The 1st and 18th fairways on The Old Course are some of the widest in golf. But this has not always been the case! The St Andrews Links was in real trouble in the 1830s and 1840s – the fairway was only 80 yards wide at its narrowest and with heavy storms and tidal erosion there was a serious danger that the opening and closing holes could be lost. The real person who saved St Andrews and the Links was Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair (1787-1861). Under his rule, cartmen were paid to dump the town’s rubbish onto the beach. This was then covered with soil and grassed over. This explains why the first hole is like a billiard table and the 18th naturally undulating. Fancy playing The Old Course? ST ANDREWS GOLF TRAVEL is an Authorised Provider of GUARANTEED Old Course Tee Times. Click below for further info
