When Peter Dawson first visited St Andrews in the late 1970s, he stayed at the Old Course Hotel. “I wasn’t working in golf in those days, but a friend and I came up to play the Old Course,” recalls the Scotsman, who was living in England at the time, working for Grove Worldwide, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of cranes and construction equipment. “Well, the hotel was much smaller than it is today, but I did have a room overlooking the fairway of the 17th. I remember visualising how I was going to play that famous hole and, funnily enough, it actually came off. We were just incredibly captivated by the place.”
Little did he know, but Peter’s world would come to revolve around the Old Course. In 1999, after 30 years in business, he became secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
He served in the role for 16 years and, as CEO of the R&A, presided over one of the most important eras in the club’s history. His accomplishments include spearheading golf’s return to the Olympic Games, overseeing the 250th anniversary celebrations of the Club, the rewriting of the Rules of Golf, the commercial growth of the Open Championship and welcoming lady members into the R&A. In 2020, he received a CBE for his services to golf.
Still, despite having played the Old Course more times than most, almost anyone he knows – which is what happens when your office overlooks the 1st tee – he reckons that his first round was probably his best. “I think that was partly because I didn’t realise where all of the hazards were,” he admits. “Then again, that was back in the days of Persimmon drivers, so in a way, it was a much harder game.”
Indeed, much has changed in St Andrews since then. “Over the years, the Old Course Hotel has really become part of the fabric of the town, and it now plays a fabulous host to St Andreans and visitors from around the world,” says Peter, who has been a hotel board member since 1999. “The town is busier and more vibrant, too. The university is one of the best in the world, and you can still feel it getting better and better. The sheer number of overseas students gives St Andrews a really cosmopolitan feel.”
Now that he’s embracing retirement, Peter says he’s starting to really appreciate the town’s history: “I’ve been living in St Andrews for 26 years, and it’s only recently that I’ve had time to properly explore the castle and the cathedral, the grave of Tom Morris and some of the lovely little wynds in the centre of town – it’s an incredible place to be a part of.”
Still, in his mind, what brought him to St Andrews in the first place remains its biggest draw. “It’s holy ground for golfers,” he says reverentially. “People have been playing golf here for over 600 years, and the atmosphere is better than ever. Events such as the Open Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship are particularly special.”
And as Peter will attest, two rounds on the Old Course are never remotely similar. “Even the slightest change in wind direction or wind strength makes it an entirely different sort of course,” he says. “If you ask me, it’s better in the cooler months, as it’s not quite as busy. Even after a wet spell, the course is in great shape, and you never come home with muddy shoes.
“If anyone asks what’s my favourite course in the world, the Old Course is always up there. It should be on every golfer’s bucket list.”
