The Old Course St Andrews is a place of great natural beauty/ matched with an epic golfing history. This place has become to many a golfer the "Mecca of golf". The Old Course is unusual in that it starts and finishes in the town, the beautiful stone R & A clubhouse in front of the first tee and the old shops and town houses to the right of the 18th fairway, lending it an almost spiritual feel, reflected in the many pictures on this site.
People have come from all across the world to visit this truly special place, to stand on the hallowed turf of the Old Course, have their photo taken on Swilken Bridge like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Old Tom Morris and take in the atmosphere.
Golf in some form has been played at St. Andrews over the past six centuries. Despite its reputation and status, it remains a public course and is one of 6 public courses on St. Andrews Links.
The Oldest course in the world has evolved over the years and was not designed by one architect. The people who have played a significant role in shaping it are Daw Anderson (1850's), Old Tom Morris (1860's-1900's) and Dr Alister Mackenzie (1930's). The Old Course at St. Andrews is considered to be the home of golf.
Many of the photographs and art on this site depict the many different moods of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Some of the best photographs are taken using the early morning and late evening sunlight: the low sun and shadows bring a unique perspective. An empty course in the winter snow or a 40,000 strong crowd on the last day of the Open; you know it's the same place, but the images are worlds apart.
Swilken Bridge
It is not known which stone masons built this famous bridge or when it was built, but what is known is that it was built to accommodate safe crossing of the winding Swilken Burn. Little did these masons know how famous the Swilken Bridge of St. Andrews would become. It is probably the most iconic image in golf. It is the one place on the Old course where every golfer must have his picture taken as a memento of their special day.
Many a golfing legend has walked the few steps across this little stone walk-way to their date with history. When you think of the Swilken Bridge, you think of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer closing their Open history, saying their goodbyes to their adoring fans as they complete their 18 holes of the Old Course. There is so much history an emotion associated with the Swilken Bridge of St. Andrews.
Road Hole
The 17th hole or Road Hole (so called because a road, which is in play, runs hard against the back edge of the green) is one of the most famous golfing holes in the world. It has been said by many of the golfing greats to be the hardest par 4 in the world. The 455-yard hole includes a blind drive over the side of a hotel wall, a road behind the green, a pot bunker which does not like to give up the ball very easily and a notoriously tricky green which slopes towards the road bunker.
Another unusual feature of the Old Course is the double greens, where the outward and inward holes are cut on the same putting surface. These greens are very large, not surprisingly, and golfers can be faced with putts of almost 100 yards.
