St Andrews Ladies Putting Club
An interview with John Grant, Director of Golf, St Andrews Links and Sylvia Dunne, President, St Andrews Ladies Putting Club originally published in Golf Business Quarterly.
About: The St Andrews Links Trust maintains the historic St Andrews Putting Club, an undulating putting course more widely known as the Himalayas, that sits alongside the famous St Andrews Old Course.
Do you consider the Himalayas and other facilities like it to be part of the game of golf, or are they something distinct?
John: It’s a good question. I think for golfers who come here, they see it as something different to playing a round, perhaps a nice way to relax at the end of 18 holes or just another form of entertainment.
Then you get families and groups of friends who come along and do it as part of a day out without having any specific interest in golf. I think there is a link there, clearly, but there’s also a distinction between the two.
Is there a possibility that forms of golf like that on offer at the Himalayas could encourage people to take up the game in the traditional sense?
John: If you went down there on any day and saw the groups of people playing - husbands, wives, kids - for some it will be their first time just holding a club in their hand. I do think that could be an important first step.
There are so many opportunities out there now to play golf in all different settings and it’s welcoming new people to the game. We’re seeing non-golfers getting into the game in some form and they’ve perhaps never played before. For any of those people, if they enjoy it and they see progress in their game, that creates a journey for them that could one day lead to them joining their local club.
Are there any difficulties in welcoming newcomers into traditional golf settings, given they may have different expectations from those already familiar with such environments?
John: From our point of view, we’re delighted to see people on our facilities of all ages, all genders, all abilities.
We’re obviously a public links and we’ve got golf courses to meet all different abilities of golfers, from beginners to really experienced players. I believe golf has opened up a lot in welcoming more people to participate and there are many facilities that afford people opportunities to get into the game.
Golf in non-traditional settings has become hugely popular - is that positive overall for the game of golf?
John: I think these places that are offering some form of golf have all got a really important part to play in introducing people to the game.
It’s a chance for people to go and try out the game in a completely different environment, see what they think, and pursue it further if they want to. These places have seen a business opportunity and they’re bringing people to the game of golf.
How many members does the St Andrews Ladies Putting Club have and what’s the demographic?
Sylvia: At present, we have more than 150 members. Some of them are over 90, many of them are over 80, a good few are over 70, there are some over 60 and very few are younger than 60.
A lot of the members are people who used to be good at golf and possibly got fed up waiting for tee times because the courses are so busy, so they’ve joined the putting club instead.
Does the course host competitions?
Sylvia: We have various competitions throughout the year. A lot of the prizes or trophies are very valuable and we can’t keep them. They’re stored in the St Andrews museum that’s run by the R&A, so people who win on the Wednesday afternoon get handed the trophy, have their picture taken and the trophy is taken back and put back into storage. Some of the trophies were given by royalty.
Aside from its members, does the course appeal to a broad spectrum of the general public?
Sylvia: A lot of the members of the public that come to play at the Himalayas are family groups. You might have young children, boys and girls, just starting off with a putter and getting their first experience of golf. Hopefully one day they’ll join their parents on the golf course.
Would you say that the Himalayas and other facilities like it are part of the broader gold ecosystem?
Sylvia: I would say that the game people play here is very closely related to golf. Many of our members play both and I think they see them as part of the same thing.
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