St Andrews Old Course Renovations, Phase 2 (Photos)

[Graylyn Loomis]

As of yesterday, the second phase of changes began on the St Andrews Old Course. Currently, ground has only been broken on the 4th hole, but changes are said to begin over the next two weeks on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, and 15th holes. As the renovations continue to happen, I will continue to upload photos. The photos below were taken the past two mornings, you can see the work progress. More full size images can be found here: http://bit.ly/1b6Cyn0

It appears that the two bunkers short right of the green on #4 will be filled in and moved much closer to the right edge of the green. They may be consolidating the two bunkers into one larger bunker. What are your thoughts?

[Tom_Doak]

My thought is, that Machiavelli guy was pretty insightful.

[Ally Mcintosh]

More swales and undulations being "introduced" to the right of this green... and the others...

Can someone remind me why exactly?

[Mark Bourgeois]

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, 'We have considered the challenge presented to the world’s top golfers by each of The Open Championship venues and carried out a programme of improvements over the last ten years. While some holes have been lengthened on the Old Course in recent years it has otherwise remained largely unaltered. The Championship Committee felt there was an opportunity to stiffen its defences in some places to ensure it remains as challenging as ever to the professionals.'
http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2012/11/changes-planned-for-old-course-at-st-andrews-ahead-of-15-open.html#ixzz2jgNbysld

'We have considered the challenge presented to the world's top golfers...' Here, presumably, are the statistics Dawson considered in changing the 4th hole. In the 2010 Open Championship golfers playing the 4th hole recorded:

31 birdies
304 pars
116 bogeys
15 double bogeys

Average: 4.25

Can someone explain Dawson's logic? Why does an above-par average make the 4th hole too easy?  

"Because of the history of the Old Course, moving hazards is not the option it would be at many other places," Dawson said. "You can't simply move a bunker here and there on The Old Course. All that leaves is to move tees." -- Dawson, 2005 (http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news05/standrews2.html)

[Graylyn Loomis]

Notwithstanding the issue of whether these changes to TOC are positive or negative thing, they have chosen the wrong holes to make "more difficult." The 4th, 11th, and 17th holes are always killers. If they were going to change anything, why not look at 9 (which they are), 10, or 12?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thank ou Graylyn.

Are there any notices up saying what it is they plan to do?  There were last year.

[Mark Pearce]

Presumably Hawtree is aiming to mimic the green surrounds he built at the World's greatest golf course.

[Graylyn Loomis]

Tony,

No notices up yet, but the Old has been closed the past two days. I will go down again tomorrow morning to take some more photos, and I would bet the notices will be up since play will be back to normal.

[Bradley Anderson]

I will weep for thee; For this revolt of thine, methinks, is like Another fall of man. ~ Hamlet

[Peter Pallotta]

Mark - thanks for the stats on #4. I didn't know that, but also, I never thought of TOC as identifiably/particularly/consistently posing a "great challenge" to the best golfers in the world. Some weeks it did, some weeks it didn't, some weeks it did and didn't both. The underlying assumption/rationale for these continuing changes -- i.e. maintaining TOC's "relevance" - just seems false to me, and simply made up.

I'm not a conservative in many/any areas of my life, but I've noticed over the years that conservatives -- however exaggerated/heated their response to change is -- often have a much better sense of where those changes will eventually and inevitably lead than those who are driving that change are willing/able to admit. A few months ago, some suggested there was an 'overreaction' to the first changes Dawson was making -- but clearly the 'conservatives' among us could read the writing on the wall much better than could Dawson's defenders.

Peter

[Bill_McBride]

Tony,

No notices up yet, but the Old has been closed the past two days. I will go down again tomorrow morning to take some more photos, and I would bet the notices will be up since play will be back to normal.

Watch yourself, there may be private security. 

[Ed Brzezowski]

Notwithstanding the issue of whether these changes to TOC are positive or negative thing, they have chosen the wrong holes to make "more difficult." The 4th, 11th, and 17th holes are always killers. If they were going to change anything, why not look at 9 (which they are), 10, or 12?

Change 12  You have to be kidding, I think it is one of the best short par fours in golf. I always look forward to playing 12.

[Alex Miller]

Notwithstanding the issue of whether these changes to TOC are positive or negative thing, they have chosen the wrong holes to make "more difficult." The 4th, 11th, and 17th holes are always killers. If they were going to change anything, why not look at 9 (which they are), 10, or 12?

Change 12  You have to be kidding, I think it is one of the best short par fours in golf. I always look forward to playing 12.

Uhhh, I don't think he's saying change 12...

[Bryan Izatt]

Following is what USA Today wrote last year about what Dawson told them the changes would be this year.  Much of it does indeed sound like some of the surrounds will have a more Trump Scotland look.

Second-phase changes: Next winter

No. 3 bunkering

"The whole issue is that if you hit it left off the tee you get a safe drive. If hit you hit up the right you get risk and reward. You get a better line into the green but the hazards (bunkers) come into play.

"The bunkering on the third doesn't extend far enough up the hole for it to be a risk to drive up the right. I reckon you could carry all the bunkers with persimmon, not just modern clubs. So the proposal is to create another bunker further up the right in line with the others, and take the first fairway bunker out. So we'll have same number of bunkers."

No. 4 green

"Again, if you drive it up the right you should have an advantage. Drive it up the left you will have a safer drive but not such a good line in. At the moment, if you drive it up the left and then miss the green on the right, which players often do, you are in a very flat area beside the green. So we are going to put some very gentle undulations right of the green similar to the second hole.

"There is also a bunker to the right of the fourth green that we are going to move closer to the putting surface."

No. 6 green

"The area to the right of the sixth green merging with the seventh tee is flat and we are going to undulate that a little bit. We've done quite a lot of this at Muirfield, and you wouldn't even know we've done it."

No. 9 green

"There is a proposal for a new bunker about 25 yards short of the green on the left. The idea there is to increase the risk/reward ratio of having a go at the green. Looking at old photographs, the rough on the left was heather and came into what is now fairway by about 10 yards so it was a much tighter tee shot in the past."

No. 15 green

"If you hit it over the green then there is a very flat area to the right of the back bunker as you look at the hole. It's easy to just putt from there back onto the green. So we are going to undulate that area slightly too, just to make missing the green long slightly more penal."

[Ally Mcintosh]

Well Peter, I've never considered myself particularly conservative in most walks of life but I think you describe it well above.

I'm glad others are concerning themselves now with the "introduction of undulations" to the right of 6 or 7 greens. This was long my biggest concern.

[Thomas Dai]

Anyone happen to know when Peter Dawsons term in office is due to end or is his position on a kinda rolling 'carry on until you want to retire' basis?
All the best

[Adam Lawrence]

Dawson's role at the R&A is a job, not a 'term in office', so he doesn't have a limit in that sense. He's 64 iirc, so it is likely he will retire in the next year or two.

[Thomas Dai]

Adam, thanks for the detail. My phrasing was not all it could be as I do realise it's a job, it's just that some jobs have a predetermined end date.

A cynic could interpret such circumstances as an examples of folk coming up to the latter stages of their period of influence and wanting to leave their mark while they still have the chance. Others might think differently though, which is fine.

All the best

[Adam Clayman]

I'm positive these changes will improve the shot values at this course. 

[Graylyn Loomis]

Ground has now been broken on the 6th hole (photos at the bottom). Martin Hawtree was on the ground overseeing all of the changes as they occurred. For more updated photos, check here: http://bit.ly/1b6Cyn0

Here are new photos of the 4th hole as of this morning:







Here are photos of the 6th green from the point of view of the 7th tee box.

[Mike Hendren]

My thoughts?  Where's the huge puke emoticon?

Bogey

[BCrosby]

Anyone happen to know when Peter Dawsons term in office is due to end or is his position on a kinda rolling 'carry on until you want to retire' basis?
All the best

That is precisely the problem. Dawson has set a precedent. The man who takes over from Dawson will see himself as having the same ability to make changes to TOC that Dawson had.

But its worse than that. Dawson's successor will also assume that he can make changes even if his stated rationale for the changes makes no sense. (See Mark's numbers above.) That is, whoever the cheif operating office of the R&A may be in the future, he will not feel bound, as Dawson does not feel bound, to give a coherent explanation of the changes he makes to TOC.

That's a lethal combination for the single most important historic course in the world.

Bob

[Don Hyslop]

It is more than surprising the Old Course hasn't been declared a national historic site or world heritage site and thus receive the kind of protection it deserves from alterations that would destroy its historical integrity. Has the R&A actively prevented this from happening?

[Mark Chaplin]

Don - TOC is far too important to the entire St Andrews economy to have it protected. Also golf courses are living things they change through time, why is now the time to stop developing the course?

[Mark Pearce]

Don - TOC is far too important to the entire St Andrews economy to have it protected.

Mark, can you explain what you mean by this?  I don't understand your point.