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Old Course at St Andrews
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The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world, and is a public course over common land in St Andrews, The Kingdom of Fife, Scotland. It is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) club house sits adjacent to the first tee, and is one of many clubs that have playing privileges on the course, along with the general public. The course was mostly designed by nature and the elements, with a little help from Tom Morris and Alan Robertson from Carnoustie. The first record of golf being played at the Old Course dates to 1574, which would make the Old Course the fifth-oldest links in Scotland. One of the unique features of the Old Course is the huge double greens. Seven greens are shared by two holes each. Only the 1st, 9th, 17th and 18th holes have their own greens. Another unique feature is that the course can be played in either direction, clockwise or anti-clockwise, and once a year in the spring, they play it backwards. The other unusual thing about the Old Course is that it is closed on Sundays to let the course rest, and the townspeople come out to stroll, picnic and otherwise enjoy the grounds. The Open Championship has been held at St Andrew's 27 times since it started. Among the winners at St Andrew's have included Tiger Woods (twice), John Daly, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus (twice), Tony Lema, Kel Nagle, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sam Snead, Richard Burton, Denny Shute, Bobby Jones, Jock Hutchison, James Braid (twice), John Henry Taylor (twice), Hugh Kirkaldy, Jack Burns, Bob Martin (twice), Jamie Anderson, Tom Kidd and Lorena Ochoa. at the Women's Open. The Open is now scheduled at St Andrew's every year ending in 05 and 00.Without wind, the course can play quite easy with the extra roll provided by the dry, hard fairways. Best to take a caddie though to avoid the collection of ill placed pot bunkers throughout the course as well a for the general direction of the course routing. The course has some of the most generous fairways, and favors the right hander with a draw. When the wind comes out of the North Sea at 40+ mph, all bets are off. An absolute must play, memories forever.
Old Course Article at Wikipedia
Published by: edb
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Posted by: RZA2
Dec 11th, 2010
Played the Old Course at St. Andrews and took a chance and flew all the way to Scotland without having a confirmed tee time. I was attempting to walk on as a single one morning. The night before, I purchased a yardage book in the pro shop and mapped out my round. During that night, I play the round over and over in my head. The next morning I show up at the crack of dawn and get my name on the walk on list. I'm third on the list and the first scheduled tee time is 7:00am. So, I do a little light putting while taking in the nostalgia of R&A clubhouse and the row of shops and hotels along the 18th fairway. Turns out, the first group on the tee is a single golfer so I'm thinking, what luck! I'll be off in the first group since they likely just pair the three walk ons with this one individual. I guess it's customary in Scotland to ask a player whether or not they'd like a playing partner(s) for the day. Here in the States, they just pair you up. Anyway, turns out that this single did not want any company that morning and denied our trio of walk ons. The next two hours go by like a dentist appointment, long and painful. Finally, my number gets called and I'm paired with two fine gents from Utah. As I put my peg in the ground I completely had no recollection of what the play was off the first tee after my all night yardage guide cramming session. I just couldn't fathom where I was standing at that moment in time. I was just in sheer awe.
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Posted by: KevinH
Dec 8th, 2010
The whole setting and experience is like nothing else - and I've played a few of the best courses in the world ... You're walking on "Holy Ground" at The Old Course. ALL the big players in the game have played there. That's enough for me to know to give me the chills. 74 on the score card didn't ruin the experience either ... :-) You can discuss "the better golf course" back and forth and never agree. To me it is all about collecting the unique experience.
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Posted by: shayneb
Nov 23rd, 2010
At the Old, we had another cool and cloudy but calm day, wonderful caddies, and a ton of fun (I had an 81). I don't know just how we won in the ballot to get a tee time, because there were lots of people trying. I understand that 42 people did not make it through the ballot that day, a day when 60% of the tee times were reserved for R & A members; one guy in our hotel had missed nine straight times, from last year through this. I can't say anything about the Old Course that has not been said thousands of times: it was simply a fabulous experience--the best golfing day I ever had.
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Posted by: bobbyj
Nov 21st, 2010
Absolutely spiritual experience to play the Old for the first time. The weather was cool with a mist now and then. No rain gear needed though. I was really surprised by the variety of shots that you could play and how short #1 was. I was also surprised at the size of the greens and the amount of movement in them. I played with my best friend since I was 6 and hooked up with a young local lad and a retired guy from San Diego now living in St Andrews. Iit is the Holy Grail of golf I can't wait to get back.
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Posted by: LNewsome
Sep 20th, 2010
When in St. Andrews to play the Old. Seize the day. The fish bar is a must. Putt the Lady's Putting Club. Walk the Old Course on Sunday when it is closed and just listen. Drive down Granny Clark's Wynd just to say you did. Place a tee in the bucket beside Old Tom's grave. And most of all return home a different gentelman golfer.
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Posted by: Mike Loures
Aug 18th, 2010
What an amazing course. You must play this course a few times with a caddy to get a feel. lots of blind shots but as long as you know where to land the ball you should be OK. The first hole and 18 are not difficult. Number 17 is a realtreat but very hard. The aura of The Old Course is un matched. You are playing on hallowed ground!
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Posted by: BigID
Jun 12th, 2010
Brian Paul had one of the best days ever there last July. Got to the starter's shack at 5am to get on as a single. Was first out with a father/son from Texas. Eageled 12 and shot two under. Then caddied for my dad and my father in law that afternoon. That day is going to be pretty hard to beat.
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Posted by: JulianB
Jan 19th, 2010
The Old Course and all the courses at St Andrews are closed at the moment, under ice and snow
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Posted by: HOTCGuy
Jan 17th, 2010
I wish I could have played the Old Course when I was younger for two reasons; one, my game was a little better and two, because it would have been nice to hear some Scottish brogue. On the June day I played it two years ago, the dominant accent was East Coast American. At least the caddies were local University lads and the course did not disappoint. That said, once per trip is enough with so many other excellent links courses in the area. We stayed in Crail nine miles away. Crail Balcomie was as interesting as St. Andrews, and you get to see the ocean on virtually every hole. Elie, Lundin Golf Club and others in the Kingdom of Fife were also worth the green fees at an awful exchange rate. Larry http://www.golfcommunityreviews.com
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Sep 28th, 2008
A great comment on the Old by Henry Longhurst who writes: "What is the secret? Partly, I think that before playing any shot you have to stop and say to yourself, not, "what club is it?" but "what is it exactly that I am trying to do?" There are no fairways in the accepted sense of the word; just a narrow strip of golfing ground which you use both on the way out and the way in, together with huge double greens, each with two flags. From the tee you can play almost anywhere, but, if you have not thought it out correctly according to the wind and the position of the flag, you may find yourself teed up in the middle just behind a bunker, and downwind. At this point fools say the course is crazy. Others appreciate that the truth lies nearer home"