The Open Championship
Random Thoughts from the Home of Golf
The golf world will miss the greatness and genius that was Seve Ballesteros. He won the Open Championship three times, twice at Royal Lytham & St Annes and once on the Old Course in 1984. Our favorite quote of Seve’s is indicative of his warmth, humour and ability to not take things too seriously. When asked about four putting the 16th green at the 1990 Masters, Seve memorably replied, “I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.” RIP Severiano Ballesteros.
Book Now for 2011
Every year after the Open Championship is played on the Old Course in St Andrews, there is renewed interest in the town and all it has to offer. Our experience at Monarchs House only extends to 2001, after Tiger Woods won the Championship and in 2006, after Woods repeated in 2005. Our booking diary was chock-a-block then and early indications suggest that if you want to come to St Andrews and stay at Monarchs in 2011, it is time to book now.
Monarchs House is your turn-key solution for golf or touring. The price for a Saturday to Saturday let is $13,500 for 8 people. This price has held steady for 4 years and includes breakfast, 3 dinners, your first bar-setup and the services of our General Manager, Kevin Low. Kevin will arrange your golf, caddies, transportation, dinners outside of Monarchs or anything else you may need. While these “extra” are not included in the weekly price, the headache of planning a trip is not yours.
We hope to see you in the Auld Grey Toun in 2011. Slainte. 
On September 2, 2010, the Links Trust, administrator for the Old Course and 6 other St Andrews’ links, announced that 2011 demand for advance Old Course tee times was at a record setting level. If you’re thinking of a trip to Scotland, we would encourage that you book early.
Our 2010 Open Championship Memories
Every five years, the Open Championship returns to St Andrews and the Old Course. As you might imagine, the town teems with visitors and brims with excitement. Patrons are 5 deep at the Dunvegan, a popular local restaurant and pub. And that’s on the pavement! Golfers, locals and visitors mix as one. There is no other place and no other event like it.
While on course drama was lacking in this year’s Open, we still took away many wonderful remembrances (and a few we would like to forget!). Here are some of our memories for the 2010 Open Championship:
- The Road Hole – The golfers proved why this hole, the 17th on the Old Course, is one of the most interesting and famous holes in golf. The lengthening of the hole only added .04 strokes this year versus 2005 but produced more words from scribes then anything else. To quote Shakespeare, it was ‘much ado about nothing.” The R&A deserve kudos for making the hole the centerpiece of the Open.
- Miguel Angel Jimenez – It seemed fitting to us that a Spaniard would find a way to execute a near impossible shot on the Road Hole (see video). Clearly, Jimenez paid attention to his countrymen, Ballesteros & Olazabal, the original wizards of shot making.
- Louis Oosthuizen’s surgical play to win the Open Championship – It wasn’t flashy but Oosthuizen did some things that allow one to win Major Championships. Oosthuizen hit 16 out of 16 fairways on Friday( while belting it an average of 330 yards ), the day the course closed for 66 minutes because of high winds. He 3 putt only twice on the Old Course’s colossal double greens. Congrats to Louis on his outstanding play to win the Open and for his opening remarks upon winning where he wished his former President, Nelson Mandela, a happy 92nd birthday. Color us impressed.
- Rory McIlroy’s opening round 63 - OK. His second round wasn’t pretty but his opening round score of 63 was pure dead brilliant. He hit 17 greens in regulation, had 1 eagle, 7 birdies and 10 pars. Flawless. But temporary. Fear not though, Rory is 21 and he will be back.
- Friday’s scoreboard – Hopefully we weren’t the only one who found the humour in the Scoreboard announcement of the course closure on Friday. “Play suspended because of high winds. LOL ” It is an Open after all.
- Tom Watson’s farewell – While he will likely play in more Open Championships, Tom Watson will be 65 years old when the Open returns to St Andrews. His walk down 18 on Friday night in the waning light was likely his goodbye to the Auld Grey Toon. Tom Watson, a 5 time winner of the Open Championship, will long be remembered in St Andrews. As an aside, it seemed to us a classy move by Justin Rose, Camilo Villegas & Tiger Woods to allow Watson to finish his round by waving him up as darkness began to set preventing Watson’s return the next morning to finish the last hole.
- The Weather – Just like St Andrews to deliver a little bit of every kind of weather imaginable. Perfect for an Open Championship.
- Arnold Palmer in town again – You know how we are about royalty and seeing the King in town puts a smile on everyone’s face. His visit coincided with the tournament but he was in St Andrews to receive an honourary degree from the University of St Andrews. The one thing we can tell you is this: the only other people to command attention like Arnold Palmer were John Kennedy and Winston Churchill. Powerful stuff indeed.
- The Old Course – Once again the Old Course was the biggest winner of all. It is a special place that everyone loves immediately or learns to love eventually. There are other great courses that make up the Open rota but nothing compares to the wonders of the Old Course (and St Andrews).
- John Daly’s attire – How can we view him as a contender again if he doesn’t take himself seriously?

Whenever we are asked about golfing in Scotland, we are always answering 3 questions: can you get me on the Old Course, what’s the weather like at that time of year and how much is this trip going to cost on a per person basis. Fair questions all. We have answered questions about the Old 







