ST ANDREWS / Is The Open at the Old Course on the road to obsolescence?

Professional golfers seem to be over-powering the Old Course at St Andrews in the same way we all do on the PlayStation. Should we be worried?

Scottish golf writer John Huggan knows the Old Course at St Andrews as well as anyone and his piece for Golf Digest is an alarming read. If you’re a golf architecture nut, or especially concerned about where the professional game is headed this is a must read.

Today, power is fast overwhelming placement in its importance on an Old Course that is, to these eyes—and clearly those of others within the R&A— is careening headlong into potential obsolescence as far as hosting the Open Championship is concerned.

There have been hints over the years. As far back as 2000, Tiger Woods won the Open Championship by eight shots and never visited any of the Old Course’s famous bunkers. Such a feat was a tribute to the talent and shot-making of the man who was then, by a distance, the game’s leading practitioner. But it was also a warning signal. While Woods’ exceptional ability was surely a factor in his grass-only triumph, so was the obvious fact that many of the previously intimidating bunkers were no longer in play, especially for the longer hitters.

Read the full piece: What’s going on at the Old Course (and should we be worried)? – John Huggan