Thirty years after the former Prince Andrew sent his ceremonial opening drive ‘OB’ and the Dukes Course on the outskirts of St. Andrews has ultimately ruled the course name ‘OB’.
The name change to the Craigtoun course will take effect from January 5th next month.
There had been calls back in 2022 as the Duke of York’s name appeared more and more in the news but for all the wrong reasons, and for the owners to react with a course name change.
But Kohler, the Wisconsin-based company that owns The Old Course Hotel and The Duke’s Course, was refusing calls from politicans and the golfing public to consider a change of name.
BREAKING NEWS … Timely St. Andrews @TheHomeofGolf golf course name change
With the former 30-year named Dukes ⛳️ to be renamed Craigtoun from early next month
Read: https://t.co/cBjCVufVth
✅ @TOURMISS pic.twitter.com/vYfzq0MsB4
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) December 8, 2025
This journalist had been afforded an invitation in July 1995 to attend the ceremonial opening of the Dukes course, named in honour of the Duke of York.
The official guests included the late Peter Thomson as course designer, along will fellow Aussie and fellow Open winner Ian Baker-Finch as well as Scottish rugby great Gavin Hastings and, of course, Prince Andrew.
I vividly recall ‘Thommo’, as he was so affectionately known, pointing the direction off the tee to the Prince but what stood out was that the five-time Open Champion used his walking stick to point the way, and wrapped right near the very end of the stick was a band-aid….yes, this was true (Author smiling).
Thommo’s show of support didn’t help the Duke as he sent his tee shot way left, over a fence and into the distant treeline.
The Duke played a third shot off what was then the first hole but now the 10th, and to his credit he walked off with a birdie.
However no birdie for the Dukes Course for the past four, five years until now with its as its renaming as the Craigtoun Course, after a nearby park.
While the course is being renamed, so too is the club’s logo of a lion rampant holding a saltire flag, and to be replaced by trees.
It is understood the renamed Craigtoun course will continue to be run by the US-based Kohler organisation.
