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The Swilcan Bridge, or Swilken Bridge, or Swilcanth as it was known, is a small stone bridge in St Andrews Links golf course, Scotland. The bridge spans the Swilcan Burn between the first and eighteenth fairways on the 
The bridge itself is extremely small; at its farthest extent it measures about 30 feet long, eight feet wide and six feet tall, in the style of a simple Roman arch. Originally built at least 700 years ago to help shepherds get livestock across, it has the modern photographic advantage of great backdrops on three sides: the course’s grand Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and
Old Course
The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course.
It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links, St Andrews ...
, and has become an important image in the sport of golf. The bridge had previously been known as the Golfers’ Bridge, and had been known as this for hundreds of years previously.
The bridge itself is extremely small; at its farthest extent it measures about 30 feet long, eight feet wide and six feet tall, in the style of a simple Roman arch. Originally built at least 700 years ago to help shepherds get livestock across, it has the modern photographic advantage of great backdrops on three sides: the course’s grand Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and Hamilton Grand
Hamilton Grand is a prominent apartment building in St Andrews, Scotland. The building is located on Golf Place, beside the Old Course. It is seen in the coverage of the many golf tournaments played over the Old Course, and was featured in the ...
on one, often a packed grandstand of enthusiasts on another, and rolling hills facing toward the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, on the last.
It is customary for champions of golf to publicly show some sort of homage or respect to the structure. For example, in early July 2010 at The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
Tom Watson was photographed kissing the bridge. Also, at the 2005 Open Championship
The 2005 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 134th Open Championship, held from 14 to 17 July at the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. Tiger Woods led wire-to-wire for his tenth major title, five shots ahead of run ...
, Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
gave his final farewell to professional golf while standing on the bridge.
On the second floor of the World Golf Hall of Fame museum in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...
, there is a life-size stone replica of the Swilcan Bridge, accompanied with a floor-to-ceiling photograph of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse and Hamilton Hall Hamilton Hall can refer to several buildings including:
*Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)
*Hamilton Hall (Montana State University) named after James M. Hamilton.
*Hamilton Hall (Salem, Massachusetts)
Hamilton Hall is a National Historic Lan ...
in the background.
References
External links
* {{St Andrews, state=collapsed Bridges in Fife History of golf