AHEAD OF HIS TIME

A four-time Champion Golfer and an innovator in modern greenkeeping methods, Old Tom Morris also le his mark on the gol ng world with a long list of stunning golf courses in all four corners of Great Britain and Ireland, including the iconic Old Course at St Andrews, the challenging contours at Carnoustie and Muir eld, to the rumpled fairways of County Down, North Devon and Lahinch, and dozens more championship venues in between

If you’ve played much golf in Scotland there’s a strong chance you’ve trod the crumpled fairways and undulating greens originally designed by one of the game’s most iconic gures – Old Tom Morris.

Despite possessing almost mythical status, Tom Morris – he only became ‘Old’ to distinguish himself from his son, also Tom, who became ‘Young’ – was a larger-than-life character who came to dominate the gol ng scene as a player and latterly a golf course architect in his native Scotland – and then much further a eld – during the second half of the 19th century.

Born in St Andrews in 1821, Morris started out his gol ng life as an apprentice to the legendary St Andrews professional and clubmaker Allan Robertson. Their partnership endured for over a decade, often playing together in foursomes matches, however their friendship came to a somewhat abrupt end in 1848 when Robertson red Morris after he discovered that his protégé had had the temerity to use a new-fangled gutta percha ball in favour of the featherie ball used by Robertson, which he also used to sell in his shop.

Always a man to embrace progress while respecting the past, Morris moved to Prestwick in 1851 to serve as the club’s rst professional and greenkeeper –the roles were often doubled up in those days. With no more than two dozen golf clubs existing anywhere in the world at that time, Morris was given virtual carte blanche to design the 12-hole course at Prestwick that was to become the blueprint for so many of his future projects, including criss-crossing fairways, blind tee shots, big greens and short par 4s.