[Doug Siebert]

I'm curious if there are any courses that are completely unchanged from the gutty era?  Something that hasn't had any changes at all so far as anyone knows after 1899?  Obviously there won't be any in the US, are there perhaps a few such courses hidden in Scotland or England?

I know someone has mentioned some old Braid course in Scotland where you can rent hickory clubs that's only about 5000 yards long, perhaps that's one such course?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Doug have you seen the feature Article with Archie Ward on GCA?  That's exactly what he was trying to do.  

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewward.html

recently some course nearer to St andrews acheived funding from the National Trust to do this.

[Richard Muldoon]

I don't know the history (I'm sure plenty on here do) and I haven't played it for about 15 years, but Royal North Devon looks as though it has been like that for ever.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Richard,  As I understand it, Herbert Fowler redesigned Royal North Devon in 1908.  I cannot think of a gutty-era course that is still intact other than TOC.

[ForkaB]

It's hard to think of any landform that hasn't changed over the past 100+ years, particulalry one which is continuously attacked by feet and sharp implements.

My guess is that Old Tom Morris would be horrified to see how the Old Course looks today.  As for Alan Robertson, he'd be apoplectic!

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Rich, How much has changed - obviously the manicured condition, the nature of the bunkers and the back tees, but nobody's added a pond on the 18th or brought the Eden Estuary into play on the 11th, have they?

[ForkaB]

Rich, How much has changed - obviously the manicured condition, the nature of the bunkers and the back tees, but nobody's added a pond on the 18th or brought the Eden Estuary into play on the 11th, have they?

Mark, as to the first three clauses of your sentence, YES!  Big changes, IMHO.  Sort of on the lines of "Other than those changes, Mr. Morris, how did you enjoy your round on the Old Course?"  As to the next one, when Alan Robertson died in 1859, there WAS a pond on the 18th--it was and is called the North Sea!  It was not until 1893 that the Bruce Embankment was built to stop persistent tidal intrusion into the land that is now the 1st and 18th fairways.  As for the 11th, the Eden Estuary is in play for LB Homes, Bubba Watson, et. al. these days, alas.....

 

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