St. Andrews Links - Old Course

Played the Old Course as part of a foursome. I got to the starter at 8:00 in the morning and was placed on a waiting list. Was told that there would be time in the afternoon at about 2:00. Went back at 2:00 and was on the course at 2:15. Whatever you have to do, and there are a variety of options, to get on the Old Course-Do it. To go to St. Andrews and not play the Old would be missing out on the whole place.

The most important piece of golf architecture and History await you at St. Andrews. If you don't get first tee awareness here, then you never will. Double fairways, double greens, numerous bunkers (Some obvious; some Hidden) are there for you to enjoy.

They say that the more you play the Old Course, the more you appreciate it. I am sure that this is true; however, I appreciated it's greatness during my one round there. Be prepared for real links golf. The fairways are wide; however, you need to hit the correct side of the fairway for approaches to be probable. Being on the wrong side can leave a blind approach, put hazards into play or both. The Greens are large and you will need your Lag putting to be on. For these reasons, a caddie is a great idea.

The only fair warning I can give you is that like Pebble Beach, everyone wants to get on to the Old Course. Be prepared for a 5 hour round.

When you take the relatively low cost in to account for a top 10 golf course in the world. You might as well play it twice. That is my only regret.

Ranked 7 in the world, 2 in Scotland.

Mecca.

The birthplace of our game. The one course all golfers must play before they move on to the 19th hole-in-the-sky.

This might sound strange (consider the source), but The Old Course at St. Andrews might be the most under-rated course in the world. Yes, it’s ranked seventh globally and second in Scotland, but many reviewers say The Old Course is great because of its historical significance, not because of its lay-out and design. I beg to differ.

I’ve now been lucky enough to play The Old four times; and every time I play it, I appreciate it even more. It is truly a great trak. Every single shot requires your full attention. There are so many subtleties that come into play on every hole. Bunkers to avoid, angles to take, which side of which mogul to hit off the tee, where to land your approach so it bounces to the green, not the gorse. How do you keep your approach shot below the hole so you won’t putt your ball off the green? You will use every club in your bag over the 18 holes at The Old Course — to me a sign of a truly great course.

There’s The Principal’s Nose, Spectacles, Bobby Jones’s Bunker, The Road Hole Bunker, The Valley of Sin, The Swilcan Bridge ... so many bunkers ... so many places you have seen on TV or read about ... and now you’re playing there, yourself. This is where Bobby Jones got his second Open Championship win in 1927 ... Snead won at St. Andrews in 1946 ... Peter Thomson won his 2nd of three straight Opens at The Old in 1955 ... Jack won here twice ... So did Tiger. So much history here and now you’re playing there, yourself.

Undoubtedly, you will play two of the most nerve-racking shots of your life at St. Andrews. You will definitely feel the first-tee jitters as you start your historic round in front of the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse. As nervous as you might be at this mythical course, remember the first fairway is 140 yards wide! Worry about your second shot when you need to clear the Swilcan Burn.

Your nerves will be tested at the end of the round, as well. Expect to play the 18th hole in front of a crowd. Scots love this game they invented; and they will stop and watch anyone play it. The 18th green at the Old Course is almost always surrounded by the good people of St. Andrews. After all, they do own the course.

If you want to guarantee a tee time at The Old Course, my advice is to do it close to a year in advance. Head to www.standrews.com to get started.

When you play any of these wonderful courses in Scotland, make sure to take caddies. They will certainly help you navigate these mysterious links; and most will share quite a bit of history, peppered with a few salty jokes.

If you're a serious golfer and you have the opportunity to play here, you had better take it. The history of the place demands it. It overwhelmed me on the first tee when I was thinking more about where I was than hitting my golf ball. It was a dead shank that drew a few chuckles from my playing companions. After those first tee jitters though the game got much better.
The course itself is like nothing you will find here in the States. From blind shots to bunkers that you could hide a small house in, to the double greens, one of which is almost an acre square this will be a round that you will never forget.
There is also the added bonus that when your sitting with your buddies in the 19th no golf story will cause more envy than when you casually mention that you've played the Old Course.

The experience of playing the Old Course starts long before you step upon the first tee at the venerable “Home of Golf.”  Propriety saw it’s original 22 holes reduced to 18 and the template was forever more.  Interestingly, if one is not otherwise swept up inexorably in the significance of what the Old Course represents, many depart a maiden tour more bewildered than enraptured.  give it time, as time is one of the Old Course’s greatest assets.  You simply must play the Old Course, but strive for more than once and give it time for it’s nuances to be revealed, as time is one of the Old Course’s greatest assets.

The Old Course is, indisputably, the most unique links course in Scotland, and an absolute hoot to play.

Seven massive double-greens steal the show here, where putts can be well over 100 feet long, and the short game is severely tested. The routing, which is a counter-clockwise direction with a most unusual loop around the back of the course, means pulling most tee shots left will find you in good shape, while pushes to the right could find you out of bounds.

There are a lot of reasons why St. Andrews is such a favorite: the town itself is the best golf town in Scotland and probably the world. But the design is ingenious after all these years because changing wind directions make the course play entirely different on a day-to-day basis (I realized this the second time I played the course in a different wind). New bunkers come into play, some par 4s go from brawny to drivable. It's an extremely complicated golf course.

That said, it's still quite playable for the average player (particularly compared to say, Carnoustie up the road). It's tough to not get goosebumps when playing the 17th & 18th holes.

Enjoy the ride, and be aggressive off the tee.