St Andrews Trust look to play out of road hole bunker row

THE St Andrew Links Trust have sought to quell fears the notorious Road Hole bunker is undergoing a dramatic reconstruction.

Details emerged yesterday of plans to apparently alter the character of the bunker by the 17th green on the Old Course at St Andrews, probably the most famous golf hazard in the world.

Long renowned for its ability to ensnare and embarrass the world's best players, the changes had supposedly simplified the hole and considerably lessened its appeal for spectators, with a past captain of the New Club at St Andrews, David Malcolm, calling the move a "tragedy".

But Peter Mason, external relations manager of the St Andrews Links Trust, claimed the reconstruction merely reflects an attempt to stop players looking "foolish", and maintains the work is in any case unfinished and still subject to considerable consultation.

The bunker probably most famously associated with Japanese player Tommy Nakajima, who took five shots to extricate himself at the 1978 Open undergoes a certain amount of rebuilding every two or three years in any case, Mason said.

"We've restored it to some degree to the way it was 20-30 years ago. When the bunker gets played out of, the sand gets thrown out and then builds up on the lip.

''The lips have grown significantly, so much so that if you were playing off the road the narrow road behind the green that gives the hole its name you have a nice big back stop.

"All we've tried to do is re-contour the surrounding area so that it gathers more like it use to in the past, so it's much less difficult to get into."