Players complete their first round matches at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, with the famous Category A Listed Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in the background (SCAPE)
St Andrews is once again hosting the AIG Women’s Open Golf Championship this year and we thought we would take this opportunity to highlight the archaeology of the Old Course, the history of the women’s game in Scotland, and its links with the coast.
St Andrew’s is the Home of Golf. Historical records show that golf was played on the Links, which was Common land since 1123, from at least 1552, when Archbishop Hamilton signed an official charter recognising the right of the people of St Andrew’s to play golf there.
1st Edition, Six-Inch, Ordnance Survey Map, Fife 12, Surveyed: 1854, Published: 1855. Note the Golfers Bridge, the Union Club House and Golf Place are all marked (Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland CC-BY).
By the beginning of the 20th century, the links had four courses, each with its own history and character. The entire area was designated a Garden and Designed Landscape in 2005. However, it is the Old Course that holds the most historical significance for the development of the game, with its famous greens, fairways, and historical features. These include the iconic Category B-Listed Swilcan Bridge or Golfers Bridge as it was recorded on the early Ordnance Survey maps. Other features within this sportscape also hold clues as to the development of the course and the game of golf, such as the March Stones. These stones were erected after 1821 to define the boundary of the golf course with the Common land surrounding it. Only a few of these stones survive, but they form an important piece of evidence as to the evolution of the course, and the game of golf. Originally, they would have been found on the edge of the course, however, through the development of the game, the course was redesigned on numerous occasions, not least by the famous Tom Morris, meaning that some of the stones are now in the middle of the fairways.
A March Stone in the middle of the 5th fairway – with Ryann O’Toole waiting to take her shot (SCAPE)
Some young visitors to St Andrews cross the Swilcan Bridge (SCAPE).
Women’s golf emerged at a relatively early stage in the history of the game and at St Andrews, the Himalayas Putting Green, which is still in use today, was created in 1867 by Tom Morris for ladies wanting to play on the Links. These ladies went on to create the St Andrews Ladies Golf Club, which is the oldest ladies’ golf club in the world. Early Ladies’ golf clubs were spread throughout the country and on a recent field survey in Kintyre, we recorded one of the most significant sites in the history of the women’s game; the B Listed Ladies Club House at Machrihanish Golf Club which was built in 1896 and is thought to be the earliest purpose-built Ladies golf clubhouse in the world.
The Category B-Listed Ladies Club House at Machrihanish Golf Club which was built in 1896 (SCAPE)
Like so many traditional Links courses in Scotland, the Old Course is facing increasing rates of erosion because of sea level rise and more frequent storm surges: The Scottish golf courses disappearing into the sea – BBC News
But clubs are rising to the challenge. The R&A, which manages the Old Course, is at the forefront of carrying out research into helping golf manage the impact of climate change and finding sustainable ways of working with nature to combat erosion, manage resources better, and increase biodiversity. The archaeological and cultural heritage of these sportscapes also plays an important role in taking climate action. By understanding and preserving the historical significance of these landscapes, we can contribute to their sustainable future.
We are excited that the AIG Women’s Open 2024 is taking place at our local club in St Andrews, a place that holds so much significance for the sporting and cultural heritage of Scotland. Good luck to all the players!
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