Old Course
hole-by-hole guide
Contents
Hole 1
Hole 2
Hole 3
Hole 4
Hole 5
Hole 6
Hole 7
Hole 8
Hole 9
Hole 10
Hole 11
Hole 12
Hole 13
Hole 14
Hole 15
Hole 16
Hole 17
Hole 18
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The Home of Golf
The Open was first contested on the links at St Andrews in 1873 when Tom Kidd was the winner. Since then, the championship has been decided there on 27 further occasions. Many legends of the game have lifted the Claret Jug in front of the iconic, sandstone Royal and Ancient clubhouse; they include James Braid, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. The Old Course is unique, a product of 200 years of natural evolution and just the occasional tweak of design. With its double greens, crossovers, blind shots, firm and fast fairways and notoriously perilous bunkering, it’s an inimitable masterpiece. It’s a track that demands a careful, strategic approach. The bunkers must be used as waypoints and avoided if at all possible, as Tiger did completely in 2000. The sprawling putting surfaces mean finding greens in regulation isn’t overly challenging, but using the slopes to get near the pins is far more so. The man named “Champion Golfer for the Year” on Sunday afternoon will have plotted a patient and accurate course around golf’s “Grand Old Lady.” Here follows a look at each of the holes he’ll have navigated. Words: Fergus Bisset Exclusive photography: Kevin Murray Videos courtesy of St Andrews Links, presented by Steve North – Director of Instruction and Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach
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