Playing Scotland’s Old Course was not about the score

The Swilcan Bridge on the 18th Fairway of the Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland.

The first time I laid eyes on the Old Course at St. Andrews was in the summer of 1970. I was sitting in front of a television at home in Ontario, a young teenager enthralled with the game of golf.

It was love at first sight.

That year, the Old Course was the site of the Open, mostly known back then as the British Open. It was my introduction to “links golf” – courses shaped by nature, often near the sea, often exposing players to driving rain and cruel wind. They offered a dramatic contrast to the highly manicured, often overly designed courses in North America.

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The Old Course comes by its name honestly: It’