You do wonder sometimes at the mentality of the powers that be at the Links Trust, the body that runs the golf in St Andrews. For now they have put patios either side of the Swilken Bridge. It’s awful. They have totally ruined the most iconic scene in the world of golf. Period.
Of course the Links Trust have a history of doing this sort of thing. A few years ago they renamed the wonderful ‘Old Tom Morris’ shop by the eighteenth green as ‘The Open’!
Sacrilege what?
And of course I do have my personal gripe with them as well for banning from me working down at the Old Course after I wrote a tongue in cheek article on the R@A. I have framed my final letter of warning from them on this matter. That is priceless. And I am rather proud of it. I quite liked that article too mind you. Shame they rather saw the wrong side of it what.
These chaps really have to get with it a bit. But this last act of desecration on the Old Course itself is a real shocker.
I imagine though that, like Dom Raab’s tenure on the front benches now, these Dobbie’s patios won’t be there for long.