The Old Course

[Kilted Arab]

What do ou guys make of it from watching it on TV?

My opinion on it has changed recently. I'm lucky, played it a few times.

The first time, I was overawed by the history of the place, the sheer fact it was The Old Course.

The second time, I looked at it more objectively and tried to rate it just as I would a 'normal' course - and I found I didn't like it much. Blind holes, slow rounds with delays at 'the loop', impression of being a 'tourist trap' with fourballs churned out constantly etc.

Then I played it twice this year. Being more familiar with the course and a little more comfortable about playing there, I am coming to the realisation that you can't look at it as a 'normal' course - you have to add in the history - how the course came into being, the famous names who have won The Open there, how big a Mecca it is for golfers everywhere. I think sometimes I take a lot of that for granted.

I've thought about this a lot this week and have come to the conclusion that I love the place - I just wish I'd appreciated it sooner.

 

[BentGrass]

I'd love to just see the course and town.

I was thinking... How do they keep those huge greens watered? Are there sprinkler heads in the green? I didn't notice any during the Open.

 

[Kilted Arab]

I'd love to just see the course and town.

I was thinking... How do they keep those huge greens watered? Are there sprinkler heads in the green? I didn't notice any during the Open.

I believe that there is a state-of-the-art irrigation system there...but remember also it rains a lot!

http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/greenkeeping/irrigation.html a few details on here...

 

[IrishGolfer]

I was lucky enough to be a member of the New Club when I lived in Edinburgh. My highlight was the Club Championship played over the Old Course in 1999. I got to the semi-finals, so played 5 games over this terrain, 5 nights in a row, in excellent weather.

My impressions are:

1. You can hit a lot of ropey shots and get away with them. You can easily hit 15-16 greens in regulation but walk off with a 86.
2. You can hit some good shots and get screwed with strange bounces, huge amounts of roll etc.
3. One day you are hitting a wedge, next day a 4 iron, you just gotta accept that.
4. You need to be fairly good with 30+ yard putts because you are going to get a lot of them. You will also have a lot of 3 putts. Some people walk over saying "I was dicked, I had 38 putts". On a normal course, this probably would have meant 32 putts, and 6 chips from off the green.
5. You have to be creative and accept that you will hit some shots here that you will never hit anywhere else in your life.
6. No matter how many times you play you always end up in a bunker you didn't know even existed.
7. I got to the turn in -3 once down wind. Finiahed with a 77, yes, it's that tough into the wind!

Damned semi-final! 3 down with 5 to play. Got it back to 1 down with 2 to play. And then playing first on 17, I managed to hit 2 in a row into the Hotel. AAArrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!

Game over! Great memories though!

 

[longiron]

I have never played there but I would give a small body part to be able to. My thought just from seeing it on TV and in Pics is that i cant think of any other course that i would pay to play that much money for a course that looks like it does. History plays a big part in it so.

 

[Bravo]

The timing of your post is interesting because I have now spoken with four of the guys who went on the Scotland trip. They have many great stories...

By Far the most interesting is their round at the Old Course. A four handicapper shot a 92 and a 17 handicapper shot a 76.

I had lunch with the guy who shot the 76. I told him he must have had a great tee game that day - hitting them all straight. He said, "No - was pulling the ball all day, hitting them left". But he explained that pulling the ball left from the tees simply put him in an adjacent fairway from which he could approach the green. And he said that he putted great from all distances - "sometimes 30 or 40 yards". He explained that if he had hit his drives right - he would have been lost in the gorse all day long.

The four handicapper who shot a 92 hit into several of the famous bunkers and had to pitch out. My playing partner in this weekend's tourney mentioned it twice - especially after I had hit a green from a fairway bunker from 165 yards away. He says, "There's no way you are going to do that over in Scotland. Take your sand wedge and pitch out sideways and play on".

Each player - without reservation - spoke with reverance about the atmosphere of the Old Course. While I did not ask any of them which course was their favorite, each one said they wanted to play it again when we go back.

BTW they played:

1) Turnberry Ailsa
2) North Berwick
3) Prestwick
4) Carnoustie
5) Kingsbarns
6) The Old Course
7) Muirfield
8) Turnberry Kintyre

Their coach driver was incredible and they lauded his service all week...more to come on this.

 

[Kilted Arab]

The timing of your post is interesting because I have now spoken with four of the guys who went on the Scotland trip. They have many great stories...

By Far the most interesting is their round at the Old Course. A four handicapper shot a 92 and a 17 handicapper shot a 76.

I had lunch with the guy who shot the 76. I told him he must have had a great tee game that day - hitting them all straight. He said, "No - was pulling the ball all day, hitting them left". But he explained that pulling the ball left from the tees simply put him in an adjacent fairway from which he could approach the green. And he said that he putted great from all distances - "sometimes 30 or 40 yards". He explained that if he had hit his drives right - he would have been lost in the gorse all day long.

The four handicapper who shot a 92 hit into several of the famous bunkers and had to pitch out. My playing partner in this weekend's tourney mentioned it twice - especially after I had hit a green from a fairway bunker from 165 yards away. He says, "There's no way you are going to do that over in Scotland. Take your sand wedge and pitch out sideways and play on".

Each player - without reservation - spoke with reverance about the atmosphere of the Old Course. While I did not ask any of them which course was their favorite, each one said they wanted to play it again when we go back.

BTW they played:

1) Turnberry Ailsa
2) North Berwick
3) Prestwick
4) Carnoustie
5) Kingsbarns
6) The Old Course
7) Muirfield
8) Turnberry Kintyre

Their coach driver was incredible and they lauded his service all week...more to come on this.

"Go left, young man" is an excellent rule of thumb on the Old Course. It's one of the first things the starter and marshalls will tell you if you ask for advice.

Here's a photo of an Old Course bunker. You play sideways or back and take your medicine. On too many courses now, bunkers are no longer what I would call a hazard....they are basically sandy lies on fairways.

 

[DaveE]

What do ou guys make of it from watching it on TV?

My opinion on it has changed recently. I'm lucky, played it a few times.

I would love to play the Old Course but more for it's history more than for the course itself. I don't really like wide open courses with lots of blind shots. Maybe because I've always lived where there are trees. OK, except that year in Lubbock but I'm trying to forget that.

I think just being there would be an experience worth the trip.

 

[Gorse]

This is a little dated but I have been away for awhile.

To call the Old Course a tourist trap is unfair. It is no doubt in high demand but the Links Trust that runs it and several other area courses has starting times that are10 mins apart, longer than most tracks that are open to the public. As well, you are not permitted to tee off on the par 4 first until the group in front has cleared the green. With the Swilcan Bern guarding the front, nobody would go for the green. This initiative is meant to avoid jamming groups together and aids speed of play. Add to this that they do not permit play on Sunday, but open the course up to the public so they can walk their dogs or simply go for a leisurely stroll over the hallowed grounds. I don’t know of any golf course organisation on this side of the ocean that undertakes such a policy, especially in light of its huge appeal and the revenue generating possibilities.

I have played the Old Course many times and the longest round was about 4hrs 10mins, with the norm closer to 4 hrs. The criss-cross at 7 and 11 has never meant more than a 4-5 min wait in my experience. I go there in October and May and it may be that there are more North Americans tediously pacing off yardages and slowing down play in the summer months.

There is no doubt that links golf played on true ‘links-land’ is different than a typical N.American course and the Old Course would rank up there as one of the most different. Yes you get bad breaks, but you get good ones too. The good players accept this. They embrace the good breaks and get the bad ones out of their minds as quickly as possible. When the fairways and greens are hard and the wind is blowing and then some foul weather rolls in, it delivers a severe mental test and requires a level of patience that becomes of critical importance. I personally enjoy real links golf more than any other.

My experience on the Old is that I like it more every time I play. There are nuances and subtleties that become more apparent every time one plays. It requires imagination and a variety of shot making that is not required on the vast majority of courses. It is true that for the first seven holes and several on the back nine you are better off to hit an errant tee shot left rather than right. However when you play 8 through 12, the opposite is true, although any second rate tee shot on the par 3 11th is heavily penalised.

Is it the world’s best golf course? It's right up there, but most people would acknowledge that it is not. Is there any other place where a golfer is more steeped in a sense of history and feels more surrounded by the fabric of the game? No there isn’t. There really is no other place like it. Jack’s final walk up the 18th has only enhanced its position as the perennial and undisputed true home of the game.

My final comment would be that if you are playing it for the first time you really do need a caddy. The Old Course has some of the best in Scotland.

 

[DaveE]

Nice post Gorse. If I ever come over I'll make it a point to play it. With a caddy of course.