A Walk Through Golf's Greatest Cathedral

In lieu of the sermon this morning, I will be writing about my experience playing the Old Course. In my mind, it was as close to as a religious experience as I’ll ever have. I’ll try and do it justice with my words. Enjoy.

My birthday falls in early summer, and it usually overlapped with a family vacation every few years. The summer before my senior year in high school, we took a trip to Scotland, mostly so the boys could play golf. Twist my arm.

We took the traditional red eye over, and landed at about 7am local time in Edinburgh. We spent the morning viewing the traditional tourist spots - the castle, where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, etc. I’d highly recommend it.

Anyway, we spent the afternoon taking the 90 minute drive up to St. Andrews, where I had been once before (to watch my father play in the 250th anniversary tournament). We were exhausted from the travel, but had no plans on how or when we were going to play the Old. So, we ate lunch, unpacked our things, and meandered over to the first tee at about 530pm local time, walking hopefully in search of the elusive tee time.

I am still not entirely sure how the lottery system works there, and it may have changed in the 11 years since, but we secured the last time off, 610pm. In mid-June, the sun sets at about 1030pm, so we had plenty of time, and anxiously awaited the first tee shot. Here is a pic of me and my brother, minutes before playing. (Big time logo bingo here… anyone know it?)

Anyway, we teed off at 610pm, with a local chef who lived and worked at a pub in St. Andrews. He may be, to this day, the best single I’ve ever been paired with. He imparted his course knowledge from the first tee, (he had hundreds of loops under his belt at the Old, must be nice), was sociable and could tell stories for days. On top of that, he was a good player. He’s in the background of the pic above, rolling putts.

I don’t remember exactly how I played, or what I shot, but I have some lasting memories that I’ll share. The first thing is the grass at the Old Course. Its texture, firmness, and feel are unlike that of any turf on which I've ever played. It feels like it has been there for thousands of years (it probably has), yet it remains unfazed by the millions of steps it absorbs. Once you set foot on it, you know that it's the kind of grass on which golf is meant to be played. It’s resilient yet perfectly manicured. Timeless grass which has seen all of the games greats walk it.

Another memory I have is that the round was played without a breath of wind the entire time. Even for late in the evening, I was told that’s quite rare at St. Andrews.

We played the outward nine pretty quickly, with the Chef guiding us on the many blind tee shots and approaches. I remember thinking about how cool the double greens were. More courses should have them.

The back nine became a race against daylight to finish. The group in front of us were locals, but our Chef informed us they were playing some sort of season-long match play tournament, so it was evident that they were grinding, and their pace of play left something to be desired. Regardless, we came to the last few holes with about 20 minutes of daylight left…

Standing on the tee of The Road Hole, especially in the twilight hours, I was fairly intimidated. “Hit it over the hotel” were the instructions barked at me by the Chef. I did not. It went left into the fescue, and in the darkness it was all but lost. Oh well. I remember my dad hitting what he thought was a perfect tee ball in the dying light, only to never find it. He’s probably reading this and still grumbling about it.

Reflecting on my golf travels and experiences, the 17th at St. Andrews remains my favorite hole in the world. It’s truly remarkable how far over the hotel you need to aim to hit the fairway, and it’s also the best “boundary” hole in the world. (The farther right you aim towards OB, the better angle you have at the green). It’s stood the test of time like no other hole in the world.

I dropped a ball in the fairway to play the 17th, and we moved with some pace to the finale, in near darkness. Now, the 1st and 18th fairways adjoin, and are about 100 yards wide. It should be illegal to hit the ball out of bounds on either hole, all you have to do is aim left. So, BTG, where did you hit it? About 2 feet from the cars parked on the road to the right. I walked over, tail between my legs, to within earshot of the locals drinking on the streets.

I greeted the gentlemen drinking beers on the street. They were entirely undeterred, mentioning windshields are broken daily. A few other folks were wagering which one of us would hit it closest, although you could barely see the green in the darkness. I hit my ball into the Valley of Sin, and got up and in for a closing par.

As we walked off the green toward the R&A, I turned around to look back on what I had just experienced. I saw the lights of the town dancing and flickering over the landscape, and heard the denizens of St. Andrews bantering, a perfect and ancient marriage of man and sport.

With the constant onslaught of mindless golf drivel spewing from Instagram Reels and TikTok, I’m going to drop 1 or 2 high quality pieces of content here each week that are absolutely worth your time.

Nestled on 500 acres straddling the New York-Connecticut border, Morefar Back O’Beyond stands as a paragon of golfing secrecy, about an hour north of New York City. Established in 1964 (though some sources claim 1962) by Cornelius Vander Starr, the visionary founder of what became AIG insurance giant, this par-69 course spans 6,748 yards and was designed by Edward C. Ryder and Val Carlson. Its rolling hills, dotted with whimsical sculptures and Revolutionary War markers, evoke a mix of history and folklore.

What amplifies its mystique is the ironclad exclusivity: memberships aren't open to the public, reserved solely for employees of Starr International, now controlled by former AIG CEO Maurice Greenberg. No walking allowed (carts are mandatory) and details remain scarce, fueling urban legends like construction by Chinese laborers or sand imported from Arizona. Largely un-photographed and seldom discussed, Morefar eludes the spotlight, its pristine fairways whispering tales of corporate power and hidden opulence.

One commonly misunderstood golf rule is Rule 16.1: Relief from Abnormal Course Conditions, which includes immovable obstructions like cart paths, sprinkler heads, or man-made objects.

Players often believe they get free relief if such an obstruction is in their line of play, creating a visual or mental distraction, even if it doesn't affect their stance or swing. This stems from confusing it with other rules.

In reality, free relief (no penalty) is only granted if the obstruction interferes physically with your ball's lie, your stance, or the area of your intended swing. To take relief: Mark a reference point (nearest point of complete relief), then drop within one club-length, not nearer the hole.

Exception: On the putting green, if an abnormal condition is in your line of play, you do get relief by placing the ball at the nearest point avoiding interference.

Misapplying this can lead to penalties (two strokes in stroke play). Always check: Is it physical interference? If not, play as lies.

A fundamental explanation of what a swing plane is. Understanding how the club moves throughout the swing and the principles behind having a square club-face will do wonders to your control and ball striking.

My intention with BowtiedGolf is to grow it as the elite clubs do — through referrals.

If you’ve improved your look, laughed a little bit, or learned something because of this newsletter… why keep it to yourself?