When the R&A announced that architect Martin Hawtree would be making some modifications to the Old Course in preparation for the 2015 Open Championship it was as if the Queen herself was receiving a face lift. Newspapers, websites and bloggers have raged about the desecration of the holy ground. But the truth of the matter is this: change to the Old is nothing new.
From the very earliest of days, the Old Course was funded, maintained and managed by the Society of St Andrews Golfers, which would, in 1854, become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. The course we know today would not be so venerated if it were not for the support of the R&A at the very outset. This might seem controversial but it's accurate.
The St Andrews links originally comprised 22 holes but, by 1764, the first four holes were deemed too short and inadequate. As a result the layout was cut down to 18 holes, setting a much-copied precedent for future golf courses.
