There’s a little plot of land at St. Andrews known as The Himalayas. You might not notice it on first visit. Over pints at the Dunvegan, you won’t hear people talking about how they played the course. If anything, on first glance it’s a bit peculiar, sitting adjacent to the 1st hole of the Old Course. But it is one of the most underrated assets the Links has on offer, and Padraig Harrington is using it as inspiration.
The Himalayas is a putting course at St. Andrews, operated by the St. Andrews Ladies Putting Club, that has been a public offering for more than 100 years now. Harrington has designs on making a public putting course of his own, similar to the Himalayas, but different in one key aspect: It’ll be on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, not far from where he grew up.
Harrington and the local county council announced Friday the plans for an all grass putting course called the Marlay Park Putting Course, which they hope will introduce and sustain a love of golf for locals in a super accessible setting.
Contour plan of the free to use putting green currently under construction at Dublin’s Marlay Park.@padraig_h #Golf #PuttingGreen #PublicGolf pic.twitter.com/wfEk7ZOn12
— Turfgrass® (@TurfgrassC) October 29, 2021
“I love my golf. I dream about golf a lot,” Harrington said to local reporters. “If I’m flying in an airplane or in a car, I’m looking out the window saying, “Ooh, we can have a golf course there. I’ve seen this around the world, at times. A green and how much enjoyment people get out of putting, at all standards.
“Maybe it will bring more people to golf, but it will definitely bring people to see golf in a different light. That’s why we have it very much at the center of the park. It’s very accessible. It’s very easy to see. There’s nothing about it that would be in any way intimidating.”
Harrington made sure to note that there is definitely no dress code for the Marlay Park Putting Green, and that it will be entirely free to use. The project is also in partnership with Golf Ireland and the R&A.
The layout of the course is unclear, but one of the the companies involved in developing it has shared an initial topographical map. It will be approximately 3,000 square feet in size, so definitely smaller than the Himalayas, but certainly more manageable in terms of maintenance. There are costs to maintaining an all-grass facility, but they are not being passed down onto the players.
The course has been given a projected opening of spring 2022 so it won’t be long before we start seeing photos of the property. You can find out more from Harrington himself in the video below.
