opportunity to compete for a simulated version of its reverse route in the old St Andrews course. The player with the lowest overall score in this virtual setup will win a sweet real-world award: two kickoff times in the old course in 2026.

As many golf history lovers know, the old lessons were initially done clockwise, starting with the current first tee, then playing to the 17th green, then trailing on the course and ending with the current 18 green. However, this changed in the 1860s, but the adjustment attracted today’s recognition from process golfers after the then green custodian Tom Morris, the senior green custodian, separated the first and 17 greens. Decades later, the old lessons alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise routing, the counterclockwise option ended up winning. Of the 30 open championships held on the old court, all of which played in the counterclockwise route.

Last year, the St. Andrews Trust resumed its three-day reverse route in April, allowing the public to crack the “lost” version of the old course. The demand for those limited tees is so high that the Trust has turned the reverse route into an April product each year and has awarded TEE Times through the lottery system.

And, now is the 2026 competition (the iteration of the old courses in 2025 reversed this week; sold out).

As the official partner of St Andrews Link, Toptracer is the only platform that allows golfers to play virtual versions of old courses (and this month’s old courses) on the driving range. There are 1,250 Toptracer ranges around the world, so finding one is relatively easy. Winning the game is more challenging, but it is impossible if you don’t get into the game. You can learn more about the game here.