St. Andrews fulfills this bucket-list wish

My first true experience on a links golf course came less than an hour north of the famed Old Course at St. Andrews on Monday.

For this bucket-list trip, I wanted to at least play one of The Open courses before watching the actual thing Thursday at the home of golf. Fortunately, the folks at Carnoustie Golf Links let yours truly take a longtime caddie to places on the course he’d never been.

Few balls found the short stuff, to say the least, but a 71-year-old caddie named Alan couldn’t have been more gracious. Or honest.

When I told him on the first tee that I usually had a “draw,” he quickly corrected my assessment after watching my initial drive start out on the right and end in deep fescue on the left.

“That’s not a draw,” Alan said, breaking into a smirk. “That’s a [bleeping] hook. We tell the truth in Scotland ... whether you like it or not.”

Point taken, of course, and the round had a lighter feel from there on out. Ironically, the highlight of my playing day came when I wasted a good drive by dumping my approach shot into a pot bunker guarding the No. 14 green.

I couldn’t see the green from where I stood, but Alan showed me the technique of getting out — simply closing the clubface and swinging hard two inches behind the ball. The principle is to get enough sand behind the ball to shoot it straight up and out and, somehow, I managed to do just that — and then two-putt for a bogey 5.

That served as a fitting warm-up for later in the week when watching the pros maneuver around the famed Old Course.

‘Magical vibe’

So much has been written about the mystique of being at the Old Course.

Most sports fans have a general idea of the course — the iconic Swilcan Bridge, the Swilcan Burn, the long fescue, the double greens, the pot bunkers and the famous Road Hole. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have each won two of their three claret jugs at St. Andrews.

Englishman Justin Rose put it best, saying in an interview with the Golf Channel earlier this year: “That atmosphere on holes Nos. 1 and 18, you feel like the walls are watching. There could be not a soul around, but it has that magical vibe about it.... Very few places have that magic.”

As cliché as that may sound, it rang true Thursday. It’s reminiscent of watching batting practice on the field at Fenway Park, or taking in a game courtside at my alma mater’s basketball cathedral, Allen Fieldhouse.

You just know you’re somewhere special when you are walking the grounds at St. Andrews.

It’s a picturesque setting, a golf course built in the 1500s staying in immaculate condition between the old Scottish town to the west and the North Sea to the east. And seeing it up close only adds to the nostalgia factor.

Fittingly, the first hole most spectators come across is No. 17, the famous Road Hole, which is situated just behind the Spectator Village, where buses drop off fans by the hundreds.

First impression? What an intimidating drive. It makes the tee shot to Colonial’s tight fifth fairway seem rather easy (I’ve yet to hit that fairway the handful of times I’ve played the venerable Fort Worth course, for what it’s worth).

The Road Hole is truly a blind shot where players must take aim over a replica railway shed. There’s a church steeple in the distance on the left that can serve as a target, or they can take a more aggressive line over the “Old Course Hotel,” which has been fitted with bulletproof glass to fend off errant amateur shots.

Either way, though, there’s bound to be a lengthy approach shot on the 495-yard, par-4 into a green that is guarded on the right side by the “Road Hole Bunker.”

Seeing it firsthand makes you understand why some pros are more than happy to get out of there with a bogey 5. It came as no surprise to see No. 17 play as the hardest on the course, getting a scoring average of 4.833 the first day.

Shane Lowry put his drive on the roof of the Old Course Hotel, seeing a 3-under round turn to 1-over with a snowman 8. Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 Open champ, carded a 9.

From that signature hole, fans can wander down the front nine by Nos. 4-7, and then reach Nos. 8-11, known as “the loop.” This area offers good viewing points — if you are lucky enough to get one of the grandstand seats, or patient enough to “queue” up for one.

The other major area fans gravitate toward is the grandstand area between holes No. 1 and 18, an amphitheater-type setting where my wife and I spent most of the day. It offered great views of players finishing on 18, as well as going off on No. 1 with legendary starter Ivor Robson (who is retiring after this Open, his 41st).

In the end, though, it didn’t matter if you were in the grandstands or watching on a bean-bag chair on the big screen in Spectator Village, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.

Soaking it in

The initial idea had been to follow Jordan Spieth around for a few holes, and then catch other big names such as Woods, Phil Mickelson and, before his soccer accident sidelined him, Rory McIlroy.

But that plan faded rather quickly after taking my wife on what she called a “death march” around the course. Spieth, alas, has become a worldwide superstar and everyone had the same idea.

I should have known better after seeing Spieth grace the front page of the Scottish newspaper at our hotel in two of the three days leading into The Open. There’s not a bigger story in golf than Spieth’s Grand Slam quest, and it didn’t help that he was in a marquee pairing with Dustin Johnson, fresh off another major meltdown.

But we strolled around the course before eventually settling into the No. 1/18 grandstands, which provided plenty of memorable moments.

We saw Tom Watson, one of the most accomplished links golfers in history, finish one of his final Open rounds. A few groups later, we actually could watch Spieth wrap up his round on 18. He drove into the No. 1-side of the double fairway, stuck his approach close and drained his birdie putt for a 5-under 67.

The crowd’s ovation after the putt dropped gave a clear indication that he’s the tournament darling, similar to his weeks at the Colonial and the Nelson.

Johnson, his playing partner, slipped his birdie attempt by the cup but posted the low-round of the day at 7-under 65. People in the stands openly wondered if this will be the major he finally wins.

But just as that marquee morning pairing finished, Mickelson’s group teed off. Mickelson received a rousing ovation when introduced by Robson, although the loudest of the afternoon belonged to Sir Nick Faldo, a three-time Open champ.

The exception, however, was Woods. He drained a lengthy par putt on No. 17 but missed a makeable birdie on 18 and settled for a disappointing 4-over 76.

Woods received the proper adulation for a 14-time major winner, but he almost seemed more like a has-been on this stage. One has to wonder if he’ll ever get it back, particularly when he couldn’t post a solid round in superb playing conditions by Scottish standards.

We ended the day by braving the increasing winds to watch a few groups tee off from The Road Hole, including John Daly, resplendent in a turquoise-and-pink pants ensemble.

Daly, who won the 1995 Open at St. Andrews, hit a beautiful drive but bogeyed. We departed shortly after that, opting to leave the stronger winds and light drizzle behind.

But we left happy and pleased, especially after seeing the Friday and Saturday forecasts. It’s hard to see anyone exiting the home of golf without a smile on his face.

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 6:33 PM with the headline "St. Andrews fulfills this bucket-list wish."