There’s a whisper that drifts through the heather, across the dunes, and down the fairways of Scotland’s most hallowed golf courses, a whisper that speaks the name “Old Tom Morris.” A pioneer, a visionary, and the father of modern golf, Old Tom didn’t just play the game; he shaped it. From the windswept links of Prestwick to the dramatic coastlines of Cruden Bay, his legacy lives on in turf and tradition.
Join us on a journey through ten of his great creations, ten courses that bear the imprint of a man who saw the land not just for what it was, but for what it could become.
We begin where all golf journeys should, at St Andrews. Old Tom was born here in 1821, and it’s here he made his most enduring mark. Though the Old Course had been played for centuries, it was Old Tom who gave it structure. He widened fairways, improved drainage, introduced double greens, and defined the 18-hole layout that would become the standard worldwide. Today, the Swilcan Bridge and Road Hole are sacred ground for golfers, each blade of grass a living tribute to the man who tamed the Links.
Before the Open Championship became the global spectacle it is today, it began with a few men and gutta-percha balls on the rugged links of Prestwick in 1860. Old Tom was the club’s first “Keeper of the Green,” and he laid out the original 12-hole course with intuition and artistry. He went on to win the Open four times, once on this very course. Prestwick’s blind shots, undulating fairways and quirky charm remain a living museum of golf’s golden age.
At Carnoustie, Old Tom was called upon to redesign and extend the course in 1867. What he helped create would evolve into one of the world’s most formidable tests of golf. Brutal winds off the North Sea, thick rough, and the infamous Barry Burn all contribute to the course’s reputation. Yet, underneath its fearsome exterior lies Old Tom’s belief that a course should challenge every part of a golfer’s game, and every ounce of their courage.