Milestone 150 Years: The Open Championship at St. Andrews Old Course

150th Open Championship | D'Lance Golf

150th Open Championship at St. Andrews

The 150th Open Championship marks another major milestone in professional golf. With the inaugural Open Championship played back in 1860, the Claret Jug is a pinnacle achievement for tour players. In 2000 upon Tiger Wood’s Grand Slam win, he said of the Open Championship “All players that want to win The Open Championship, automatically you go right to St. Andrews. This is it. This is as good as it gets.”1

St. Andrews – the Home of Golf

St. Andrews, the Home of Golf and oldest golf course in the world, started its legacy back in 1552 with the official charter issued by the Archbishop Hamilton declaring the grounds open to the public to play golf. Even 470 years later, the integrity of St. Andrews and golf’s community, legacy and competition lives on in nearly 70 million golfers and 38,000 golf courses around the world. Jack Nicklaus said of St. Andrews, “St. Andrews is what the game really means. Almost all the great golfers have played the Old Course, and the course has always demanded strong golf.”2 It’s very fitting that The Old Course at St. Andrews host the 150th Open Championship, also marking the 30th time the event was hosted here.

The Key to Scoring Low at St. Andrews & Your Home Course – The Short Game

Jack Nicklaus was quoted “Although every golf tournament is to some degree a putting contest,” he wrote in his autobiography, “the premium on the short stick at St. Andrews is greater than anywhere else in the championship game.”3 Many of the most iconic shots at St. Andrews Old Course are meticulous wedge shots from the fringes to the gorse.

That premium on the “short sticks” applies to every golfer and every golf course. Why, because 40-50% of a players strokes come from around the green. With confidence and feel, the mindset changes to how close to the pin are you going to hit it instead of just getting it on the green.

The Short-Game Problem

The typical problem for most golfers is that their wedges are purchased off-the-shelf with stock shafts and stock grips. We see it time and time again where off-the-shelf clubs don’t have the right swing weight to match a player’s swing. The result is many golfers are left fighting their wedges, losing touch and feel, and cycling from generation to generation thinking it’s the head, not the shaft.

The Solution

The solution lies in having wedges that fit your swing profile and optimal swing weight. The right way to know is through a custom wedge club fitting. And your wedge shafts should match your iron shafts – same goes for pro players as amateurs. The result is every wedge (50, 52, 54, 56, and 60) feels like an extension of every other club in your bag. Attack shots from 100 yards in are dialed in. Touch, feel and proper spin around the green are dialed in.

1, 2, 3 – source: https://www.golfchannel.com/news/holier-westminster-abbey-best-quotes-about-st-andrews-old-course