Next year marks the bicentennial of the birth of Old Tom Morris. In addition to playing an instrumental role in forming The Open Championship – which he won on four occasions – Old Tom went on to transform the game of golf during his long career as Keeper of the Green at The Old Course at St. Andrews. Yardage markers and separate tee boxes are just two of his innovations which we encounter during every round of golf to this very day. And then there was his side-business in course design, which gave us the likes of Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch, and Royal County Down.
In advance of Old Tom’s 200th birthday, our friends at the St. Andrews Links Trust have announced a celebration of his life and career. As shared in this announcement on their blog, the Links Trust is “encouraging the global golf community to share their ideas and stories ahead of the celebrations in 2021.”
“In the run up to June 16 next year, St Andrews Links will celebrate #OldTom200 across its platforms, courses and facilities. In order to assist these efforts the Links Trust would like to hear from golf’s global community via email at OldTom200@standrews.com or via the Trust’s social media channels. The submissions will be shared on the Trust’s social media platforms later this year when further details around the programme of events to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth will be shared.”
To mark the occasion, the Links Trust and NBC Golf released this excellent piece titled “Old Tom Morris: Golf’s Greatest Pioneer.” The video is just three minutes in length, but given Old Tom’s contributions to golf, it could easily have run ten times as long.
We look forward to the upcoming #OldTom200 celebrations and plan to both share and take part in the festivities across the H&B social media channels.