Interview

“Old Course St Andrews, Architect: God”, according to Longobardi: “It is a before and after”

Wegolf 27 May 2020

Marcelo Longobardi told us why St Andrews is a place to enjoy with all the senses: “it is the Disney of golf”. Watch the IG Live here.

You can also listen to it here:

These were his most notable quotes:

“My first impression of St Andrews -I had probably seen some photos- was that I was going to arrive at a kind of fortress. And there came my first big surprise: St Andrews has no gates, no fences, no guards, no boundaries. People walk their dogs while you are playing golf. I have even walked it at 1 a.m., because the course is of course open.”

“It is like a park that has 3 holes facing the town of St Andrews (the 1st, 17th and 18th), and the rest goes inland in a kind of sausage shape that goes back and forth… very old-fashioned.”

“St Andrews is a town that is 1000 years old. And golf has supposedly been played there since 1457. When they give you the course booklet, for the holes… it says: ‘Architect: God’. In the end, nobody designed it.”

“The course may or may not be the best… Those who know golf architecture find holes inspired by St Andrews in many great courses today. And the 11th hole is probably the most influential par 3 in the entire history of golf.”

“Regardless of whether the course feels more or less attractive, fun, or complex depending on the day, the wind, and many factors, the experience of playing it is amazing. I find no similar sensation in sport than 1) standing on the 1st tee waiting to hit, and 2) being on the 17th tee knowing you will have 30 minutes to play holes 17 and 18 at St Andrews. It is a colossal experience.”

“Half of the town is a university town, and the other half is the Disney of golf.”

“There is a constant, and especially nighttime, sound of seagulls throughout the town, which makes it a very strange place. You walk through the streets at night and there are seagulls everywhere.”

“There is a moment at sunset, which can be -in July- around 8 p.m., when the city turns golden, because of how the sun hits the stone façades of the buildings from the west.”

“If it were altered too much it would be a crime. It has shared greens and many strange features. But it is impossible not to play the Old Course. It is a before and after.”