Splendor Is Par for the Course at St. Andrews : Scotland’s seaside resort offers much more than just golf.

Just mention the name of this lovely old town on a headland reaching into the North Sea to a golf zealot and the eyes glaze over in a look bordering on religious ecstasy, followed by either fervent tales of a round on the Old Course or equally earnest-if-apocryphal plans for a future pilgrimage.

Most golf courses are designed by famous names, but St. Andrews was carved through the centuries from sand dunes by North Sea winds, with heather, gorse and bracken lying in wait everywhere for an errant ball. Since the early 15th Century, when the game was played in this birthplace of golf with sticks and stones, everyone from Mary Queen of Scots to Lee Trevino has cursed the satanic terrors of the “Road Hole” (No. 17). Others claim that the Old Course’s “pot bunkers” have swallowed golfers whole, never to be seen again.

St. Andrews past and present has a lot going for it besides golf. It’s a delightful little town of medieval, Victorian and Edwardian streets and buildings, with Scotland’s oldest university and ruins of the magnificent 12th-Century Gothic Cathedral of St. Andrews.

St. Andrews has been one of Scotland’s premier seaside resorts since the mid-19th Century, drawing England’s most famous artists and intellectuals to its beautiful shores and stimulating milieu. Alfred Hitchcock shot his first movie, the classic “The 39 Steps” here, and the stirring scene of runners training for the Olympics in “Chariots of Fire” also was photographed on St. Andrews’ beach.

The nearby fishing villages of East Neuk of Fife, the ancient kingdom between the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay, are truly enchanting, many with charming seafood restaurants right on the water. So one doesn’t have to be a golfer to relax and enjoy the many splendors of St. Andrews, the Ancient Kingdom of Fife and nearby Glamis Castle, the legendary setting for Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

Getting settled in: The Spindrift guest house, a Victorian home of stone in the fishing village of Anstruther (10 minutes from St. Andrews), is an elegantly homey place where everyone gathers before the blazing log fire with a drink from the the Captain’s Honesty Bar, prior to an evening meal.

Bedrooms are brightly furnished in rattan, with TV and coffee- and tea-making gear. Folks really treat one like a guest here, providing a hot-water bottle for your bed before retiring and offering top-quality golf clubs at a modest fee. Breakfast is included in room rates, and a four-course menu of regional food is served in the evening by prior arrangement for $21 per person.

Dead center of town is West Park House, a 150-year-old Georgian home of but five bedrooms. These are moderate in size, some with and some without private baths, but all with the requisite coffee-tea makers, TV and flowers about. Nothing fancy here, but it’s very comfortable and the guests’ sitting room with fireplace overlooks the garden in back.

The gentleman who runs conferences at the University of St. Andrews introduced us to its residence halls, which are open to paying guests from mid-June to the end of September. One will be elbow-to-elbow with academics here for summer courses, and there are kitchen facilities convenient to each bedroom, plus shared baths. There’s also a bar, indoor swimming pool and comfortable lounges, and one may choose to have all three meals in the dining halls. The menus looked great to us. The older Hamilton Hall, a turreted red-brick affair, fronts on the Old Course and has marvelous views of the town and sea.

Regional food and drink: Fresh seafood is the rage here, with emphasis on haddock, lots of cod and pricey local lobster. For breakfast with your eggs, ask for a “smokey,” a kippered mackerel that’s a little on the strong side.

Fife is rich farmland, so expect the best of fruits and vegetables, which the Scots no longer cook for days on end. And there are deer farms in the area, providing venison for game fanciers. Scotland’s beef is marvelous, but seems to be in short supply here. There are 160 types of malt whisky in Scotland, so join locals for a “wee dram” before the fireplace and you won’t miss the beef.

Good local dining: Start with a few wee drams at The Glenturret (A85 in Crieff), the country’s oldest distillery. Glenturret’s Smugglers Restaurant is very highly recommended for traditional Scottish food, including venison in an “illicit whisky” sauce ($6.75 and made with wild venison), Tay salmon ($9) or haggis, neeps and tatties ($6). The last is Scotland’s traditional dish of haggis, turnips and mashed potatoes.

Views of heather on the hills from the restaurant are spectacular, particularly with soft traditional music in the background.

The port village of Anstruther’s pride and joy is the famous Cellar Restaurant, a 16th-Century cooperage that once made barrels for the herring fleet. It’s a very small and intimate place, with beam ceilings, fireplaces in the pub and dining room, candlelight and a delightful mix of traditional furnishings.

A four-course dinner menu at the Cellar ($44.50) gives one the likes of a quiche of local lobster and smoked salmon, wild mushroom soup or crayfish and mussel bisque, noisettes of Perthshire lamb with mushrooms and fresh herbs, then desserts, coffee and sweets. Vivian Jukes, the owner’s wife, helps explain the menu with a great deal of verve and good humor.

The St. Andrews Wine Bar (32 Bell St.) is as famous for its pub fare as its wine card of 63 types from every country in Europe. The blackboard menu lists everything from the lowly game pies ($3.50) and ploughman’s lunch ($5) to such exotics as Calvados-and-pheasant pate, another of Guinness and Stilton cheese. Everything listed is homemade. Lots of university types hang out here and in the cellar below, which boasts a gigantic selection of ales. The affable barkeep will be glad to explain the distinct characteristics of each.

Going first-class: St. Andrews’ Old Course Hotel, overlooking the infamous Road Hole, has the look and feel of a very regal Scottish estate. Lobby and lounges are lush with overstuffed furniture, needlepoint cushions and chairs, enormous flower arrangements sent daily from Covent Garden, and priceless tapestries on the walls. The cozy library just off the lobby has a fine selection of volumes ancient and new, many of the Lowlands writers Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

Since a 1990 renovation, the hotel has been a showplace for marvelous fitness facilities, including an indoor pool under a skylight, whirlpool, steam room and state-of-the-art equipment. The beauty treatment center for women is among Britain’s finest.

Food and service in the Old Course Hotel’s restaurant is exemplary, as is almost everything about this storied place.

On your own: After strolling the town, head for the half-dozen coastal villages of the East Neuk of Fife, each rewarding in its own way. This “nook” of Fife once had a thriving sea trade with Scandinavia, France and the Netherlands, which accounts for many of the architectural styles and customs of the people.

Glamis Castle has been a royal residence since 1372, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth and birthplace of Princess Margaret. It is one of the most beautiful and romantic castles of Scotland, and may be visited by a half-hour drive from St. Andrews.

While it may lack the majesty of Glamis, Scone Palace is rich in history and legend. The Stone of Scone, kept here for five centuries and in Westminster Abbey since 1296, was and is sat upon by Britain’s kings and queens during their coronations. And Macbeth, King of Scots, bled to death at Scone, slain by the man “not of woman born,” Macduff. Scone is another half-hour drive from St. Andrews, and one may have lunches and afternoon teas there.

GUIDEBOOK

St. Andrews, Scotland

Getting there: British Airways and other English carriers fly from London to Edinburgh. Round-trip fare is about $179. From Edinburgh it’s 40 miles by train to St. Andrews. The train costs about $9 one way.

A few fast facts: Britain’s pound recently sold for $1.86, making the dollar worth 54 cents.

Where to stay: The Spindrift guest house (Anstruther; $84 double B&B;); West Park House (5 St. Marys Place; $59 B&B; double); University of St. Andrews (79 North St.; $62 B&B; double); St. Andrews Old Course Hotel ($220-$256 double).

For more information: Call the British Tourist Authority at (213) 628-3525, or write (350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071) for the magazine “Scottish Quest,” which contains maps and sights for all of Scotland, golfing holidays and other general information, plus a golfing map of Scotland.