Why every golfer needs to play the Old Course
As it takes centre stage for the 30th time at the 150th edition of The Open, St Andrews historic Old Course remains at the very top of every golfers’ bucket list. This is why...
15-time major winner Tiger Woods at 150th The Open Championship at St. Andrews, 2022
It’s the ‘Home of Golf’. It’s cliched, it’s even a little twee, but it’s true. And that makes it special. The game in the form we know it today (the Netherlands have claims regarding a similar game) was first played over this now-hallowed piece of public land in the Fife town. This patch of linksland is where the game was first established, and it is the players, caddies, ball makers and clubmakers who first congregated around the Old Course that developed the game we love. Initially 22 holes when rudimentary paths were cut between gorse and heather to form playing corridors, it became the standard 18 when some holes were combined as they were deemed too short. But the beauty – and indeed the wonder – of the Old is that, from the tees normal golfers play off, it remains extremely close to the course first established 600 years ago.
Seve Ballesteros at The Open Championship 1984, St Andrews
Everyone who has mattered has played here. From Old Tom Morris to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. From Bobby Jones to Arnold Palmer to Seve Ballesteros, every golfer of even fleeting importance has played the Old. Walking down the fabled opening fairway, you know that every legend of the game has trodden that very same turf you are. What’s more, you know that many will also have nervously fumbled to get their ball balanced on its peg on the 1st tee, just as you will. And whether it is Seve’s iconic celebration in ‘84, Doug Sanders’ infamous putt in ’70, Costantino Rocca’s Valley of Sin heroics in ’95 or Tommy Nakajima taking nine on the 17th in 1978, a round here is littered with chances to reflect on – and even possibly recreate – some of the game’s legendary moments.
The game’s superstars adore it. Don’t take our word for how special the Old is. Just listen to these legends:
“I fell in love with it the first day I played it. There’s just no other golf course that is even remotely close.” Jack Nicklaus
“If it were up to me, I would play the Open Championship there every year.” Phil Mickelson
“It’s just a treat to play. I love it. It's amazing to walk down the fairways and remember some of the shots you’ve seen on TV, and just absorb the history.” Annika Sorenstam
“I don't think there's anything more special in golf than playing at the Home of Golf.” Jordan Spieth.
“My first time in St Andrews I thought it was the coolest place on earth.”
It is a truly great golf course. Sound obvious? Perhaps, but you’ll hear the odd dissenter about the Old, accusing it of being a bit bland because it lacks the sea views of, say, Turnberry or the dramatic dunes of Birkdale et al. Nonsense. The Old is about much more than just history, experience and ambience. It is the most clever, most strategic and nuanced course in the world. Golf.com in America and Golf World in the UK rank it No.3 and No.2 in the world.
Unforgettable holes. There is a case to be made for the Old having the best par 3, the best par 4 and the best par 5 in the world (can you see why the whole thing is ranked No.2 or 3 on the planet?). The 11th is 174 yards and often referred to as the shortest par five in Scotland. Sitting on the Eden Estuary, it is the most exposed hole on the course. It has a large but devilish green guarded by two deep bunkers, one of which, ‘Hill’, caused Bobby Jones to rip up his scorecard on his first visit.
Swilcan Bridge
The par 4 is the 17th, ranked by Golf World as the No.1 hole in Britain and Ireland. This intriguing 455-yard challenge has it all. A demanding blind drive rewards the brave and makes fools of the reckless/wayward then your second shot must find the slither of green (barely 10 yards wide, and set an angle) between the infamous Road Hole bunker and the road.
The par 5 is the 14th, where options abound on its 530 yards. You start looking forward to it on about the 11th green. The drive at ‘Long’ asks you to nudge your tee shot between a collection of four pot bunkers and an ancient wall. The Old’s bunkers are all named but nowhere are they named more evocatively than here – ‘Beaty’ and ‘Kitchen’ are joined (below) by some of the Old’s most famous landmarks.
‘Hell’ bunker
Unforgettable landmarks. Let’s conclude by returning to the mystique of the place. ‘Beardies’ bunkers, the Swilcan Bridge, the burn itself, the shared greens, ‘Hell’ bunker, the Old Course hotel, the R&A clubhouse, the Principal’s Nose, the Road Hole!, ’Strath’ bunker, Granny Clark's Wynd, the Valley of Sin, ‘Ginger Beer’ bunker, Elysian Fields. Just walking around the course and seeing these landmarks sends a shiver down your spine; imagine actually taking them on, just as everyone from Old Tom to Tiger have done.