It is the Home of Golf. A place of history, mystique and warmth. But what makes St Andrews so special?
As it prepares to host the 150th Open Championship – and the 30th staging on the hallowed patch of land on Scotland’s east coast – BBC Scotland asked some of golf’s biggest names for their memories of St Andrews and why it matters so much…
Jack Nicklaus: “When I came here in 1964, I couldn’t believe St Andrews was a course that would test golfers of that time but it still does now. It’s a magical golf course. The conditions, the weather, where you actually choose to put the pins, whether the golf course gets dry, whether the golf course gets wet, all those things that make St Andrews a magical place.”
Tiger Woods: “It’s about history. Just look at the names on the Claret Jug and you go right through time. It’s awfully impressive to have won the Open Championship and, for me, to have won at St Andrews is even more special. Jack Nicklaus said your career is not complete unless you’ve won an Open at the Home of Golf, and I feel like he’s correct.”
Gary Player: “You are inundated with history. There is nothing like it. The town itself, the people are knowledgeable, they know the game, they live the game. Just walking through the town, you can’t walk 50 yards without someone coming up and talking to you. Walking there is like walking among your family. “
Ian Poulter: “The venue, the town, the history, the course, the simplicity of it, the fact it hasn’t changed much through the decades. It’s awesome. It has a lovely warm feeling to it. My first Open was there in 2000. We don’t get to play it that often, so every time you do it’s special, and with it being the 150th that adds a little something else.”
Justin Thomas: “I remember the first time I ever played St Andrews. It was raining. My dad was caddying for me and he said, ‘let’s go play a practise round’. If it was in the States, I wouldn’t have gone outside but I had to try and get used to it. Actually, my first tee shot as a pro was at St Andrews. I remember thinking, ‘if I miss this fairway, I probably need to retire’.”
Jon Rahm: “Playing in The Open at the Old Course is the dream of every golfer. And to be the 150th edition, it’s something very, very significant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the images of Seve [Ballesteros, in 1984] celebrating his winning putt. I don’t think there’s a bigger achievement in golf than winning the Open Championship at St Andrews.”
Padraig Harrington: “It has a mystique, not just the golf course but the town. Everybody there is into golf, talks golf, loves golf. The course is fantastic in itself – there’s nothing else like it – but it’s the whole package. You stand on the first tee, the widest fairway in golf and you’re worried that you’re going to hit it OB. You stand on the 18th tee aiming at the clock in the clubhouse – it’s an unbelievable place. There’s a magic about it.”
Paul Casey: “It’s got an energy, hasn’t it? Everyone in the town knows that the hallowed turf right there is really special. Even if they might just be walking their dog on a Sunday. Popping up to the old ruins, seeing the old stones, Tom Morris up there.”
Matt Kuchar: “Everything about it is iconic, it’s special. It reeks of history, you can kind of step back in time. There’s something special about the town of St Andrews, it’s completely unique, there’s a lot of nuances that make it special.”
Henrik Stenson: “It’s very cool that, depending on where your accommodation is, you can walk or bike to the venue. It has a special feel – you start on the edge of town and play the second nine coming back with the town in the backdrop.”
Matt Fitzpatrick: “Whenever you’re in St Andrews, the history that it has, and the golf course itself, it always feels great. I’ve not necessarily played well there, but I enjoy playing the course just because of the history. There’s just something about it.”
Paul McGinley: “It’s like when people who are into the arts go to Rome or Greece, they have a connection with it. For golfers it’s our Mecca. Everything about the town revolves around the golf. It’s spiritual, you can feel it.”
Alex Noren: “I think it gets better every time we play it. You’ve got holes like 13, where in one wind direction you play it straight and another one you hit it 80 yards left. It’s unbelievable.”
Bob MacIntyre: “I’m going to love every minute of it, if I play good or bad. If I walk away from golf the week after, I can say I’ve played the biggest golf tournament, on the biggest stage, on the most famous golf course. I’m going to have goose bumps from Monday to hopefully Sunday.”
Shane Lowry: “Every golfer who has been to St Andrews knows it’s the most special place in the world – there and Augusta for me are the two where you go, ‘this is amazing’. Even when you’re up for the Dunhill, with no-one watching, it’s pretty special.”
Richie Ramsay: “I think now that I understand the course, it’s incredible, arguably the best in the world. A lot of people play it for the first time – like I did – and don’t get it. It’s like a puzzle, finding out what the answers are. It never really plays the same but it’s a brilliant place to be.”
Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, veteran caddie: “It’s almost like a movie set. It’s almost too good to be real, the visuals. I get goose bumps driving in and it’s one of the few places where that’s the case. It’s beautiful, which is part of it, but there are endless reasons to love the place. It’s the Holy Grail of golf and there’s nothing like it.”
BBC Sport
