St. Andrews Links - Old Course Review

Course Review and Comments

I played the Old Course just once in near drought conditions, so the wear & tear of 40K rounds/year was evident. Nonetheless, it was a thrill. The course was playing very fast & firm. A caddie is an absolute must if you are unfamiliar with this course. And I believe that the more you play here, the more you will appreciate the exquisite subtleties. Basically a flat course, humps and bumps abound. Because of the overall fishhook type layout, slicers will struggle while hookers have a chance. The general rule is if you can't hit it down the middle, STAY LEFT. The gorse, which is virtually always right, is inpenetrable. The bunkering is quite something all the way round, not just the few famous ones. The greens are just amazing in size and, in spots, contour. Fourteen of them are double greens so big that it is hard to hit it close to the hole. On the first par 5 I had a 100 foot putt for eagle that I was happy to 3-putt. The caddie was invaluable in reading the lines too. I find it hard to separate the course from the feeling I had while playing. Much of that comes from the atmosphere of the town itself, which is nearly indescribable. St. Andrews Old Course is the must-play of all must-plays.