The Ballot at St. Andrews

[Bill_McBride]

I was killing a little time with one of my favorite books, Bernardo Darwin's 1910 Golf Courses of the British Isles, reading about the Kent-Sussex links of Sandwich, Prince's, Deal, Littlestone, all favorites, when I ran across the following to my surprise:

"Rye is such a friendly, quiet spot; never in a hurry, and never with the least appearance of being full, save, perhaps, for a short time in the summer when it is infested with artists.  [ ]   It is the ideal place for the golfer who is wearied out with a fortnight's fruitless balloting at St Andrews, which has resulted in his once drawing a time, and that at 12:30."

I'm now even more excited than ever about visiting Rye in September, but stunned to learn that one had to win in the daily ballot to play the Old Course in 1910!   I have read that the green fee was quite reasonable in the not too distant past.  I just can't imagine there could have been the need for a ballot, over a two week span, in 1910!

Any of you Old Course aficionados have any clues to this situation?



















!

[Kevin Pallier]

Bill

Sorry cant answer that one - and I will digress for a short moment. I was interested to hear recently that Terry Thornton who is over there was able to secure a spot amongst around 20 others in a ballot of 75 odd. Virtually a 1 in 4 opportunity in peak season ain't too bad I suppose - that and the early line up option.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill

Sorry cant answer that one - and I will digress for a short moment. I was interested to hear recently that Terry Thornton who is over there was able to secure a spot amongst around 20 others in a ballot of 75 odd. Virtually a 1 in 4 opportunity in peak season ain't too bad I suppose - that and the early line up option.

Yes, but 100 years ago?   I was literally flabbergasted   

[Ronald Montesano]

Ask Melvyn...he was 22 at the time...

What is wrong with a 12:30 time at St. A, day or night?

[Bill_McBride]

Ask Melvyn...he was 22 at the time...

What is wrong with a 12:30 time at St. A, day or night?

In 1910?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ask Melvyn...he was 22 at the time...

What is wrong with a 12:30 time at St. A, day or night?

I guess that when a round took just over 2 hours, 12.30 was about as in convenient in breaking up your day as is possible... Now any time is as good as the next because golf takes a WHOLE day rather than being an interlude from more important daily activities...

[Niall C]

Bill

As golf boomed in the 1890's and into the 1900's St Andrews was seen as the mecca that all affluent golfers wanted to visit and therefore there was a great demand for the old course (what changes ?). Consequently one of the complaints was that often the condition of the course was poor due to overplay, especially with more and more iron play, and that a lack of water on the course often turned it into a dust bowl. There was a great concern that TOC would lose its position in the game because of this, and what to do was a major topic in the golfing press of the time. WH Fowler was one who made some snobbish comments about the riff raff taking over. Can't recall when balloting was brought in but I think they only started charging a green fee round about 1908. It was round about then that the idea of a fourth course was first muted as well to try and further ease congestion.

Another idea that was muted at the time was making either the New or the Jubilee bunkerless to try and attract the hackers off the Old and onto it. No doubt Sean would approve, not that I'm suggesting he's a hacker obviously  .

Niall