The Royal and Ancient need to start making some hard decisions if golf is to continue to flourish in the coming years.

With the world’s leading players ripping apart the Old Course last week, despite some of the worst weather at The Open for a decade, the game’s masters either have to consider some serious rule changes to the way the game is played, particularly around the type of equipment that is being used or they need to think about scrapping some of the traditional links courses such as St Andrews as Open hosts. The scores are saying they’re just no longer a true test to the world’s best players.

This year’s winner South African Louis Oosthuizen shot 16 under par for four rounds, despite sometimes atrocious weather. That is an average of four shots less on average than what is required for an ideal par round.

The Old Course has been modified many times over the years to try and keep it ahead of the game’s equipment advances. But it looks like it has finally come to the end of the road.

The majority of the field can now drive the 357 yard 18th hole with ease and there are only a handful of holes that put up any sort of defence against modern players if the conditions are benign. But even when the wind does blows the scoring this year proves it is no longer the defence it used to be in the face of modern advances in equipment.

The backlash to this triumph of technology over environment is starting with the growth in popularity of courses like Kingarroch Golf Club 10 miles to the west of St Andrews.

This nine hole course only permits five hickory shafted clubs and a ball produced from either a 19th century design or one from the 1920’s.

With such technological restrictions even the finest players in the world would struggle to hit the ball more than 180 yards. This course is taking golf back to the natural basics man against his environment using skill not equipment to conquer. During The Open week it would have been easier to get a game in the tournament itself than to secure a tee off time at this more modest neighbour.

If The Open is to continue to prosper – and there is no guarantee, crowds were badly down this year – it needs to adapt. There has to be some restrictions on equipment, whether it is to the type of clubs allowed or more probably changes to the ball to slow it down.

This type of interference will not sit well with manufacturers ever keen to come up with new products to tempt gullible golfers from their hard earned cash. But needs must, if the equipment doesn’t change the only other alternative would be even less palatable for the R&A. Take historic courses like The Old Course off the circuit and play The Open over some new soulless purpose built 9000 yard monster, with of course the adaptability to be lengthened to 10, 12 even 15,000 yards as the equipment continues to improve and the top players start hitting 500 yard drives as a matter of course.

The Open is about history and tradition taking this latter option, leaving St Andrews and its like as quaint PR venues complete with plus foured caddies lamenting what the game, could conceivably finish it off as a sporting spectacle. Equipment rules need to be addressed before it's too late.