Old Course at St Andrews

Old Course

Club information
Location	St Andrews, Scotland
Established	1552
Type	Public
Owned by	St Andrews Links Trust
Operated by	St Andrews Links Trust
Total holes	18
Tournaments hosted	The Open Championship
Website	Old Course
Par	72
Length	7,305 yards
Course Record	63; Rory McIlroy (2010), Simon Dyson (2011), Luke Donald (2011)

The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world.^[1][2] The Old Course 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 (R&A) club house sits adjacent to the first tee, although it is but one of many clubs that have playing privileges on the course, along with the general public.

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 1400s[1]^[3]. Members played on what would become the Old Course, but because it was the only course St. Andrews had, it wasn't known as the Old Course yet. Golf was becoming increasingly popular in Scotland around that time period until in 1457, when James II of Scotland banned golf because he felt that young men were playing too much golf and not practicing their archery enough[2]^[4]. The ban was held by the following kings of Scotland until in 1502 when King James IV of Scotland became a golfer himself and decided to remove the ban on golf. In 1552, Archbishop John Hamilton gave the town people of St. Andrews the right to play on the links. St. Andrews Links had a scare when they went bankrupt in 1797. [3] 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[4]^[5]. In 1754, 22 noblemen, professors, and landowners founded the Society of St. Andrews Golfers. This society would eventually become the precursor to the Royal and Ancient which is the governing body for golf everywhere outside of the United States and Mexico. [5] The course evolved without the help of any one architect for many years. However, the more significant people to its design were Daw Anderson in the 1850’s and Old Tom Morris (1865-1903) 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. [6]^[6]

The Old Course was pivotal to the development of how the game is played today. For instance, in 1764, the Old Course used to have 22 holes. The members would play the same hole going out and in with the exception of the 11th and 22nd holes. The members decided that the first two and last two holes on the course were too short and should be combined into two total holes. St. Andrews then had 18 holes and that was how the standard of 18 holes was created. Around 1863, Old Tom Morris had the 1st green separated from the 17th green, producing the current 18-hole layout with seven double greens. The Old Course is synonymous with the British Open Championship, one of the oldest majors in golf. The Old Course has hosted this major 28 times since 1873, with the most recent one being in 2010. The 28 Open Championships that the Old Course has hosted is more then any other course, and still to this day the British Open Championship is played there every five years, which is more than any course.

There's an interesting relationship between one of the most famous golfers of all time and the founder of Augusta National, Bobby Jones. The first time Bobby Jones played St. Andrews in the 1921 Open Championship, he infamously hit his ball into a bunker on the 11th hole during the third round. After he took four swings at the ball and still could not get out, he walked off the course. Six years later when the Open Championship returned to St. Andrews, Bobby Jones also returned. Not only did he win, but he also became the first amateur to win back-to-back Open Championships. He won wire-to-wire, shooting a 285 which was the lowest score at either a US Open or British Open at the time. He ended up winning the tournament by a decisive six strokes. In 1930, Bobby Jones returned to St. Andrews seeking to win the British Amateur[7]^[7]. He did win by a score of 7 and 6 over Roger Wethered, and proceeded to win all other three majors, making him the only man in the history of the sport to win the Grand Slam. For the rest of his life, Bobby Jones would go on to fall in love with the Old Course. Later in his life, he was quoted saying "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 Bobby Jones the key to the city, becoming only the second American to receive the honor after Benjamin Franklin in 1759. After he received the key, he was quoted saying "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," which is a testament to the pedigree of the Old Course. [8]^[8]

Features

The 18th hole towards the clubhouse of the R&A in 2006.

A largely unchanged view in 1891.

One of the unique features of the Old Course are the large double greens. Seven greens are shared by two holes each, with hole numbers adding up to 18 (2nd paired with 16th, 3rd with 15th, all the way up to 8th and 10th). The Swilcan Bridge, spanning the first and 18th holes, has become a famous icon for golf in the world. Everyone who plays the 18th hole walks over this 700 year old bridge, and many iconic pictures of the farewells of the most iconic golfers in history have been taken on this bridge. 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. Along with that, the Old Course has 112 bunkers which are all individually named and have their own unique story and history behind them. The two most famous are the 10ft deep "Hell Bunker"[9]^[9] on the 14th hole, and the "Road Hole Bunker" on the 17th hole. Countless professional golfers have seen their dreams of winning the Open Championship squandered by hitting their balls in those bunkers, making them one of the most feared and dreaded places to find oneself on a golf course.

The Old Course is also home of The Road Hole, the par-4 17th, one of the world's most famous golf holes. Among its unique features are:

• Players using the back tees cannot see where their tee shots land; which is not unusual except that they must take aim over a corner of The Old Course Hotel.
• Other than rough, the primary hazard in front of the green is a sand trap known as the "Road Hole Bunker."
• Over the back of the green, hazards include a tarmac roadway, as well as an old stone wall. Both are in play; a wayward shot can lead a player to take their next stroke off the roadway or to hit the face of the wall and take their chances with the ensuing bounce.

The general method of play today is anti-clockwise, although clockwise play has been permitted on one day each year in recent years, and since 2008 has been allowed on the Friday, Saturday and Monday of the first weekend in April. Originally, the course was reversed every week in order to let the grass recover better. One other unusual thing about the Old Course is that it is closed on Sundays to let the course rest. On some Sundays, the course turns into a park for all the townspeople who come out to stroll, picnic and otherwise enjoy the grounds. As a general rule, Sunday play is allowed on the course on only four occasions:

• The final day of the Dunhill Links Championship, an annual event on the European Tour.
• The final day of The Open Championship and Women's British Open when it is held at the Old Course; this happens roughly once every five years for the men; the women's championship began its turn on the rotation in 2007.
• The final day of two top amateur events, the St Andrews Links Trophy and the St Rule Trophy.

Sunday play may also occur when the Old Course hosts other major events; for example, when it hosted the Curtis Cup in 2008.

While winning the Open Championship is a crowning achievement for any golfer, a win at St Andrews is considered particularly important due to the course's long tradition. Past winners at St Andrews include Tiger Woods (twice), John Daly, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus (twice), Tony Lema, Kel Nagle, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sam Snead, Dick 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, Lorena Ochoa, and most recently Louis Oosthuizen at the 2010 Open Championship.

In 2005 the Old Course was ranked as the greatest golf course outside the United States, by Golf Digest.

The Open Championship

The "road hole bunker" at the 17th hole.

R&A Clubhouse on the Old Course

The Open Championship has been staged at the Old Course at St Andrews 28 times. The following is a list of the champions:

Year	Winner	Score
		R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1873	Tom Kidd 1st	91	88	--	--	179. This was the first time the British open was played on an 18-hole course. Instead of three round of 12 holes, there were two rounds of 18. Kidd won 11 pounds.
1876	Bob Martin 1st	86	90	--	--	176. Due 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
1879	Jamie Anderson 3rd	84	85	--	--	169. With this win, Jamie Anderson became the first person to break 170 in the Open Championship.
1882	Bob Ferguson 3rd	83	88	--	--	171. This was the third straight Open Championship for Ferguson. He won 12 pounds.
1885	Bob Martin 2nd	84	87	--	--	171. The third of Martins Open Championship wins, he won 10 pounds.
1888	Jack Burns 1st	86	85	--	--	171. Burns won after his score was re added, giving him a one stroke victory.
1891	Hugh Kirkaldy 1st	83	83	--	--	166. Kirkaldy set the tournament record with his 166. This was also the last Open Championship that was 36 holes.
1895	J.H. Taylor 2nd	86	78	80	78	322. This was the first US 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.
1900	J.H. Taylor 3rd	79	77	78	75	309. This 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 1800s to the early 1900’s. From 1894 to 1906, J.H. Taylor, Harry Vardon, and James Braid combined to win 16 Open Championships. This was Taylors third of five Open Championships.
1905	James Braid 2nd	81	78	78	81	318. This was the first Open to be played over three days, with 36 holes on the last day. This was Braids second of five Open Championships.
1910	James Braid 5th	76	73	74	76	299. This Open was the last of Braids 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.
1921	Jock Hutchison 1st	72	75	79	70	296 PO. 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.
1927	Bobby Jones (a) 2nd	68	72	73	72	285 (-3). This win marked Bobby Jones 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).
1933	Denny Shute 1st	73	73	73	73	292 (+4) PO. Shute 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.
1939	Dick Burton 1st	70	72	77	71	290 (-2). The 1939 Open was the last Open Championship that was played until 1946 because of World War II. The British Royal Air Force used the fairways of the Old Course as runways. Burton is also the person who holds the Open title longest because he held the title for seven years until the war ended and the tournament resumed in 1946.
1946	Sam Snead 1st	71	70	74	75	290 (-2). Even though American Sam Snead won the first Open Championship to be played since 1939, he still lost money because of the high travel expenses. 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 2nd	71	68	70	72	281 (−7). This was the second of Thompsons three straight Open titles, and five overall.
1957	Bobby Locke 4th	69	72	68	70	279 (−9). Between 1949 and 1957, Bobby 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.
1960	Kel Nagle 1st	69	67	71	71	278 (−10). This was the 100th anniversary of the Open Championship, although due to wars it wasn’t the 100th Open Championship that was played. Arnold Palmer finished second and is credited with returning the Open to the eyes of Americans.
1964	Tony Lema 1st	73	68	68	70	279 (−9). In between 1962 and 1966 Tony Lema won 12 times on tour, his only major win being the 1964 Open title. He ended up beating Jack Nicklaus by five strokes. Tragically in 1966 he was killed when he crashed his plane on a golf course.
1970	Jack Nicklaus 2nd	68	69	73	73	283 (−5)PO. Doug Sanders missed a tough two and a half foot putt on the 72nd hole, bogeyed, and ended up tied with Jack Nicklaus. The playoff the next day came down to 18th hole when Nicklaus birdied to win the Open title. This was his second Open title and eight overall major.
1978	Jack Nicklaus 3rd	71	72	69	69	281 (−7). Jack 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.
1984	Seve Ballesteros 2nd	69	68	70	69	276 (−12). The leaderboard for the final day was full of the best golfers in the world at the time. Ballasteros beat Langer, Watson, Couples, Wadkins, Faldo, and Norman to make an epic final round at St. Andrews. Ballasteros birdied the 72nd hole to win by two, and his fist pump is an iconic image to this day. He won $71,500 dollars.
1990	Nick Faldo 2nd	67	65	67	71	270 (−18). Nick 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.
1995	John Daly 1st	67	71	73	71	282 (−6)PO. This Open was significant because it was the first that Tiger Woods played in, and the last the Arnold Palmer played in, getting to have his farewell at St. Andrews. John Daly beat Constantino Rocca in a four hole playoff to win the Open title and $199,375 dollars.
2000	Tiger Woods 1st	67	66	67	69	269 (−19). Winning the 2000 British Open was his third major of the year, completing “Tiger Slam” when Tiger held all four major championship trophies at the same time. He didn’t hit a single bunker the entire tournament, shot in the 60’s all four rounds, won by eight strokes, and set the new Open Championship scoring record with 19 under par. He won $759,150 dollars
2005	Tiger Woods 2nd	66	67	71	70	274 (−14). This was Jack Nicklaus’s last Open Championship and like Arnold Palmer, he finished on the Old Course. This was also Tigers 10th major championship and the fourth one he had won by five or more strokes. He won $1,261,285 dollars.
2010	Louis Oosthuizen1st	65	67	69	71	272 (−16). On the 150th anniversary of the first British 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.

• Note: Superscript number besides the player's name is the number of the Open Championship in their respective careers.

(a) denotes amateur

[10]^[10]

Holes and Yardages from the 2010 British Open Championship

1. Burn 376 yards - par 4
2. Dyke 453 yards - par 4
3. Cartgate (Out) 397 yards - par 4
4. Ginger Bear 480 yards - par 4
5. Hole O’Cross 568 yards - par 5
6. Heathery (Out) 412 yards - par 4
7. High (Out) 371 yards - par 4
8. Short 175 yards - par 3
9. End 352 yards - par 4

Out: 3,584 yards - par 36

1. Bobby Jones 386 yards - par 4
2. High (In) 174 yards - par 3
3. Heathery (In) 348 yards - par 4
4. Hole O’Cross (In) 465 yards - par 4
5. Long 618 yards - par 5
6. Cartgate (In) 455 yards - par 4
7. Corner of the Dyke 423 yards - par 4
8. Road 495 yards - par 4
9. Tom Morris 357 yards – par

In: 3,721 yards- par 36

Total: 7,305 yards- par 72 [11]^[11]

The Women's British Open

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

Year	Winner	Score
2007	Lorena Ochoa	287 (−5)
2013	TBD

See also

• Golf in Scotland
• St Andrews Links
• The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

References

External links

• BBC Golf on the Old Course – a review by former European Tour player Ken Brown and several supporting features.
• St Andrews Links Trust
• The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa
• Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews
• St Andrews Open
• Golf Club Atlas Guide
• All 18 holes of the World famous St Andrews Old Course in pictures
• St Andrews Golf Development Group – info on Old Course and online booking for other St Andrews courses

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Coordinates: 56°21′05″N 2°48′58″W / 56.3514844°N 2.8161478°W / 56.3514844; -2.8161478