Grant Moir, the Executive Director of Governance at the R&A, is preparing the Old Course at St. Andrews for the AIG Women’s Open. The layout of the Old Course offers various set-up options, making it an interesting challenge for Moir to ensure it plays best for the women. The course will measure 6,784 yards for this year’s event, with the flexibility to adjust tee positions based on weather conditions.
For the women’s event, Moir focuses on bringing the course features, such as bunkers, into play similar to how they are for the men. Tee positions are crucial to make the bunkers a threat for every player in the field. The firmness of the greens and pin positions are also considerations, given that the women tend to produce less spin on their shots compared to men.
The green speed is maintained at a Stimpmeter reading of 10½ feet for both men’s and women’s events, with adjustments made based on weather conditions. Pin positions are strategically set to challenge the players, but for the women, the goal is to showcase their skills by utilizing a broader range of green areas. The Old Course is not meant to be overly difficult for the best players in the world.
Moir enjoys certain holes on the course, such as the long 14th and the short par-4 12th. The par-5 fifth, with the largest double green on the course, presents various pin position possibilities. Moir looks forward to watching the women play the challenging 18th hole, which offers an interesting test of both imagination and execution.
Due to the Olympics, the Women’s Open is being played later than usual, requiring a two-tee start on the first two days due to limited daylight. Despite the scheduling challenges, Moir and his team are working to set up the Old Course in optimal conditions for the tournament. Overall, the focus is on providing a fair and challenging course for the women competitors to showcase their skills at one of the most iconic golf venues in the world.
