You can buy the Dunvegan Hotel in St Andrews for £2.9 million

You could own this St Andrews icon

It’s only 112 yards from the Old Course, and it’s the place to be whenever The Open comes to town. It’s a favourite spot for golf fans and tour pros alike, and now you can own it – if you have £2.9 million going spare. 

Dunvegan Hotel owners Jack and Sheena Willoughby have decided to sell up after 22 years at the helm. They announced their decision on Twitter, saying it’s “time to smell the roses”. 

As owner, you can expect to welcome the likes of Rory McIlroy and his folks, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Fred Couples and many, many more famous faces from the world of golf. Just don’t expect to catch much of the action during The Open, which will be the busiest week of your life. 

“We barely get to see any of it,” laughs current owner Sheena Willoughby. “I have to be here, looking after people.”

At least you’ll be able to hear what’s going on, though. “I always remember when Costantino Rocca fluffed that chip on 18 in 1995. We were in here watching it on the TV, and when he was stood over the putt, we heard the roar before we saw him hit the shot on the television!”

And being only a wedge away from the course has other benefits. 

“I’ve probably played the Old Course 500 times,” says Jack Willoughby. “I never get tired of that. It’s a special, special place. We wouldn’t have done this anywhere else in the world. If I were serving pints to guys who aren’t golfers, I couldn’t handle it. We wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”

Aside from The Open, the Dunvegan gets packed to the rafters whenever any big event visits the Old Course. You can expect to be turning people away during the British Ladies Open and Alfred Dunhill Cup, to name just two.