Living the Dream at St Andrews
For some it’s the Eiffel Tower, for others it’s Disneyland. For me, the opportunity to attend The Open at St Andrews was an opportunity of a lifetime, and frankly, one I never thought I’d get. The great thing about this trip was that everyone was there to make the most of it; to take in as much detail as they could, and we all appreciated how great the experience was.
St Andrews is an amazing place. Golf aside, the sense of history throughout the town engulfs you. Everywhere you look there is a story to be told, and a healthy reminder of how young Australia is. But there is an ever present reminder of the significance the game of golf has played in the more “recent” history of the past 500 years or so. Golf shops seem never more than 20 paces apart, and even the fashion houses have a golf flavour to their range.
For all the fame and history, the Old Course just sits at the edge of the town. No formal gates, no regal driveway. It’s just there, innocently awaiting the next fourball to nervously play from the 1st tee into the vast expanse of fairway that “no-one could miss”, and then the 18th green welcoming them back some 4 hours later.
The course itself is an amazing reminder of how the game originated. The contours and undulations demand that imagination plays as much part as pure ball striking, and that at least some part of your game will need to played along the ground, even before you get to the green.
The course meanders out towards the Firth of Fyth, where the breeze stiffens and the cross over holes of 7 and 11 proudly defy modern safe golf course architecture, until it turns back for home from the 10th tee. Blind tee shots, ruthless bunkering, extreme greens. From the 2nd to the 17th, they test every aspect of your game and your mind, while the 1st and 18th seem so innocuous; almost a calming start and finish to the round, and yet disaster was witnessed at both.
We were extremely fortunate to be given the chance to walk the course with the maintenance team from 4am in the morning on the Friday and Saturday, as they set up for the days play. The amount of activity was great to watch, and yet the atmosphere was calm and collected….at least to the observer!
While walking the course, you couldn’t help but imagine the great rounds that have been played there by some of the greatest players in the game. But even more incredible was to imagine how little had probably changed since the days of Old Tom.
The scale of the event, the size of the crowds, and how respectful they were of the game are hard to describe, but amazing to experience.
Highlights? Sitting in the stand watching groups tackle the Road Hole. Standing on the Swilken Bridge, in the Valley of Sin, on the first tee, the 18th tee. Stepping onto the 17th green, into the Road Hole bunker. Watching the sun rise over the most famous course in the world. Seeing a new champion live out his dream from the most amazing vantage point. Sharing all this with colleagues and friends.
But that wasn’t all. We then set out on our golfing odyssey, having the chance to play Lundin Links (a century old links course, largely unchanged today) Gleneagles PGA course (site of the 2014 Ryder Cup), Blairgowrie Golf Club (a stunning heathland course), and the newest course of the St Andrews Links Trust stable, the Castle Course. But the highlight of that week for me was playing the Ailsa Course at Turnberry. A magnificent piece of land with a course that did it justice, and Euan Grant was a wonderful host.
I could never thank Richard Walne, Peter Schumaker, Geoff Stephens and the Toro team enough. It was an amazing experience that will never be forgotten. And to Gordon Moir and his team during The Open, an amazing job, and thank you for the opportunity.
