The Old Course Could Use A Haircut
After a terrific run of events, an upcoming break from majors offers the chance to tidy up evolutionary and distance-related changes at the world's most important course.
The Old Course at St Andrews just finished off a terrific run of championships with its dignity intact and new admirers across the globe. The 150th Open, last year’s Walker Cup, and last week’s AIG Women’s Open will rank as three of the best events the Old has ever witnessed. Even in the juiced equipment era, the Old Course produced inspiring performances, plenty of challenge, and an absence of wind-induced stoppages despite some trying conditions. There were still inevitable slow-play nightmares during both Opens. And no shortage of distance-related issues that should inspire calls for something to be done so that future generations can experience St Andrews’ singular thrills.
Starting in 2028 there will theoretically be a reduction in equipment-driven distances that have turned three-shotters into two-shotters and two-shotters into elongated one-shotters. Few keen observers have faith that updated testing procedures approved by the R&A and USGA and supported (so far) by only Augusta National will restore proportionality. Last week we saw glimmers of what sane distances on the Old Course can look like. But the “rollback” still seems unlikely to allow for less setup manipulation.
The prospect of only a small dent in distances has not stopped first-world whinging and nefarious stances from professional organizations over the loss of a few yards off the tee. It’s sad that so few pro golfers are willing or capable of endorsing action to keep the Old Course relevant, even after they’ve dealt with the setup add-ons that chintz it up for championships. Then again, few have the perspective to realize it’s the place that gave them and their greedy free equipment providers a pretty good living. That’s right guys—and it is all guys isn’t it?—the game as we know it was nurtured and refined by vital St Andrews denizens playing, pondering, arguing and refining the Old Course.
What a miracle it is that the very best can still go there. No other sport has such a perk.
Even with pretty terrific setup working during the recent run of championships, most can see how the Old has been reinforced with undignified rough, tees on the surrounding links and other indignities to protect the perceived financial needs of a soulless few. Wish ‘em luck when they meet the Golf Gods.
There is a possibility that the Old Course will not host an R&A major until 2030. And maybe a wee breather would be good for the place (Michael McEwan made this case last week). The R&A has quietly cautioned that the 2027 Open is not a guarantee given the option to choose from so many fantastic rota venues. Even Tiger Woods believed his 2022 Friday afternoon walk over the Swilcan burn bridge might have been his last given how he’d be 54 in 2030. But with Martin Slumbers’ guaranteeing last week more frequent Women’s Open championships, it seems more likely we’ll see the Old Course continue to host The Open every five years.
A 2027 Open scenario leaves less than three years to address obvious-but-easily repairable issues. Most can be solved with a mower, a shovel and a blow torch.
The incredibly swelling and shrinking Road bunker situation was addressed here. In recent decades, exploding sand has been allowed to stay in the name of protecting the hole. Why the actual bunker floor has slowly shrunk is not clear, but photos show it’s smaller than it used to be. In a fun development that strategists will enjoy, players staring at a back left hole location behind the ugly bunker shell have begun to play toward the 18th tee in full Roger Wethered v. Francis Ouimet mode. This avoids the swollen artifice and offers a very simple chip back to the cup. However, with today’s players able to hit the ball so high and armed with incredible grooves, this is also a bit of an insult to the Links Trust for letting the back side more closely resemble the Hollywood Bowl than a natural bunker.
There is also no need to fight over the Old’s excess of gorse. The growing use of the spindly plant to defend the links would have Old Tom Morris banging his head against the R&A clubhouse walls. Anyhoo, the Grand Old Man Of Golf loved to remove gorse. As have others over the decades. If you look at some of the interesting old images and aerials that surfaced in Steve Finan’s book featuring the DC Thomson archives, gorse returned in the decades after his 1908 passing, then seemed to be aggressively removed by the late 1970’s. Since then the noxious plant has been allowed to creep back into play because it’s one of the last intimidating elements capable of preventing full blast-away golf.
A less controversial improvement to the Old Course would involve the return of tight turf areas that have been allowed to transition into tall grass. Also known as getting rid of the &^%$%&@ rough!
Because of a wet year and gradual encroachment of the tall stuff, we saw the women repeatedly hit tee shots into spots once housing fairway. In many cases, they were left with a terrible angle made worse by the lie. At other times, the players found their ball in an ideal location to attack the day’s hole location. The very essence of strategic design. But the tall stuff penalized them for being in a location where the Old Course would have—a few generations ago—presented a clean lie.
In no way am I saying this cost her the championship or that the rough was especially cruel to Nelly Korda. But she seemed to have a habit of finding spots where tall grass has been allowed to creep into play. Maybe it stopped her ball from running to the gorse, but it was also obvious these areas should be tight turf.
Looking at old aerials, using Finan’s book, and knowing what our predecessors taught us about the ingeniousness of approaching the Old Course greens from a variety of pin placement-depending angles, a good haircut would bring back the option to play from places prior generations enjoyed. The short grass look would add more elegance to the course presentation by highlighting even more of the magical contours now hidden by taller turf. And yes, masochists, it would help wayward shots roll farther from the ideal landing spots.
An added bonus? The reverse Old Course that the Links Trust reportedly plans to use annually would see its landing areas restored without in detracting from the traditional layout.
Below is a 1955 aerial showing how the gorse and heather have become particularly robust at the Loop. This amazing little short par 4 was wall-to-wall tight grass until the patchy gorse/heather pinch point. More short grass down the left would occasionally make players on the 7th tee wait, but is hardly enough reason to take away a nice angle to certain hole locations.