144th Open: A guide to playing the St Andrews Old Course
Thursday 9 July 2015 12:06, UK
A hole-by-hole guide to St Andrews' Old Course, the venue for this year's 144th Open.
Hole 1 (Burn), 375 yards, Par 4:
The widest fairway in golf, with out of bounds to the right. If the pin is at the front of the green, expect to see plenty of balls spinning back into the Swilcan Burn.
Hole 2 (Dyke), 452 yards, Par 4:
A tight drive with gorse on the right and Cheape's bunker left. A pronounced ridge cuts diagonally through the green and will lead to three-putts aplenty.
Hole 3 (Cartgate Out), 398 yards, Par 4:
A partially blind drive must avoid pot bunkers on the right, while Cartgate's bunker will swallow up any approaches landing short of the huge, undulating green.
Hole 4 (Ginger Beer), 480 yards, Par 4:
A narrow fairway to aim at with a driver, and going too far left leaves a tough approach to a green sloping sharply from right to left.
Hole 5 (Hole O'Cross Out), 570 yards, Par 5:
If the drive avoids the pot bunkers on the right, the green - measuring 85 yards from front to back - can be reached with a precise blow over the Spectacles bunkers and a gully.
Hole 6, (Heathery Out), 414 yards, Par 4:
Coffins bunker lurks to the left and smaller traps guard the right of the fairway, while the approach must clear a deep gully short of the green.
Hole 7 (High Out), 371 yards, Par 4:
Huge fairway, but opting for a driver off the tee brings the cavernous Shell bunker into play. The massive green slopes sharply from left to right.
Hole 8 (Short), 174 yards, Par 3:
Two pot bunkers short should not come into play. The green slopes front to back and crosswinds are a real danger here.
Hole 9 (End), 352 yards, Par 4:
Reachable from the tee, but a tight landing area with Boase's and End Hole bunkers lurking while Gorse bushes and heather creep in from the left.
Hole 10 (Bobby Jones), 386 yards, Par 4:
Another reachable green, but the safe option is to lay up short of the pot bunkers and leave a full wedge to the green.
Hole 11 (High In), 174 yards, Par 3:
Strath bunker eats into the front of the green, and Hill protects the left. Anything long will run towards the estuary, leaving an immensely difficult up and down.
Hole 12 (Heathery In), 348 yards, Par 4:
Stroke bunker lies in the middle of the fairway, with gorse to the left, while the shallow two-tiered green is tough to read.
Hole 13 (Hole O'Cross In), 465 yards, Par 4:
Treacherous drive over the Coffins bunkers, while any misjudged approach to the biggest green on the course can easily wander off into three-putt territory.
Hole 14 (Long), 614 yards, Par 5:
Out of bounds up the right and Beardies bunkers guard the left of the fairway. Lay-ups must also avoid the infamous Hell bunker 110 yards short of the green.
Hole 15 (Cartgate In), 455 yards, Par 4:
Long drives could catch Rob's bunkers 360 yards out. A pot bunker guards the front left of the green, while a bigger trap lies over the back.
Hole 16 (Corner of the Dyke), 418 yards, Par 4:
Out of bounds right and pot bunkers litter the fairway, so the safest option is to bail out way left and leave a tricker approach to the green.
Hole 17 (Road), 495 yards, Par 4:
The toughest par-four in golf is now 40 yards longer. A long drive over the hotel, the Road bunker short of the green and the road and wall beyond make this a frightening prospect.
Hole 18 (Tom Morris): 356 yards, Par 4:
Most players will drive into The Valley of Sin to leave a tricky chip or putt onto a severely undulating green which slopes from back to front.
