Is St Andrews Old Course really that good?

[ColchesterFC]

Chris, there's a plaque on the fairway to show where he hit one of the shots from for eagle. Think you'll be surprised how far back it was. I like the Grove and as an experience and the way you're treated by the staff it's one of the best I've been to. The course is nice too but I wouldn't necessarily say it's one I'd have ranked as highly as it came out in the GM list

I hit my drive on that hole past the marker and was very pleased with myself. Right until I looked back and saw how much further back the tee that Tiger had hit from was compared to the tee we'd used.

I would rank the condition of the course right up there with the best I've played. I assume that it doesn't have the volume of golf played on it that a lot of courses do and as a result the fairways and greens were superb. There are some very good holes (the Par 3 over water being one of my favourites and the previous hole with the second shot over the pond also being good) but also some very ordinary holes.

EDIT - I think that there is a plaque on the fairway for each of Tiger's three eagles.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I have only played it once, I didn't think the course layout was great, however the feeling you get standing on the 1st tee was magical, the sense of history and the atmosphere created by the surroundings do make it truly special.

 

[lobthewedge]

As an add on can I ask the 16 folk who think it merits No3 in the UK.........what hole do you consider to be the best hole and why?

I personally think it is rated too highly, but having played it I can easily understand why the experience bumps it up so highly.

As for picking a best hole on the course, as always its a matter of taste, but I think the 12th is a great little par4 requiring a bit of thought and a well placed tee shot. Its also the first hole that you effectively turn for home, so a new wind comes into play and the views are pretty good on the tee from what I remember.
The 14th is a monster par5 boasting the Beardies, Hells Bunker and the Elysian Fields. With the wrong wind blowing the out of bounds and the bunkers can be major factors with a premium placed on shot placement on the drive and second shots. All in all a great par 5.
The run of par4s from the 15th to 17th aint too shabby either, but I would go for one of those two.

 

[davidy233]

I'd be happy to play the Old Course every day of my life - wonderful place

 

[ColchesterFC]

I personally think it is rated too highly, but having played it I can easily understand why the experience bumps it up so highly.

As for picking a best hole on the course, as always its a matter of taste, but I think the 12th is a great little par4 requiring a bit of thought and a well placed tee shot. Its also the first hole that you effectively turn for home, so a new wind comes into play and the views are pretty good on the tee from what I remember.
The 14th is a monster par5 boasting the Beardies, Hells Bunker and the Elysian Fields. With the wrong wind blowing the out of bounds and the bunkers can be major factors with a premium placed on shot placement on the drive and second shots. All in all a great par 5.
The run of par4s from the 15th to 17th aint too shabby either, but I would go for one of those two.

The 15th and 16th are basically straight Par 4's with OOB down the right. You can find better holes than these two on pretty much any links course you visit. Ok the 17th is an iconic hole in world golf but if you were to take the basic layout of the hole as a dog leg to the right and put it in the middle of any other course without the hotel and history it wouldn't stand out as a great golf hole (in my opinion).

 

[Val]

The 15th and 16th are basically straight Par 4's with OOB down the right. You can find better holes than these two on pretty much any links course you visit. Ok the 17th is an iconic hole in world golf but if you were to take the basic layout of the hole as a dog leg to the right and put it in the middle of any other course without the hotel and history it wouldn't stand out as a great golf hole (in my opinion).

Come on mate, are you for real? These are all part of the layout of the hole.

It's the equivalent of saying take all the water away from the 17th at sawgrass and it won't stand out, take the tree's down on the 13th at Augusta etc etc.

 

[gregbwfc]

Played the Old Course 3 times and always enjoyed it.
No, it isn't the toughest course in St.Andrews as others have said, but it's impossible to take out the history of the place when scoring your overall experience.
TBH, my only problem with it is it's on the Open rota too frequently - I think it should take it's turn like the other courses.
Personally I wouldn't put it 3rd but certainly top 10, maybe 5.

And it's likely the only course I'll have a "crowd" watching me play an approach to 18 - way scarier than 1st tee shot.

 

[lobthewedge]

The 15th and 16th are basically straight Par 4's with OOB down the right.

If thats how you see them thats fine, like I said earlier its all about opinions.

Personally I think they are great tests of golf, especially when the wind is into and off the sea. Sutherland on the 15th and the Principals Nose on the 16th really make you think about where you are positioning your drive, while the OOB is always playing on the back of your mind. The 15th alone qualifies as a great hole purely because it has a feature called Miss Graingers Bosoms!

The backdrop to this is the Old Grey Toon itself and the anticipation of playing two of the most famous golf holes in the world to finish your round. Like Val said, you cant take that away from the place, its an integral part of the course and your golfing experience as a whole.

Get with the programme, St Andrews is the bollocks!

 

[Jimaroid]

With Christmas around the corner, now's a perfect time to recommend this book as a stocking filler: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tom-Morris-...d=1418117882&sr=8-1&keywords=colossus+of+golf

Not only is it a thoroughly good read but it helps put into perspective some of the reasons why St Andrews and The Old Course deserve their monickers as the home of golf and to be held with such high regard. The town of St Andrews, The Old Course, Allan Robertson and Tom Morris are all together responsible for the modern format of the game we play.

It's an important place and a place that, despite its flaws, all professionals want to play and win at. Also uniquely, it's a place where us ordinary folk can stand shoulder to shoulder with the masters of the game. It's a course for everybody, and by that measure alone it should be held up as golf's exemplar. It's totally unique.

Personally, I find the Jubilee better to play regularly because it's more accessible, it is harder with some prettier and better defined holes, but the Jubilee isn't as fair a layout. You have to score well on the front 9 and then hold onto that score for the back 9. I love the Jubilee but it can be soul destroying if you reach the turn knowing you've not done enough, especially if the wind picks up. I think the magic present in the Old is that it balances attack and defence within every hole so well. There is always a place to attack from and a place to be bitten by, each hole offers a new opportunity to claw back from disaster. The Old is perfectly tuned drama, it constantly gives and takes, moving your emotions up and down and back up all the time.

If what you want from playing golf is to be assaulted and punished for 4 hours, then Old will never be the course for you. That's not what I want from golf. I want the history, the magic and the pleasure. Like generations of people before, quite simply, the Old makes me happy. It's difficult to manufacture that feeling, which is why so many technically "better" designed courses will never be able to exceed the experience of playing the Old.

 

[ColchesterFC]

I guess what this thread is showing is how much of the game of golf is a mental thing. Regular comments about history, the feel, aura and people watching. All of them are the mental side of the game rather than simply hitting a little white ball into a hole.

I wonder what New Golf Thinking would have to say about it. (Please add a relevant smiley here as can't do it on my Kindle)

 

[Smiffy]

I played at Royal Cinque Ports yesterday. At least half a dozen of the holes (if not more) had me gazing in wonderment at the undulations of the fairways, the bunkering and the shape of the greens.
I cannot remember one hole on The Old Course that made me do that.

 

[Duckster]

I guess what this thread is showing is how much of the game of golf is a mental thing. Regular comments about history, the feel, aura and people watching. All of them are the mental side of the game rather than simply hitting a little white ball into a hole.

I wonder what New Golf Thinking would have to say about it. (Please add a relevant smiley here as can't do it on my Kindle)

To quote Golf Digest:

The Old Course at St. Andrews is ground zero for all golf architecture. Every course designed since has either been in response to one or more of its features, or in reaction against it. Architects either favor the Old Course's blind shots or detest them, either embrace St. Andrews's enormous greens or consider them a waste of turf.

They don't seem to think it's all about history, feel and aura.

 

[Val]

I played at Royal Cinque Ports yesterday. At least half a dozen of the holes (if not more) had me gazing in wonderment at the undulations of the fairways, the bunkering and the shape of the greens.
I cannot remember one hole on The Old Course that made me do that.

Its a bit cold out there for fishing

 

[Smiffy]

Its a bit cold out there for fishing

I'm not fishing.
It's true!

Read the reviews on RCP here
http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=74

And the Old Course here
http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=7

I'm not alone.

 

[Wildrover]

To quote Golf Digest:

The Old Course at St. Andrews is ground zero for all golf architecture. Every course designed since has either been in response to one or more of its features, or in reaction against it. Architects either favor the Old Course's blind shots or detest them, either embrace St. Andrews's enormous greens or consider them a waste of turf.

They don't seem to think it's all about history, feel and aura.

Because they are American and think history is something that happened last Thursday.

 

[richart]

I played at Royal Cinque Ports yesterday. At least half a dozen of the holes (if not more) had me gazing in wonderment at the undulations of the fairways, the bunkering and the shape of the greens.
I cannot remember one hole on The Old Course that made me do that.

Can you actually remember playing the Old Course you old duffer ? It has undulating fairways, stunning bunkers, and brilliant greens.

Royal Cinque Ports was lovely course, but for me a notch below the Old Course at St Andrews. I would put it on a par with Burnham and Berrow.

 

[gregbwfc]

Have to say RCP looks great and I'd love to get a game in there some day.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Loved RCP - the fairways were superb , greens spectacular - many times just looked around and took it all in and thought how honoured I felt to be playing the course.

 

[Smiffy]

Can you actually remember playing the Old Course you old duffer ? It has undulating fairways, stunning bunkers, and brilliant greens.

Does it really???
Having said that, I hit a few yesterday.
I didn't in 1991

 

[CMAC]

havent played RCP, but it looks nice compared to STAOC, but then again TT and even RT look better than STAOC but do they play as well and do you have the same feelings playing there as you would if it was say OW or maybe the newer but highly rated TLC?

who's to know.