Golf Course Architecture - Issue 58 October 2019

57 its enormous and lavishly contoured putting surfaces, get the surfaces firm and tuck the pins and there is plenty of challenge there to keep Open Championship contestants interested. But there is another side to this. St Andrews, as the most famous course in the world, and one that hosts golfers of all levels every year, is surely the most obvious example; to remain challenging in the world of 460cc drivers, the championship tees have been pushed back so far that, on several holes, they are actually out of bounds in the traditional measuring of the course. And yet, when the Open comes to town, the big hitting pros can drive the greens of several famous old par fours, and have only the shortest flick to many others. The course – despite its unmatched short game challenge – is being overpowered. We should note here that the point of this article is not to advocate for a rollback of the ball. It’s true that I believe a shorter ball for tournament play to be the simplest and best solution to the problem of distance, but let us not consider that option any further. Nor is it a question of winning scores being too low, least of all in relation to the wholly artificial context of ‘par’. No; the issue with pros overpowering famous old courses is the variety of skills required to play top level golf, especially the ability to hit long approaches to tightly guarded greens. There would not be a plaque in Merion’s eighteenth fairway if Hogan had hit a seven iron to the green in 1950. South African architect Andrew Goosen, currently at work on a new nine hole layout that is designed specifically to attract beginners as well as expert golfers, says: “I think we have to focus on what the definition of fun and playable is for the weaker golfer, as it is relatively ‘straightforward’ to design for the long hitting pro. The new/weaker golfer, like the seasoned professional, wants to experience the thrill of successfully negotiating a penal hazard – but not too often, and not over too far a distance. They too want to be able to feel free to swing the driver as hard as possible every now and again as well. Some of this can be achieved through multiple teeing areas offering variety in hole length and the angle from which it is played. But the divide between the distances a seasoned pro hits and the average club player is massive – 100 yards with a driver, if not more. Which Photo: St Andrews Links Trust With firm surfaces and tucked pins, the Old course at St Andrews can still provide a challenge to big-hitting pros