普雷斯威克老球场Prestwick Golf Club1851

Prestwick Golf Club was founded on 2nd July 1851 by a group of 57 golfers who met at the Red Lion Inn, Prestwick, a few years after the railway had opened up between Glasgow and Ayr.

The Earl of Eglinton, the first Captain of the club, presented a gold medal which is still played for to this day. Later he would become Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and found the Curragh golf course.

Old Tom Morris, then 30 years old, was appointed from St. Andrews to be ‘Keeper of the Green’, as well as Ball and Club Maker. The club purchased two cottages opposite the Red Lion Inn - one for Tom Morris and his family, and the other as a clubhouse. Both buildings still exist in reconstructed form. Young Tom Morris had just been born and spent his formative years here, until Old Tom returned to St Andrews in 1864, after Allan Robertson’s demise in 1859.

A stone cairn, to the west of the Clubhouse, marks the first tee of the original 12 hole course. The third and sixth hole shared a green, with the third called Tunnel (Red) and the sixth Tunnel (White), a likely mirroring of the High Hole at the Old Course, where one green at least had two holes in 1836.

The 1st hole at Prestwick measured 578 yards 1 foot and 9 inches, to what is now the 16th green, where, in 1870, Young Tom Morris holed out in an ‘albatross’ three on his third successive Open victory.

Six of today’s greens utilise seven of the original greens as below.

In 1857, Major James Ogilvie Fairlie of Coodham, one of the founders of Prestwick and long time playing partner of Old Tom, was the driving force behind organising a national Club competition (for gentlemen). It was a Foursomes competition (alternate strokes) and was won by Blackheath represented by George Glennie, their best player, and Lieutenant JC Stewart (whose background is not known). The following year, in 1858, the competition was changed to match play and was won by Robert Chambers of Bruntsfield. Then in 1859, it was changed again to individual holes-play and won by George Condie of Perth.

Allan Robertson, Custodian of the St Andrews Links and termed ‘Laird of the Links’, was considered unquestionably the best golfer of his day. On his death in 1859, members of Prestwick decided to hold a competition to see who the successor to his champion status would be and a championship was held at Prestwick on 17th October 1860 with a field of 8 professional players. The prize was then a red morocco belt. It was first won by Willie Park of Musselburgh with a score of 174 over 36 holes.

In 1861, following criticism of the low scores of the professionals in 1860, the competition was opened to amateurs, making it truly 'The Open', and two amateurs scored in the top ten. One of these was Major James Ogilvie Fairlie of Coodham (who came 8th) and the other Mr Robert Chambers (10th) of Bruntsfield, mentioned above.

The Open Prizes - The Belt (1861-1870) and Claret Jug (1872 onwards)

 

Amateurs and professionals have competed alongside each other ever since, a unique sporting attitude for the day. Initially, the prize was the Belt. Old Tom won the Belt four times himself, before his son, Young Tom Morris won it three successive years (1868 to 1870) and was thus entitled to keep it.

Young Tom’s Belt is now in the keeping of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, whence he came. A replica Belt can be seen in the St Andrew’s British Golf Museum and another is on display in the Cardinal room in the Prestwick clubhouse.

When Old Tom Morris went back to St. Andrews in 1864, Charlie Hunter was made the Keeper but left for Blackheath in 1865. Andrew Strath took the post but died tragically in 1868 of tuberculosis. He did however win the Belt in the time he was there. After his untimely demise, Charlie Hunter returned from Blackheath and stayed for 53 years until his death in 1921, during which he competed in, or was the official starter at every Open Championship at Prestwick. Charlie was the brother of Old Tom's son-in-law and often caddied for him in matches.

In 1871, as there was no prize, because Young Tom possessed it, there was no Championship, but in 1872 Prestwick, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers clubbed together to purchase a silver ‘Claret Jug’ for £30, which has been the prize for The Open ever since. Young Tom won again in 1872, thus effectively winning the Open an unequalled four times in a row.

From 1871, Prestwick’s medal competitions were 18 holes, comprising the 12 holes round plus the first 6 holes played twice.

In 1882, the course was extended to 18 holes with additional ground to the north. This included two double greens - The Tunnel (White) 2nd hole with the Tunnel (Red) 16th hole as well as the Himalaya (White) 5th hole with the Himalaya 10th hole.