Kieran Clark, GolfShake
The historic town of St Andrews is regarded as the spiritual home of golf. The Old Course has played an unsurpassed influence on the development of the modern game, This unique layout has been honed by nature, as well as, the careful hand of a select few, most notably Old Tom Morris. The R&A is located here and is the sport’s governing body. This hallowed stretch of linksland has hosted 29 Open Championships, with another to come in 2022.
Two-time Masters champion and revered architect, Ben Crenshaw described the Old as being,
“The most democratic course in the world.”
For five-time Champion Golfer of the Year, Peter Thomson, the appeal was clearly defined,
“All golf courses really are imitations of this one, but there’s hardly any that measure up anywhere near it.”
However, more than the strategic quality of the holes or the indelible history behind them, what makes the Old special is that it represents golf at its accessible best.
Contrasted with the gated perimeters of Augusta National or Pine Valley, the Old is available, literally becoming a public park on the majority of Sundays; dogs are walked, picnics are eaten, children roam freely. You can’t realistically step onto the hallowed grounds at Wimbledon, Wembley Stadium, or Lord’s, but you can play the Old Course at St Andrews, which makes it the most romantic course around.
Tee times are available every day via the Old Course Ballot, which accounts for around half of the daily play. Visitors and locals alike compete in a lottery for a dream spot. A lesser known pathway is that single golfers may queue each morning and seek to be paired with a two or three-ball. Golfers have been known to line up from the previous evening, praying to the elusive golf gods for a chance to play. 
Since moving to St Andrews, I have played golf with people from the United States, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and most exotically of them all, Renfrew in Scotland.
As a resident who loves nothing more than sharing this place with others, turning up to the first tee and discovering who could join your group adds to the experience, not knowing what nationality they are, how far they have travelled, and how long they waited in the hope that they could be paired up with someone happy to welcome a stranger. Those mysteries will be answered during the round.
Seeing the Old Course through their eyes is unfailingly magical.
Notably, on an August evening, a pair of friends from the States joined my two-ball for a twilight round, having literally sat hoping, waiting inside the Old Pavilion (near the first tee) for over 15 hours.
Some weeks later, I received this message.
“I wanted to send you a note to say thank you for allowing me to play the Old Course with you. I appreciated it very much! It was a dream come true.”
Three years ago, I played with two gentlemen from Argentina who had literally stepped onto the first tee straight from the airport after arriving from Buenos Aires. 11,380 km is quite a journey for a round of golf, but it was worth it, despite the heavy thunderstorm that struck on the 16th. I fled for safety, while they continued to wade through the torrential rain and lightning, nothing was going to stop them.
These rounds were all made possible by that fabled queuing system. I had long wanted to see the early morning spectacle for myself, but as a confirmed night owl, such a concept is against my religion, but it had to be done. Venturing down on a beautiful July morning, I walked along Grannie Clark’s Wynd just after 5am to be greeted by a remarkable hub of activity.
The cohort of greenkeepers were already making their daily rounds in a display coordinated activity. Near the starter’s hut, a group of 60 people stood patiently, determined to grasp their date with destiny. An enthusiastic Asian couple spent 40 minutes on the Swilcan Bridge taking photos of each other in an impressively diverse array of poses. Everything felt so wonderfully alive. And breakfast television had not even started yet. 
What a joyful scene.
And, lo and behold, there were the golfers, waiting for their version of Disney World to open. This is a place for dreamers and those with an imagination.
I was reminded of that joyful scene just recently during the pandemic shutdown. Walking the Old Course these days is eerily quiet. The grand Old Lady looked sad, alone and solitary. That is when the new reality of lockdown hit me. Golf for locals has now gratefully resumed, but it’s not quite the same.
The cosmopolitan nature of St Andrews is what makes the town special, bringing together the vast student population, the tourists, and international golfers. Walking the streets of the Auld Grey Toun, you will hear all languages, every accent, and sometimes you may even catch a Fife one. The vast majority of these voices are happy to be here, creating a carnival atmosphere, something contained within a picturesque settlement on the east coast of Scotland, a unique beckon for millions. It is the United Nations for golf.
Normality will only truly be restored, when those early mornings at the Old Course return.
