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What is the "tombstone" fairway hazard on #5 at St Andrews?

• JohnHubertz 1 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 2:31 PM

  Either on hole #4 or hole #5 on the St Andrews course, there is a dark blocky looking obstacle on the fairway - you can see it as your ball flies

   

  Anyone know what this is in real life?

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 4:09 PM

  It's a march stone, I assume an old landmark.

  There are at least two of them, on 5 & 7 (at the end of the rough).

   

  This site tells more of the story:

  The March Stones

  Visitors may notice another distinct Old Course oddity in the form of the small markers—they look much like gravestones—in the middle of fairways (such as the fifth and seventh) and near teeing grounds (such as the second and eleventh). I was puzzled by their presence until I found a second copy of the Plan of Pilmoor Links in the National Archives of Scotland. More legible than the first one I’d encountered, which hangs in the office of the Secretary of the R&A, I discerned from it that “the March Stones with the letter G on the side next to the Golf Course . . . defined the outside limits of the course.” (“March” is an archaic term for “boundary.”) As the layout widened, features that were once at the margins moved closer to the middle. Almost all the stones marked on the plan can still be located, giving an indication of how much the area of the Old Course has increased. My calculations suggest it was just over fifty acres in 1821. It is now over ninety.

• saltiresfan 2,266 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 4:40 PM

  Here in Edinburgh we still have a ceremony for the Riding of the Marches each year.

• mkg335 5,491 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 4:54 PM

  On WGT your ball will magically go right through it.

• thebigeasy707 5,885 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 5:26 PM

  saltiresfan:

  Here in Edinburgh we still have a ceremony for the Riding of the Marches each year.

  Woohoo...another guy from Edinburgh.

  tbe

   

• renniw52 5,385 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 5:37 PM

  So happy to see some countries still honor history, In the good old USA if Wal-Mart wants the spot it's gone. I'm old school as it gets, leave some things alone. The corner stone for my Great Grand fathers house he built is still sitting in the same spot in my fathers yard.

• YancyCan 3,027 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 6:40 PM

   

  I'm intrigued about all this and whatnots. Gonna run some beta-analysis and such and get all up on there on that St. Andrews. Now, I have had some paranormal experiences and such all up there - most of which I am not ready to talk about.

  THX -  I am Yancy

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Wed, May 30 2012 10:31 PM

  I do appreciates yours official Yancaction and whatnots. Beam yourselfs to all good places and experience the experiences - us wants experience of talks & video of exp-p-peryancys.. You's the wright to disssss-cover those hidden Mirakels in woods and gorses, tomb- and marchstones.

  He-ho, ride the Rudolph and bring plenties of goldbears to the cradles of bab - ehm - of goffes!

• pillsy 489 Posts

  Thu, May 31 2012 1:02 PM

  YancyCan:

   Now, I have had some paranormal experiences and such all up there - most of which I am not ready to talk about.

  THX -  I am Yancy

  Not in the beta version 3.026 anyway

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Thu, May 31 2012 1:48 PM

  alosso:

  “the March Stones with the letter G on the side next to the Golf Course

  The other side was the hunting ground.