ColchesterFC
Journeyman Pro
Interested to know which two courses you are thinking about there.
St Andrews...Should it host a "Major" ?
- Thread starter bladeplayer
- Start date
Interested to know which two courses you are thinking about there.
Foxholer
Blackballed
Apparently Royal County Down has a lot going for it. Royal Porthcawl could have a good shout too!
Royal Aberdeen seems to be targeting The Open - perhaps just as a level to aspire to. Royal Dornoch would be a good shout except for the logistics. It's logistics that keeps the likes of Hillside (there's loads of 'spare' space around Birkdale) and others off the Rota too. St Andrews town and environs are uniquely set up for The Open.
So it's more than simply being 'the greatest course in the world' - that I don't believe St Andrews is - that makes an Open venue!
Sharktooth
Head Pro
Unseasonal weather in Scotland???
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
I think like the F1 being at Monaco, The Open at St Andrews Old Course does deserve to be there (neither venue would have a cat in hells chance of staging a new race/major if it were to be introduced today) but they both offer something pretty special to the event calendar for a variety of reasons and there’s several listed already
If it were simply about protecting against low scoring then I’m sure they’d throw in some internal OOB etc to prevent other fairways being used and the guys would simply take irons on the shorter par 4’s, still hit GIR but fewer birdies. Obviously lowest score would still win whether its level par or 15 under
With a field of near 160 to complete their rounds then making the rough too long would just cause delays as they don’t have the same spectator access to the middle of the course to assist the search/ball spot etc so even with provisional’s the players would take their 5 mins and slow things up
Without St Andrews and perhaps some of the other courses that at least in part haven’t been able to keep pace with developments , The Open Championship would be a poorer tournament in terms of its stature at least
I recall seeing the Commonwealth shooting medals being awarded in the car park and while not suggesting a decline to that level, could awarding the Claret Jug on the Old Course ever be replicated to even 50% of the grandeur at any other replacement venue
If a one trick pony like Augusta gets a major every year then yeah I’d keep The Old Course once every 5 years
If it were simply about protecting against low scoring then I’m sure they’d throw in some internal OOB etc to prevent other fairways being used and the guys would simply take irons on the shorter par 4’s, still hit GIR but fewer birdies. Obviously lowest score would still win whether its level par or 15 under
With a field of near 160 to complete their rounds then making the rough too long would just cause delays as they don’t have the same spectator access to the middle of the course to assist the search/ball spot etc so even with provisional’s the players would take their 5 mins and slow things up
Without St Andrews and perhaps some of the other courses that at least in part haven’t been able to keep pace with developments , The Open Championship would be a poorer tournament in terms of its stature at least
I recall seeing the Commonwealth shooting medals being awarded in the car park and while not suggesting a decline to that level, could awarding the Claret Jug on the Old Course ever be replicated to even 50% of the grandeur at any other replacement venue
If a one trick pony like Augusta gets a major every year then yeah I’d keep The Old Course once every 5 years
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
The Old Course is a long way from 'the greatest course in the world'
I think TOC is just about at the end of it's era, perhaps time to move on.
If you want 'tradition' play it at Mussleburgh or Prestwick, both courses have a better golf history than TOC.
If you want a good test of modern players skills play it at Kingsbarns.
I think TOC is just about at the end of it's era, perhaps time to move on.
If you want 'tradition' play it at Mussleburgh or Prestwick, both courses have a better golf history than TOC.
If you want a good test of modern players skills play it at Kingsbarns.
the smiling assassin
Challenge Tour Pro
Kingsbarns is ok but it's not a major venue. Some great holes and a few very ordinary ones.
dewsweeper
Tour Rookie
I have not played TOC but feel I know it pretty well from years of watching The Open there.
Have walked the course on two occasions and you get the feel of following in the foot steps of all heroes of past years.
I have played The New course and in all honesty I think it could be argued it is the more typical links ,a very good test as I recall,which I failed.
Dewsweeper
TOC is not the hardest test of golf you will ever play, but its not as easy as people think and I'm not sure you can blast it onto another fairway on all but a few holes...
as for it being undefended without wind.... it is and so is any links course.
Stopping play because it was a bit windy is not the best idea IMO. all around Scotland golf comps went on and our greens are quick, but they just left them a little longer to allow for the wind on Saturday
as for it being undefended without wind.... it is and so is any links course.
Stopping play because it was a bit windy is not the best idea IMO. all around Scotland golf comps went on and our greens are quick, but they just left them a little longer to allow for the wind on Saturday
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
TOC might not be the best out there BUT is there a better golfing experience anywhere in the world?
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
bladeplayer
Money List Winner
Really hope to experience it some day mate
freddielong
Tour Winner
Golf is about history and tradition as well as modern and innovative so yes the Old course should host the open.
Backache
Assistant Pro
The old course is certainly not an easy course and it would appear from most of the great golfers who have commented on it to be a great course.
People look at the score to par and think the pros have it easy but that is because St Andrews is rather more traditional about how it uses par on holes not because the course is easier.
It is a shorter course by several hundred yards than either of the last two US open courses and is played on fast running links turf without tricked up overfast greens but in terms of total number of strokes taken by the winner it is 2 strokes more than the 2014 US open and two strokes less than the 2015 US open winner in spite of the rotten greens in this years US open.
The punishment for choosing the wrong line or a poor shot is subtle it is being in a poor position for the next shot rather than the rather dull and mundane hack out of thick rough.
Great golfers like Jones Woods and Nicklaus have all realised this and extolled its virtues.
As for this nonsense about the wrong fairway. Who is to say which is the 'right' fairway. The clever golfer uses the best way to the hole taking into account the prevailing weather pin position etc. If this is by utilising a different fairway rather than aimlessly pounding it down the middle of the modern course it makes for great golf not easier golf.
The Old course regularly produces champions who have to use many different shots and think their way around the course, today was a great example of this with some superb golf by all the leaders.
People look at the score to par and think the pros have it easy but that is because St Andrews is rather more traditional about how it uses par on holes not because the course is easier.
It is a shorter course by several hundred yards than either of the last two US open courses and is played on fast running links turf without tricked up overfast greens but in terms of total number of strokes taken by the winner it is 2 strokes more than the 2014 US open and two strokes less than the 2015 US open winner in spite of the rotten greens in this years US open.
The punishment for choosing the wrong line or a poor shot is subtle it is being in a poor position for the next shot rather than the rather dull and mundane hack out of thick rough.
Great golfers like Jones Woods and Nicklaus have all realised this and extolled its virtues.
As for this nonsense about the wrong fairway. Who is to say which is the 'right' fairway. The clever golfer uses the best way to the hole taking into account the prevailing weather pin position etc. If this is by utilising a different fairway rather than aimlessly pounding it down the middle of the modern course it makes for great golf not easier golf.
The Old course regularly produces champions who have to use many different shots and think their way around the course, today was a great example of this with some superb golf by all the leaders.
freddielong
Tour Winner
Great post agree 100% the old course was at her awesome best all wèek and imo proved that she is more than upto holding future major tournaments.
Jacko_G
Blackballed
Wrong about Kingsbarns which is good but not in the same class as the Old Course. Royal Aberdeen, yes I can see that being capable of hosting a brilliant Open, has the infrastructure.
Someone mentioned Royal Porthcawl. I think it would struggle big time with the infrastructure. Its hosted a Seniors but not sure the area could cope with anything bigger.
Trump Aberdeen will push.
In my only attempt at playing it, I failed to break 100, despite being a reasonably low handicapper at the time. I particularly fell victim to its pot bunkers, and knocked a couple of balls OOB on the back nine. I also lost one ball that apparently went straight down the middle of a shared fairway; possibly played in error by another group! Ended up on the road on the road hole. Made a particularly lucky par at the 18th when I sliced my drive OOB on the right, but it bounced off a building back onto the fairway.
P.S. I went round the New Course in 79 the day before!
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Tongo
Journeyman Pro
I suppose its easy to be wise after the event but the fact that the winning score was 15 under, nobody make a mockery of the course despite the short holes and the drama of yesterday says that yes it still should hold a major. Its quirky and the shared fairways / greens are different but that's the beauty of it all.
The fact that most tour pro golfers are plus 5/6 handicap would make this about right. I don't understand the idea that the winning score should be about par. The best golfer on the day with the lowest score will still win!
Ethan
Money List Winner
I think TOC stood up well. It has always been a course defined by the weather so scores will change as the weather does. The R&A hasn't this issue with par that the USGA does, so they don't mind too much if players score plenty of birdies so long as the best player wins, and looking at the leader boards towards the end, it is hard to argue the course was not identifying pretty good players.
I don't think the scores would be as low if they had played when it was windy..... Saturday would have kept the scoring down had they not insisted on the greens being like lightning.
Paul77
Challenge Tour Pro
I've never felt it too exciting watching an Open at St Andrews. No one really looks like they want to play there. It's not really my cup of tea as a course. Gullane looked shocking too in my opinion. I quite like the US style parkland courses dogleg holes and water on them. I'm going to be eating my words probably when I play the Dukes course next month. I'll probably come back either confirming my hatred or it'll be the best thing since muscle back irons.
