http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/58337.htmlMaster stroke as Old Tom’s course is restored
CALUM MACDONALD
March 20 2006
In golfing circles it is the discovery of the decade, something akin to scraping the paint from an amateur oil picture and finding a Michelangelo masterpiece underneath.
But it is an original "Old Tom" rather than an Old Master which has been found under the sod and sand of a tiny Hebridean island.
Now the forgotten links course, designed by the world's most famous golf architect, is to be painstakingly restored to its full nineteenth-century glory.
The finished product will have the potential to transform the local economy of South Uist as golfers from around the world travel to the Western Isles to play on an original "Old Tom". Some companies in the US already offer golfers "Old Tom" tours of Scotland.
The discovery of the course designed by Old Tom Morris, one of the pioneers of professional golf, happened by chance during a fishing trip to South Uist.
Gordon Irvine, one of the world's leading greenkeepers, learned from an islander that the nine-hole Askernish course on the island sits on top of an original 18-hole links course designed by Morris.
Mr Irvine, one of only 41 people in the world to hold the Master Greenkeeper certificate, immediately contacted some of the world's best golf course architects and greenkeepers to invite them to take part in restoring the original course.
"It's like finding the Holy Grail", said Mr Irvine. "I honestly didn't believe it was a Tom Morris course when I first heard about it, but I've since seen the newspaper cuttings of the time."
One of those he contacted was Martin Ebert, the renowned golf course architect who has played a part in designing 60 courses in 16 countries.
Old Tom Morris, so called because he had an equally famous son who bore the same name, was an accomplished champion, course designer and club-maker.
He helped establish the Open and came second in the inaugural competition in 1860. He played in every Open for the next 36 years, winning four times.
As well as holding the record for the oldest winner of the Open at 46, he is considered the father of modern greenkeeping and is responsible for standardising the golf course length at 18 holes.
Morris had a hand in designing 69 courses, 52 of which were in Scotland, including Muirfield, Prestwick, Carnoustie and Royal Dornoch.
He designed Askernish in 1892, but the course was neglected over time and a nine-hole course eventually laid over the top of it. It is the oldest course in the Western Isles.
Mr Irvine and a team of volunteers travelled to South Uist last week and pegged out the old Morris course in preparation for its restoration in May.
The team is made up entirely of volunteers who are waiving their usual fees for the once-in-a-lifetime chance of uncovering a forgotten Old Tom links course.
Askernish Golf Club is approaching golfing bodies and the European Union for the modest amount needed for the restoration work and are awaiting approval from the Askernish Common Grazings Committee before they progress.
One of those volunteering to work on the restoration project is Chris Haspell, an Englishman who is considered the leading greenkeeper in Denmark.
He said: "This course has no less than 16 signature holes; most courses can only boast one.
"Having this resource should help the local juniors and could even spawn a new Tiger Woods on the islands."