McCARTHY: Poof! Patio season is over at the Old Course

Stand down Twitter, the most hotly-debated patio in golf will be no more.

Two days after photos emerged showing a rather jarring new entrance to the Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course, the St Andrews Links Trust announced plans to remove their latest renovation. We can all go back to being mad about something even less important.

Hopefully this doesn’t ruin the reputation of patios, because for the most part they’re great.

Last Spring my golf club built a new stone patio, and it’s been met with universal praise. Of course, the one at my course wasn’t built on the 18th fairway attached to a historic landmark. Ours does, however, attach the halfway house to the pool area though, which is nice.

In case you’re not following, the biggest story in golf over the weekend happened more than 7,000 kilometres away from golf action at either Pebble Beach or the Saudi International. All anyone wanted to talk about was the new stone entrance to the Swilcan Bridge.

With all the foot traffic golf’s most famous bridge receives throughout the year, it has apparently been quite a task to try to keep grass healthy (or even alive) around the popular photo spot. The answer, apparently, was to have a rather jarring circular stone, well, patio built in front. On Saturday, the first photo of the project went viral; one day later, St Andrews Links felt obliged to defend it; on Monday, plans to have it removed were announced.

Social media, as it does, had lit its hair on fire and turned the event into an international incident, as well as of course a meme contest with objects including patio furniture, hot tubs, and even the Millenium Falcon photoshopped onto the scene.

From the reaction of golf Twitter (always wise in their judgment), you’d have thought someone had painted a moustache on the Mona Lisa. In fact, that’s exactly what a gentleman named @warrenallsworth did write. And by Monday morning his tweet was the headline screaming on the front page of The Courier, a 220-year-old Scottish newspaper. The accompanying article went on to break the news that Fife Council is probing whether the ‘patio’ was made without proper local planning permissions, and whether the fine folks at the St Andrews Links Trust might be required to apply for retroactive permits.

Flashback to Sunday, and shortly after lunch (the perfect time for a bite on the patio), all the jokes and apparent outrage on social media had gone far enough to push St Andrews Links into issuing a statement on the matter:

“We would like to address some concerns that have been raised regarding works that are currently underway on the approach area to the Swilcan Bridge…”

The statement went on to assure everyone that no work had been done on the actual bridge (which is a protected historic landmark), and to further explain how difficult it is to grow grass in the area with all the foot traffic from those wanting photographs on the bridge. And that they once tried astroturf there lest anyone think this is the first out-of-place attempt to remedy the situation.

“It should be noted that the works are not yet complete and ongoing efforts are being undertaken to ensure any final installation, including size, shape and material, in keeping with its surroundings.”

In other words, relax everybody, we will figure this out, just gotta shave a bit off here or there, and maybe add a little more cement. In 100 years you won’t even be able to tell.

I have to admit, part of me finds it fitting, even charming, that the most famous course in the world seemingly called over its buddy to redo the front porch.

In many ways, it’s part of the reason we love the Old Course and linksland golf in general. It isn’t always perfect and pristine, and it doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as the game does over here. Of course, you can point to the white-haired men dressed in suits lording over the Old Course through windows of the R&A building behind the 18th green and say I’m crazy. But even there, among them, you get the sense that in the end it’s all just for fun and slightly absurd. Even at the Open, there is no crying and handwringing when scores reach 20-under, that just means that the sun was out, the weather was good, and that’s always worth celebrating in Scotland. Let the boys show off a bit.

So before jumping on Twitter to shout that this is a disgrace to the game and someone should be fired, perhaps people should have taken a minute to think about why the bridge is in this condition. It happened because one of the greatest golf courses in the world transforms into a public park every Sunday, with families strolling about, kids running across greens, and dogs, well, doing dog things. It happened because hundreds of thousands of golf fans from all over the world have had the opportunity (with or without a tee time) to walk right up to the most famous landmark in the game and take a photo and make a memory.

If you haven’t been to St Andrews, I suggest you go. It’s the greatest place in this vast world of golf. Stand on the Swilcan Bridge and take a photo. I promise you won’t be looking at the ground.