(WXYZ) — The Old Course at St. Andrews is among the most famous courses in the world. It’s The Home of Golf, and unlike many of the other top courses in the world, it’s open to anyone.
My wife and I went to Ireland and Scotland for a trip in April that – by a stroke of luck – our trip included a round at The Old Course.
I had incredibly high expectations going over there. There has been so much said about the Old Course. Some people say it takes several rounds to appreciate the Old Course, but for me, it only took one round. I’ve been grateful to play some other incredible golf courses around the country, but none stood up to The Old Course.
The Old Course is famous for many reasons: It’s 112 bunkers, wide fairways, double greens, hills and mounds that send shots in a variety of directions, but it’s most famous for being considered among the first places where modern golf was played.
When I got the tee time, I immediately reached out to a friend I first met playing Oakland Hills’ South Course as part of a media preview. He caddied for us that day, but his main job was caddying at St. Andrews. Thankfully, he would be in town, and I was lucky enough to have him on my bag during the round.
If there’s one thing I’d suggest at the Old Course, it’s to take a caddy. As mentioned, there are 112 bunkers on the course, many of which can’t be seen from the tees. Your line off the tee may not be what you expect, depending on the wind, and their help on the greens will save you strokes.
The morning of April 29 came quickly. It was the final day of our once-in-a-lifetime weeklong trip, I had played the Castle Course in a strong wind and some rain the day before, and we were averaging about 25,000 steps a day. My wife and I had a great breakfast, traveled to visit Old Tom Morris’ and Young Tom Morris’ graves on the other side of town, and then arrived at the Old Course pavilion around 11 a.m., about an hour before my 12 p.m. tee time.
I did some warm-ups on the practice green, caught up with Steve, the caddy, ahead of the round, and headed toward the first tee at 11:45 a.m. At that point, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and my heart was racing from excitement. The weather was perfect. Some fog, light wind, and mid-50s.
The first tee shot is one I had dreamt about since I got the tee time. You have The Royal and Ancient Golf Club behind you, a fairway more than 100 yards wide in front of you, and people all around watching. All I thought in my head was “Don’t go right and don’t top it.”
I stepped up to the tee with a 3-hybrid, took a few practice swings and proceeded to top the ball. It popped up in front of me, rolled about 20-30 yards to my left, and we were off. (If you want to see video, I have it)
Steve gave me the plan for my next shot – hit a 7-iron close to the green, then we’ll chip on. Plans don’t always fall into place, and I took my 7-iron way right and into the Swilcan Burn, the only water hazard on the course, a small stream that runs in front of the green and into the North Sea. I took a 6 on the first hole and played a little better on the second until my shot found one of those 112 bunkers to the front left of the green. With my feet on the grass and my body in a full squat, I caught the ball clean and it flew right into another bunker. That one took me three swings to get out of on the way to a 7
After topping the third tee shot into the gorse and taking a penalty, I finally calmed down on the fourth hole. For those who may not know, the Old Course plays out and back, with holes next to each other and 14 holes sharing seven double-greens. I found the 10th green twice before I actually played the 10th hole but managed to make a 5 on every hole out before making the turn.
The halfway houses at St. Andrews have some incredible food. I had a sausage roll and a macaroni pie, which I cannot suggest enough if you’re lucky enough to play. Plus, making the turn for the back 9 means playing back into the beautiful, medieval town of St. Andrews itself.
Another great thing about the Old Course is that it’s playable for all skill levels. I’m a 14-handicap on the golf course, but I managed to make three straight pars to start the back 9, including on the par-3 11th hole where I took on the infamous Strath Bunker, a huge pot bunker in front of the green, and avoided Shell, further back and to the right of the green.
The 12th hole is one that can be incredibly punishing. It’s a short par-4, just 303 yards from the blue tees, but has six bunkers in the middle of the fairway. None are visible from the tee. I was lucky enough to avoid them on my way to par, but it makes the hole extremely challenging if you end up in the wrong spot.
The par-5 14th is the hardest on the course with out-of-bounds right and Hell Bunker hidden about 100 yards from the green. The bunker is the largest on the course at more than 300 square yards and nearly seven-feet deep, according to GolfMonthly.
The 15th hole includes more famous bunkers as your line is on the church steeple in the background trying to avoid two big humps in the fairway named “Miss Grainger’s bosoms,” before you’re off to the 16th, I was thankful to make another par on.
The other tee shot many people think about, myself included, is the 17th – the Road Hole – with a shot over The Old Course Hotel, which used to be former railway sheds. The hole plays along the road and to the smallest green. That green is protected by the Road Hole Bunker, the other famous one on the course. On this hole, my tee shot stayed left and into the rough, leaving a 180-190-yard shot to the green. I hit it well until Steve said, “Welcome to the Road Hole bunker.” Deep down, I think I wanted to see what it would be like to be in it, but when we approached, I stayed just short and had the same putt Cam Smith had in the 2022 Open Championship, around the bunker. It took three putts, but I got away with bogey.
Standing on the 18th tee and staring back out at the wide-open fairway, the R&A in the background, and the Swilcan Bridge in front of you is a feeling that can only be experienced, not told. Every person playing the course stops to take that famous photo on the Swilcan Bridge, and you can’t help but take your hat off as you cross it.
In the end, I finished with a 91, including five pars on the back nine – 10, 11, 12, 16 and 18.
As previously mentioned, anyone can play The Old Course. You can apply for a private advanced tee time, or you can show up at the Old Course Pavilion and check-in. Some people get there around midnight the night before and wait for it to open. In high season, the cost is £295, equal to about $370, but it's still comparable to or cheaper than many of America’s best public courses.
It was an experience I’ll never forget – except for maybe that first hole.
