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ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND | At this point the R&A and the St Andrews Links Trust can breathe again.
A few weeks after the two organizations unveiled their ‘carefully planned program of improvements and rehabilitation of the Old Course ahead of the 155th Open in 2027’, it appears none of the local residents have raised any objections. While the most significant changes are aimed at championship golfers rather than everyday golfers, city dwellers always want to know what’s happening with their links – and be prepared to strike where necessary.
For example, when the mud at both ends of the 700-year-old Swilken Bridge was suddenly replaced with modern decking slabs in February 2023, they called the equivalent of 999 and called for them to be removed as soon as possible. That happened first thing on a Monday morning, and when I asked a passing female golfer if the pranks had really been the talk of the town, she replied with exasperation, “It’s not just the talk of the town, it’s the talk of the world.”
To borrow from the carefully crafted press release issued by the R&A and the Links Trust on October 28, “the project will refine the strategic challenge for elite players in a small number of areas for future championships.” At the same time, the intention is “to restore traditional features that have evolved over time to enhance the playing experience for local and visiting golfers.”
Mackenzie and Ebert, the renowned golf course architects who have overseen multiple renovations across the Open roster, will be working on the project with the R&A and the Links Trust and when it comes to the 17th hole, you can be sure they haven’t taken advice from Bob MacIntyre. Although the Scot won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last month with a spectacular trio of 66s, he let loose last year by suggesting he ‘blow up’ the 17th before ranking it as one of ‘the worst holes in the world’. (It hardly needs to be mentioned that he collected a double bogey on Saturday and a bogey on Sunday.)
The uproar that Scotland’s favorite son had caused was so great that he felt obliged to write an apology – both humble and humorous – in the hole itself. “Sorry 17th hole @thehomeofgolf,” he wrote on X. “All in the heat of the moment, nothing personal.”
In any case, on this occasion, the relevant experts have planned that one of golf’s most famous holes will enjoy “a sympathetic restoration to reduce the effect of sand splashes at the Road Hole Bunker.” In other words, the gap will be left in relative peace compared to what happened prior to the 2010 and 2015 Opens; Paul Lawrie described the new tee built for the former championship as “out of place”, and Tiger Woods said the widening of the Road Hole Bunker undertaken before the last championship was unnecessary. By the way, it is not only sand splashes that influence the depth of the Road Hole Bunker. Golfers are known to have occasionally asked friends to spread their ashes in it. Before you ask: the Hell Bunker on hole 14 is not a very popular resting place.
For Mackenzie and Ebert, discussions about the new changes began in earnest in 2020, when the pair considered how, if Bryson DeChambeau were to win a series of majors, it could impact the Open roster.
“It’s horrible to think the writing is on the wall for the Old Course,” Mackenzie said at the time.
“Of all the Open courses,” Ebert continued, “the Old Course is the one where we have exhausted all options when it comes to finding extra yards.”
There was more to their back and forth.
“We want the pros to have to stand on the tee and think about their options,” Ebert said before Mackenzie chimed in with the idea that the pros should be asked to work with fewer clubs: “How fun would it be to see a Bryson or a would-be Bryson have to make a shot instead of pulling out a wedge to do the thinking for him?”
“In Britain the average putting surface is around 500 square metres. On the Old Course it is more than 2,000.” –Jim Coxton
Since DeChambeau had not won more than two majors – both US Opens – since that conversation, it was interesting to hear what Ebert had to say in August of this year when he explained the changes to Trump Turnberry. When asked on this occasion what the Open schedule would look like in five to 10 years, he said he was confident St Andrews would stay, “because it’s so interesting.”
Foursomes outings and a Stableford event for R&A members took place two Fridays ago, with the players’ main topic of discussion focusing on the planned changes for the 16th. This is a gap where the adjustments would affect them no less than the men of the major championship.
According to the plans, “the historic playing route to the left of the Principal’s Nose and Deacon Sime bunkers will be restored, along with the addition of two bunkers to increase risk on the left side of the extended fairway.” In the days leading up to the ’22 Open – his first at St. Andrews – Scottie Scheffler practiced hitting his tee shots in the left Rough from the get-go. (The strategy has long been a simple get-out clause for the best players.)
Jim Coxton, the CEO of BIGGA (the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association), said all the proposals, particularly the 16th, made perfect sense to him. He added that the leadership of St Andrews Links Trust and the R&A, along with that of Mackenzie and Ebert, “has a track record of working with the greenkeeping team when it comes to changes and this time will be no different. Everything will be perfect.”
He then delivered a fascinating reminder of the enormous size of the putting surfaces on the Old Course – surfaces that led Old Tom Morris to be the first to propose mowing greens shorter than the fairways. “In Britain,” said Coxton, “the average putting area is about 500 square meters. On the Old Course they are more than 2,000. Even allowing for the fact that there are only 11 greens on the Old Course, their total area is more than double the 18 greens of a regular course. The largest green, shared by the fifth and 13th holes, is over 3,400 square meters, which is about the size of seven normal putting greens. Imagine what that means for maintenance!”
For more information on the upcoming changes, six holes will add to the additional 132 yards (to a total of 7,445) that were always going to be difficult to find. In this case, the new championship tees at the fifth, sixth, seventh and 10th will play an important role, adding 35, 17, 22 and 29 yards respectively, while tee extensions at Nos. 11 and 16 will add a further 21 and 10 yards.
The second moves the two bunkers on the right further from the tee and to the left to make them more relevant to the line of play. On the ninth, the approach bunkers on the right will be extended slightly towards the line of play, including Boase’s Bunker, which will be restored to its larger and less circular form. And on the 12th, the championship tee will be slightly realigned to facilitate the movement of championship spectators, with a similar process being carried out at the “daily play” tee on 14.
It has not yet been announced how much the work will cost. But considering St Andrews is the most expensive place to live in Scotland, the new bunkers on the Old Course won’t be cheap to begin with.
But judging by the general approval, it will definitely be worth it. The links can only become more “interesting,” to use Ebert’s word, less so in an era when so many major championship courses can look largely the same.
Moreover, one can only think that Jon Rahm will have set much more than his LIV colleagues think that the traditions of the game mean much more to them than they ever thought possible.
Who wouldn’t want to compete in the ’27 Open at St Andrews? And will they care if the course is a few hundred meters shorter (and the purse a few million dollars less) than those at the other majors? The answer is no.
Instead, they will all focus on that famous Jack Nicklaus quote: “If you want to be a player people will remember, you have to win the Open at St. Andrews.”
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