tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post114219629056797238..comments2024-03-18T18:03:15.023-07:00Comments on Playing the Top 100 Golf Courses in The World: The Old Course at St. AndrewsTop 100 Golferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16730165824981497579noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-32254903036149899302015-12-05T02:07:25.448-08:002015-12-05T02:07:25.448-08:00Very interesting write-ups
On the subject of cost,...Very interesting write-ups<br />On the subject of cost, my son and I played the old, new and jubilee courses last month (on consecutive days) for the princely sum of £135 pounds(that's 66 bucks a round)<br />Congrats on your achievementDave Scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-65452940387444981482014-06-06T11:13:37.567-07:002014-06-06T11:13:37.567-07:00Several years ago on a non-golfing family trip to ...Several years ago on a non-golfing family trip to Scotland, I took a chance at playing the Old Course as a single. With no prior planning on a beautiful August day, I arrived at St Andrews about noon and politely asked the starter "What's the chance a single gets out today?". He looked at his tee sheet and responded "5 minutes". Couldn't believe my luck. Ended up being one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I've ever played.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-16547054438871239102013-03-07T17:27:36.895-08:002013-03-07T17:27:36.895-08:00Golf is surely about more than the layout ? St And...Golf is surely about more than the layout ? St Andrews is the reason we play 18 holes for our Monthly Medal, the first place that separated teeing grounds from greens, and they built the New Course because the traffic on the Old Course meant rounds were nearing a ridiculous 3 1/2 hours...If you love GOLF, not just playing golf, you must play the Old Course for the experience of walking from the town onto the tee and teeing off amongst the caddies, locals, tourists and fellow golfers finally realising their dream and conquering their nerves to drive to a target wider than a football field...and maybe still missing! There are some lovely views, great holes and truly some not so great holes. But I defy any true golfer not to thrill at playing back towards the old town and playing for a par at the Road Hole, the chance of a birdie on the last, or maybe an up and down from the Valley Of Sin in front of the Toun. <br />And if you are lucky enough to know a member of the R&A, an afternoon in the Clubhouse amongst the actual Jug, Young Tom Morris' Morocco belt, Old Tom and Harry Vardon's clubs, Freddie Tait's portrait...well, you can die happy. Please don't take reviews like this as justification for not making the effort; include the "better" courses nearby for the best value golf trip in the World, just so long as you complete your pilgrimage at the Old. I will be there on April 4th at the conclusion of 2 weeks' Scottish links golf (Turnberry, Dornoch...) and know it will be the highlight.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17087023037939730280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-92228177066596702032012-11-26T17:42:50.599-08:002012-11-26T17:42:50.599-08:00I will agree with the author here. This course is...I will agree with the author here. This course is a bit out of place as one of the world's best. It's fun to play for the sake of having played it. I have done so about 4 times now. One might play more but it's expensive for what you get at nearly $230 now. In order to host the Open they have installed a number of championship tees that are out of sight and not available to the layman playing the course. They are usually about 1/2 way down the previous hole between the gorse bushes. If you are a low handicapper you are forced to play the course at 6200 yards and herded along by the multiple marshals. When the course is hard and fast it plays like 5500 yards. That along with some of the bland holes mid round will have you thinking "they play the Open here"? You are basically playing for the final 5-6 holes which are quite memorable and a bit quirky (Road Hole). I would recommend visiting once, get your picture on the Swilcan Bridge and move along to some more interesting venues nearby. It's strictly tourist golf and priced accordingly. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05178239282181206672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-57181873816741996092012-09-23T16:40:59.328-07:002012-09-23T16:40:59.328-07:00I have been fortunate enough to play the Old Cours...I have been fortunate enough to play the Old Course not once but twice. The first time I played there I was 12 years old, pretty good young golfer and knew about the history but never had a true appreciation. This year I got the chance to head back over to Scotland and Ireland for two weeks for my brothers graduation. We spent a week in Ireland then a week in Scotland. We finished the trip with a round at St. Andrews on the Old Course and this time, it was above and beyond special. We caught a good stretch of weather and got the opportunity to play the Old Course in rare form, 68 degrees, sunny and extremely green. The course was in the best shape it has been in for the past few years, even the greens were rolling true and scary fast. Being 20 years old, playing golf in college, this was a dream of mine to get to play a course that is sought after by golfers everywhere. I hear people all the time that have played here say, yeah its a great course because of the history, but going a second time, I realized it is also a great course. Showing up for my tee time, thanks to DrumGolf, we were instantly greeted by the starter who was exactly what everyone expects, an extremely welcoming local with a great personality. We then continued to tee off with our caddies on our bags. Another aspect that the Old Course brings to the table is the fabulous caddy program. Having been twice, I have two great caddies, both of which were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The course itself is an absolute gem with an unfathomable amount of history. Each hole has been photographed numerous times and its no wonder why. Each hole is unique, some short some long, if its not the multiple pot bunkers its the fescue moving in the wind. But there is that one hole everyone waits for, the 18th. The bridge that any big name in golf has walked on, you literally get chills standing on it knowing that you are where history has been made a countless number of times. I made sure not to waste this opportunity again, I stood there for five minutes soaking it all in, taking pictures and knowing this could be the last time I ever set foot on St. Andrews again. It is the perfect setting for golf, the great town of St. Andrews as a backdrop along side the world famous R&A. It does not get much better than this, and it really bothers me when people say its not a great course. I was one of those people until the last visit, and I can say that it is a phenomenal place with phenomenal people and a phenomenal setting. I could go on and on about this place, I am extremely lucky to have been here twice let alone once. It is an absolute masterpiece and will continue to be for years to come as it will remain atop every golfers bucket list.IanThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15872151819239372887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-61086605454412243972012-08-05T05:51:31.236-07:002012-08-05T05:51:31.236-07:00Just came accross your blog and I really enjoyed y...Just came accross your blog and I really enjoyed your posts, it is something I have alwasy wanted to do, travel the world and play the top courses. I have played some great courses around the World and I was fortunate to get to caddy a number of them such as St Andrews for my uncle who played on the European Tour for many years. Although I didn't get the chance to play St Andrews it was an amazing experience and it just has something different and unique about it, not just the course with its bunkers, but almost like it has an aura with the amount of history it hasGolfCourseMembership.co.ukhttp://www.golfcoursemembership.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-60756877539184318702011-05-13T11:13:14.799-07:002011-05-13T11:13:14.799-07:00I was there in 1984 & just walking at the 1st,...I was there in 1984 & just walking at the 1st, 18th & walking on the 17th holes. The 17th (Road Hole looks damn hard. I am damn happy when the pros lose shots there. Usually a lot. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-18133136665786451292010-09-22T05:47:29.463-07:002010-09-22T05:47:29.463-07:00I'm surprised you didn't like The Old Cour...I'm surprised you didn't like The Old Course more. I have read all your blogs (a golf pro in northern Ohio has a lot of free time in the winter) and I recently came back from Scotland. My expectaions of the Old Course were tempered. Some people have said they loved it, others... not so much. But, in my opinion this place is pure genius. The thrill of the 1st hole, talking to the caddies about all the bunkers and slopes. the quirkyness of the 7th - 11th holes. And the 13th hole may be the best hole at the Old Course that nobody talks about. The Road hole is amazing and probably one of the toughest par 4s in golf.<br /><br />Maybe you did love it, but it didn't come across in your blog as if it was one of your favorites.<br /><br />PS, i'm really disapointed that I didn't get to play North Berwick, but there's always time to go back!! Good luck on your quest!!<br />BillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-19976537490206233302010-09-21T19:09:50.687-07:002010-09-21T19:09:50.687-07:00Why is this course closed on Sundays? With all the...Why is this course closed on Sundays? With all the people who want to play it,you would think they would be open 7 days a week. Are courses like Pebble, Bethpage and Pacific Dunes open 7 days a week?<br /><br />What course in Scotland is closest to the Old Course in terms of how you play-such as trying to think about how you want to play the shot and hitting in front of the green? What's closest in terms of fairways and greens?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20412896.post-45811149520280359682007-10-16T06:46:00.000-07:002007-10-16T06:46:00.000-07:00St Andrews has no members. It is a municipal cour...St Andrews has no members. It is a municipal course. There are many clubs that use all the local courses to play on. The R&A is just one such club and their clubhouse is the most prominent. You can't get in when you play there because you are not playing the R&A's course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com