St Andrews
The Evolution of the Old Course
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- 235mm x 260mm landscape
- 208 pages plus 4pg to view foldout
- Over 260 full colour & B/W photos, illustrations, charts & graphs
- Hard covers with dust jacket
- UK Bookshop price: UK£45.00
- NZ website price: NZ$125.00
- Postage and packaging: Within NZ: NZ$7.00; UK: NZ$15.00;
Europe (Excl UK): $NZ30.00; International: NZ$45.00
(4-7 day airmail, including insurance)
Great golf courses are like great musical instruments: they hold their tune for a long time, provide great pleasure, and survive many generations, but after vigorous playing by gifted individuals they also need to be retuned. Through the years, that has been the fate and fortune of the Old Course at St Andrews, the ‘home of golf’.
Today the Old Course rightly remains a cornerstone for the golfing world. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club has made, and continues to make, rules and decisions that affect the way golf is played and the set-up of many thousands of courses throughout the world. This book highlights in detail for the first time the physical changes to the Old Course at St Andrews, correlates them with social and equipment changes, and provides insights into the effect these changes have had, not only on the rules of golf but on the very manner in which the game is played.
In this detailed and comprehensive study Scott Macpherson takes the reader on a journey of discovery from golf's past to its future. We see not only the way in which early remodelling of the Old Course changed the game itself, but also how the course has adapted to almost two centuries of considerable technological change to both the ball and club as well as huge leaps in the skill and strength of players.
This important study illuminates the significant issues facing golf at St Andrews, which not only affect the Royal and Ancient Club and its members, but also course designers, club and ball manufacturers, greenkeepers, rules officials, golf clubs and players everywhere.
“ Scott Macpherson has published a book, and it is one of the most significant contributions to golf literature I've seen in many years. The title is St.Andrews: The Evolution of the Old Course. The fruit of six years of research, hands-on observation, and careful compilation,it is the definitive biography of the world's most famous course....Only 3,000 copies ofthis book have been published, and despite its hefty price — US$90 — and the fact that is not easily available either through bookstores or online, those copies will surely vanish quickly to the homes and offices of golf historians, architects, media, and St. Andrewphiles. If you fall into any ofthose categories—or if you just want to boost your knowledge of all aspects of the game, I strongly suggest you get in touch with www.tmgolfdesign.com ”
— George Peper, LINKS Magazine - September 2007 edition
Born in New Zealand, Scott Macpherson benefited from a Turf and Soils education at New Zealand's Massey University before studying Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Davis. His golf course design experience in Australia with Thomson, Wolveridge, and Perrett preceded a relocation to St Andrews in Scotland. After studying the great links, Scott worked as the on-site architect for the two courses at the ‘Fairmont at St Andrews’ (formally known as St Andrews Bay) for the American architect, and former President of the ASGCA, Denis Griffiths. Scott has written a monthly column, ‘Design Matters’, for New Zealand golf magazine The Cut since January 2001. He now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. He operates his own course design company, Inspired Golf Design, and is a principal in Turner Macpherson Golf Design with former professional golfer Greg Turner.
“In his book, Scott Macpherson charts the evolution of the Old Course, dispelling many widely accepted ‘truisms’ along the way. For any student of golf it is a must-read.”
— John Huggan, Contributor to Golf Digest and Scotland on Sunday
