Old Course - A Mediocre British Open Site?

[Mark Pearce]

Us GCA buffs love TOC for the obvious reasons.  As a golf fan, I love watching on TV everything "around" the tournament.  But, the last three have not been as dramatic as should be expected from the Open Championship.  It pains me to say it, but to suggest otherwise is denial.  I don't care about scores in relation to par, but I do want outcomes to be in doubt.  Thats why the Masters is usually the most exciting.  I think the issue with TOC is, unless you have huge winds, a leader can go out on Sunday and sit on it.  The course doesn't have any "traps" (pun intended)  Even 17- everyone is happy to make bogey- they know they can make it up on the cupcake 18th.  History, yes; drama, no.  I don't like it, but I have to accept it.  TOC doesn't deserve the Open every five years- make it every 9 or 10 years.  Especially if that meant accepting new courses in the rota, like RCD, Ballybunion or a number of others.  Could you imagine the excitement by us GCAers if those courses held an Open?

Ted,

I suspect a leader with a 4 or 5 shot lead is going to sit on it.  A leader with a 1 or 2 shot advantage is going to know he has to play some golf to win.  Let's face it, is there any better finish than if the last pair are playing 17 (very easy to drop a shot or more) and 18 (birdie, maybe even eagle chance) with only a shot between them.  The reason we haven't had an exciting finish at TOC in the last three Opens there is all down to the third round lead, not the nature of the course.

And lwet's be honest.  If you think the Masters has a recent record of exciting last days, you have a different definition of exciting to me.  OK, this year was good, but the previous few?  That's a snoozefest.

[Mark Pearce]

Over time, we will see, but tv ratings

No, they don't.  Not in the context of this question.  Frankly TV ratings have nothing to do with the quality of the course to do anything.  They'll get good ratings for the Ryder Cup this year.  Will that make Celtic Manor a great course?

and the ability to test the best players in the world matter.   

And TOC tests the best players in the world as well as anywhere.  Just not in the dull, one-dimensional par-obsessed USGA way that you think makes a great test of golf.

[James Boon]

We were spoilt at Turnberry last year with some great entertainment. Virtually everyone wanted Watson to win, Cink telling everyone Santa doesn't exist going on to win, good challenge from Westwood, Fisher being up there but blowing it at the start of the round. All that made for great television. So a chap having a big lead, which no one makes any early inroads into on the last day, is going to seem dull by comparrison, but does that make TOC a mediocre Open site? No way!

Hats off to Oosthuizen for getting the lead he did, but if he wasn't there it would have been an awesome last day tussle between Westwood, Casey, Kaymer, Stenson and McIlroy. If they had all come to the last 4 or 5 holes having a chance, then we really would have seen why thats a great closing stretch of holes.

Cheers,

James

[Chris Kane]

The Old Course is such a mediocre Open Championship site that its Tiger Woods' favourite course, and he describes winning there as "the ultimate".

[David_Elvins]

The Old Course is such a mediocre Open Championship site that its Tiger Woods' favourite course, and he describes winning there as "the ultimate".

But Chris, when JWinick asked him in private, he said the course the course was no longer relevant.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zoa9XqsWBY
not a test, too easy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygib4TXU3rA
not good for television

[Bill_McBride]

Since you've decided to get personal, how do you get up from your Lazy-Boy when you're so full of it?   You're right, Old Tom Morris intended all of these holes to be driveable.   If you asked ABC, the tour players, and the R&A privately what they thought of TOC as a British Open site, most would admit that the course is no longer relevant.   

But, you cannot admit that the emperor has no clothes, hence you lose your classical high ground.   Over time, we will see, but tv ratings and the ability to test the best players in the world matter.   

David:  if 9 and 10 were magically turned into par 3s, Jon would be raving about how these two holes are better that #16 at CPC and how no course on the planet has a better set of par 3s than TOC, starting a thread bemoaning the fact that The Open isn't played at TOC every year!    

After all, what course has not one, but two, 300+ yard par 3s?  And not just any old 300+ yard par 3s, but one where you have to carry not one but two small pot bunkers more than 290 yards while avoiding heavy gorse on the left and the other with a giant swale (the most amazing swale you've ever seen!) in front of the green, with OB not only right, but also long!  Can you even imagine the challenge and the major-worthiness of such a thing??  

The line I've highlighted in red above is where I think you are projecting your own bias on the rest of the golfing world.

How many of that group actually made that statement, or are you just imagining they might - if they agreed with you?

Why do you think the R&A has the Open there every five years if they "would admit that the course is no longer relevant?"

I fear the tide is against you on this entire issue.

One personal question:  how many rounds have you played on the Old Course?

[Jim Nugent]

 If you asked ABC, the tour players, and the R&A privately what they thought of TOC as a British Open site, most would admit that the course is no longer relevant.   

Well, we have a former tour player on this board.  Pat Burke.  Here is what he said earlier in this thread:

"From a players standpoint, I would venture a wager that more players would prefer to play in anOpen
at St. Andrews than any other site."

if 9 and 10 were magically turned into par 3s, Jon would be raving about how these two holes are better that #16 at CPC and how no course on the planet has a better set of par 3s than TOC, starting a thread bemoaning the fact that The Open isn't played at TOC every year!

9 and 10 as par 3s would make TOC even more unique, as the only tour course with four par 3s in a row.