Now, St Andrews is not the permanent home of The Open, at best it hosts the event once every five years. But the Old Course is universally known as the home of golf and rightly so, such is the tradition, prestige and difficulty associated with it. As a student at Edinburgh University, I believe that it is the only thing noteworthy about the town and the people who walk about in robes on a Sunday are merely Oxbridge wannabes. But that's me. In contrast, Silverstone was not even supposed to host the British GP this year - that honour fell to Donington after Bernie Ecclestone realised that they could pay more money. What he didn't factor in was the fact that Donington could not complete the necessary redevelopments in time. Ecclestone and his cronies were forced into and embarrassing U-turn and Silverstone has now kept the race for the next 17 years, after much unsettled negotiation in recent times. Both have made changes to the facilities for this year's events and both were subject to criticism. When you scratch under the surface, where it appears that the decisions have been made for very different reasons, you realise that in both cases, the maintainence of prestige is a major driving force for change.
With St Andrews, they decided to lengthen the famous 17th Road Hole by knocking the tee back 30 yards. Those pro golfers without a massive drive were in uproar. A Par 4 at 495 yards is a big challenge and means that many are unlikely to take a chance and will simply lay it up onto the green in 2. Some felt this would take the entertainment away from this famous hole if golfers were less inclined to take risks, particularly with the 18th being such a birdie-filled zone. In reality, the necessity of using a longer iron for the second shot means that the road might actually come into play more frequently. It's undeniably more funny when this is the case! At the end of the day, even when playing it safe, the conditions at St Andrews can be so blustery, that anything can happen! He who conquers the conditions and the course best (or gets the most gentle tee times) wins The Open. Congratulations by the way to Louis Oosthuizen, who did just that this week. It's all very well saying you want to increase the challenge for the golfers, but by bringing the most famous landmark in all of golf back into more frequent play, you're sending out a statement. St Andrews knows that it is the best and will make the necessary improvements to maintain its reputation as the finest and most difficult course in the world.
Now consider Silverstone. With the F1 calendar ever-expanding east into the Emirates and other affluent states, there is little sentimentality left - with Spa, Monte Carlo, Monza and Montreal the only truly great circuits remaining (although Melbourne's Albert Park has proved a great addition in more recent times). Silverstone, though not quite the only British F1 circuit ever used, sits comfortably amongst those names. And, once again, Britain is where Formula 1 originates - what would it be without its Grand Prix? However, the evil powers that be have decreed it unsuitable to support the current scale of F1's ambitions, with the pit facilities in particular below the required standard. Is this the standard required to host Ecclestone's sizeable entourage or to host the many low-budget teams currently making it more dangerous for the faster drivers to compete (as Mark Webber at Valencia will testify, such was the difference in speed between his car and that of Lotus' Heikki Kovalainen)? It's distressing to see a sport move away from it's foundations for financial reasons but Silverstone had no choice if it wanted to retain the race - and it kept it because there was less work to be done than at Donington. So it, like St Andrews, expanded. Half a mile and around four seconds were added to each lap between Abbey and Brooklands, not the most exciting section of the track - meaning that the excitement at Stowe, Maggots and Club Corner can be maintained, whilst letting fans closer to the track in the new "Arena" section. The drivers had complaints - the new surface affected the grip and aerodynamics, meaning that some cars, including the British McLaren, underperformed, as they were not set up correctly for the new track. Of course, both Lewis and Jenson performed better on race day after disappointing qualifying performances and the team will be more used to the new track for 2011. A short-term loss is much better than losing the home of premier British motorsport or indeed the British GP altogether.
The morale of the story? Although different circumstances surrounded both extensions, both the British golf and motorsport authorities will do anything to ensure that British remains best - even breaking with tradition. It's something the FA could do with emulating...
RM
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