St. Andrews Course Ungoes ‘Overdue’ Name Change.

2 months ago by Comments Off on St. Andrews Course Ungoes ‘Overdue’ Name Change.

Thirty years after the former named Prince Andrew sent the 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.


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.

The eighth hole at to be renamed Craigtoun course at St. Andrews. Image Craigtoun

While the course, that underwent changes in recent years, is being renamed so too will there be changes to the club’s logo of a lion rampant holding a saltire flag, and to be replaced by trees.

As well, the renamed Craigtoun course from January 5  will operate under the stewardship of the St Andrews Links Trust. As part of the agreement the trust will pay an undisclosed fixed annual fee to its current owner, the Kohler manufacturing company’s Old Course Hotel, for the next 15 years or more.

St Andrews Links Trust chief executive Neil Coulson said the organisation is ‘delighted’ about the transition.

He said: ‘The agreement for The Craigtoun Course will see the first new course added to the Home of Golf’s portfolio in 18 years and presents an ideal opportunity to expand the golf experiences we offer.

‘We are delighted to have reached agreement with the Old Course Hotel and look forward to taking over what is already a significant asset for St Andrews and Scotland and building on its reputation.

‘Demand for golf in St Andrews has risen to unprecedented levels in recent years.

‘The Craigtoun Course allows us to offer additional capacity and strategically invest in our facilities to offer more opportunities to play golf.’

There are already seven public links style golf courses owned by Fife Council and operated by the St Andrews Links Trust charity – Old, New, Jubilee, Balgove, Eden, and Strathtyrum. The seventh, the Castle Course, lies one mile to the south-east.

The Craigtoun will be a first heathland golf course,

 

 



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