McPherson (sic) book on the Old Course?

[Rich Goodale]

John Huggan (very favorably) reviewed in the latest Scotland on Sunday a book by a Mr. McPherson of New Zealand which was designed to be THE definitive description as to how the Old Course has evolved over time.  I heard about this project when writing my own Old Course book 2+ years ago, and it is obviously a labour of love.  Has anybody seen it, or know where it can be purchased?

Thanks in advance

Rich

PS--ijn case you are wondering, I threw my copy of the newspaper away, alas......

[Tony_Muldoon]

Rich is there another "Experience..." in the pipeline?

[Grant Saunders]

Richard

Here is the web link for the design company of Scott Macpherson and Greg Turner. You can order the book through here. http://www.tmgolfdesign.com/home.html

[Pete_Pittock]

I just ordered one yesterday through their link to the Stetson Group. The book was mentioned in the most recent Links magazine and has a run of 3,000. Ron Whitten must have written about it and used it in his articles about the 2005 Open at St Andrews. I referenced it in a 2005 thread on the 18th at TOC.
Re:TOC 18th--defenseless
« Reply #140 on: July 19, 2005, 07:48:04 pm »

[Brian_Ewen]

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport.cfm?id=1356112007

""£45 from Waterstones or by mail order from www.tmgolfdesign.com""

[Rich Goodale]

Richard

Here is the web link for the design company of Scott Macpherson and Greg Turner. You can order the book through here. http://www.tmgolfdesign.com/home.html

Thanks, Grant

[Rich Goodale]

Rich is there another "Experience..." in the pipeline?

A bit of foreplay is going on, Tony, but no "yes.  Yes!  YES!!!" yet, alas.....

[Mark Buzminski]

Thanks for the information on this book.  I recall mention of it in Golf World around the time of the Open in '05 and have heard hide nor hair about it since.  

[Pete_Pittock]

   My copy of Scott MacPherson's 'St. Andrews;The Evolution of the Old Course; The Impact on Golf of Time, Tradition & Technology' arrived in the mail earlier this week.
   Having read its 200 page, and looked at all the charts and pictures, this is a must have book for architecture students. Don't be offput by the price, it is worth every NZ$.
   After the beginning setting the course the book's chapters are determined by ball era and how changes to the course were implemented to counter technological improvements, followed by the author's thoughts and conclusions.  
    Side by side pictures of what the course looked like for the 1900 and 2005 Opens. Check. Want to check hole locations for the last two Opens vs the traditional medal spots of the late 1930s?
    Smallest green? How many miles walking to mow the largest double green. Finding out you can rent hickories and gutties for your round. Now you tell me. It is all there.
    If I wanted to research something on St Andrews I'd have to look through many books of my library. Scott's book probably has the answer.
   

[Mark Bourgeois]

Pete,

I haven't been able to find anything on the origins of bunkers in it (other than who many are named after), but I haven't yet plowed through it as you have. I would have thought he at least might have gotten into the provenance of Shell Bunker, but no luck there, either.

Did I miss something?

Mark

[Rich Goodale]

Mark

Shell bunker is so known due to the fact that it was originally full of cockle shells.  I don't know for sure, but expect that it was a natural feature, ameliorated by men over time.

Rich

[Mark Bourgeois]

Rich

My understanding is that it was some sort of midden or Carboniferous(?) shell-laden area, but what made it Shell Bunker was the townsfolk bringing their buckets to haul off the shells. Yes?

In which case, just another example of man, not sheep, creating bunkers...

Mark

[Rich Goodale]

Mark

The only source I have says that the sand was dumped on top of the old shells to make ball extrication easier.  And, yes, it would have taken one helluva big bad-arsed sheep to make Shell Bunker!

Rich

[Mark Bourgeois]

Mark

The only source I have says that the sand was dumped on top of the old shells to make ball extrication easier.  And, yes, it would have taken one helluva big bad-arsed sheep to make Shell Bunker!

Rich

The kind that played for ZA last night -- haw!

[Pete_Pittock]

Mark,
  Sorry if I misled. There is no provenance for names of all the bunkers,nor a list of all the bunkers. There is a chronologival list by holes of all changes to the course since 1866, including when bunkers were cut, tees added etc. St. Andrews was quite dynamic in bunker additions, especially in the years preceding WWI. After 1924 no bunkers have been added, and only three filled in. Two were foozle bunker in front of ther 13th tee. The Hull bunker, next to Cottage bunker on the 15th was filled in 1949.
   

[Chris Cupit]

I've enjoyed the book so far!  I was struck at how the yardages evolved with a hole like 18 actually losing yardage.

I also came across this from the book:

After finishing as runner-up in 1960 at the old course and then winning in 1961 and 1962, Arnold Palmer did not even bother to compete in the 1964 Open at St. Andrews due to a "hectic scheule in the states"

I'm not done yet, but it's been a very interesting read so far.

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