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Why golfers feel at home in St Andrews
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Its been said home is where the heart is. For the golf industry, there is only one place where golfers have a piece of their hearts stolen. St Andrews is the home of golf. The Old Course, which is synonymous with the town of St Andrews, is a rare and unique venue. Open to the public to play on most days, it touches the soul of those who have been lucky enough to experience her. It doesn’t matter whether you are a 36 handicap or a Tour professional to fall in love with this grand old dame.
“First time I came here, must have been about '96 or '97, I was absolutely blown
away by the whole atmosphere that surrounds this town and the golf course and the history and every little shop you walk into has some story and pictures and stuff like that,” said Trevor Immelman.
“It's always been something special to me. I came to play in the St. Andrews Links Trust event, and it was just incredible. And from the first time, if you're driving into St. Andrews and you see all of the buildings, it's filled with so much history and atmosphere; even somebody like my wife who when I first brought her here in 2001, you know, didn't know too much about golf or the home of golf or any of the atmosphere that comes with it. But she was just blown away by the place. And to this day, it's her favorite place to go to,” he added.
“There's just something that's special about this town. The Old Course is so unique. It offers up something 
totally different to any other golf course on earth, really. You know, you're given very generous landing areas off the tee, but you really need to be able to place your ball in the right area to then be able to attack the second shot,” the brand ambassador for Nike Golf continued, clearly motivated to share his feelings about next year’s venue for the Open Championship. “I also think what is nice is to play the Old Course in difficult conditions. You really gain respect for the way the course has been laid out and how ingenious it is, really. In tough conditions it still allows you to still hit certain shots and enjoy playing.”
Meanwhile the South African also recognized that the venue isn’t just something a skilled player can appreciate either. “Also for beginners who come here and amateurs who come here they are able to run the ball. So even if they don't strike it one 100 percent, they are able to get some run out there, and I think that's important. A lot of new courses nowadays become so difficult for amateurs that a lot of times they don't even want to play, because they have got to carry the ball 200 yards off the tee to get over a water hazard or out-of-bounds or something crazy like that. This golf course, you can just go out there and even if you top one, it's going to run out there a hundred yards and I think that makes it fun for people.”
Irishman, Padraig Harrington still remembers vividly his first visit to the auld grey toon.
“I was about 22 or 23 before I got a chance to play St. Andrews. First time I played it was in the St. Andrews Trophy as an amateur,” he began. “Yeah, standing on the first tee, the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. It was one of the spine-tingling moments. That and Augusta are the two that did it for me,” he admitted. “To be honest, they still do, both of them have a magic feeling when you get on the first tee.”
While it may seem that the Old Course doesn’t have any detractors, Englishman, Lee Westwood was the exception to the rule. However, he no longer feels the same way about the Old Course. “I do enjoy St. Andrews now. Looked forward to getting here but I could never get my head around and find a way of playing the golf course, because I had not really learnt how to fiddle around here,” he explained. “When you're young and you turn up to a place and you just bash the ball and you hit a slope and it goes off miles away, little things like that, they tend to irritate you as a 24-, 25-year-old and as you get older, you learn to appreciate the subtleties of things, and I've done that over the years. And now, you know, it's a course I enjoy playing and look forward to playing,” he said. “Sort of always helps when you win around somewhere to change your views on the place,” he also added.
There are not too many things in life that stand up the test of time. St Andrews, a medieval looking town where Prince William went to school is just as appealing today as it has in its past. Much like a fine wine, its aged quite nicely. The European Tour is making its stop this week in the Kingdom of Fife for the playing of the Dunhill Links Championship. Coverage is on the Golf Channel and it offers those who have not been to this magical location a rare opportunity to see what it provides.
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