Old Course at St Andrews explained

Golf Facility Name:Old Course
Location:St Andrews, Scotland
Coordinates:56.343°N -2.803°W
Establishment:1552 (472 years ago)
Type:Public
Owner:Fife Council[1]
Operator:St Andrews Links Trust
Holes:18
Tournaments:The Open Championship, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, St Andrews Links Trophy
Website:Old Course
Par1:72
Record1:61; Ross Fisher (2017)
Pushpin Map:Scotland Fife#UK Scotland
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Fife, Scotland##Location in Scotland
Pushpin Mapsize:240

The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady,[2] [3] [4] is considered the oldest golf course[5] [6] in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews clubhouse sits adjacent to the first tee, although it is but one of many clubs (St Andrews Golf Club, The New Golf Club, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club and The St Rule Club are the others with clubhouses) that have playing privileges on the course, along with some other non-clubhouse owning golf clubs and the general public. Originally known as the "golfing grounds" of St Andrews, it was not until the New Course was opened in 1895 that it became known as the Old Course.[7]

History

The Old Course at St Andrews is considered by many to be the "home of golf" because the sport was first played on the links at St Andrews in the early 15th century.[8] Golf was becoming increasingly popular in Scotland until James II of Scotland banned the game in 1457 because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead of practising their archery.[9] The ban was upheld by James III, and remained in force until 1502, when James IV became a golfer himself and removed the ban.[10]

Governance

In 1552, Archbishop John Hamilton gave the townspeople of St Andrews the right to play on the links. In 1754, 22 noblemen, professors, and landowners founded the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This society would eventually become the precursor to The R&A which is the governing body for golf everywhere outside of the United States and Mexico.[11] St Andrews Links had a scare when they went bankrupt in 1797.[11] The Town Council of St Andrews decided to allow rabbit farming on the golf course to challenge golf for popularity. Twenty years of legal battling between the golfers and rabbit farmers ended in 1821 when a local landowner and golfer named James Cheape of Strathtyrum bought the land and is credited with saving the links for golf.[8]

The course evolved without the help of any one architect for many years, though notable contributions to its design were made by Daw Anderson in the 1850s and Old Tom Morris (1865–1908), who designed the 1st and 18th holes. Originally, it was played over the same set of fairways out and back to the same holes. As interest in the game increased, groups of golfers would often be playing the same hole, but going in different directions.[8]

Influence on modern golf

The Old Course was pivotal to the development of how the game is played today. For instance, in 1764, the course had 22 holes and the members would play the same hole going out and in with the exception of the 11th and 22nd holes. William St Clair of Roslin as the captain of The Captain and Gentlemen Golfers authorized changes to St Andrews on 4 October 1764.[12] He decided that the first four and last four holes on the course were too short and should be combined into four total holes (two in and two out). St Andrews then had 18 holes and that was how the standard of 18 holes was created.[13] Around 1863, Old Tom Morris had the 1st green separated from the 17th green, producing the current 18-hole layout with 7 double greens and 4 single greens. The Old Course is home of The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's major championships. The Old Course has hosted this major 30 times since 1873, most recently in 2022. The 30 Open Championships that the Old Course has hosted is more than any other course, and The Open is currently played there every five years.

Old Course and Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones (who later founded Augusta National) first played St Andrews in the 1921 Open Championship. During the third round, he infamously hit his ball into a bunker on the 11th hole. After he took four swings at the ball and still could not get out, he lost his temper and continued the round, but did not turn in his score card, disqualifying himself. However, he did continue to play in the fourth round. Six years later, when the Open Championship returned to St Andrews, Jones also returned. Not only did he win, he also became the first amateur to win back-to-back Open Championships. He won wire-to-wire, shooting a 285 (7-under-par), which was the lowest score at either a U.S. Open or Open Championship at the time. He ended up winning the tournament by a decisive six strokes.

In 1930, Jones returned to St Andrews for the British Amateur.[14] He won, beating Roger Wethered by a score of 7 and 6 in the final match. He subsequently won the other three majors, making him the only man in the history of the sport to win the Grand Slam. Jones went on to fall in love with the Old Course for the rest of his life. Years later, he said "If I had to select one course upon which to play the match of my life, I should have selected the Old Course." In 1958 the town of St Andrews gave Jones the key to the city; he was only the second American to receive the honour (after Benjamin Franklin in 1759). After he received the key, he said "I could take out of my life everything but my experiences here in St Andrews and I would still have had a rich and full life."[15]

Features and hazards

ESPN has said of the course, "No other golf course has as many famous landmarks as St. Andrews, its 112 bunkers and endless hills and hollows have been cursed for centuries, and many have their own names and legends."[16] In 1949, the last bunker to be filled in on the course was Hull bunker on the 15th fairway.

Hole(s) Name of hazard or feature Type of hazard or feature Notes Image
(Click to expand)
All holes on the coursecolspan="2" Until the 19th century, the Old Course was played in a clockwise direction. Old Tom Morris separated the 1st and 17th greens around 1870. From then, the course was played in an anti-clockwise direction on alternate weeks in order to let the grass recover better.[17] The general method of play now is anti-clockwise, although clockwise play has been permitted on one day each year in recent years. The course is closed on Sundays to let the course rest.[18] On some Sundays, the course turns into a park for all the townspeople who come out to stroll, picnic and otherwise enjoy the grounds.
colspan="2" The first (front) nine holes of the course have white flags, while the back nine holes (except the 18th hole) have red flags.
The 18th green has a white flag so that it can be seen in front of the red Hamilton Grand building.[19]

7th hole (white flag)
17th hole (red flag)
1 and 18 Water hazard (Watercourse) This waterway flows from St Andrews into St Andrews Bay across the Old Course
This is a small stone bridge spanning the Swilcan Burn.
The bridge is about 30feet long, 8feet wide and 6feet tall.
Originally built at least 700 years ago to help shepherds get livestock across the Swilcan Burn.

Grannie Clark's Wynd A one lane paved public road.[20]
It was once used to haul boats from the town centre down to the West Sands Beach.
colspan="2"The 1st and 18th holes do not have any bunkers.[21] However, until about 1840 a large bunker called Halket's bunker was in the middle of the fairway, which was then filled in.
1, 9, 17
and 18
colspan="2"The 1st, 9th, 17th and 18th holes have their own greens. All other holes have shared greens.[22]
2 and 17 Cheape's bunker BunkerThis bunker is named after Sir James Cheape who bought the golf course from rabbit farmers in 1821. A later generation of the family sold the golf course onto The Royal and Ancient in 1892, who a year later sold it onto the town of St Andrews.[23]
3 Cartgate bunkerBunker A large bunker protecting the third green.[24]
4 Students' bunker Bunker Three small bunkers about 50 yards short of the green allegedly once popular with students wanting to seduce ladies.[25]
5 The Spectacles bunkers Bunkers Two bunkers positioned either side of the approach to the 5th green.[26]
Seven Sisters Bunkers The Seven Sisters bunkers were excavated after the 1905 Open by removing the whins.[27]
5 and 14 The Elysian Fields The fairway between the Beardies bunkers and out of bounds.
6 Nick's bunker Bunker [28]
7 and 11Cockleshell bunkerBunker A large bunker between the 7th and 11th holes.[29]
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 The Loop A group of 6 holes Six crisscrossing holes at the far end of the course.
8 Short Hole bunker Bunker [30]
9 Boase's bunker Bunkers Deep pot bunkers[31]
End hole bunkerBunkers Deep pot bunkers
10 Kruger bunkersBunkers Built during the Second Boer War when the British were fighting in the Transvaal Republic, whose president was Paul Kruger.
The bunkers are called Mrs Kruger and Kruger's mistress.[32]
11 Hill bunker Bunker [33] [34]
Strath bunkerBunker Strath bunker is located in the front of the green.[35]
Eden bunkerBunker [36]
Shelly bunker Bunker
12 Stroke bunker Bunker It is said that once a ball goes in it, the golfer loses at least one stroke.[37]
Admiral's bunker Bunker Legend has it that an Admiral who fell into it after taking too long a look at a young American woman in a red mini-skirt and white shoes.[38]
13 Walkinshaw bunkerBunker Legend has it that it was named after a local golfer who kept going into it.[39]
Lions Mouth bunker Bunker
Coffin bunkers Bunker A group of three bunkers located in the centre of the 13th fairway. The shape gives the bunkers their name.[40]
14 The Beardies bunkers 4 bunkers Four small bunkers that are said to be difficult to mow, hence the name.[41]
Kitchen bunker Bunker A small pot bunker originally shaped like a coffin.[42]
Benty bunker Bunker
Hell bunker Bunker Golf Monthly said that it is "one of the world's most notorious golfing hazards". It covers an area of 300sqyd and between 7feet and 10feet deep.[43]
Grave bunker Bunker
Pulpit bunker Bunker A pot bunker just above Hell bunker. Golf Monthly said it is so named because "you can look down into Hell (bunker)".
15 Miss Grainger's Bosoms 2 Mounds Two prominent mounds on the 15th hole, named for prominent local 19th-century golfer Agnes Grainger. She used to be a member of the St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club.[44]
Cottage bunkerBunker Refers to Pilmour Cottage, which is now Pilmour House and the Eden Clubhouse.
Rob's bunkers Bunkers
Sutherland bunker Bunker In 1869 a tiny bunker about 260 yards behind the much bigger Cottage bunker was filled in only to reappear three days later. The golfer thought to be responsible for restoring it was one AG Sutherland. While it was ultimately determined that Sutherland wasn't the culprit, he had the bunker named after him anyway.
16 Principal's Nose bunkers 4 bunkers Legend has it that the bunkers are either named for Mr Haldane, a 19th-century head of St Mary's College who reportedly had a prominent nose, or are a reference to the front porch of Sir Hugh Playfair's South Street House, which was nicknamed thus.[45]
Deacon Sime bunker Bunker About 30 yards beyond the Principal's Nose cluster.
Grant's bunker Bunker
Wig bunker Bunker
17
(The Road Hole)
The old railway sheds (part of the Old Course Hotel) Previously railway sheds. [46]
The Road (Hole) Bunker
(a.k.a. the Sands of Nakajima)[47] [48]
Bunker The Herald has called the bunker "The most notorious golf hazard in the world."
Scholar's bunker Bunker
The Old Station Road
and stone wall
(out of bounds)
[49]
18 Valley of Sin This is an 8feet deep depression along the front before the 18th putting green.[50]

The Open Championship

The Open has been staged at the Old Course at St Andrews 30 times. The following is a list of the champions:

YearWinnerScoreNotes
R1 R2 R3 R4 Total
1873 Tom Kidd9188179This was the first time the Open Championship was played on an 18-hole course. Instead of three rounds of 12 holes, there were two rounds of 18. Kidd won £11.
1876 Bob Martin 1st8690176Due to a controversial ruling, Bob Martin finished in a tie for first. In protest, his opponent Davie Strath refused to participate so Martin walked the course and became the Open Champion. He won £10.
1879 Jamie Anderson 3rd8485169With this win, Jamie Anderson became the first person to break 170 in the Open Championship. He won £10.
1882 Bob Ferguson 3rd8388171This was the third straight Open Championship for Ferguson. He won £12.
1885 Bob Martin 2nd8487171The second of Martin's Open Championship wins, he won £10.
1888 Jack Burns8685171Burns won after his score was re-added, giving him a one-stroke victory. The winner's share was £8.
1891 Hugh Kirkaldy8383166Kirkaldy set the tournament record with his 166. This was also the last Open Championship that was 36 holes. The winner's share was £10.
1895 J.H. Taylor 2nd86788078322This was the first Open to be played over two days (36 holes a day) and a total of 72 holes at St Andrews. He shot the first sub-80 rounds at St Andrews. The winner's share was £30.
1900 J.H. Taylor 3rd79777875309This open marked the first time the "Great Triumvirate" finished 1-2-3. That was the name given to the three golfers who dominated the game in the late 19th century to the early 20th century. From 1894 to 1914, J.H. Taylor, Harry Vardon, and James Braid combined to win 16 Open Championships. This was Taylor's third of five Open Championships. The winner's share was £50.
1905 James Braid 2nd81787881318This was the first Open to be played over three days, with 36 holes on the last day. This was Braid's second of five Open Championships. The winner's share was £50.
1910 James Braid 5th76737476299This Open was the last of Braid's five Open Championships. With this win he became the first person to break 300 in a four-round Open at St Andrews, and was the first to win five Open Championships. The winner's share was £50.
1921 Jock Hutchison
72757970296 POBorn in Scotland, Hutchison was the first American citizen to win the Open Championship with this win. This was also the first time Bobby Jones played St Andrews. He ended up walking off the course after he took four shots to get out of a bunker on the 11th hole. The winner's share was £75.
1927 Bobby Jones (a) 2nd68727372285 (−7)This win marked Bobby Jones's first Open championship win at St Andrews, his second straight Open Championship, fourth professional major, and his 7th career major (he was a three-time winner of the U.S. Amateur). As an amateur, Jones received no prize money. Aubrey Boomer and Fred Robson finished in a tie for second, and the winner's and second place share of £75 for first place and £50 for second place were combined and divided into two, so each player earned 62 pounds and 10 shillings.
1933 Denny Shute73737373Shute won the Open title by five strokes in a playoff against Craig Wood. Leo Diegel could have joined them but he whiffed a putt on the 72nd hole, finishing one shot off the lead. The winner's share was £100.
1939 Dick Burton70727771290 (−2)The 1939 Open was the last Open until 1946 because of World War II. The Royal Air Force used the fairways of the Old Course as runways. Burton held the Claret Jug the longest (7 years), until the tournament resumed in 1946, also at St Andrews. The winner's share was £100.
1946 Sam Snead71707475290 (−2)Even though Sam Snead won the first Open Championship to be played since 1939, he still lost money because of the high travel expenses; his winner's share was £150. When taking the train into St Andrews, Sam Snead is quoted for looking out of the window and saying "Say, that looks like an old abandoned golf course" about the Old Course.
1955 Peter Thomson 2nd71687072281 (−7)This was the second of Thomson's three straight Open titles, and five overall. His winner's share was £1,000.
1957 Bobby Locke 4th69726870279 (−9)Between 1949 and 1957, Locke won the Open title four times. He survived a possible disqualification when he marked his ball on the 72nd green, and played his ball without replacing his ball mark. The R&A decided that because he had a three shot lead, and he didn't gain an advantage, that in the spirit of the game, he should not be disqualified. The winner's share was £1,000.
1960 Kel Nagle69677171278 (−10)This was the 100th anniversary of the Open Championship, although due to wars it wasn't the 100th Open Championship to be played. Arnold Palmer finished second and is credited with returning the Open to the eyes of Americans. The winner's share was £1,250.
1964 Tony Lema73686870279 (−9)From 1962 to 1966, Lema won 12 times on tour, but this was his only major. He beat Jack Nicklaus by five strokes, and his winner's share was £1,500.
1970 Jack Nicklaus 2nd68697373283 (−5)PODoug Sanders missed a tough two and a half-foot (0.75 m) putt on the 72nd hole, bogeyed, and ended up tied with Nicklaus. The playoff the next day came down to 18th hole and Nicklaus birdied to win; it was his second Open title and eighth overall major; the winner's share was £5,250.
1978 Jack Nicklaus 3rd71726969281 (−7)Nicklaus completed the career Grand Slam (winning all four majors in your career at least once) for the third time making it his third Open Championship. The winner's share was £12,500
1984 69687069276 (−12)Ballesteros birdied the 72nd hole to win by two. His winner's share was £50,000.
1990 Nick Faldo 2nd67656771270 (−18)Faldo set the Open championship scoring record shooting 18 under par, winning his second major of the year, his second Open Championship and his fourth overall major. The winner's share was £85,000.
1995 John Daly67717371Daly defeated Costantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff to win the Open title and £125,000. It was the final Open Championship appearance of Arnold Palmer, and the first for Tiger Woods.
2000 Tiger Woods 1st67666769269 (−19)Winning the 2000 Open was Tiger Woods's second consecutive major championship, making him the fifth golfer and the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam. Having won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, he went on to complete the "Tiger Slam" by winning the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club and the 2001 Masters at Augusta National. Woods did not hit a single bunker the entire tournament, won by eight strokes, and set the new Open Championship scoring record with 19 under par. The winner's share was £500,000.
2005 Tiger Woods 2nd66677170274 (−14)Woods' won his 10th major championship; it was the fourth he had won by five or more strokes. It was Jack Nicklaus's last Open Championship. The winner's share was £720,000.
2010 Louis Oosthuizen65676971272 (−16)On the 150th anniversary of the first Open Championship, Oosthuizen played consistently well, winning the Open title by shooting a 16 under par 272 and winning by seven strokes. Rory McIlroy shot a 63 in the opening round and the winner's share was £850,000.
2015 Zach Johnson66 71 70 66 273 (−15)PO In the 144th playing of the Open Championship, Zach Johnson emerged from a three-man playoff to win the tournament. Tom Watson was given a special exemption by the R & A in order that he could finish his Open career at the Old Course. The tournament finished on Monday due to the extremely high winds that arose during Saturday's round. Johnson defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole playoff. The winner's share was £1,150,000.
202267 64 73 64 268 (−20) In the 150th playing of the Open Championship, with a final round 64, Smith came from four strokes behind third-round leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland to win by one from Cameron Young. Smith's winning score of 268 (20 under par) set a new record for the lowest aggregate over the Old Course in the Open, and tied the championship to-par record, set by Henrik Stenson at Troon in 2016. The winner's share was £2,100,000.[51]

Scorecard

HoleNameYardsParHoleNameYardsPar
1Burn376410Bobby Jones3864
2Dyke453411High (In)1743
3Cartgate (Out)397412Heathery (In)3484
4Ginger Beer480413Hole O'Cross (In)4654
5Hole O'Cross (Out)568514Long6185
6Heathery (Out)412415Cartgate (In)4554
7High (Out)371416Corner of the Dyke4234
8Short175317Road4954
9End352418Tom Morris3574
Out3,58436In3,72136
Source: Total7,30572

Women's British Open

Winners of the Women's British Open at the Old Course at St Andrews:

YearWinnerScore
2007 287 (−5)
2013 280 (–8)
2024

Senior Open Championship

Winners of the Senior Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews:

Structures overlooking the Old Course

The following notable structures overlooking the Old Course in a clockwork direction from the north:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St Andrews Link Trust appointment . 28 December 2020 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180113080153/https://www.gov.scot/News/Releases/2002/01/905. 13 January 2018.
  2. Web site: Flawed or fabulous - the Old Lady has unique charm. . 13 July 2010. 12 May 2021.
  3. Web site: Bunkers of St Andrews . Golf Monthly. 23 October 2011 . 12 May 2021.
  4. Web site: McIlroy stands tall after work on short game pays off with 65 . The Independent. 8 July 2015. 19 February 2013.
  5. Web site: Scottish Golf History – Oldest Golf Sites . 19 February 2013.
  6. Web site: St Andrews – The Old Course . 19 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120921212811/http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/the_courses/old_course.html . 21 September 2012 .
  7. Book: Helen Cook. St Andrews The Postcard Collection. 15 April 2016. Amberley Publishing Limited. 978-1-4456-4580-3. 136–.
  8. Web site: The Old Course Experience – A Brief History of The Links . 19 February 2013.
  9. Web site: Acts of Parliament banning golf . . 27 September 2021.
  10. Andrew Leibs (2004). "Sports and Games of the Renaissance". p. 69. Greenwood Publishing Group,
  11. Web site: St Andrews – A Brief History of The Links . 19 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120704091144/http://www.standrews.org.uk/About-Us/History.aspx . 4 July 2012 .
  12. Web site: 1574 St Andrews - the Student Golfer - Scottish Golf History.
  13. Forrest L. Richardson (2002). "Routing the Golf Course: The Art & Science That Forms the Golf Journey". p. 46. John Wiley & Sons
  14. News: Jones' 1930 feat still stands test of time . Morgan . Kelly . USA Today . 14 June 2005 . 19 February 2013.
  15. News: History, mythology combine at St Andrews, the home of golf . USA Today . Steve . DiMeglio . 15 July 2010 . 19 February 2013.
  16. Web site: St. Andrews' Old tricks. . 12 July 2005. 22 May 2021.
  17. Web site: Golf Monthly. A Step Back In Time – Playing The Old Course In Reverse. 23 August 2021. 2 December 2019.
  18. News: Sam . Borden . Sundays on the Old Course at St. Andrews: No Golfers Allowed . 14 June 2015 . The New York Times . 12 June 2015 . Ground staff ask that people avoid greens and bunkers. On Sundays, locals and tourists explore the Old Course at St. Andrews as it enjoys a weekly rest..
  19. Web site: R&A Championships. The Old Course / Features and Evolution at The Home of Golf. 21 June 2021.
  20. Web site: Scotland Has a Good Course in History. . 12 July 2005 . 22 May 2021.
  21. Web site: . The sands of time: Bunker down for a St Andrews history lesson. 11 July 2010. 2 June 2021.
  22. Web site: standrewsopen.com . The Old Course. 2 June 2021.
  23. News: . Hole 2. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  24. Web site: . 139th British Open: Old Course card. 2 June 2021.
  25. News: . Hole 4. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  26. News: . Hole 5. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  27. Web site: . Bunkers of St Andrews. 8 July 2015. 21 June 2021.
  28. Web site: . A caddie's guide round the home of golf. 18 April 2009. 21 June 2021.
  29. Web site: . The seventh and 11th green with Shell Bunker in the centre during the 1984 Open Championship. 2 June 2021.
  30. Web site: liveabout.com . The Old Course at St. Andrews - Pictures. 2 June 2021.
  31. News: . Hole 9. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  32. News: . Hole 10. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  33. Web site: Glenderran Guest House . The Old Course. 21 June 2021.
  34. Web site: National Club Golfer. The Old Course. 2 December 2019. 2 June 2021.
  35. Web site: . 144th Open: A guide to playing the St Andrews Old Course. 21 June 2021.
  36. Web site: The Fried Egg . The Templates: Eden. 9 October 2018. 4 June 2021.
  37. News: . Hole 12. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  38. Web site: Evalu18 Ltd. Sr Andrews Old Course. 2 June 2021.
  39. News: . Hole 13. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  40. News: . Hole 6. 6 July 2010 . 2 June 2021.
  41. News: . Hole 14. 7 July 2005 . 2 June 2021.
  42. Web site: The Fried Egg . Eclectic 18 UK – Hole No. 14: "Long," The Old Course at St. Andrews. 22 October 2019. 4 June 2021.
  43. Web site: . 7 Of Golf's Most Famous Bunkers. 28 July 2017. 2 June 2021.
  44. Web site: . The Old Course: Funny names, horrible places. 2 June 2021.
  45. News: . Hole 16. 6 July 2010 . 21 June 2021.
  46. Web site: . 'Road Hole' to be extended at St. Andrews. 16 October 2009. 21 June 2021.
  47. Web site: The Scotsman. Hideki Matsuyama buries memory of 'Sands of Nakajima' with historic Masters win. 12 April 2021. 21 June 2021.
  48. Web site: The Herald (Glasgow). Has golf's most notorious bunker become a shallow of its former self? St Andrews hazard has been moved away from green and lowered by 2ft. 5 December 2002. 21 June 2021.
  49. Web site: . What makes a road hole one of the most iconic holes in all of golf?. 21 June 2021.
  50. Web site: . Hole 18. 2 June 2021.
  51. News: St. Andrews set to break attendance record for British Open . 30 April 2022 . . 26 April 2022 . St. Andrews, Scotland . en.