Champion feeling at the old course

Day three of our “Fife Golf Tour” started with great optimism, angst and hope all rolled into one – 36 holes around the New and Old Courses at St Andrews – now there can’t be too many golfers able to say that! At £75 (Dh550) and £135 (Dh980) respectively (a mere snip by today’s standards) it was a day to take in, relax and enjoy the experience at all cost.

After the short walk to the clubhouse to start our round, my initial reflections were not of awe at the sprawling dunes but of the modern look of the clubhouse – not particularly befitting the surroundings but more perhaps a sign of times with tradition and culture being brought in to the 21st century.

The New Course for me was enjoyable perhaps more because of the grounds it sits proudly on, however as far as a test by modern standards the shortness of the course impacted the experience greatly. The New Course is a good example of how equipment progression has affected older, more traditional courses, but one that shouldn’t deter anyone from playing the 120-year-old masterpiece of its time.

The course was magnificently turned out and should the wind have blown I may have written a slightly different summary.

We were greeted on the first tee of the Old Course by a charming, charismatic gentleman full of energy with an underlying air of dignity. He demanded respect through his demeanour, while affording each of us with a kind welcome and informative introduction to the course – an experience in itself and well worthy of the occasion.

With scores of people continuously milling around the first tee and the back of the 18th green, the opening shot wasn’t for the faint-hearted but faced with perhaps the widest fairway in the world it was manageable. A nicely struck three-wood, a flick pin high right and a cool 15-footer later and I was under the card (for the second time in two attempts down the first hole of the Old).

Now rather than bore you with the details I was faced needing to play the last two holes (including the formidable 17th “Road Hole”) in one under par to take the chequered flag ahead of my fellow trippies. A pinned drive over the old railway sheds, a well struck five-iron safely on to the top layer of the green and two putts later, I was elated to make a par on arguably the hardest hole in Open history.

With wedge in my hand down the last and the pin cut agonisingly over the “Valley of Sin”, my ball landed softly 10ft right to the rapturous applause of the gallery taking in the atmosphere at the back of the green. When the ball dropped for a birdie three I felt like an Open Champion! But I guess everyone does when they play the Old Course – and what a course!