A Step Back In Time

I’ve been fortunate to play St Andrews’ iconic Old Course a number of times; well over 100 now. As students in the town, friends and I would enter the ballot a few times a week and I became expert at hiding my clubs behind curtains or in broom cupboards before sneaking out of lecture halls to make tee times.

I’m a member of St Andrews’ New Golf Club and, as I live only 90 minutes away, I visit frequently. One of the most important contests held annually over the Old is the Bisset family ‘Christmas Quaich’. Played in the holidays, it features a (very) select field: my father, my brother and me. It showcases some of the most hostile ‘friendly’ competition witnessed anywhere on planet golf.

I’ve always ranked the Old Course above all others in terms of golfing experience. Nowhere does golf’s history and lore exude so strongly from the terrain and turf. It’s the best-known track in this