A seaside village of 15,000 residents, St. Andrews is the historic heart of Scotland, a place where the old is cherished. The world's first golf course is here, along with the country's first university and cathedral ruins that date to the 1100s. In this ancient setting, within sight of the Old Course, new golf venues and a new hotel have proved exemplary enough to gain the approval of locals and the acclaim of visitors from all over the world.
Old Tom Morris' grave lies at our feet. Above his inscribed slab, set against a stone wall that predates the advent of golf by hundreds of years, is a shrine to his son, Tommy Morris. Young Tommy is shown in bas relief, poised in the execution of a chip shot. The Morrises dominated the British Open in its first dozen years, each winning four times. Old Tom, a ball- and club-maker, course designer and keeper of the greens, was a fixture at the Old Course until his death in 1908.
In St. Andrews, Scotland, it's not surprising to find golf legends laid to rest among saints and nobles within the walls of what was once the country's greatest cathedral. Without doubt, this is the heart of Scotland, where the legacies of both the Scottish Church and a glorious game are revered.
For more than 500 years, until its destruction in the 1560s, the cathedral was the destination of countless pilgrims. It is a fitting place to start a pilgrimage today, whether your quest is history, religion or golf as it was meant to be played. The main streets of the medieval village converge at two key points -- the cathedral grounds on one end and the first tee/eighteenth green of St. Andrews' Old Course at the other. Golf on the Old Course was first mentioned in print in 1457, when King James II put an (ineffectual) ban on the game.
In the face of such overwhelming history, what are the chances that new golf courses (designed by Americans, yet) would be well received here? Could an American-style resort prosper in this bastion of old hotels, inns and B&Bs?
Contact me to read the entire story or to discuss second rights or a rewrite. daleatherman@cs.com