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Wanna go to St. Andrews!

• borntobesting 9,706 Posts

  Sun, Apr 4 2010 4:01 AM

  Richard4168:

  I did the currency conversion.

  50 pounds = $76.00

  90 pounds = $136.80

  110 pounds = $167.21

  220 pounds = $334.42

  It seems the dollar isn't worth $hit. lol

  That's much better than it was in the late 60's when i was in the navy. The exchange rate then was $5.00 per pound so 50 pounds = $250.00 so you can there has been a big change.

• TarheelsRule 5,566 Posts

  Tue, Apr 6 2010 10:20 PM

  The exchange rate pounds to US $ has changed a lot during the last 40 years as the British pound was devalued and the US $ gained strength. In the last few years, I was there in 2004, the rate was around $1.83 / pound and it has retreated to a number less than that now. The real question is what will that US $ buy you today in Great Britian versus years ago. The closest thing that I could compare was a soft drink......a soft drink out of a machine was 1 pound versus $1 US.....so when I was there you were paying about $1.75 for that drink that you got in the US for $1. At the courses away from St. Andrews the cost of golf was fairly equal to what it would be at a good US course.............ie. Turnberry was about what the TPC at Sawgrass would cost. The difference is caddies, they are about twice the cost of a golf cart.

• SweetiePie 4,925 Posts

  Wed, Apr 7 2010 2:58 AM

  Well, the only smart advancement as of now is in gold. Sad, but real. Everything else takes speculation and venture investment to ruin.

• Doublemochaman 2,009 Posts

  Wed, Apr 7 2010 7:37 AM

  TarHeels... and to add:  The caddies are twice the value.  One, you get local course knowledge and some good stories.  Two, the walking (vs. cart) is better for your health and demeanor.  Besides, the touring pros walk and look at their scores.  I'll take a caddy over a cart every time.

• TarheelsRule 5,566 Posts

  Thu, Apr 8 2010 10:06 AM

  Well said..........although it took me 12 holes at Carnoustie before I could understand what the heck my caddie was saying. A good story, we were playing at Kings Barn, I think it was..a fairly new course near St. Andrews (the town), we each had a caddy, no double carrying there. After a few holes we came to a par five, I hit my second shot into a huge bunker frontly the green. About 5 feet deep close to the face with a ridge in the green sloping to the hole. I looked at the shot and my caddy said to play it left, away from the hole which would leave me 40 feet or more to the cup. I looked at it and said I thought I could get it over the lip and the slope would take it to the pin. The caddy looked at the lie and at me and said .... You nay have that shot in your bag mate. I hit it anyway, popped it up landed softly and trickled down to within 6 inches of the hole. He looked at me and said By god you do have that shot. Later I proved to him that I really didn't have that shot but it was my one shinning moment.

• Doublemochaman 2,009 Posts

  Thu, Apr 8 2010 11:28 AM

  Funny story! Love it. Reminds me of when I was on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean (where they purportedly speak English) and I thought I could converse with my cab driver, over the blaring reggae on his radio. Slim chance... yes, it's English but with a patois, rendering it virtually impossible to understand. Hand signals got me to my destination. Which, by the way, was not a golf course.

• craigswan 31,819 Posts

  Fri, Jul 9 2010 1:08 PM

  rob -i stay in st andrews .course is open to the public but every morning there is a draw out of a hat and the first one hundred names drawn out get to play .If floridacutie turns up she goes straight to head of queue .

• KingOfTheCourse 419 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 8:05 AM

  TarheelsRule:

  My last trip to St Andrews was about 5 years ago.  You enter into a daily lottery to get to play, but generally have no trouble getting on the course.  There are actually several courses there but we are talking about the Old Course.    The exchange rate was about the same then as today, I think that we paid 150 pounds or around $200 US to play plus caddy fees which were about 20 pounds each, they double carried.  My handicap was around 5 at the time and I shot 78 from the back tees.  Greens were very slow, it was July and the ball would roll an extra 50 yards off the tee, tee shots of 330 were easy, I hit very few drivers.  The only reason to play this one is for the history, there are at least 50 better and less expensive courses within an hour, including Carnoustie.  You are requested to present your handicap to the starter.

  Come on Tarheels, I thought you were scratch.  As far as St Andrew's goes, the only reason I would want to play it is the history,  the type of golf I like is Donald Ross designed courses, which in no way resemble Scottish Links (with the exception of the deep bunkers). With that being said, I'm in no rush to play there.

• TarheelsRule 5,566 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 8:12 AM

  LIke I told you, I used to be scratch but no longer.  Now I struggle to shoot under 80 as age has taken away my distance.

  Like you I am a Donald Ross fan, I love Pinehurst which does actually resemble the links courses in a way, huge greens, natural drainage, deep bunkers but his it's own style as well.  My times at St Andrews has always been about history and tradition of the game rather than quality of the course.  Given a choice I pick Carnoustie as the greatest Scottish golf course (that I have played), then Turnberry and Troon.

• KingOfTheCourse 419 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 8:25 AM

  TarheelsRule:

  LIke I told you, I used to be scratch but no longer.  Now I struggle to shoot under 80 as age has taken away my distance.

  Like you I am a Donald Ross fan, I love Pinehurst which does actually resemble the links courses in a way, huge greens, natural drainage, deep bunkers but his it's own style as well.  My times at St Andrews has always been about history and tradition of the game rather than quality of the course.  Given a choice I pick Carnoustie as the greatest Scottish golf course (that I have played), then Turnberry and Troon.

  But even though I am a Ross fan, My favorite course is Whistling Straits, Which you will see on TV this Weekend while I will be watching it in person.  What a life lol