Old Tom Morris
Known as The Grand Old Man of Golf, Tom Morris wasn’t just a brilliant golfer and a hugely influential course designer, he also made golf balls, clubs and even invented tee boxes.
New balls, please. Morris was born in 1821 and raised in St Andrews. He left school aged 13, but soon received an education in golf that was the equivalent of going to Oxford. As a 14-year-old, ‘Old’ Tom became an apprentice to Allan Robertson who owned a shop in St Andrews making golf clubs and balls. Robertson is often described as ‘golf’s first professional’ but is also famous for creating the double greens at St Andrews. Robertson and Morris also never lost a golf match as a pairing, but they fell out when a new type of golf ball, the gutta percha, came on the market. Morris opted for the gutta percha, while Robertson stuck with the featherie – the fact his company produced featherie balls may have had something to do with that. As a result of the fall out, Tom took the job as greenkeeper at Prestwick GC in 1851.
First among sequels. Prestwick would become the first venue for the British Open in 1860 and would go on to host 24 Opens (second only to St Andrews on 30). It was also at Prestwick where Old and Young Tom Morris each won four Open titles, between 1861 and 1872.
What’s in a name? He became Old Tom when his son, Tommy, emerged as a teenage golfing prodigy. Young Tom was so good that he was barred from tournaments for fear of embarrassing his elders.
Royal County Down Golf Club
The heir apparent. There comes a time in a father’s life when he loses to his son. It happened when Tom Jnr was just 13 and his dad just happened to be the reigning Open champion. In 1870, aged 19, Young Tom found the cup with his third stroke at Prestwick's first hole. It was recently ranked by golf performance platform Clippd as the greatest shot in Open history.
Tragedy struck when Young Tom's wife and baby died during childbirth. He passed away aged 24, on Christmas Day, 1875, following a cardiovascular problem.
Saint’s saviour. When Old Tom was hired by the Royal & Ancient to become greenkeeper at St Andrews in 1865 it came at a time when the course was in serious need of some TLC. He followed a series of greenkeepers who weren’t up to the job and so the R&A paid the princely sum of £50 per annum (plus £20 on expenses) and gave him sole responsibility for ‘The Home of Golf’.
Lahinch
Upsetting the locals. Morris had to contend with local opposition when he set about levelling out some of the natural bumps and mounds on St Andrews. He was also a deeply religious man and insisted that the course should be closed on a Sunday as it was the day of worship but also, in his own words, because ‘the links need a rest, even if golfers don’t.’
The first, my last, my everything. He designed two holes at St Andrews, the 1st and 18th – the latter is known as Tom Morris. The 18th ranks as one of the easiest par 4s on tour. Yet, it provided the scene for Doug Sanders missing a 30-inch putt to win The Open in 1970. It is also where Seve Ballesteros produced that joyous fist pump after winning the Open in 1984. And it should be enshrined in law that any visit to the Old Course must include a picture taken on the Swilcan Bridge, which spans both the 1st and 18th fairways.
Carnoustie
Car-Nasty. While Robertson was responsible for designing 10 holes at Carnoustie, Morris finished the job and made it 18. The sixth is the only remaining, original Morris hole at Carnoustie but proved to be the nemesis for a host of players when the Open was held here in 1999. Golf Digest’s Dean Knuth once wrote, ‘If you're planning to visit Carnoustie, use this formula to predict your score versus par: Double your handicap, then add three strokes. Good luck. You'll need it.’
Askernish Golf Club on the Isle of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides
The Holy Grail of Golf. Muirfield, Royal County Down, Royal Dornoch, Lahinch and England’s oldest course at Royal North Devon are listed among the 100 or so courses that Morris either designed or remodelled. Then there's Askernish, a course built in 1891 on South Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides. Askernish had been abandoned and left to the wild for decades to the point where only nine holes were playable. Golf consultant Gordon Irvine was organising a fishing trip to South Uist when he was told about the missing holes of Askernish, designed by none other than Old Tom. He hired golf architect Martin Ebert who used satellite imagery to work out the layout of those missing holes. Askernish was restored to its former glory and when the course reopened in 2008 Irvine called it ‘the holy grail of golf’. Askernish should be on every golfer’s bucket list, just like almost every one of Old Tom’s courses, including the legendary Old Course.