Ouch, Principal's Nose surrounded in a sea of rough!

[Pete Lavallee]

Although there is fairgreen to right of the complex the left hand side is engulfed in long grass. Now I know Tour Pros refuse to play between the Nose and wall but this has taken away the option of playing close to the left of it. This seems contrary to the principles that the Old Course espouses; wide fairways where you deicde where to play not the R&A!

[Phil McDade]

Peter:

A sore subject w/ me. I've tried -- and failed here on GCA -- to suggest that the Principal's Nose bunker is a strategic concept, not necessarily a bunker "look" that some argue it is. To me, the genius of the original thing at The Old Course is that it's highly strategic -- go left, and you are rewarded with a less risky drive, but a tougher approach shot in. Go right of the PN, and you are faced with a much riskier drive, but are rewarded with an easier approach into the green. And, of course, all bunkers placed in or near the middle of the fairway have the strategy of driving as close to them as possible without going in them, presumably with some sort of reward for the next shot.

I can't recall how many times I've seen fairway bunkers in GCA threads that "look" like the original, but have no strategic interest, and are labeled a Principal's Nose bunker.

[Mark Chaplin]

Pete the R&A do not own the Old Course or have massive control over the course.

[Pete Lavallee]

Then who Mark, controls the rough lines at TOC? I find it hard to believe that the R&A doesn't have some input to this issue.

Phil,

I agree that the bunker concept is very strategic, however only in match play situations. Tour Pros refuse to aim right of the Nose, as the penalty (OB) outweighs the advanatge gained (better angle in). However if they now wish to play safely to the left they are some 30 yards left of TPN, but even with horrible angle in no one is willing to play right of TPN.

[Tom Kelly]

Mark is right the R&A have no say about the day to day set up of the Old Course, that is down to the Old Course head green keeper who is employed by the Link's Trust.

But I would say that the R&A's choice of the course set up during Opens may have a fairly large influence on mowing lines you see on the course for the rest of the time?! Looking at a souvenir R&A Open stroke saver I bought last year at the Open it clearly shows the rough running right up to the Principal's Nose bunkers so I assume that was the rough line the R&A wanted for the Open there last year.

I've just been re-reading Mackenzie's "The Spirit of St Andrews" and its interesting to hear his take on the hole and the story of a Ted Blackwell complaining when Mackenzie told him that he initially agreed with Herbert Fowler's suggestion to move the Deacon Syme bunker 10 yards to the left to "give a little more latitude to the long driver who plays between the Principal's Nose and the railway" because Ted always aimed to place his ball in that exact spot from the tee.

Mackenzie then writes;

"Ted Blackwell is a man of action, but of few words, and gave me no reason why he attempted to place his drive on this particular spot. I watched him play the hole on several occasions afterwards and noticed that when he placed his drive on this particular place, he played a run up approach so near the flag that he not infrequently got a three. I then discovered that he took advantage of a small valley (which I had previously overlooked) in the bank of the green leading up to the place where the hole is usually cut on medal days."

I am almost certain that spot is pretty heavy rough currently, I doubt you would want to be going there today!