St Andrews & golf tidbits during Open

[orangeTANG]

I really enjoyed some of the short history programs and comments that were made while watching the Open this week. I found it really neat to understand where a lot of terms we use every day on the golf course come from. I thought the short commercial they did on the bunkers and on the 17th hole itself was amazing, almost like they were living creatures.

A few things I heard:

- Bunkers were originally built so sheep could go in them to get out of the wind.
- The terms Out/In on scorecards originated on the Old Course referring to playing the front 9 heading "out" of town, then back "in" to town.
- It takes 20 greens keepers 1 hour a day pushing mowers to cut one of the double greens. This same green could hold the entire 7th hole at Pebble Beach
- All the Double green hole numbers total 18.
- People who live in the town can golf any of the 5 courses (including the old course) for 50euros / year (I'm sure thats what I heard
- No golf is played on Sundays, instead it is turned into a park for the locals to enjoy, play games, walk the dogs etc.

Anyone else pick up some history lessons while watching the event?

[goochy]

- Bunkers were originally built so sheep could go in them to get out of the wind.
-

There is sooooo much golf history there.

Bunkers were not built but just natural hollows that "evolved" into bunkers as the sheep used them.

It was the first course to have 18 holes and set that number as standard

It was the first course to use a metal liner in the cup and not just a hole. Old Tom Morris brought this inovation in. Apparently the wily old players always wanted to play later in the day so by then the hole would be bigger!