St. Andrews And An Embarrassing Confession
Perhaps it’s simply because it’s the Home of Golf and the seat of the R&A, or because of the famous landmarks – Swilcan Bridge, Hell’s Bunker – or the status of its great championships, the memorable champions, or just the romance of the Auld Grey Toon itself. Whatever the reason, what’s undeniable is that the Old Course at St. Andrews, Fife, is the most iconic golf course in the world. It’s a course that intrigues and excites the golfing soul, yet (I am deeply embarrassed to admit) it’s somewhere I’ve never actually been to.
I know what you’re thinking. How can I hold my head up in golfing circles knowing this to be the case? And when asked for my favourite course, how can I give a valued opinion when I haven’t played the place where it all began? If any golf course can lay claim to being a must-play, surely the Old Course is the one? Fair to say, I could rest in peace having not played at Augusta National (and will probably have to!), but I couldn’t if I’d not played the Old Course. I keep getting nagged by that voice saying, “How can you call yourself a golfer when you’ve not been to St. Andrews?”
We all know that the tag of ‘best’ golf course is always going to be a subjective matter. One man’s heathland is another man’s links, and all that. But having played a good number of those courses widely regarded to be amongst the very best in GB & Ireland, I have my personal order of preference. But there’s one gapping St Andrews-shaped hole and the added frustration of not knowing where in my list that hole actually exists. Would I get swept away by the aura of the place and love it more than anywhere else I’ve ever played and have to clear a space at the number one spot?
This corner of Fife is a pilgrimage I’m desperate to make, and to satisfy that curiosity as much as anything else. For some it’s the best course in the world, whilst others will tell tales of feeling distinctly underwhelmed. I suspect that the experience is more spiritual, rather than dramatic. I suspect some of those who leave disappointed are less inclined to be won over by the romance of the place and the ancient footprints of past champions. Perhaps they come expecting more dramatic scenery, or are surprised by the seven shared greens, the blind shots, and the nuances and subtleties that the purist loves but which may be lost on others.
Equally though, I understand that it’s a course that grows on you, one that perhaps needs to be played a number of times before it’s fully appreciated. And that, without walking the links, even ardent golf fans will only recognise the 1st, 17th, and 18th holes, and therefore may find other holes less familiar and therefore unremarkable.
Yet there it is, the course that most purists would chose if they could only play one more round. The venue where the very best in the game have won – as Tiger once said, “To be a great, you HAVE to win at St. Andrews”. A links that is said to never play the same way twice, and a scene for some of the most famous moments in the game.
I have little doubt then, that come the summer when the Old Course will host The Open Championship for the 29th occasion, my golfing appetite will be whet again. The best in the game will be there, creating more iconic moments in this sport we love as they stride across the famous fairways and march under the gaze of the historic Scottish town. And there it will remain after they are gone, awaiting my arrival…
Roll on The Open, and wish me luck in the ballot!