The Old Course At St. Andrews: A Cow Pasture?

[QMany]

Regarding the difficulty of St. Andrews, I think it holds up just fine. The Open Championship may have one day, or part of a day, that is docile and scoring conditions are low. However, as a whole, it plays toughl. In the last two majors at St. Andrews, only 12 players finished double-digit under par or better.

 

If you want to talk (relatively) easy when the conditions are calm, look at Whistling Straits. 20 players finished double-digit under par or better in 2010 and 2015. Jason Day set the scoring record. Kohler spared no expense; Dye manipulated every inch of once-flat terrain.

 

Comparatively, St. Andrews has more than stood the test of time (and technology).

[c5bubblechaser]

Oh you can't bring that up here. People will castrate you for speaking your opinion. Had some, friends that played there and talked how amazing it was when people were around but admitted it wasn't worth the hype when they were one on one. I'll save my money and play elsewhere

its so funny how offended some of you get about one persons opinion. How did you make it this far in life?

[caniac6]

Isn't this why they make chocolate and vanilla? Some people like one, and hate the other. Neither one is wrong.

[buckeyevalley]

so is it a cow pasture with a great amount of history?

[mci711]

I know this is a quite old post, but I couldn't help but comment. But I have never seen a cow pasture with so much contour and character.

 

[farmer]

I own a cow pasture that would resemble that if I cleared all the sage brush.

[tiderider]

my family owns farmland ... lots of it ... if my cow pasture looked like TOC, i'd never have to pay for golf ever again ...

[jwellefson1]

Is any course really more than a cow pasture at that point? I mean I'm sure any cows would gladly take up residence on a golf course. TOC is incredible, I'd play it anytime in a heartbeat. To each their own I suppose.

[GSDriver]

I bet the 'it's a cow pasture guy' wouldn't like Whistling Straights as it's "too hard" :taunt:

[Chanceman]

I guess the point of all this is that TOC is a "golf course" not a "visual experience". You go there to play golf, not to gaze at the surroundings. (even though there is a lot to see). And what you get is pure golf. What better holes are there in the world than the par 3 11th and the Road Hole.? Could there be a better (and simpler) first hole anywhere? The rest are pretty darn good as well. As Bobby Jones said, the more he studied it, the more he loved it.

[EmperorPenguin]

I will be there next June, so I will be the judge of that.

[imakaveli]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

[ryu123]

maybe some of the disagreement is about terminology. According to legend, the bunkers at the Old Course were formed by sheep scraping around. So a sheep pasture, sure! ; )

 

I'm a links aficionado who's never played the OC. But if I had the chance, I would gladly do so.

[az2au]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

[mci711]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

[jwellefson1]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

I played it twice in one day and it was worth every penny, but I agree that Bethpage is the only better value for Championship golf. The Old Course is also the most fun I've had on a golf course. The Old Course is rightfully an all-world course, there's no other experience like it. Playing there is so much more than just checking a box, but I suppose some only view it as such.

[Roadking2003]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

You have to get lucky to pay only $230. It can be $500 if you don't win the lottery. They have the worst tee time system in the history of golf.

[Superbrit]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

You have to get lucky to pay only $230. It can be $500 if you don't win the lottery. They have the worst tee time system in the history of golf.

 

Play it after mid October, i paid about £120, which is about $150? cant get any better than that

[clp34vmp]

The original statement of this post is pure sacrilege!!! I only got to play it once, but I'm already dreaming of the next time I get can get back there. It probably didn't hurt that my one round there was also the lowest round I shot for the year. Knowing me, if I'd played terribly instead, I'd probably be calling it a cow pasture too.

[raynorfan1]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

RCD is ~$250;

Dornoch is ~$200;

Cape Kidnappers is ~$175;

Cabot Cliffs is ~$185.

 

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

[imakaveli]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

RCD is ~$250;

Dornoch is ~$200;

Cape Kidnappers is ~$175;

Cabot Cliffs is ~$185.

 

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

RCD is currently 200£

[mci711]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

RCD is ~$250;

Dornoch is ~$200;

Cape Kidnappers is ~$175;

Cabot Cliffs is ~$185.

 

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

Sorry I was refering to US courses - US golf digest public list.

[Roadking2003]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

RCD is ~$250;

Dornoch is ~$200;

Cape Kidnappers is ~$175;

Cabot Cliffs is ~$185.

 

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

I assume we are talking peak season rates. Cabot Cliffs is $245 if you stay at the resort and $295 if you are not staying at the resort.

[Roadking2003]

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

supply and demand.

 

Also, there is a huge cost differential between old courses with no capital investment to be recovered and a new course that costs millions to acquire land and build.

[raynorfan1]

It's the greates course? Not.

Will it be the most fun you will have on a golf course? No.

Is the $ worth the course? No.

Will that be the most nervous you will be on a first tee? Most Probably.

Must any golfer play it once in his life? Yes.

Must any golfer play in another time? Probably not.

Conversely I think it is easily worth the money and some of the most fun I've had playing golf every single time I've played it. I love playing there and I say this as someone that thought it was ok but nothing special (still really fun though!) the first time I played it. 15 or so times later and I'll definitely keep going back.

$230 for St. Andrews is a steal. Other than Bethpage, I don't think there is a top 20 public course that has a peak rate cheaper than that.

 

RCD is ~$250;

Dornoch is ~$200;

Cape Kidnappers is ~$175;

Cabot Cliffs is ~$185.

 

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

I assume we are talking peak season rates. Cabot Cliffs is $245 if you stay at the resort and $295 if you are not staying at the resort.

 

That’s in loonies. $185 in real money.

[raynorfan1]

It's really only we Americans who have totally fouled up the greens fee market...

 

supply and demand.

 

Also, there is a huge cost differential between old courses with no capital investment to be recovered and a new course that costs millions to acquire land and build.

 

Pebble Beach is probably fully depreciated at this point...