St Andrews

Previous Opens at Royal Troon

The Old Course at St Andrews, which will host the Open for the 27th time, has been extended by 164 yards since Tiger Woods won the 2000 championship with a record 19-under-par total of 269.

Five new tees -- at the second, fourth, 12th, 13th and 14th holes -- have been added to the famed Fife layout on the east coast of Scotland, increasing the length of the par-72 course to 7,279 yards.

Golf has been played at St Andrews for more than 400 years and nature, more than man, has been responsible for its design. Wind is always a variable factor and will determine the day's scoring.

Sited on a strip of land that juts out into the Eden Estuary, the Old Course is mostly level but is characterised by its many humps, bumps and depressions.

A curious feature are its seven double greens which contribute to a slow pace of play during British Opens held there.

Here is a hole-by-hole look at the Old Course, with the local name of each hole, for the July 14-17 British Open:

No. 1 (Burn) par four, 376 yards. A wide fairway with no rough or bunkers but the Swilcan Burn, or stream, guards the front of the green. Some players will find the water when the pin is set just beyond it.

No. 2 (Dyke) par four, 453 yards. The tee has been moved back 40 yards to bring 'Cheape's Bunker' into play. Best line off the tee is right of middle, although care is needed with heavy rough and hidden bunkers lurking on the right. Unless the wind is against, the second shot may be a short iron but is difficult to get close to the hole on an undulating green.

No. 3 (Cartgate Out) par four, 397 yards. Pot bunkers on the right need to be avoided off the tee. Best approach is from the right side of the fairway, with the crescent-shaped 'Cartgate' bunker cutting deeply into the left side of the green.

No. 4 (Ginger Beer) par four, 480 yards. Although the tee has been pushed back 16 yards, there are no hazards on a direct line to the hole. The left side of a narrow fairway is the best target but brings into play a large bunker en route to the green. A mount in front of the green-high hump in front of it also means an awkward approach.

No. 5 (Hole O'Cross Out) par five, 568 yards. The first of just two par fives on the Old Course requires an accurate drive with heavy rough and a cluster of seven bunkers some 250 yards out threatening the right side. The fifth shares a green with the 13th and together they measure more than an acre. Big hitters can reach the green in two, but this is a high-risk strategy with deep bunkers awaiting anything short.

No. 6 (Heathery Out) par four, 412 yards. A blind tee shot must clear a mass of gorse and heather and thread between six bunkers on the right and four on the left -- 'The Coffins'. An accurate drive here should set up a good birdie chance.

No. 7 (High Out) par four, 388 yards. Anything hit left off the tee opens up a wedge approach, although the huge 'Shell' bunker needs to be cleared. A drive to the right is shorter and tighter, but provides a safer birdie opportunity. This hole launches a run of four short par fours and two par threes where the players will look to improve their scoring.

No. 8 (Short) par three, 175 yards. The first of only two par threes on the course but, if the wind comes in off the sea, it is far from easy. The large green is partly obscured by a ridge and a solitary bunker. Pin placement can leave a tough putt down a slope.

No. 9 (End) par four, 352 yards. Two small but clearly visible bunkers are the only dangers on a par four that is regularly driven, although a lay-up here offers a sensible route to a birdie. Perhaps the easiest, and certainly the flattest, hole on the course.

No. 10 (Bobby Jones) par four, 379 yards. Another par four which is in range for the bigger hitters off the tee. However, the green slopes away towards the back and protective bunkering may tempt most players to lay up off tee and set up a short-iron approach. A good birdie opportunity.

No. 11 (High In) par three, 174 yards. Deep bunkers, notably the 10-foot-deep 'Hill' bunker, guard both sides of the entrance to a severely sloping green. Anything between a three and an eight-iron can be used off the tee on one of the toughest par threes in championship golf.

No. 12 (Heathery In) par four, 348 yards. With the tee moved back 34 yards, hidden bunkers in the middle of the fairway have been brought back into play. The approach is challenging with the pin usually set on a plateau just 10 feet wide.

No. 13 (Hole O'Cross In) par four, 465 yards. The carry from the tee over 'The Coffins' bunkers running down the left has been extended from 250 to 285 yards. An accurate long iron will set up a wedge approach into a huge green shared by the fifth.

No. 14 (Long) par five, 618 yards. An extra 37 yards makes this the longest hole on the Open championship rota. 'The Beardies' bunkers to the left and 'Hell' bunker short of the green are back in play with out-of-bounds on the right a greater threat.

No. 15 (Cartgate In) par four, 456 yards. A relatively safe dogleg right with plenty of room off the tee and a green which gathers the ball from both sides. A small greenside bunker and a sloping green do little to toughen up this hole.

No. 16 (Corner of the Dyke) par four, 424 yards. Care needs to be taken off the tee with out-of-bounds running the length of the hole on the right and 'Principal's Nose' bunker lurking in the middle of the fairway. Most players will favour the left to approach a green that rises sharply at the front.

No. 17 (Road) par four, 455 yards. Famous, fearsome and the graveyard of many an Open contender's dreams, this hole is one of the toughest par fours in the game. Best line off the tee is over the out-of-bounds area and reproduction railway sheds on the right to avoid an approach over the cavernous 'Road Bunker'. A narrow green is bunkered at the front and backed by a road that frequently comes into play during Open week.

No. 18 (Tom Morris) par four, 357 yards. The wide open fairway here sets up a little like the opening hole, although this is a green which can be driven. However, the notorious and deep 'Valley of Sin' guarding the front of the green can cause problems with the approach, which has required everything from a sand wedge to a putter being employed over the years. The green slopes back to front and right to left.

Previous Opens at Royal Troon

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