The starters at the Old Course in St. Andrews have seen it all on the first tee. Like the scratch player who missed the ball entirely with his first swing. Or the father-son pairings who broke down in tears before they even began the round. And then there was the guy who said he would pay them whatever amount they wanted if he could just play the famous 17th hole until he parred it. Such is the weight—emotional, financial, even spiritual—that comes with playing the world’s most famous course.
No matter what camera angles you
may have seen during this year’s Brit- ish Open broadcast, the 28th time the event has been contested at the home of golf, television only offers hints at the experience of playing the Old Course. It may lack the jaw-dropping beauty of a Pebble Beach, but there is undeni- able history, unique shots, and even a scenic beach nearby (the West Sands, where the opening scene from “Chari- ots of Fire” was filmed). No matter the fickle Scottish weather, the lengthy and expensive journey traveling there is a worthwhile one. First and foremost though is
getting a tee time, which alone costs approximately $190. Guaranteed spots are available through various tour packagers (i.e.,
www.theoldcourse-
experience.com) but you’ll pay the price for certainty. You can take your chances and enter the lottery known as the bal- lot, which allocates tee times for every day but Sunday (the course is closed to play then, but you can walk every inch of it); or you can arrive at the starter’s hut in the pre-dawn hours to get on line for spots that become available. During the summer, tee times start around 7 a.m. and go on until almost six in the evening. Almost 45,000 rounds were played here in 2009, and events fill the tee sheet for almost half of September; the Dunhill Links cham- pionship does the same for a week each October. A good source for scheduling details, the ballot and other information is
www.standrewslinks.org. Tee time secured, get ready for the
52 / NCGA.ORG / SUMMER 2010
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