ST ANDREWS’ HIDDEN VALUE FOR GOLF DEVELOPMENT
As a course architect, one of the most enjoyable elements of The Open build up each year is the anticipation of revisiting one of the select few courses on its roster – to see how it is set up and how the pros tackle it, appreciate the vast difference from the previous year’s course, and therefore the 4-round challenge ahead. Whilst of course they’re all links courses, they also offer infinite variety – from location and scale of dunes to nuances of design layout and strategy; their diversity highlights why the game, and the challenge of The Open in particular, is just so intriguing.
I’ve visited The Old Course several times (not as many as I’d like), as well as studying and reading its history and development over the years, but this was my first Open in St Andrews, and so given its history I’ve been particularly interested to see how it differs from other Opens. Following Royal St George’s in 2021 – a course I know well, and which inhabits an entirely different location, geography, geology and environment – the Old Course challenge is almost as different as is possible to find from one Open to another.
As the highlight of the golfing calendar each year, I try to take away ideas from each Open that either challenge convention or we can apply directly – or indirectly – to our work. They come from anywhere – from observing the course itself, discussing a particular hole’s playing strategy with Sir Nick, or from a discussion with an industry colleague. Whilst standing alongside the Old Course 18th green it was the main question of an impromptu interview I was invited to give that got me thinking this year. Asked what makes the Old Course special and if it is (still) relevant to golf course design and development, I responded by pointing out that all golf courses – directly or indirectly – have been influenced to some degree by how the game developed at The Home of Golf.
Whilst some argue that the game has moved beyond the Old Course as a venue for professional events, I and many others maintain the exact opposite – even despite the length of the modern pro game, and as was demonstrated by the contest we have all just witnessed. All players are faced with the same course challenges and so whilst -20 is a record-breaking number to win The Open, it is just a number – and incidentally, only one shot fewer than the previous record set by any of the greatest players to ever play the game. Golf in strokeplay format is fairly unique in this regard – it is the course itself that provides much of the challenge (with the Old Course doing more so and with greater personality and character than any other!) and largely not competition between players; the whole field face the same challenge and only the three leading players that approached or reached -20 last week can claim to have come close to mastering it, well ahead of their rivals, with Cameron Smith rightly coming out on top.
From my experience and those of many others – including (anecdotally) seasoned golf industry folk – this was an amazing Open to attend. Yes, the play and atmosphere on-course was spectacular; but whilst Smith, Young and McIlroy’s hole-by-hole and finishing scores – and the corresponding challenges and hazards they faced on the course that led to them – provide context to their success and defeat, the exceptional strategic variety and course layout should not be the most high value take-aways for the golf development industry this year.
During the week I was fortunate to see an updated presentation on the R&A’s Lethamhill Golf Facility. Described by R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers as a “destination for golf that is welcoming and attractive to all members of the family”, it targets engagement of the local community by presenting a golf venue in a far less formal context than has become the norm. This in itself is nothing new – Sir Nick, myself and many others have been advocating similar ideas for a number of years, with many having been built – but to see the sport’s custodian and governing body investing in such a scheme is enormously encouraging. It shows a willingness to move beyond what has become the norm, address the issues that have held the game back for some time and ultimately highlight the importance that golf should be (as it was originally) a game for everyone to enjoy.
Golf reached a crossroads a good few years ago – long discussed issues including ball distance, maintenance standards, sustainability and pace of play have all, to some degree, contributed to the game’s diminishing popularity and accessibility, with little having been done to address them until relatively recently. The joint R&A/USGA Distance Insights Project has looked at issues across the game that are affected by increasing shot length, whilst the R&A’s closer ties with and work alongside GEO Foundation, and their launch of the Golf 2030 initiative, show a commitment to responsible sustainable and environmental leadership for golf.
But the issue that really stands out for me in the context of this Open in St Andrews is both the event’s and the course’s engagement with the town itself. Standing alongside the 18th green – during an Open, as well as on any normal day – is an education of how to integrate golf into its community; two key qualities are worth highlighting :
The course’s physical relationship with the town
The Old Course essentially ‘plugs in’ to the urban fabric of St Andrews – at a right angle, no less, at the junction of The Links and Golf Place – in front of historic shops, golf club buildings, residences and hotels. The only barrier between the course and town (aside from one week every five years) is a picket fence around the 1st tee and 18th green area, to prevent disruption of play, but the links land itself is publicly accessible and the course is closed for golf on Sundays for use instead by the town’s residents as a multi-use park.
In/Out flow of Open spectators to St Andrews
There can be very few other sporting events that embrace their host town as The Open does with St Andrews. Not only is the course plugged into its fabric, but the R&A organisers actively permitted and encouraged spectators to leave the temporarily enclosed venue, allowing them to experience the town’s history and hospitality before returning again for more golf. What a way to integrate the local community into the event.
Whilst these special qualities couldn’t possibly be applied in the same way for most clubs or projects, the fact that the course successfully embraces its proximity to, and social and commercial relationship with, the town and its community surely suggests that closer replication or influence of such a model is worth entertaining for newer golf developments, in any manner of contexts.
That isn’t to say new developments don’t attempt exactly that. But golf course planning and design is not just about defining course boundaries, clubhouse location, course routing, tee, green and bunker locations. If golf developments are to be sustainable businesses then consideration must be given not just to the courses themselves but to how they operate, interact with and improve the communities around them. Of course, as The Home of Golf St Andrews is a special case that traverses the social and commercial barriers in golf. Nonetheless, every golf development exists in some sort of community and I can’t help but feel that the impact of those barriers can be lessened by looking back to the model that has existed for longer than any other. After all, replication of successful and attractive urban environments is surely the very nature of masterplanning and urban design?
So, is the Old Course still relevant to modern golf course design and development? Yes, I think it most definitely is and most of all it is relevant to golf’s distinctive contribution to living life well.
Gareth Williams.