1st March, 2026
If you grow up in St Andrews, golf is not something you discover. It’s something you absorb. For Malcolm Work, head of golf concierge at the Old Course Hotel, the game has been woven through life as naturally as the wind sweeping over the links. “I’ve always been surrounded by golf,” he says. “It becomes part of your DNA.”
His earliest memories trace back to childhood weekends and school holidays on the nine-hole Balgove Course, made possible by the Links Ticket scheme that gives local children free access to the town’s courses. But the moment that truly sparked his love for the game came in 1995 at his first Open Championship. “I was nine years old, standing by the 18th green of the Old Course with my dad when Costantino Rocca made that incredible putt from the Valley of Sin to force a playoff with John Daly. I can still see it now. From that moment, I was completely hooked.”
Malcolm’s professional journey began at St Andrews Links in 2010, working as a starter and ranger on the Old Course. Standing on that famous first tee each day gave him a new appreciation for the place he had always called home. “Seeing how excited and emotional people were to play here made me understand just how special this town really is,” he says.
After seven years, he moved to The Duke’s as head starter before joining the Old Course Hotel as head of golf concierge. “I get to talk about golf and St Andrews all day,” he says. “It’s the perfect job for me.”
Shaping unforgettable golf trips
No two days are the same in Malcolm’s world. Mornings start early, greeting guests at 7am as they collect their clubs, buzzing with anticipation for the course they are about to play. Some arrive with guaranteed Old Course tee times as part of premium packages, but many rely on Malcolm and his team to navigate the area’s world-class golf offerings.
At the heart of that support is the famous Old Course Ballot. “We submit entries for all hotel guests two days before they hope to play,” he explains. “Success rates vary. In winter we might see around 40 percent, but the average across the year is closer to 15 percent. St Andrews and the game of golf have never been more popular and the ballot reflects this.”
For guests who want certainty, Malcolm points to the hotel’s Suite Golf Package. “It’s the closest thing to the perfect dream trip,” he says. “Luxury suites, incredible dining, spa treatments and confirmed rounds at the region’s best courses, including one on the Old Course. It takes away all the stress.”
But even when the ballot doesn’t fall in a guest’s favour, unforgettable golf is never far away. “We are spoiled here,” Malcolm says. “Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, the Craigtoun, the New, Castle and Carnoustie — nowhere else in the world has so many outstanding golf courses so close together.”
Beyond organising tee times, the golf concierge arranges caddies, transfers, rental equipment, club cleaning, golf luggage shipping and complimentary shuttles to the driving range. “Some guests want to play one round per day and then dissect their game in the Jigger Inn over a pint. Others play 36 holes a day and want to just golf, golf, golf! Our job is to make every moment feel seamless.”
As the week unfolds, relationships build. “By the end of a trip, guests are calling you by your first name, recalling memorable shots of the week, asking about your own golf and sharing a golfing tale or two. That connection when you know you have been a part of the guest’s experience is really the best part of the job.”
‘Seeing how excited and emotional people were to play here made me understand just how special this town really is’
Championship magic
St Andrews transforms during the Open Championship, and Malcolm has experienced the thrill three times. “The atmosphere is electric,” he says. “In 2022, about 300,000 visitors came to St Andrews. There is a real buzz around the whole town.”
The Old Course Hotel becomes the official base and Open Championship hotel for players, officials and the R&A. Sitting beside the 17th fairway, our building actually falls inside the ropes. “It’s surreal. Staff are given ticket access and you feel like you’re right in the heart of the championship. While we are working, the next Open champion is driving his tee shot over our heads!”
And with The Open returning to the Old Course in 2027, Malcolm is already anticipating another unforgettable week. “It’s the biggest moment on the golfing calendar, the oldest and greatest major, and having it back here is something everyone is excited about.”
Led by a local
Malcolm lives in St Andrews with his wife and two daughters, both of whom he’s slowly encouraging into the game. “One’s keen; one’s not so keen,” he laughs. “But I’m not giving up yet!”
A proud member of The St Andrews Golf Club, he plays off nine handicap and still lights up when recalling his only hole-in-one, achieved on the sixth hole of the Strathyrum Course some 20 years ago. “I still tell guests about it every chance I get,” he says. “It’s a very special memory.”
But for Malcolm, it always comes back to giving guests the same sense of awe he felt as a child in 1995. “Sometimes guests play well, sometimes they don’t. But they always come back smiling, having had a memorable day,” he says. “People come here because this is the Home of Golf. We want our hotel to feel like the home of Scottish hospitality.”
Malcolm's top five St Andrews courses
1. THE OLD COURSE
Nothing compares. From the moment you walk onto that first tee, surrounded by the town, you feel as if you have rewound the clock back to the time when this great game was created. Every hole tells a story and offers something different. The feeling you get when you play here is indescribable.
2. KINGSBARNS LINKS
I love how this course hugs the Fife coast and boasts some very picturesque holes while remaining playable to all levels of golfers. Hard to beat for scenery and experience.
3. THE NEW COURSE
A very fair test of golf where I have spent many summers evenings after work. Designed by Old Tom Morris in 1895, this is a classic Scottish links course with lots of well-positioned pot bunkers and fast-rolling fairways.
4. THE CASTLE COURSE
Dramatic, modern and stunning. The views over St Andrews Bay are incredible and the holes are as memorable as the backdrop.
5. STRATHYRUM COURSE
I grew up on this course, and it still has a special place in my heart. The only place I had a hole-in-one on the links as a teenager. Guests always laugh when I tell them, but it genuinely means a lot to me.
