the Old Course

My visit to St. Andrews

To say the Old Course at St. Andrews Scotland is unique would truly be an understatement.

It is a very different type golf course, in a very different place of the world.

The town of St. Andrews is actually very small. St. Andrews University accounts for a little more than 25 per cent of its population of 30,000. The one element of St. Andrews( as well as Scotland itself) is that little as changed through time.

A walk through the town of St. Andrews is a must. As much a must as playing the golf course itself.

So, if you ever get a chance to experience St. Andrews, don’t just play the golf courses (easy to do) and leave. Set some time aside to tour around.

The Old Course is where many British Opens have been played. The New Course, (which is not at all new), is a very good course, narrower fairways with much friendlier greens than the Old Course.

A differant view of St. Andrews 1st tee and 18th green. Far is the tee and near is the green.
The grandstands were there for British Open, which was the following week.

Same two holes (#1 and #18), the flag is a front pin position for the 18th green. It's kind of the same fairway for both the first hole and the 18th hole.

One big wide open field!

When I was there in 1984 the townspeople of St. Andrews would walk across the two fairways to "putt" on the huge practice putting green located to the right of the 1st fairway.
( upper right corner of this picture)

We had to wait on our approach shots into the last green in order to not hit the townspeople walking to the practice green.

From above, 1st tee (left) and 18th green (right).

Greens so large they can't fit in picture.

A wild shot here could result in a very..very..longgggg. PUTT!

Many of the Old Course greens serve as one green for two different holes, thus the two flagsticks.

Here is what behind the "Road Hole" number 17 looks like. It is a very long dogleg par 4.
You DON'T want to be around this area.
On your tee shot, if you have the nerve, you can hit your tee shot over a certain building's rooftop just off the tee.

You can cut off a lot of yardage to the green. Trouble is if you don't, the hole gets even longer. Really feels like your going to drive into the hotel, but it's the best way of playing the hole. Often referred to as the toughest hole in golf.

For sure the oldest toughest.

I found the key to playing St. Andrews was to just stay out of the bunkers. Caddies helped a lot with this factor.

This is what a lot of the tee shots look like. A caddy is a must at St. Andrews.

The caddies in Scotland are a very interesting group. For most, caddying is one of three sources of income.

One green for two holes.
Common at St. Andrews.

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