Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.
THE FIRST COURSE
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Is the Old Course at St. Andrews the coolest course everor, as Scott Hoch once suggested, is it simply the "worst piece ofmess"?
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Well, it's certainly quirky. You either love it or hateit. I've played it four or five times and like it more and more. Ifyou're a pro who's used to plodding around a soft American-style course,I can see where the Old Course would drive you crazy.
John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: It's hardly the greatest course ever, but I think it mightbe the greatest venue. You're playing a major championship on the oldestcourse in the world, and it doubles as the town green for a medievalcity. That's an unbeatable combination.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I just came from a Tiger Woods press conference duringwhich he said it's his favorite course in the world. Therefore it mustbe true. Tiger said he loved the Old Course the first time he played it,which is unusual. I think any of us would get swept up in playing it thefirst time, though.
Anonymous Pro: Tiger should love it — the Old Course is a true ballstriker's course. It's not like Royal St. George's, next year's site,where a donkey in a polo shirt has a better chance of hitting a fairwaythan a top 10 golfer. At the Old Course you have to avoid the bunkers.You don't scrape it around there and post four good scores. The OldCourse identifies major champions better than any other course in theworld.
Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: St. Andrews is the reason I'm a golf writer. In 2000 I wascovering the NBA and went to St. Andrews to watch history after Tigerwon [the U.S. Open] at Pebble. It was a given that he wasgoing to win at St. Andrews. I stayed in a university dorm, brought myclubs, walked around and soaked the whole thing in. It's the history ofthe place. It's Rusack's and the Dunvegan and the who's-who roster ofOpen champions. There's simply a vibe to the place. It's the home ofgolf.
Anonymous Pro: St. Andrews is fantastic. I'm glad they startedputting the Open there every five years. Every third year would be evenbetter.
Bamberger: I agree with all of that. Unlike Pebble, the Old Courseis really 18 distinctive moments. It proves that nature can do more asan architect than Tom Fazio ever can.
Shipnuck: The town's setting is magical, with the beach framing thecourse. You can walk from the course to a pub on a winding street.Everything about the experience is great.
Hack: It's one of the handful of places you say you made apilgrimage to. I went as a fan. I remember the flight, the train ride,the people I met. I walked a few holes with Dennis Paulson's mom. Iremember some people from Minnesota rooting on Tom Lehman. It was amagical experience.
Shipnuck: Just to clarify, Damon: Did you spend your own money togo?
Hack: I did. I kept a journal of my experience that week. PatrickEwing was about to be traded to the SuperSonics, and after getting mybutt kicked on that story by Mike Lupica and some other reporters, Ineeded a vacation.
THE HOLE TRUTH
Van Sickle: What about the individual holes at the Old Course? Doyou have a favorite? Nobody ever talks about the 1st hole, other thanIan Baker-Finch's infamous out-of-bounds play. The 1st is underrated.I've seen pros and tourists alike block it out of play on the right dueto 1st-tee jitters.
Shipnuck: The ball runs so far, and you're so jacked up to be there,you can actually drive it too far and into the burn. I did thatonce.
Van Sickle: Also, you're probably still seeing spots from the flashcamera after the mandatory photo op on the tee, which sits in front ofthe clubhouse.
Bamberger: At our level you can hit your first shot, your secondshot and even your third into the burn. A lot of things can go wrongthere. Unlike some other celebrated courses, doing so is not a dayruiner.
Shipnuck: No one likes to see the course tinkered with, but I thinkthe changes they made at the 17th, adding 35 yards to the Road Hole,will put a little fear back in that hole. Padraig Harrington said thatthe hole had turned into a five-wood, eight-iron play. The hole was hardwhen it was driver, five-iron to a tiny target with nowhere to miss.When players started hitting nine-irons and wedges into the green, ittook that fearsome bunker somewhat out of play.
Van Sickle: The 60- and 64-degree wedge took out some of the fear ofthat greenside bunker too.
Shipnuck: Didn't David Duval have an episode in there? [Atthe 2005 Open, Duval dropped from contention after taking four shots toescape the Road Hole Bunker.]
Van Sickle: That's not to say you can't still find yourself in jailthere.
Hack: If they hadn't lengthened the hole, no one would hit into thatbunker. At least now it should be more in play.
Van Sickle: At the 1989 Dunhill Cup pro-am, my pro was a totalunknown from Argentina, Eduardo Romero. He was playing the Old Coursefor the first time and shot an easy 66 because he listened to hiscaddie. Romero was actually on the road at the Road Hole behind thegreen, and his caddie told him to use his putter. Romero holed it, oneof the most amazing shots I've ever seen.
Anonymous Pro: I don't want to sound negative, but I agree with whatRich Beem said in '05: There are 17 great holes at the Old Course, andthe Road Hole. That hole is too quirky. Does making the hole longerreally make it better? I don't think so. But if you want to see some 8sand 9s, it's the place to go.
Shipnuck: There are some great holes. The par-5 14th is fantastic.The drive on 18 is one of golf's coolest shots. It's not difficult, youjust rip it, but you have the old buildings, the road, the R&A clubhouseand usually a hundred stray people standing around in the background onany given day.
Bamberger: I'll see your tee shot on 18 and raise you the approachshot on 18. On that shot you have to flirt with the Valley of Sin. Andwe all know what Costantino Rocca did there in 1995. And Nicklaus. AndDoug Sanders. I think that shot is one of the most magical moments ingolf.
Anonymous Pro: Absolutely, the 18th is pretty cool. On top of allthat, you can drive the green. You don't see many guys really screw upon the 18th, other than Sanders missing that short putt. It's not thehole itself, it's the theater that surrounds the 18th that makes itcool.
Hack: My favorite hole is the 11th, the par-3. It gives the playersfits. Monty [Colin Montgomerie] made bogey there every day inthe '05 Open. I watched David Sutherland play it, which I rememberbecause he had Sacramento Kings headcovers.
Bamberger: I remember Bob Jones struggling with that hole.
Garrity: I just talked to him. He said to say hello.
Shipnuck: The 11th is my least favorite hole in golf. It'simpossible. It's always straight downwind and the green is so small yourshot always goes over the back. I guess I don't put enough Tour sauce onmy ball. That hole killed me.
Garrity: That's exactly what Jones said.
Shipnuck: That hole is a lot better coming from the other directionbecause you can skirt around it and use the green contours to youradvantage. I learned that when I played the Old Course in reverse, oneof the coolest stories I ever did.
Bamberger: Do they still play that backward round?
Shipnuck: Every year on April 1. I'm not joking, it's an even bettercourse backward.
Bamberger: Time and technology have not ruined this course. It istrue genius even after several hundred years.
Chivas hoping lightning strikes again vs. NYPGA Confidential: Looking ahead to U.S. Open, St. Jude Classic recap
