THE COURSES

Records and Holes in One: 2007

Having been given a rest over this winter the fifth hole of the Eden Course was brought back into play in mid-March and it has already yielded three holes in one.

On 25 March local golfer David Allan watched his seven iron shot sail to the target. Mr Allan is a member of the St Andrews Golf Club. The final day of March was the occasion of London golfer Jonathan Woods ’ unforgettable moment, when his pitching wedge tee shot achieved perfection. Jean Hamilton scored her ace at the fifth on 2 April using a seven iron.

Elsewhere on the Eden, on March 28, Danuta McLachlan scored her first ever hole in one at the fifteenth using an eight iron. Mrs McLachlan is a member of the St Regulus Club in St Andrews.

Drew Wallace from Preston achieved the dream of an Old Course hole in one on 3 April when his eight iron shot zoomed into the target at the eighth hole. Mr Wallace is a member of Strathaven GC. On 7 April David Thompson of Prestonpans used his five iron to triumph over the seventeenth hole of the Jubilee Course. Two days later Nick Dutnall came north from the Isle of Man to take on High Hole, the 11th on the Old Course, and walked away with an ace after his seven iron shot disappeared below ground. Mr Dutnall is a member of Ramsey GC. St Regulus GC member Carol Gordon used her 11 wood to notch up a one on her card on the fifth hole of the Eden on 22 April. With 30 degrees of loft, an 11 wood is about equivalent to a five iron.

struck home his dream 3 wood second shot at the par 5 fourteenth of the Old Course, Long Hole.Mr Perry reported that his ball was sitting well on the fairway and he felt confident in going for the green in two. His ball drew in toward the bank to the right of the green and fed straight into the hole. Mr Perry, who has been a resident of St Andrews for three years, is now retired from full time work and plays golf regularly. He commented that having six courses to choose from meant that he was on the Links three times a week or more. ‘We really are quite spoiled in St Andrews,’ he remarked. Richard was playing with fellow New GC members, Peter Higgins, Mo Johnston and Howard Stephenson.

That rarest of rare birds, an albatross, made an appearance at the Home of Golf on 24 April when Richard Perry of St Andrews

May’s aces came from Dan Drury, Christine Lewis and Elizabeth Coyle . Christine, who is from St Andrews, came out on top against the sixth hole of the Strathtyrum Course on 4 May, watching her five wood shot make a direct line for the cup. She had only one word to report: Yippee! Dan, from Hove, who is a member of Arden Forest GC, used his sand wedge to register his hole in one at the fifth hole of the Eden Course on 16 May. Although he didn’t see the ball go in, the applause from the group on the sixth tee told him of his triumph at St Andrews Links. Mrs Coyle from London found her seven wood was the key to the thirteenth of the Jubilee, also on 16 May. On 17 May, Pat Kinsley aced the thirteenth hole of the New Course while playing in the Power Vase. Pat is a well known face in St Andrews and works at the custom fit studio in the Golf Practice Centre

John Ducharme of Stuttgart GC in Germany experienced the vicarious thrill of a hole in one on the Old Course when his tee shot at the eleventh ended up in the hole of the seventh on 23 May – a rare event, despite the course being dominated by double greens. A more conventional hole in one fell to Ole Bang of Fanø GC in Denmark at the thirteenth hole of the Jubilee on 9 June. Mr Bang hit a three iron. David Lewis of Pavenham GC, Bedfordshire, aced the fifth hole on the Eden on 25 June using a nine iron. Three days later Errol Barron of Wingate Park CC in South Africa found his safari to the Home of Golf paid off when he bagged a hole in one at the fifth hole of the Jubilee. Mr Barron watched as his seven iron shot dropped into the hole: ‘fantastic’ was his succinct description.

Well done to Douglas McLean of Shotts, who crossed the country to fire in a hole in one with his pitching wedge at the seventh of the Balgove on 3 July. Douglas was playing with Elie-based golf coach George Finlayson, who remarked that there was ‘no luck attached – great swing!’ Kari Himanen of Oulun GC used his eight iron to slay the fifteenth hole of the Eden Course on 8 July. Twelve year old Keiran Mellon of Dullatur had a six iron to thanks for his perfect shot on the ninth of the Balgove on 13 July. The big day for the slightly older Herbert V Kohler came on 18 July, when he aced the eleventh hole of the Old Course, High Hole, also using a six iron. Mr Kohler is the proprietor of the Old Course Hotel and he hospitably demonstrated the line to the pin for his playing partners David Fay, executive director of the USGA, Tim Finchem, commissioner of the PGA Tour and Ken Sichanzer, president of NBC Sports. Two days later Eric Cady of Tijera Creek GC in California triumphed at the ninth hole of the Jubilee Course. He used a four iron to make his mark on the Links. A driver was the club used by fellow Californian Urban L Koagedal of Meadow GC, Fairfax, when he notched a victory over the ninth hole of the New Course on 19 July.

There were two holes in one during the St Andrews Boys’ Open. St Melyd player Thomas Burnet scored a one on the fifth of the Eden on 7 August and Jordyn Rhind of Uphall needed only a single stroke at the thirteenth of the Strathtyrum the following day. St Andrews Links Golf Academy visiting pro Colin Ferguson showed everyone how it should be done by acing the seventh hole on the Balgove on 23 August. Colin, who is based at the Riffa GC in Dubai, used his sand wedge to notch an ace at the Home of Golf. His professional self assessment was: 'good shot: straight in...' On the very same day, across on the Jubilee Course, John Magyar of Selby GC took route one to the fifth hole. Strathaven GC member Alistair McKinlay came out victorious in his tussle with the eighth hole of the Old Course on 25 August. Appropriately enough, he used an eight iron.

Another unusual triumph came on 7 September when Ronald V Wilhelm of Silver Lakes GC in Alabama aced the par four ninth hole of the Old Course. He covered the 300 yards to the hole with his driver but modestly gave the credit for the shot to his caddie, Paul Borland. The Balgove was the scene of Colin McMillan's second career hole in one. The Milnathort GC member kept his putter in the bag after a great nine iron shot on the third hole.

Well done to Christopher Fleming, a local lad who is a member of the St Andrews Golf Club. Playing with his father and brother, Christopher watched his ball disappear from sight at the ninth of the Balgove Course on 15 October. Christopher was using a nine iron.Local player Les Pettit used his five wood to sweep the ball home on the tenth hole of the Eden Course on 22 October. The following day, Kenneth Andersson of Bälinge in Sweden struck the perfect 4 iron shot on the ninth hole of the Jubilee. Mr Andersson is a member of Uppsala GC. St Andrews Links caddie Scott Bechelli showed that he doesn’t just talk a good game when he took the short route to the eighth hole of the Eden Course on 10 November, courtesy of a ‘pure nine iron.’ Scott didn’t see the ball go into the hole on the elevated plateau green but he did hear the pin being rattled by his shot.