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St Andrews Old Course in Reverse Words Ben Sargent PLAYING THE OLD COURSE IN REVERSE – A HISTORICAL JOURNEY THAT COULD TAKE YOU BACK TO THE FUTURE.
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here was a golden time, literally referred to as the Golden Age of Golf Course Architecture, in roughly the first third of the 20th century, when the vast majority of the world’s greatest courses were created. Courses like Pine Valley, National Golf Links of America, Royal Melbourne, Royal County Down, Cypress Point, Pinehurst and Winged Foot to name but a few. The architects of these greats were all disciples of the Old Course. They had all spent time specifically studying the features of the Old Course and also in most cases learning from the man who had by far the most significant input in its design, Old Tom Morris. Some of the most famous and influential course designers, names like A.W Tillinghast, CB MacDonald, Alistair Mackenzie, Harry Colt and Donald Ross, all studied The Old, and exchanged ideas with Old Tom. It’s no exaggeration to say that the vast majority of golf courses in the world today will have a bloodline that on some level traces back to the two Old’s – Tom and the Old Course.
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R and A Clubhouse Old Pavilion 40 | upsWing | spring 2020
Links Clubhouse In more recent times, Old Course disciples like Doak, Hanse and Coore & Crenshaw have invigorated their own current designs with an even purer version of the Old Course. Streamsong in USA or Tara Iti in New Zealand (all featuring the above designers) have pushed the boundaries (quite literally) of maximum width and strategy through angles and ground contours, just like the Old Course. But what virtually nobody has ever sought to recreate is what St Andrews did for around
The Wisley | Golf Mag azine
