The Swilken Burn is a stream that flows through the Old Course at St. Andrews, where the burn presents a punitive, nearly-invisible, water hazard. The famous Swilcan Bridge spans the burn between the first and eighteenth fairways of the Old Course. The burn flows into the North Sea just north of St. Andrews on the east coast of Fife.

Just beyond the North Hole at Chunker’s Hollow, a limestone shelf is cantilevered from the historic stone boundary wall. A steady sheet of water cascades to The Burn below. This 4’ wide and 6” deep recessed stone channel presents a frightful water hazard for even the most swashbuckling competitor.

The 17th hole at St Andrews is one of the most famous in golf. A brutish par-4 of almost 500 yards, it’s fraught with danger its entire length. Kansas City’s own Tom Watson had a good chance of winning the 1984 Open Championship until he faltered at the 17th.

Like Miguel Angel Jimenez's bank shot off the Road Hole wall and back onto the green during the 2010 British Open, Johnny Elliott’s play off the wall during the 2023 Summer Cup at Chunker’s Hollow will be remembered forever. You not only have to be good to do it yourself, you also have to be lucky.

The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 and has hosted The Open Championship 12 times, most recently in 2023. Like many links courses, the greens are punctuated by pot bunkers and deep swale hollows.

If you go long on the North Hole at Chunker’s Hollow, you end up in The Burn. If you go long on the South Hole, you end up two feet below the level of the green with a very difficult come-back shot from the bottom of the hollow. These iconic features serve as punitive bookends, protecting each hole at Chunker’s Hollow.