St Andrews Old Course Review

St Andrews Old Course Fact File:

• Location: St Andrews is 50 miles north east of Edinburgh
• Year Established: Golf has been played here since something like the 15th century, maybe much earlier – it became an 18-hole layout in 1764
• Par: 72 
• Length (yards): 7,297
• Green Fees (weekdays): £320
• Signature Hole: The Road Hole at 17 is like no other hole on the planet, with a drive over a railway shed before an approach to a devilish green
• Website: standrews.com

It's not often that we can cite Mother Nature as a course's designer but this is the case at the Old Course. Old Tom Morris is often credited with making certain revisions to the most famous course on the planet but we rarely hear much about Allan Robertson's impact. Robertson, who was Morris’ mentor and a formidable partner, widened the fairways, built the Road Hole and, even more notably for the history of the game, created the huge double greens which are the talk of the Auld Grey Toun. The addition of the two holes, i.e. the 5th and 13th, always adds up to 18.

The Old Course at St Andrews, which begins in front of the R&A clubhouse and features the widest fairway in golf, is like nowhere else. It's an out-and-back links that has thrilled every golfer and architect in the game. Many have been underwhelmed on their initial visit but it will play differently every time. Legendary designer Tom Doak explains an interesting aspect about the St Andrews' most iconic layout – if you do ever visit be sure to play the adjacent New, Jubilee and Eden courses. 

“The Old Course would never receive the acclaim it has today if we hadn’t been told for eons how great it is. It is the great golf course that the most players tend to dismiss as overrated after their first round – of course, that has something to do with its fame too. But it seems to me that the two reasons for it are simple: 1) most tourists don’t get to see the most interesting hole locations, which are reserved for important events, and 2) golfers can’t make out the strategies of the holes because the features are so difficult to see.”   

Old Course at St Andrews Review

Let's begin with the bunkers that are such a huge part of the strategy and design of the Old Course. There are something like 112 of them in total, of a huge variety of shapes and sizes, and Tiger Woods would avoid all of them in 2000.

"Two factors in 2000, I hit it well and I got lucky a few times. There's absolutely no doubt about that, because I should have been in probably three or five bunkers, easily. Just off the tee shots alone, it happened to hop over a bunker and catch a side and kick left or right of it. This course is kind of funny, you play along here, and you think, what is a bunker here for? And all of a sudden the wind switches and you go, oh, there it is. And I think that's the beauty of playing here, you always kind of discover some new bunkers, just because the wind conditions change," explains Woods.

"It's always more fun when you have to think your way around the course, instead of get up there and hit down there, and who cares where it goes. Golf is meant to be more cerebral; you have to use your head to get around. And I think that's the fun part. And also being creative, as well. This golf course allows you to be creative. It allows you to hit shots that you don't normally get a chance to hit."

Woods would also prevail here in 2005, other Open winners at St Andrews include JH Taylor, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Jack Nicklaus (2), Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros. Like Augusta the Old Course is like an old friend every time The Open rolls around; the bunkers have names – the Principal's Nose, Coffins, Hell, Cheape's, Cartgate, Sutherland, The Seven Sisters, Shell, Hill, Strath and Deacon Sime while the most famous, Road, comes just at the right time to play a leading role in any Championship.

The 17th remains a work of art though, if it was laid out today, with the tee shot played over a railway shed and a hotel to the right, you might well be laughed at. Even in the modern game, where it's possible to hit the ball ridiculous distances, it still stands up. Tuck the pin away behind the Road bunker and you'll still need to shape the ball and use the contours if you want to get the ball anywhere near the pin.

And then comes the 18th, 'Tom Morris', which many of us can drive but still holds up on the Sunday of an Open.

There are two par 3s, the 11th is certainly one of best anywhere, and two par 5s, with the 14th your best chance to make inroads on the card. Tee times play a huge part in a St Andrews Open, luck is also a feature but, for al the talk of rolling back the ball and a possible 59 around the Old Lady, it holds up magnificently.

Final Verdict

What's it like to play the Old Course?

It almost doesn't make sense how thrilling it is throughout the entire round, given what's in front of you.

Having played here five times, the first two occasions in 1986 on a trip with some school mates, I can still recall every single shot. 

Even back then we knew enough to hit it up the left and keep away from the trouble but then the angles and pins made it a puzzle that we were unable to solve. 

You will putt a lot around the Old Course, many times from off the vast greens, and 40 putts might be a very acceptable return for your efforts. 

I told my 15-year-old self that the Old Course was quite straightforward, having had the best of the wind on the way out, two hours later I've never been more confused by the game. 

When you turn for home and see the old town in the distance there is nothing like it, holes that are seemingly fairly ordinary turn into something special. Out of bounds and a rod lurks, you will pose for a photo on the Swilcan Bridge and very possible three-putt in front of quite a crowd. 

And just around the corner are a collection of some of the greatest boozers and a town where nobody will even blink if you still have your glove peeping out of your back pocket. 

Everyone should play the Old Course at least once, you'll love every second of it.