No Sunday golf on St Andrew’s Old course

I’VE been around golf and golf clubs for all of my life, beginning as a small boy, caddying for my late father, which really meant pulling his trolley and staying quiet, and that in itself was quite an achievement for those of you who know me personally.

I love the game of golf, its traditions and its etiquette, and I would like to think that I have a pretty decent knowledge of the game and its history, but over the weekend I learnt something new, I found out that you cannot play golf on the Old Course at St Andrews on a Sunday!

Yes, Sunday golf has been played on the hallowed turf on Sundays in Open Championships, the Dunhill Cup, and various other tournaments but that’s it, the Old Course is not open for play on Sundays to anyone else.

In my defence, I must confess to having never visited the “home of golf” (it is on my bucket list), so perhaps that is why I was unaware of the Sunday ban until I read an article about it on Sunday.

Apparently, it all goes back to Old Tom Morris who was an Elder of the Church of Scotland, and believed not only that the Sabbath day should be kept for worship and golf should not be played, but that the course needed a day of rest also, so in his honour except for tournament play, St Andrews don’t allow golf on the famous old links on a Sunday to this very day. You live and learn as they say.

Can you imagine that happening here in Ireland? 90% of golfers wouldn’t get to play the game, especially in the winter months when the days are short, and Sunday is probably the only time most players can get out, so that one golfing tradition I’m glad we missed out on in this country.