Support the St. Andrews campaign

In March 2010 the first World Forum of Golf Architects was held at St. Andrews. Bathed in history, the setting was the perfect backdrop for the inaugural meeting of the finest minds in our industry. It also set the scene for my proposal that St. Andrews be elevated to the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS).

WHS status is not easy to acquire. Hopeful candidates must satisfy at least one of the ten stringent criteria – and that’s the easy bit. The second step in the process is to make the host nation’s tentative list. Competition for WHS accreditation can be fierce, and historical sites elevated to such levels tend to attract greater number of visitors and generate more tourism. However, making the tentative list does not lead to automatic accreditation – the final hurdle is being accepted by UNESCO itself and being deemed worthy of such a distinction.

Last June, Fife Council (under the guidance of council archaeologist Douglas Spiers) submitted an application to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to have St. Andrews added to the UK’s tentative list of potential sites. The publication of the UK’s list should be made available before June of this year.

Fife Council’s St. Andrews application centres on the site being a uniquely designed medieval streetscape, it is perhaps the best example of a planned pilgrimage town in Europe – however it is principally in recognition of its’ outstanding value as the worldwide historic and cultural home of golf that deems it worthy of the accolade.

It is hoped that this sporting angle will make all the difference in getting the St. Andrews bid across the line. However, UNESCO is deeply concerned that around 90 per cent of all current WHSs are western European medieval towns and is actively urging governments not to propose any more.

Of the 32,000 or so courses worldwide be in no doubt as to the high regard that St. Andrews has in the 60 million strong golfing community. Nowhere is a round more coveted by the purist than on the Old Course at St. Andrews – it has become a golf pilgrimage. But should such accreditation be a worry? Will such a title, if bestowed, place any burdens on those who manage and lovingly maintain this masterpiece for us all to enjoy?

Well the answer is simple: no, it will not. As Douglas Spiers reflects: “As for the consequences of designation on St. Andrews golf courses, the physical, day-to-day management implications would remain largely unchanged. A world heritage status is a titular or ornamental designation – an honorary title if you will. It commands great respect but it does not actually confer any new statutory controls over the designated monument, site or place. For as long as the Old Course continues to operate as a place for playing golf, then the spirit of the place, resulting from the continuity of golf-related activities on this site, would be preserved, and so would be in keeping with its WHS status.”

With my architectural hat on, if I were to be overly critical of the application it would be that it does not have the preservation of the course at its heart. For many of us architects, St. Andrews is a masterpiece of design. I am not saying that we all think it is perfect, that it should be copied and mass-produced the world over- but it has something. It has it. And I know many of you reading this will feel that I have failed to define what it is that makes the courses there, the town and the people so special for you. But then maybe that is it? The magic of the place is such an individual affair: how could I express what it means to everyone who has experienced it for themselves? All I can say is that, for me, St. Andrews never disappoints. It welcomes me back like an old friend and my fondness of the place only grows with each visit.

If St. Andrews is awarded WHS certification not only will it heighten its existing worldwide stature among golfers. It will also open the minds of many more people to the positive affects our sport can have from a social and economic perspective. I strongly urge you to support this application in any way you can and let us be part of a campaign to formally acknowledge the importance of this site to the worldwide golfing community.