“Our guideline is easy: to guard what makes the Outdated Course so particular whereas making certain it continues to supply a good, difficult and pleasurable expertise for golfers of each degree. The Outdated Course has by no means stood nonetheless. Its enduring greatness lies in its capability to adapt whereas retaining its soul.”
The upcoming adjustments to the Outdated Course forward of The one hundred and fifty fifth Open proceed an evolution of the hyperlinks over the centuries. There have been a number of intervals in its historical past the place substantial adjustments have been carried out, together with, for instance, the addition of over 60 new bunkers between 1899 and 1905, and practically 350 yards of size being added throughout The 129th Open in 2000 and The 134th Open in 2005.
The newest changes of significance had been undertaken upfront of The 144th Open in 2015, which included bunker additions and removing, and the regrading of the again left portion of the eleventh inexperienced to create extra choices for gap places.
Some of the vital areas of labor can be on the sixteenth gap the place an historic taking part in route can be restored to the left of the Principal’s Nostril and Deacon Sime bunkers together with the addition of two bunkers so as to add threat on the left hand aspect of the prolonged fairway.
Six holes can be lengthened – the fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth, eleventh and sixteenth – whereas one can be shortened barely – the twelfth. The general championship yardage of the course will improve by 132 yards to 7,445 yards. New championship tees can be created on the fifth, including 35 yards, the sixth, including 17 yards, the seventh, including 22 yards, and the tenth, including 29 yards. Tee enlargements will see will increase in size on the eleventh (21 yards) and the sixteenth (10 yards).
On the 2nd, the 2 right-side drive size bunkers can be relocated farther on and to the left to make them extra related to the road of play. New bunkers can be added at elite degree drive size on the sixth and the tenth. On the ninth, the suitable aspect method bunkers can be prolonged barely towards the road of play, together with Boase’s Bunker, which can be restored to its bigger and fewer rounded form.
The championship tee on the twelfth can be realigned barely to assist ease championship spectator motion on this location and the primary every day play tee on the 14th can be realigned and re-positioned barely.
On the seventeenth, the Highway Gap Bunker can be sympathetically restored to cut back the impact of sand splash build-up over time.
Work is scheduled to get underway on-site on 3 November. Individually, work on upgrading the Outdated Course irrigation system commenced the week starting 27 October.
