The greatest vantage points at St Andrews – from the Swilken Bridge to the Jigger Inn
It might seem that St Andrews is not the most spectator friendly of the Open courses. It lacks the dunes which double up as natural amphitheatres around holes at Carnoustie, for instance, while its double fairways mean one side of every approach is out of bounds to observers.
But in places all round the course there can be found spots which offer the kind of closeness to the players which borders on the intimate. As long as you know where to look, that is.
The Junction of Excellence, for those keen not to walk too far
Just to the side of the clubhouse, it is possible to put yourself in a position to watch the players tee off from the first and finish at the eighteenth simultaneously. And if there is nobody on either, look left and you can cast your eye over the practice green, where competitors go to hone their putting before they set off. This spot is so renowned, it has royal imprimatur: the Princess Royal was there for the practice round on Wednesday. True, Nicola Sturgeon was there on Friday, but don’t let that put you off.
“Perfect spot this,” said one spectator who preferred not to be named, just in case, he said, his boss reads the Telegraph. “Best thing is, the bar’s just over there and the toilets there.” So that’s what Sturgeon was doing there.
The Swilken Bridge, for those looking for a selfie with a celeb
Alongside the famous ancient stone walkway spanning the brook that dissects the 18th fairway is less a spot to watch the action, more a photo opportunity. There was a gathering swell of phone-wielding snappers there keen to snatch a shot of Tiger Woods as he walked across the bridge, perhaps for the last time.
Woods thoughtfully stopped at the top to doff his cap in the crowd’s direction. By coincidence, as he posed, Rory McIlroy was taking his second shot on the first fairway directly behind him.
“I got Tiger and Rory in the same shot,” exclaimed Morgan, from north Wales, who was at the Open with his father. “Amazing I got so near to them.” This is the thing about the St Andrews course, anywhere and everywhere there are places you can get up close and personal.
The Mound by the third green, for those unwilling to queue for the grandstands
A rare natural vantage point around the course, the mound has had so much traffic tramping over it during the Open, it might well measure several inches lower by the end of the weekend. Up at the top, shifting ever higher as others left, was Allan from Ascot, watching McIlroy putt.
He had been to every Open bar one since 1976 and reckoned St Andrews the best place to watch things unfold. “I’ve seen Tiger win here, Seve, Faldo and what’s his name, Oosthuizen. Normally I head out further on to the course, but I can only walk so far these days because of my knee.” The good news was, from his eyrie he didn’t have far to go to the mobile gourmet burger van.
The grandstand at the 11th, for those wanting plenty of action
What makes the Old Course at St Andrews unique is its J-shape. Sit on top of the stand at the par three eleventh that looks down on the loop in the course, and you can cast your eye over three or four holes at once.
Everywhere you look is action; from up there, it feels as if the entire Open is on view. True, unless you get there early it will be necessary to queue. But it is more than worth the wait.
“It was all a bit hit and miss till we got here,” said Andrew from Kent, who was at the Open for a 60th birthday treat. “But here, you can see everything.”
Not only that, there are toilets nearby where, if you are lucky, you might stand alongside Bryson DeChambeau, taking a comfort break before teeing off midway through his round with the ever more round John Daly.
The Jigger Inn, for those anxious not to be too far from the nearest pint
Much of the glorious home straight at St Andrews, the stretch running up to the 18th green, has been monetised over the years into corporate hospitality venues, and the best views now cost thousands of pounds. But the town’s most renowned old hostelry remains open to all comers.
In truth, the view of the action may well be better from the television screens in the Jigger Inn bar and you are never far from a drink. Plus, you can tune in to the knowledgeable conversation. Not that it is always about the golf.
Like the man watching the screen as the mullet-haired early leader Cameron Smith addressed a putt, who was telling his companion about how, according to the latest Autocar valuation he had “only lost two grand on that motor in the last eight years”.
