The Original Twelve Holes at Prestwick

[Ben Stephens]

Tom,


Maybe you could recreate the original 12 holes at Prestwick on a 33 acre parcel of land next to the Lido redux in WI


Cheers
Ben

That is a cool idea, indeed!

I think Prestwick redux would be even more cooler than the Lido redux

[Tom Mills]

Hope somebody can do a photo tour. I even fancy popping up myself. I found it hard last time I was there to work out where the older holes went exactly as much was under gorse/bush. Even the old first hole looked blocked.

I was lucky enough to play this yesterday and filmed the course. It’s not a hole by hole but more of a whole course film. Should be released shortly.

[Ira Fishman]

Tom,


Maybe you could recreate the original 12 holes at Prestwick on a 33 acre parcel of land next to the Lido redux in WI


Cheers
Ben

That is a cool idea, indeed!

Think about building it at a popular destination resort and then having a lottery to play it as a second round of the day. The bragging rights and toasts in the bar would pay for the course by themselves.


The other option is finally making Couls Links a reality.


Ira

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Photos and plans etc within this article - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/prestwick-brings-back-12-hole-layout-used-to-host-inaugural-british-open-championship-1860
Atb

I had great fun imagining this layout with 250 players on the sheet, or a full field shotgun with an A and B foursome on every hole.


"It was a pretty good day, only 7 went to the hospital with head injuries..."


Regarding replicating this concept, I think the target would be a very small membership where either the maintenance was very bare bones, or the membership was rich as hell.


Something like Windwalker or the OG Wolf Point.

[Steve Salmen]

To those who have either walked or played the original routing, were the 12 holes exceptional?  I hate to use the word silly, however, there appear to be only two holes that don't cross or run tight with any of the other holes.


Does anyone know when the Alps came to be? 

[Niall C]

Photos and plans etc within this article - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/prestwick-brings-back-12-hole-layout-used-to-host-inaugural-british-open-championship-1860
Atb

I had great fun imagining this layout with 250 players on the sheet, or a full field shotgun with an A and B foursome on every hole.


"It was a pretty good day, only 7 went to the hospital with head injuries..."


Regarding replicating this concept, I think the target would be a very small membership where either the maintenance was very bare bones, or the membership was rich as hell.


Something like Windwalker or the OG Wolf Point.

Tom


You beat me to the punch. Recreating this for the mass market is a non-starter IMO.


Niall

[Niall C]

Think about building it at a popular destination resort and then having a lottery to play it as a second round of the day. The bragging rights and toasts in the bar would pay for the course by themselves.


The other option is finally making Couls Links a reality.


Ira

Ira


I'm really hoping that what you mean is taking the Coul Links design and building it somewhere else much less sensitive. If that's the case I'm right with you.


Niall

[Tom_Doak]

Its amazing that they held a Open event with all these crossovers then.

There were only eight players in the first Open championship.


I don't know how many there were by 1882 when the club decided they needed to expand to 18 holes, but I'm sure that was more about club play than about The Open.

[Tom_Doak]

To those who have either walked or played the original routing, were the 12 holes exceptional?  I hate to use the word silly, however, there appear to be only two holes that don't cross or run tight with any of the other holes.

Does anyone know when the Alps came to be?

The most exceptional holes are the ones they kept in the current routing, the 2nd-4th-5th, which are today's 17th-3rd-13th.  Apart from those, the 8th and 9th were the holes I would love to play.


The Alps is from Old Tom Morris's original 1851 routing.  It was the 2nd hole back then. 

[Thomas Dai]

Kinda wish golf was still only a 12-hole game.
Atb

[Brian_Ewen]

Glance back in time to Old Tom Morris tearing up first Open

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/23050168.glance-back-time-old-tom-morris-tearing-first-open/

[Ken Moum]

Here's a good look at the course with Rick Shiels playing it guided by the head pro.


https://youtu.be/lrplpfYyD10

[Adrian_Stiff]

I have always been surprised Prestwick has not wanted another OPEN. Reasons cited for the NO have always been space and length. Prestwick last hosted in 1925 of course and yet with a couple of changes Prestwick ticks those boxes;


Two New holes after the present 10th hole: Both Par 5 holes one of 675 yards replicating the original monster 1st hole and the second a baby at 575 yards.


The loss of holes 14 and 15 which then becomes the practice ground. Reduction of 18th to a par 3 247 yards. There would probably be room to add 50 yards at the 16th and this brings the course up to 7409 yards Par 72 and no cinch.


We can argue the + & - of losing the 14th and 15th...to me 14 is just an okay hole but 15 is a 'baddie'. The two new holes could be made to look 'olde' and could be the stars. The whole golf course has much more space with just a few pinch points but we see them at TOC and Carnoustie anyway.


Practice Area on 14th fairway, Tented village between 3-4-5-6-7. Other infrastructures as Troon. Perfect Open Championship Venue Again.


Of course all this challenges the history of what has gone on before which must be the reason why not to do it.


PS. Just had my Stroke Savers through and a lovely letter from the pro.

[Niall C]

Adrian


There is a very good story there to be told for sure. The club did look at changing the course in the 1930's with proposals put forward by several gca's including Braid. Braid's new holes were even put into play but WWII scuppered those plans. Not sure whether the plan was to get back the Open and/or just lengthen/modernise the course but contemporary reports tell of a deal of resistance from the old timers in the club.


It wasn't just club members against as influential types like Bernard Darwin were against it but suspect that was as much to do with Darwin's snobbishness than anything else.


Niall

[David_Tepper]

Article from Links Diary:


https://www.thelinksdiary.com/post/keeper-of-the-green-the-original-12?utm_campaign=212c0f30-f3f0-43f3-af6a-61e99c905e81&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=9a85640b-20fc-4afc-aa3f-c72ad5aa046b

[Tom Mills]

Just in case anyone was interested:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OqJCrLkoqM

[Tom_Doak]

Just in case anyone was interested:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OqJCrLkoqM

That's a very nice video outline.  But you missed all the par-3 holes!

[Sean_A]

Thanks Tom. Several years ago I walked the course as you described with a few minor mistakes using a map P Pittock created years ago. The 9th, do you think the Cardinal Bunker was bigger back in the day or perhaps the green was tucked between it and thre large forward bunker on #3? I ask because an 1889 water colour dosesn't show a green in the bunker, but I confess to not knowing when the original course was altered except that it was before 1911.

Ciao

Sean:


They expanded the course to 18 holes in 1882.  I doubt that was to the full extent of today's course, but I think the green in question went away at that time.  It was known as the "Burn" hole because the green is quite close to the Eel Burn there.

Thanks. So what is in the bunker now? Is it a proper green?

Nevermind. I went online for a look. It's as I originally thought, the green is between bunkers. Hence my previous question if Cardinal was originally much larger.

Ciao