How Amateur Golfers Perform on the Old Course at St. Andrews - A Shot Scope Deep Dive into the 150th Open Championship

In the lead up to the 150th Open at St. Andrews, Shot Scope has analyzed amateur golfers performance at the historic Old Course.

How does performance on the Old Course compare to other Open Championship courses in the UK? What holes are the hardest? Where can you expect to make a rare birdie? Which green causes the most 3 putts? Where do you need to hit your ball off the tee in order to score well? All of this and many other insights are available through Shot Scope performance tracking.

New developments in technology have enabled Shot Scope to view a heat map of every hole on the Old Course – or any course in the world – to view exactly where amateur golfers are playing. Add to this an array of performance statistics, and Shot Scope can identify ground-breaking data on how exactly amateur golfers perform on any course in the world.

Performance by Handicap on the Old Course

Splitting performance down by handicap allows us to see exactly what areas of the game you need to do well in order to score well round the Old Course.

0 handicaps play the Par 5s under par whereas everyone else is over par. Par 5s have the largest difference in score between 0 and 25 handicaps – a full 2 shots.

Front 9 v back 9 scores are interesting, as handicap increases, so does the back nine score (+0.2, +1.2, +1, +1.4, +1.4 and +2.1 for each handicap respectively).

Performance on Old Course vs. Shot Scope Database 

Looking at the statistics highlighted above in Green - we can compare how golfers perform on the Old Course compared to the Shot Scope database.

No surprise to see that across the board, all handicaps hit their tee shots further around the Old Course than they do across the Shot Scope worldwide average. This is due to it being a links course and golfers getting lots of runout on the firm and fast fairways.

With big fairways it is no surprise to see the fairway hit % around the Old Course higher than the average across all handicap levels.

The area which has the most room for improvement across all abilities is approach play, but with the huge greens it is no surprise to see golfers hitting 2-3 more greens per round on the Old Course.

Big greens = more putts? Correct. There is a significant increase in the number of 3 putts across all handicaps. This is linked to hitting more greens in regulation of course, however the sheer size of the greens will mean that golfers find themselves putting from distances they’ve never putted from before!

It would seem that the two Par 5s on The Old Course are where amateur golfers perform better than the Shot Scope average. Across all abilities, the Par 5 scoring on the Old Course is lower. This is linked to getting more run on the ball, so golfers are getting closer in 2 shots. It could be that there are no water hazards or penalty areas other than the many pot bunkers hidden in the fairway.

How do Amateur Golfers Play the Old Course

The Old Course is the third easiest course on The Open rota - With Troon and Royal St. Georges ranking easier amongst Shot Scope users.

3 hardest holes = 17th, 13th, 2nd

3 easiest holes = 9th, 5th, 18th

Individual Hole Rankings

The table below highlights the average score for each hole, as well as the difficulty ranking (this is based on average score versus par). The last column indicates what the stroke index is on the scorecard – you can see that a few holes vary significantly compared to the Shot Scope hole rank.

As you would expect, the 17th hole (The Road Hole), is the most difficult for amateur golfers, a long par 4 with both a demanding tee shot and approach shot, the average score on this hole is 5.31, higher than the Par 5 5th hole.

A few surprises are that the Par 5s (Nos. 5 and 14) are ranked 1 and 2 by St. Andrews Links, but the Shot Scope database shows that amateurs actually play these long holes remarkably well. The 5th hole is ranked as the second easiest on the course.

The 1st Hole 

The first hole features one of the widest fairways in golf (measuring 129 yards wide) with out of bounds left and right, as well as the Swilken Burn to catch any long hitters.  And adding to all that, the history and pressure of playing from the 1st tee at St. Andrews Old Course - oh and maybe some spectators too - begs the question, is this the hardest shot in golf? 

With so much anticipation and excitement prior to playing the Old Course, how do amateur golfers perform on that historical opening tee shot?

1st Hole Tee Shot Dispersion by Handicap

The image shows an overlay of where tee shots end up based on handicap. You can see that the lower handicap golfers get the ball further down the hole and are more aggressive with the tee shot compared to higher handicaps. 

1st Hole Average Tee Shot Distance (Yards)

Low handicaps are hitting it shorter than their average, dependent on wind, but this shows they are not using their Driver as it could reach the Swilken Burn. There is a smaller difference between higher handicaps 1st tee shot distance and their average, which means more Drivers are being hit here as they are unable to reach the burn.

Average Score when tee shot is hit out of bounds or in the Swilken Burn = 6.3. While this is poor, it is better than hitting out of bounds on 17 or 18 - when the average score becomes 7. 

The graph below shows the average remaining distance to the pin for approach shots and also average proximity from the approach shot. This highlights that the further down the first hole golfers can get their tee shot on the 1st, the closer they will hit it.

All birdies that are made on the 1st hole come from a tee shot that finishes in the circle shown. This shows that being aggressive off the first tee is advantageous. Anything left of the Swilken bridge, or right of where the burn cuts in, results in a par, bogey or worse.

1st Hole Tee Shot Scoring Zones

36% of double bogeys or worse come from tee shots that are up the right side of the fairway. Why might this be? Depending on the location of the pin, golfer’s could find themselves having to hit over the burn in 3 different points, as well as being slightly blind as to where the water is at the front of the green.  

The first hole tee shot scoring zone indicates that the far right of the fairway, short of the burn, produces an average score of bogey or worse. All birdies on the first came from the middle of the fairway.

The 5th Hole 

The first Par 5 on the course has some iconic features. Namely, two bunkers guarding approach shots to the green known as the ‘spectacles’ are said to cause golfers issues on this hole. Is this true? In short, yes.

There are four main areas where approach shots to the green find issues. Approach shots could either be 2nd shots if a long hitter, or 3rd shots for the majority of golfers. Of the two famous spectacles, the one on the left is more popular than the one on the right. However the most popular bunker is actually the one at the left of the green. With a steep slope before the green, lots of golfers are ending up short in the valley.

Performance from Danger Zones on 5th Hole

Scores made from bunkers and the valley short of the green. Which one is more costly here, the valley or one of the bunkers?

The data shows that the spectacle bunkers really are damaging the score card if you end up in them. These should be avoided at all costs.

The spectacles catch the higher handicap golfer out more often than lower handicaps. However the bunker front left of the green is found more often by lower handicaps. This suggests that the lower handicaps can get beyond the spectacles in 2 shots, whereas the higher handicaps struggle to get past 360-420 yards in 2 shots.

The 9th Hole 

The 9th hole is the easiest on the course amongst Shot Scope users with a scoring average of 4.15 vs a par of 4.  Ranking as the easiest hole on The Old Course, this short Par 4 offers golfers of all levels a great chance at a birdie.

The first two bunkers left and right do a great job of gathering tee shots, so avoiding these is key.

You can see that the average score from the left rough and bunkers is significantly higher than from the fairway and missing right. So best to aim up the right side when playing this tee shot.

The green is very flat with no severe run-offs, so any well placed tee shot will leave a straightforward approach and hopefully a birdie opportunity.

In contrast, the 17th is the hardest hole with an average score of 5.31 vs a par of 4. This average score is higher than that of the par 5 5th hole, which has an average of 5.28.

The 11th Hole 

The 11th hole is a tricky Par 3 with a raised sloping green protected by 2 penalizing bunkers. There is a premium on hitting this green, as a missed green increases the average score by nearly 1 full shot. “This demanding Par 3 has been described as the shortest Par 5 in golf” by St. Andrews Links

Average Score When:

Scoring Statistics

 

Target zones are based on the average number of shots to finish from these positions. It is clear the three bunkers are dangerous, but it is also dangerous missing the green left or long.

Tee Shot Statistics (approach statistics)

Over half (59%) of the golfers playing this hole miss the green, and unsurprisingly they are missing short of the green. Looking at short game performance will enable us to identify if there is a better place to miss this green or if you are penalized everywhere you miss.

Short Game Statistics

The green slopes severely from back to front, making it difficult to get up and down from the big hollow at the back of the green - although this up and down % is the highest, only 4% of golfers have missed this green long.

Avoid the small front right bunker! 13% of tee shots have finished in this bunker - of which only 15% get up and down, 55% make a bogey and 30% make a double or worse! 

Putting Statistics

If you were to split this double green into an 11th and 7th green, the size of the 11th green would be one of the smaller greens on the old course. However the 3 putt % is still high, this is most likely due to the severity of the slope back to front on the green.

The 13th Hole 

The 13th hole is ranked as 11th toughest by St. Andrews, but the data shows that this hole is the second most difficult for amateurs with the average score v par nearly a full shot over par. For a Par 4 under 400 yards, what could it be that causes so much difficulty?

Perhaps the undulating land that lies between the end of the fairway and the green, the penalizing coffin bunkers that gather so many shots off the tee, and it having the largest green on the entire course, it is no wonder the 13th hole causes trouble for amateurs.

For context - this image shows that the first 12 greens at Pebble Beach would fit comfortably within the double green of 5 and 13 on the Old Course! The 13th green, shared with the 5th, produces the most three putts of any hole on the course.

The 17th Hole 

One of the most famous holes in golf is No. 17, The Road Hole. Driving over The Old Course Hotel with the tee shot, playing off the road or path long of the green, or spending some time in the Road Hole bunker - there are many ways this hole can ruin a scorecard. 

It is no surprise to see that this hole ranks as the toughest on the course, with the majority of amateur golfers making a bogey, double or worse - not a memory many will want to look back on! If you can make a Par on the 17th hole you are in the minority!!

Scoring Statistics

How do amateurs perform on the tee shot?

Heat Map of Tee Shot Dispersion

The stats show that nearly half of golfers miss this fairway left - resulting in them either being stuck in the left rough or over on the 2nd fairway.

Scoring Statistics

100% of tee shots that go left onto the 2nd fairway make a bogey, double bogey, or worse.  For those that go right, 50% make bogey. The key to playing this hole well is to take as aggressive a line as possible off the tee as you have a much higher chance of making par or birdie from being further up the hole on the fairway.

Of all the tee shots on the 17th, 8% don’t make it to the corner of the hotel. 3% end up on the fairway short left off the tee, while the other 5% of drives end up in the rough before reaching the hotel!

Short Game around the green

You can see from the image that the Road Hole bunker is as punishing as everyone thinks - of those who go in the dreaded bunker, only 15% get up and down and over half walk away with a double bogey or worse. There is also a small cluster of double bogeys or worse from the front edge of the green, most likely people under estimating the severity of the slope at the front of the green.

Are you better missing the green long or in the bunker?

The stats show that Shot Scope users have a higher up and down percentage from the bunker than when playing off the road or path long of the green, where only 4% achieve this. For those who are unaware, all paths and roads are integral parts of the Old Course and the ball must be played as it lies.

Although the bunker is a bad place to miss the green, the data shows us that amateur golfers are scoring better from this famous sand trap compared to missing the green long and being on the path or road.

The 18th Hole 

A short Par 4 to end the round offers all levels of golfers a chance at a birdie or even better. With the correct wind, the green is often reachable for longer hitters, for others it is a drive and a short iron or wedge to the green. 

Scoring Statistics

Ranking at the 3rd easiest hole on the course, the 18th presents itself as a great opportunity for a birdie. However it is actually only the 5th most birdied hole, behind the 9th, 10th and the two par 5s. 

Tee Shot Statistics

With the fairway being 129 yards wide it is no surprise to see the fairway hit percentage up at 96%, although this is 1% less than the 1st hole. Perhaps due to the out of bounds on the right being more intimidating. Speaking of which, hitting it over the fence off the tee results in an average score of a triple bogey 7 - a disastrous way to end a round.

In order to play this short 18th hole well, you need to get your drive over the road to give yourself the best possible chance of making a par or birdie. 71% of birdies and 67% of pars come from tee shots that made it over the road. At around 230-250 yards to the road depending which tees you are playing from, a big drive is required.

Shots favoring the left side of the fairway are seen to score better than those hugging the out of bounds right. 

Short Game on 18th

Very few approach shots finish long or right of the green (there is very little room between the green and out of bounds), however those that do find the small strip of grass are going to struggle to get up and down compared to missing short and left. With a severe slope from back to front, any short game shot played from long of the green will be difficult to stop, especially if coming out the rough. 

Could it be that shots from the valley of sin are easier than people make it out to be? 

The Shot Scope database has over 100,000 golfers from 162 different countries, and have recorded over 180 million shots. The data for St. Andrews is built from 6780 rounds and over 564,000 shots.

Shot Scope offer a wide range of GPS, laser rangefinders and shot tracking products to help improve their performance on the course. On average, Shot Scope users improve by 4.1 shots when tracking their game with products such as the V3 GPS Watch, PRO LX+ Rangefinder or H4 Handheld.