Swilcan Bridge loses its ‘DIY patio’ after fans’ outcry
BBC golf stalwart Ken Brown said it looked like they should be having a barbecue on it. Sir Nick Faldo said he could not understand why you would want bits of cement on you rather than grass. And appalled golf fans commented that the recent restoration works around the famous St Andrews Swilcan Bridge made the course’s most famous stone feature look like “a DIY patio”.
Custodians of the great course had been struggling to solve the problem of countless patrons, and visitors, wanting a picture taken at the Swilcan Bridge, which spans the burn between the first and 18th fairways, seeking to emulate such treasured snaps as those taken of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
The constant parade of photography has left the turf badly churned, and the St Andrews Links Trust had tried to protect the approaches to the bridge with admittedly deeply naff suburban crazy paving. The work was widely panned.
So savage was the reaction that Links Trust has now decided to remove the paving, saying: “We have trialled a number of solutions, with the primary ambition always to find something that is adequate for the amount of foot traffic for such a popular location while being in keeping with its surroundings.”
Presumably through gritted teeth, it added: “We have taken on feedback and we would like to thank everyone who has been in touch for their contribution to the issue.”
It confirmed: “This installation would have provided some protection, [but] we believe we are unable to create a look which is in keeping with its iconic setting and have taken the decision to remove it.”
A commendable escape from a tricky lie, but the underlying problem remains unsolved.