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Old Course to get complete makeover!
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January 29, 2005; Source: AnyoneForTee World Exclusive
R&A announces makeover of Old Course at St Andrews to make it "more relevant" to today's players, and appoints BBC 'Ground Force' team to do it!
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The world of golf is in shock today as its most hallowed institution, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, announced that 'The Home of Golf' – the Old Course – is to be given a makeover to bring it into line with the expectations of the modern golfer.
 But in a move to ensure that the general public feel involved in the process of revamping one of Britain's greatest sporting venues, the R&A have decided to bring in the BBC's hugely popular "Ground Force" team of original members Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh (right, top 3), plus Diarmuid Gavin, Rachel de Thame and interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (right, lower 3) to do the work, and to film the entire makeover for television.
 "The Old Course has been played over for some 600 years by golfers, and in all that time has hardly changed," said R&A secretary Peter Dawson, "so the Club felt it was time to bring it up to date with the evolutions of the game. If we want to remain the true 'Home of Golf', then we must be relevant to the current generation of players. Otherwise we shall just become a museum piece, an object of curiosity. And by bringing in the Ground Force team, we shall preserve every step of the process on film, so that future generations can understand the improvements we have made to the original layout."
 The audacious plan has caused sharp divisions among Club members, but Dawson is unapologetic about the direction the Club is taking. "The Club celebrated its 250th Anniversary in 2004, and we were honoured to have His Royal Highness the Duke of York as Captain," he said. "The Duke is a very keen golfer, and in keeping with our 'Royal' charter he wanted to leave a lasting legacy of his captaincy for future generations, or "the next 250 years", as he put it. He therefore instituted the review process which finally led to this decision, and which our new Captain, Richard Cole-Hamilton (seen right, with the Duke of York, discussing the relocation of the first green), will now put into practice."
 "As you know," continued Dawson (left), "His Royal Highness is a tireless promoter of Britain and British trade abroad, and he felt that in order to continue attracting the many overseas visitors who visit St Andrews, we needed to add more of the features that golfers around the world expect from a championship level course. We risk seeing the next generation of golfers looking elsewhere for their golfing experience if the Old Course and its surroundings do not reflect modern trends in golf architecture, equipment and the ancillary facilities of the Club."
But surely, AnyoneForTee asked, the 'old-fashioned', traditional aspect of the Old Course is the very thing the visitors want to experience, and the Old Course is part of every golfer's heritage, wherever he comes from?
 "Of course," said Dawson, "as Mr Llewelyn-Bowen, who will be helping us with the interior design of the R&A Clubhouse, says: "To find your personal taste cast your net of inspiration wide. Learn lessons from the past as well as taking hints from the present". We shall be blending the traditional with more up to date ideas, and I have every confidence that Lawrence (right) will know how to preserve the romance that is St Andrews."
 "Our Japanese and the Americans visitors, for example, who bring huge revenues into Scotland when they come here to play golf, expect a lot of trees and water on a course. The Old Course is almost treeless, so there'll be some planting, which will also give us some shelter from the wind on the more exposed tees. And although we have the Swilcan Burn, there are no other lakes or water hazards, so we are asking Charlie Dimmock (left) to put in a few water-features at strategic locations.
"Overseas visitors also want softer greens they can pitch to, reducing the need for the tricky chip and run shot which so few non-Scottish players can execute properly today.
 "Then we've noticed that visitors don't like our deep little pot-bunkers, which are very difficult to get out of, so we shall be re-landscaping some of those. They want fewer blind shots, and they don't like hitting a perfect drive only to find their ball on a difficult sidehill or hanging lie in the fairway, so with the team's help we shall be removing the 'umps and 'ollows." (Editor's note: Before gaining her reputation for water designs, Charlie Dimmock, pictured left, was already famous for her work with humps and hollows and hanging lies.)
"Our American friends also really dislike the role that luck plays on a links golf course," Dawson explained. "It tends to throw up unknown players like Bruce Cutlass (Ben Curtis – Ed) and Ted Humberside (Todd Hamilton – Ed) who can suddenly beat the world's best in The Open. Do you have any idea how badly TV ratings fall when Tiger Woods is not in contention in a tournament?"
 But didn't Tiger Woods in fact win the last Open Championship played at St Andrews in 2000, by a margin of eight shots, we asked?
"Yes, he did," said Dawson, "but mainly because his opposition had some really bad luck. For example, poor old David Duval got into the Road Bunker at the 17th (picture right) and it took him four to get out. It's not fair, you know, and the TV bosses don't like that."
 "You see, you have to consider the millions who watch golf on TV around the world and the money this brings into the game. The networks are always complaining that the Old Course is 'featureless' and confusing to viewers (left). They don't like our double greens, so we shall splitting up those big, dull, grassy expanses into smaller,  themed areas, and probably including some eye-catching, colourful design elements to stand out on TV. I'm rather hoping, for example, that Diarmuid might install those ceramic balls he designed for the Chelsea Flower Show, which Her Majesty the Queen seemed to enjoy so much (right) - we are the ROYAL & Ancient after all. They'd be rather appropriate on a golf course, don't you think?"
Don't miss part two of our exclusive investigation, in which the Ground Force team reveal their detailed plans for the Old Course, coming shortly on AnyoneForTee.
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