In addition to his fame as a player, Old Tom was 'Keeper of the Green' at St Andrews from 1864 to his retirement in 1903. The appearance of the popular gutta ball meant more usage of the Old Course, and when appointed he brought in double greens and nine new outward holes on the seaward side beside the old single track hitherto played in both directions. He also modernised the tees and bunkers but his 'mair saund' [more sand] panacea for top-dressing the Links was occasionally caricatured. After his reluctant retiral, the R&A appointed a new 'scientific' greenkeeper, who was soon sacked, and Old Tom's traditional methods restored. David's bio: David Hamilton was a leading Scottish transplant surgeon with a lifelong interest in Scottish golf and its history, and now lives in St Andrews. He has produced several limited-edition golf books on his own printing press under the Partick Press imprint. In 1998 he published Golf - Scotland’s Game, a new history of golf in Scotland, a trade work for a broader readership. For his contributions to golf scholarship he was twice awarded a Murdoch Medal by the British Golf Collectors’ Society, an award named after his mentor and friend, the late Joseph Murdoch, the cofounder of the Golf Collectors’ Society. He is a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and has been active support of the Museum's lecture series.
Doors open from 6.30pm with refreshments available upon arrival. The lecture will then begin at 7pm. Tickets cost £10.
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