Your favorite photos and memories from The Old Course at St. Andrews

There are certain places in the world where people feel compelled to the point of obligation to take a photo. If you've gone to Paris and haven't got a pic of yourself with the Eiffel Tower in the background, did you really go? Such is the social baggage that has crept into the travel experience along with the rise of social media. It has the effect of cheapening what is supposed to be a momentous and inspiring occasion.

For golfers, however, St. Andrews is incorruptible. When you arrive at the first tee or, most popularly, on the Swilcan Bridge in front of the 18th tee, the act of setting up a photo op is not one of obligation but of love for the game and a desire to partake of a special shared experience that binds most golfers together.

It was June of 2008. I had just finished my freshman year in college and my father had arranged a house-swap with a couple who have a cottage in the nearby village of Crail for my parents' condo in South Carolina. We played The Old Course on an uncharacteristically calm day, save for a 10-minute squall that would have reminded us we were in Scotland if we hadn't been playing the long par-4 4th.

We played well and each had a back-nine highlight. On the par-3 11th, I managed to get up and down for par out of the famous Hill bunker left of the green, where on his first tussle with the course Bobby Jones took several futile swipes at the ball before walking off.

Later, we cut the fearsome 17th down to size. I made a relatively routine par, while Dad's approach shot curled around the Road bunker to within three feet of the cup for a birdie. We were so excited we forgot to pause on 18 for the usual photo. Until we rectify that, the photo of us from the first tee in front of the R&A clubhouse will have to do.

Recently, we asked GolfPass readers for their own favorite photos from The Old Course, and the response was wonderful. At a time when the sport of golf has never seemed more detached from the game of golf - the recreational and competitive outdoor activity millions of us love - the ancientness and permanence of St. Andrews has a way of bringing everything happily together.