They said it… great Old Course St Andrews quotes

Some of the best St Andrews Old Course quotes over the years from the reverential to the humorous

It’s golf’s most famous course so no surprise the history books are full of great St Andrews quotes from the reverential to the reflective to the humorous

Bobby Jones

"I could take out of my life everything except my experiences at St Andrews and I would still have a rich, full life."

Bobby Jones winning at St Andrews in 1927

Bobby Jones winning at St Andrews in 1927

Tiger Woods after his 2000 victory

"It may be years before I fully appreciate it, but I am inclined to believe that winning The Open at the Home of Golf is the ultimate achievement in the sport."

Tiger's first Open victory at St Andrews in 2000

Tiger's first Open victory at St Andrews in 2000

Jack Nicklaus

"If you're going to be a player people will remember, you have to win the Open at St. Andrews."

Jack Nicklaus being interviewed by Harry Carpenter after his 1978 win

Jack Nicklaus being interviewed by Harry Carpenter after his 1978 win

Sam Snead

"Until you play it, St. Andrews looks like the sort of real estate you couldn't give away."

Seve on his winning birdie putt in 1984

"That was the happiest moment of my whole sporting life. My moment of glory. My most fantastic shot."

Seve reacts to the happiest moment of his sporting life in 1984

Seve reacts to the happiest moment of his sporting life in 1984

Doug Sanders in 2000 on his missed three-footer in the 1970 Open…

"It doesn't hurt much any more. These days I can go a full five minutes without thinking about it."

Barely five minutes go by for Doug Sanders and his famous 1970 miss...

Barely five minutes go by for Doug Sanders and his famous 1970 miss...

Ben Crenshaw

"The reason the Road Hole at St Andrews is the most difficult par 4 in the world is that it was designed as a par 6."

Jack Nicklaus, on taking four shots to get out of Hell Bunker during the first round in 1995

"I guess that's why they call it Hell."

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Tom Watson

"St Andrews is a hard course to understand. You have to relearn it and relearn it and relearn it all the time."

Dustin Johnson

"As a kid, I remember John Daly bombing it around St Andrews in 1995 to win the British Open, and people say we are similar in a lot of ways."

Pat Ward-Thomas, golf writer

"The Auld Lady can be as tantalising as a beautiful woman, whose smile at once is a temptation and a snare, concealing heartbreak and frustration for some, joy and fulfilment for others, but possession only for the very fortunate few."

Tom Watson after the second round in 2010

"This golf course was tough today. I said yesterday she was naked, but she put on her boxing gloves today and hit us with all she had."

Rory McIlroy after on a missed three-footer for birdie on 17 in his first-round 63 in 2010

"It went through my mind on 17 that 62 would have been the lowest round in a Major. That’s probably why I missed the putt. It would have been lovely to shoot 62, but I can’t complain."

Rory McIlroy on his second-round 80 in 2010

"I have never experienced anything like it before. I’m here for the weekend, so it’s not all bad, but definitely a complete contrast to yesterday."

Rory gets blown off course on Friday in 2010

Rory gets blown off course on Friday in 2010

Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 St Andrews champion

"To win an Open Championship is special, but to win it here in St Andrews is something you dream about."

An impressive win for Louis Oosthuizen last time round

An impressive win for Louis Oosthuizen last time round
Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf

Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Kramski HPP 325

Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)