Course Stories – Volume 1

Short Anecdotes from Golf Across the Pond

At the golf courses across the pond, great stories are in no short supply.

In our new video series – Course Stories – we'll travel the golf courses of Scotland, Ireland, and England in search of their unique holes, history, traditions, and tales.

If you think the name sounds similar to "short stories," well... That's by design.

In these short, 1-2 minute videos, you'll hear some of the interesting stories from the golf clubs and courses of Great Britain and Ireland that usually go untold.

Without further ado, here's the first volume of Course Stories.

Lahinch Golf Club - 5th hole

If you're a little confused on the 5th tee at Lahinch Golf Club, rest assured... You're not the first.

The scorecard says it's just 147-yards, but looking ahead, all you can see are a handful of dunes.

A small sliver of green peeks around the front dune as if to say "Yes, this is the way."

But surely, it can't be...

Old Tom Morris designed The Dell hole at the end of the 19th century.

When Alister MacKenzie came to Lahinch to redesign the links, he left it untouched.

And so, for roughly 125 years, golfers have put their faith in this little white stone on the dune and hoped for the best.

The stone is moved each day according to the pin position and helps guide the way on this blind par-3.

When the Irish Open came to Lahinch in 2019, a giant television was placed on the 5th hole so players and fans could see where the tee shots finished.

For us mere mortals, the thrill of running ahead to discover a shot close to the hole – or maybe better – can hardly be replicated anywhere else in the world.

But this story comes with a word of warning:

If your caddie is ahead on the dune, cast a skeptical eye to any celebration for a "hole-in-one."

Prestwick Golf Club - 1st hole

Prestwick is best known as The Birthplace of The Open Championship.

The first 12 Opens were held at Prestwick Golf Club, 8 of which were won by Old and Young Tom Morris.

But for all of its rich history, visitors to Prestwick are likely to remember it for the collection of holes that are, at times, unlike anything else in the world.

The first hole is a perfect example.

The short par-4 requires nothing more than an iron off the tee.

Anywhere else, it’s a straight-forward proposition.

At Prestwick, the opening tee shot is anything but straight-forward.

The Glasgow railway borders the right-side of the fairway for the entire length of the hole.

The little red stone wall, and the prospect of hitting five off the tee, offers a daunting welcome to this historic links.

During the early Open Championships, the first hole at Prestwick was much further from the railway, but no less daunting.

At 578 yards, the hole was a massive undertaking in the era of hickory clubs.

And yet, it was still no match for Young Tom Morris. During the 1870 Open, Tommy holed out for a 3 en route to his third consecutive title.

A stone monument west of the clubhouse marks the position of the old first tee and the birthplace of The Open Championship.