Tallanmore - National Treasure Contest (Tom Morris)
May 27, 2024 8:47:09 GMT -5
blueblood1995, Celtic Wolf, and 12 more like this
Post by richnufc99 on May 27, 2024 8:47:09 GMT -5
Tallanmore
Old Tom Morris first came to Tallanmore in 1895, just after he’d finished his work on Balcomie at Crail. So excited at was he by what he found, he spent most of that summer playing this links after he’d laid out his first 12 holes. You can see lots of evidence here of his work, the beginnings of strategic design where hazards were to be routed around and not just carried. Also his fairways were much wider than what had gone before, allowing for different angles and routes into the greens. He introduced separate teeing areas too, albeit close to where you finished the previous hole. He came back the next year to add a remaining six holes. Its not clear whether all 18 are exactly as he left them, but some old photos from 1920 show essentially the layout you see today, before some additional pot bunkers were added.
In those days the skill of the architect was in finding holes across the landscape, with very little ability to move earth. The rumpled fairways and greens were much as he found them, providing exciting drives, approaches and putts. In more recent years a few tees have been moved back to allow for the longer hitters of today, but the echoes of old Tom remain here at Tallanmore.
The course sits today at 7584 yards, par 72, with only 3 par 3s and 3 par5s. Starting out by the old county road, the first 3 play up into the town. Then you're headed down to the sea, to the dunes and the high fescue. After you've played the 8th you start your journey back inland, but there are regular visits back to the sea, with the final glimpse at 17, before you head back up to the clubhouse.
As we move into mid-May the gorse is at its finest, providing a colourful backdrop to contrast with the verdant fairways and greens. The summer sun hasn’t had chance to turn the course to a golden brown.
The course is at its finest when the wind gets up, putting a premium on low running approaches. As was true in the late 1890’s, the generous green approaches provide plenty of opportunity for the ground game. Tallanmore is always firm and free-draining, but the greens are kept fairly slow, when you see some of the undulations and folds in some of the greens, you’ll know why!
As you make your way back to the clubhouse, just spare a thought for those early pioneers who came to this place and particularly for Old Tom. There may have been many changes since those days, but when you come to where it all began, you can be thankful that not everything has changed!
