Inside Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake’s St Andrews bar

If you know that one of the men behind the venture is Tiger Woods, still probably the most famous golfer in the world, then maybe it is not such a surprise at all.

Woods has never hidden his love of St Andrews. And now he has opened a business in the town centre in partnership with the pop star Justin Timberlake.

Woods and Timberlake are shareholders in the dining and entertainment experience T-Squared Social — Tiger and Timberlake provide the Ts — which has taken over the site of an old cinema in St Andrews for their second venture.

There can be no doubt about their involvement. Photographs of Woods and Timberlake are everywhere you look in the building. Upstairs in the restaurant space pictures of Woods in action hang on the wall above the pool table and images of Timberlake playing Madison Square Gardens loom over the dining tables.

Their names are prominent on the exterior too. The legend “Tiger Woods X Justin Timberlake” can be seen on each side of the entrance.

Evanna Holland, who was appointed general manager of the business, said: “When they started looking for another venue, St Andrews was next on the list, which I think says a lot for the town and the respect that it’s held in the golfing world. We know this is a pilgrimage for golfers. So it was, I think, a no-brainer from the T-Squared perspective.”

The Sunday Times was given an exclusive look at the new venture, although when we arrived on Thursday lunchtime it was quickly clear that things were not 100 per cent finished. There were workmen and ladders and tins of paint and the noise of drilling and hammering to be heard within.

“We still have some snagging to do,” admitted Jamie Johnston, the head of construction.

Perhaps is to be expected in a 95-year-old B-listed building. “We are 98 per cent of the way there,” said Holland. “We want to do it right.”

This venue occupies the site of the building that was the town’s cinema for most of the last century. After months of major refitting refurbishment and investment, reported to be £450,000, as well as no little controversy, The New Picture House — it has retained its original name above the door — is open for business.

But what is it exactly? Local media reports are calling it a sports bar. That is true, but only up to a point. The New Picture House is also a dining venue and a cinema space all at once. You can come to see a movie, have a drink and a meal or play on one of the sport simulators which offer a range of games including golf, cricket, football, lacrosse and even something called zombie dodgeball.

“This is going to be an entertainment venue,” Holland said. “We want to be a social club house for this town. We want to make sure that this becomes as embedded in the culture and community as the cinema originally was, because we know how important it was to people.”

So important that when plans for T-Squared Social St Andrews were first announced there was pushback from many who lived locally. A petition to “Save the New Picture House” was even launched online.

But David Morris, the former managing director of the old cinema, believed the mood had changed in the town.

“After it was announced I more or less had to wear a tin helmet because of all the flak that was flying around,” the 80-year-old jokes. But no longer. “In the last month or so, going around so many people have stopped and asked, ‘When is it going to open?’

“It’s swung around completely. I think the message has got through that it’s really a bonus for the town.”

Given that his grandfather was one of the founders of the cinema in 1930 this process had inevitably been something of a wrench for him. But, he said, there was no future for the cinema as it was. Audiences had dipped below 10 per cent of its capacity.

“Things were beginning to slide before Covid, but they just didn’t bounce back after that.”

Without T-Squared Social, he added, there would not be a cinema in the town now.

Even with the final touches still to be finished it is clear just how much care and attention to detail was put into the space.

The entrance serves as the cinema foyer, complete with T-Squared Social branded caps and sweatshirts (available for purchase). The ground floor is also home to a dedicated cinema and a bar that allows you to play electronic darts.

But the real appeal is its reinvention of what was the main cinema. Although much of the original décor was retained, it has been transformed into a large bar space with leather seats and tables and the aforementioned sport simulators. You can eat a smash burger with one hand and swing a club with the other, Holland pointed out. Or tacos, if you prefer.

“We changed the menu up so that it was accessible. We really thought about what we’re delivering, and we’re delivering fun. We’re delivering entertainment.

“We wanted to make sure the menu made sense and something a bit different. We didn’t want to be the 101st restaurant in St Andrews because there’s such a beautiful variety in the town. There is no point in our team trying to replicate what they provide.

There is still a large screen in the main space and a balcony with cinema seating, which will allow the showing of films and large sporting events.

“I’m such a massive rugby fan, so I’m excited about the Six Nations here,” Holland admitted.

Upstairs, “the Vault” is an upmarket dining space and bar, with both pool and poker tables and its own street-level entrance. The idea is that it will have a speakeasy vibe, Holland said. “We are keeping it as a private events space, but open to the public on a Thursday night.”

Getting the building up to scratch has been a challenge, said Johnston, whose day job is building luxury condominiums in the Bahamas.

“We’ve had bats in the attic slow us down.” There was also some asbestos that needed to be removed. A new boiler and ventilation system also had to be installed. Plus, the whole building has been rewired.

“All the boards were antiquated,” Johnston explained. “We’ve got a brand new super-duper 4k projector that’s £55,000. The cinema experience in both screens is better than before because of the better kit, the better environment.”

What the New Picture House needs is for the town to buy into the vision. It has to become a destination for not just St Andrews’s huge student population and for international visitors, but also for the locals who visited the cinema in years past.

“They want to see how much has been retained and does it still hold the memories, does it still hold the feel of the building they used to come to,” Holland said.

“This hasn’t just been a facelift. But I really hope people come in and see the care that we’ve given to each feature. It’s only the second in the world and the first in the UK.”

She added. “It’s quite a beacon we’re carrying here and we’re really proud to do it.”

Is she expecting a visit from Woods and Timberlake at any point? “I don’t have any personal knowledge of a visit, but my bosses might have other ideas.

“I think it would be so lovely for them to come and see what this has become.”

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