V. Gullane Golf Club, East Lothian, Scotland
The next day we drive down to Gullane to play Gullane No. 1 and No. 2. It's quite a place. The view from Gullane Hill is quite the sight to see, with golf holes in every direction. You can even see Muirfield off in the distance. We meet local legend Archie Baird on the golf course, and I shake his hand. The very next hole I play I birdie. I think a bit of Archie's luck rubbed off on me. This is a famous layout of golf holes. Babe Didrikson Zaharias even played here. We chat with Archie after the round, and he gives us a tour of his famous Heritage of Golf Museum. He gives us some memorable quotes. We are chatting with him about handicaps, and how some sand bag, while others brag. He says "Ah yes, the classic battle between pride and greed." All in all it's a wonderful day, and I even managed to bag 3 birdies over 36 holes!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Trip of a Lifetime (Part One, Chapter Four)
IV. Miscellaneous
After our big day yesterday, I now have a sore back and legs. In less than 48 hours, we have already played in sun, wind, rain, and fog. Welcome to Scotland! Hopefully my body will limber up after I get moving. The dorm that we are staying in (New Hall on the University of St. Andrews campus) is very nice, and conveniently located to everything, literally easy walking distance to The Old Course. And the cost is only about 40 pounds per person per night, not too shabby. And that INCLUDES breakfast. The security guard at the dorm, John Robertson, is a golf FIEND. He plays in all of these various competitions around the area, and basically rearranges his work schedule around these events. When he found out that we had some early tee times, he opened the cafeteria early for us so we could get something to eat prior to our golf!
Since it's Sunday, the Old Course is closed, so we decide to walk it, as we are playing it on Monday, and we want to see what it looks like beforehand. It's awesome to walk it when it is closed, and to think about all the famous golfers that have graced this course (basically every big-name golfer in history except Ben Hogan has played an Open here at least once). When we get to the Road Hole, #17, we hear bagpipes in the distance. Another good omen?
The next day, we play the New Course in the morning, and then the Old Course in the afternoon. I now have a blister forming on my right heel. I am quite a mess, with my sore back, sore legs, throbbing finger, and now blisters! But I muddle through. Roger gets a caddy for the Old Course, and it is none other than Oliver Horovitz, the American who wrote the caddy piece in Sports Illustrated! This whole trip has been a series of coincidences! Oliver is a great caddy and companion, giving invaluable advice to both Roger and me around the course (we both tip him well at the end!). Roger and I both play well, especially on the front nine with the wind at our backs. I shoot 39 on the front, and put together 8 pars in a row, from holes 3 through 10. I didn't start out so great. I was very nervous on the 1st tee, as they announce your name on the loudspeaker, and then you step up to hit your ball with quite a few tourists and onlookers observing your every move. I took a 3-wood in the hopes of keeping it in the fairway, and felt like I literally blacked out on my downswing. I honestly don't remember following through (I probably didn't!). I actually duck-hooked it into the 18th fairway. Thank goodness it's nice and wide. Then I proceed to dump my approach into the Swilcan Burn and end up with a double bogey. I bogey #2, and then finally settle down and put together my nice little run of pars. Then we turn into the wind, and I play bogey golf in and shoot 84 or so. All in all not too shabby. Roger takes away a nice memory by parring the Road Hole. He's just barely off the front edge of the green in two, and actually has a shot at birdie. He rolls it up the hill, but it's just not quite enough, and rolls all the way back down to his feet. He then rolls the next one into the hole!
After our big day yesterday, I now have a sore back and legs. In less than 48 hours, we have already played in sun, wind, rain, and fog. Welcome to Scotland! Hopefully my body will limber up after I get moving. The dorm that we are staying in (New Hall on the University of St. Andrews campus) is very nice, and conveniently located to everything, literally easy walking distance to The Old Course. And the cost is only about 40 pounds per person per night, not too shabby. And that INCLUDES breakfast. The security guard at the dorm, John Robertson, is a golf FIEND. He plays in all of these various competitions around the area, and basically rearranges his work schedule around these events. When he found out that we had some early tee times, he opened the cafeteria early for us so we could get something to eat prior to our golf!
Since it's Sunday, the Old Course is closed, so we decide to walk it, as we are playing it on Monday, and we want to see what it looks like beforehand. It's awesome to walk it when it is closed, and to think about all the famous golfers that have graced this course (basically every big-name golfer in history except Ben Hogan has played an Open here at least once). When we get to the Road Hole, #17, we hear bagpipes in the distance. Another good omen?
The next day, we play the New Course in the morning, and then the Old Course in the afternoon. I now have a blister forming on my right heel. I am quite a mess, with my sore back, sore legs, throbbing finger, and now blisters! But I muddle through. Roger gets a caddy for the Old Course, and it is none other than Oliver Horovitz, the American who wrote the caddy piece in Sports Illustrated! This whole trip has been a series of coincidences! Oliver is a great caddy and companion, giving invaluable advice to both Roger and me around the course (we both tip him well at the end!). Roger and I both play well, especially on the front nine with the wind at our backs. I shoot 39 on the front, and put together 8 pars in a row, from holes 3 through 10. I didn't start out so great. I was very nervous on the 1st tee, as they announce your name on the loudspeaker, and then you step up to hit your ball with quite a few tourists and onlookers observing your every move. I took a 3-wood in the hopes of keeping it in the fairway, and felt like I literally blacked out on my downswing. I honestly don't remember following through (I probably didn't!). I actually duck-hooked it into the 18th fairway. Thank goodness it's nice and wide. Then I proceed to dump my approach into the Swilcan Burn and end up with a double bogey. I bogey #2, and then finally settle down and put together my nice little run of pars. Then we turn into the wind, and I play bogey golf in and shoot 84 or so. All in all not too shabby. Roger takes away a nice memory by parring the Road Hole. He's just barely off the front edge of the green in two, and actually has a shot at birdie. He rolls it up the hill, but it's just not quite enough, and rolls all the way back down to his feet. He then rolls the next one into the hole!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Trip of a Lifetime (Part One, Chapter Three)
III. Good and Bad
We wake up on Saturday morning to an absolutely glorious day. Sunny and warm, 70 degrees, absolutely no wind. This is Scotland? We are playing the Eden Course at St. Andrews this morning, followed by the Championship Course at Carnoustie in the afternoon. What a day! We drive over to the Eden Course and check in. We are in buoyant spirits. Unfortunately the gentleman checking us in at the Eden Course has other ideas. He actually asks for our PROOF of a tee time. Luckily, I actually HAVE the email printed out with our little confirmation number on it. Yeah, like what are the chances that I'm just going to walk up to him and out of the blue say "I believe you have a 7:12 tee time for Whayne, party of two." Do I LOOK like the criminal type? Do I LOOK shady? Would a 46-year old man REALLY make a living out of driving around Scotland, stealing other people's tee times? And would I REALLY try to do this at the EDEN COURSE, of all courses? I just don't think he liked Americans. Either that or he was mad that he was stuck working at the Eden Course instead of the Old or New Course. Other than the Old Course, this is the only time on the trip where we are REQUIRED to provide PRINTED documentation of an existing tee time. It kind of ticks me off and takes the wind out of my sails. Thanks for the buzzkill, guv'nah!
He hands over our scorecard and pencils to us, and still kind of put off by him, I jam my hand into my pocket and promptly IMPALE IT on the needle-sharp pencil he just gave me! I'm bleeding all over myself as I stagger off to the first tee!
I manage to scrape up a bogey on the first hole, and then promptly hit my tee shot on #2 out of bounds. It lands in the Elysian Fields of the 14th Hole of the Old Course. I jump over the short stone wall, play my ball back into the Eden Course, and it goes right into a gorse bush: lost ball. That's karma justice, I guess, for jumping the wall onto the Old Course.
On the 4th hole, a short par four, I DRIVE the green, only to three-putt for par. Roger one-putts for birdie. As they say, drive for show, putt for dough. The rest of the round proceeds rather uneventfully.
Before we head up to Carnoustie, we wander over to the 1st tee at the Old Course, to watch a few groups tee off, and lo and behold, we run into the same guy we shared a table with the night before at the Dunvegan Hotel's Lounge Bar. Weird.
We drive up to Carnoustie and watch the gathering clouds. Looks rather ominous. So much for our glorious day. It's as if the Carnoustie Gods are conspiring against us. "You are NOT allowed to play MY course in benign conditions!" We are told that since the British Open is going to be played at Carnoustie in 3 weeks, we have to use rubber mats in the fairway. We check in, and they give us these little astroturf rectangles that we are required to carry along with us, and put down whenever we have a shot from the fairway. OK, whatever. Then, it starts to rain. Oh boy.
I get off to a good start, even in the rain: only 2 over par after four holes. But then the wheels start to come off. On the fifth hole, I end up taking an X on it (probably an 8 or 9 if I was counting). I lose my little green mat, forget it another time and have to go back for it, but manage to regroup and par #6, Hogan's Alley. I par #7 so now I'm 6 over after 7 in the rain with a quadruple bogey. Not too bad. Then it starts to rain so hard that I can't even grip my club anymore. It slips out of my hand twice on the 8th tee. Roger birdies #8 and shoots 39 on the front nine. He's playing in this monsoon like the priest from Caddyshack. I can't hold onto my clubs anymore and walk off the course after the 10th hole.
I am completely and utterly soaked to the bone. I walk in from the eleventh tee and change clothes in the car. I decide to drown my sorrows with a beer and wait for Roger. He finally gives up after #13. It's raining sideways. We drive back to St. Andrews, looking and smelling like two drowned rats.
My finger (remember the pencil incident from this morning?) is really starting to throb, so I buy some ointment for it and head back to my room. All of my clubs, grips and clothes are soaking wet. I dry them off as best I can, crank up the heat, and go to bed. The day went from totally glorious sunshine to typhoon-like conditions in about 8 hours.
We wake up on Saturday morning to an absolutely glorious day. Sunny and warm, 70 degrees, absolutely no wind. This is Scotland? We are playing the Eden Course at St. Andrews this morning, followed by the Championship Course at Carnoustie in the afternoon. What a day! We drive over to the Eden Course and check in. We are in buoyant spirits. Unfortunately the gentleman checking us in at the Eden Course has other ideas. He actually asks for our PROOF of a tee time. Luckily, I actually HAVE the email printed out with our little confirmation number on it. Yeah, like what are the chances that I'm just going to walk up to him and out of the blue say "I believe you have a 7:12 tee time for Whayne, party of two." Do I LOOK like the criminal type? Do I LOOK shady? Would a 46-year old man REALLY make a living out of driving around Scotland, stealing other people's tee times? And would I REALLY try to do this at the EDEN COURSE, of all courses? I just don't think he liked Americans. Either that or he was mad that he was stuck working at the Eden Course instead of the Old or New Course. Other than the Old Course, this is the only time on the trip where we are REQUIRED to provide PRINTED documentation of an existing tee time. It kind of ticks me off and takes the wind out of my sails. Thanks for the buzzkill, guv'nah!
He hands over our scorecard and pencils to us, and still kind of put off by him, I jam my hand into my pocket and promptly IMPALE IT on the needle-sharp pencil he just gave me! I'm bleeding all over myself as I stagger off to the first tee!
I manage to scrape up a bogey on the first hole, and then promptly hit my tee shot on #2 out of bounds. It lands in the Elysian Fields of the 14th Hole of the Old Course. I jump over the short stone wall, play my ball back into the Eden Course, and it goes right into a gorse bush: lost ball. That's karma justice, I guess, for jumping the wall onto the Old Course.
On the 4th hole, a short par four, I DRIVE the green, only to three-putt for par. Roger one-putts for birdie. As they say, drive for show, putt for dough. The rest of the round proceeds rather uneventfully.
Before we head up to Carnoustie, we wander over to the 1st tee at the Old Course, to watch a few groups tee off, and lo and behold, we run into the same guy we shared a table with the night before at the Dunvegan Hotel's Lounge Bar. Weird.
We drive up to Carnoustie and watch the gathering clouds. Looks rather ominous. So much for our glorious day. It's as if the Carnoustie Gods are conspiring against us. "You are NOT allowed to play MY course in benign conditions!" We are told that since the British Open is going to be played at Carnoustie in 3 weeks, we have to use rubber mats in the fairway. We check in, and they give us these little astroturf rectangles that we are required to carry along with us, and put down whenever we have a shot from the fairway. OK, whatever. Then, it starts to rain. Oh boy.
I get off to a good start, even in the rain: only 2 over par after four holes. But then the wheels start to come off. On the fifth hole, I end up taking an X on it (probably an 8 or 9 if I was counting). I lose my little green mat, forget it another time and have to go back for it, but manage to regroup and par #6, Hogan's Alley. I par #7 so now I'm 6 over after 7 in the rain with a quadruple bogey. Not too bad. Then it starts to rain so hard that I can't even grip my club anymore. It slips out of my hand twice on the 8th tee. Roger birdies #8 and shoots 39 on the front nine. He's playing in this monsoon like the priest from Caddyshack. I can't hold onto my clubs anymore and walk off the course after the 10th hole.
I am completely and utterly soaked to the bone. I walk in from the eleventh tee and change clothes in the car. I decide to drown my sorrows with a beer and wait for Roger. He finally gives up after #13. It's raining sideways. We drive back to St. Andrews, looking and smelling like two drowned rats.
My finger (remember the pencil incident from this morning?) is really starting to throb, so I buy some ointment for it and head back to my room. All of my clubs, grips and clothes are soaking wet. I dry them off as best I can, crank up the heat, and go to bed. The day went from totally glorious sunshine to typhoon-like conditions in about 8 hours.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Trip of a Lifetime (Part One, Chapter Two)
II. A Sign From Above
We arrive at Carnoustie, giddy from lack of sleep but also very excited to actually tee it up for the first time in Scotland. Our first tee time is at 3:45 on the Burnside Course at Carnoustie. We are playing the Championship Course at Carnoustie the next day, but for now we are content with the Burnside, given that we haven't slept, shaved, brushed our teeth, or changed our clothes in 24 hours!
We check in with the starter and go to get our clubs out of the car. Suddenly, the sun comes out, and we hear live bagpipes playing. Apparently it's a little 3pm tradition at Carnoustie. We take it as a good omen, and thoroughly enjoy the Burnside. It's always such a great feeling right after you hit your first tee shot and you are walking down that first fairway, away from the clubhouse. A feeling of freedom, a dream that finally comes true after 40+ years: getting to play golf in Scotland.
After our round, we drive south and check into our rooms at New Hall on the campus of the University of St. Andrews. We clean up and head to the Lounge Bar at the Dunvegan Hotel for dinner. We are lucky enough to find what looks like the last open table in the place. We are sitting at our table that happens to seat 4 when I see a couple enter the Bar and look around for a place to sit. There's nothing open, and they appear to be ready to leave, when I walk up to them and ask them if they want to sit with us. They say sure, thanks a lot. We start talking to them and discover that they are also American. The man asks Roger where we are from, and Roger says Cincinnati. The man says that's funny, I used to live in Cincinnati. Then the man asks Roger where he works, and Roger says Procter & Gamble. The man says that's funny, I also used to work at P&G! The man used to work on Citrus Hill orange juice at Winton Hill, which is the same P&G location where Roger and I used to work. What a small world.
We arrive at Carnoustie, giddy from lack of sleep but also very excited to actually tee it up for the first time in Scotland. Our first tee time is at 3:45 on the Burnside Course at Carnoustie. We are playing the Championship Course at Carnoustie the next day, but for now we are content with the Burnside, given that we haven't slept, shaved, brushed our teeth, or changed our clothes in 24 hours!
We check in with the starter and go to get our clubs out of the car. Suddenly, the sun comes out, and we hear live bagpipes playing. Apparently it's a little 3pm tradition at Carnoustie. We take it as a good omen, and thoroughly enjoy the Burnside. It's always such a great feeling right after you hit your first tee shot and you are walking down that first fairway, away from the clubhouse. A feeling of freedom, a dream that finally comes true after 40+ years: getting to play golf in Scotland.
After our round, we drive south and check into our rooms at New Hall on the campus of the University of St. Andrews. We clean up and head to the Lounge Bar at the Dunvegan Hotel for dinner. We are lucky enough to find what looks like the last open table in the place. We are sitting at our table that happens to seat 4 when I see a couple enter the Bar and look around for a place to sit. There's nothing open, and they appear to be ready to leave, when I walk up to them and ask them if they want to sit with us. They say sure, thanks a lot. We start talking to them and discover that they are also American. The man asks Roger where we are from, and Roger says Cincinnati. The man says that's funny, I used to live in Cincinnati. Then the man asks Roger where he works, and Roger says Procter & Gamble. The man says that's funny, I also used to work at P&G! The man used to work on Citrus Hill orange juice at Winton Hill, which is the same P&G location where Roger and I used to work. What a small world.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Trip of a Lifetime (Part One)
I. An Inauspicious Start
I'm standing in the Coach Line at CVG, and the Delta employee tells me if I really want to check my garment bag along with my golf clubs and suitcase, it's going to cost me an extra 100 bucks. So I decide I have time to take it back to my car and come back. But of course I have to re-pack everything. I sprain my thumb in the process. Not a good start. Then Roger and I see Tom Cope and Charlie Scroggin in the terminal. What are the chances of that? Charlie wanted to know why we didn't invite him. Awkward.
We finally got to Scotland, after a bit of panic in Atlanta. They changed the gate on us, and we almost missed our connecting flight! Then we get to Edinburgh, but no luggage! Oh crap! Again, after a bit of panic, everything shows up. Whew!
So now we have our luggage and clubs, and it's time to board the shuttle to the rental car lot. Only one problem: it's a Friday morning rush hour at the Edinburgh Airport, so the shuttle is completely packed. And here we come with oversized luggage and golf clubs. We get a lot of dirty looks, and a couple of people can even be heard grumbling about us. Wow, rough start.
Now it's time to rent the car. Roger panics and suggests that we upgrade to a car with an automatic transmission so we don't have to worry about shifting. I ask, but they look at me like I have 3 heads, and indicate that they don't have any currently available. I say OK, just give us the stick shift, we'll manage.
We get the car, and immediately cannot figure out how to get it in reverse. We literally have to put it in neutral and PUSH it out of the parking spot so we don't have to use reverse. Later on we notice that there is a little switch nestled under the shifting knob that you have to pull up on when you put it in reverse.
I stall the car three times before we get to the highway, get honked at, and even flipped off by a taxi driver (Welcome to Scotland, Laddie!). Now we are driving on the WRONG (opposite) side of the road, with little to no sleep for almost 24 hours. Whoo-Hoo!!
We're heading north to Carnoustie for our first tee time. It feels so good to get out on the open road, away from the airport madness. We stop at a little roadside restaurant/gas station to freshen up and call home. I can't figure out how to use the pay phone, end up swiping my credit card and getting an operator, and she connects me so I can at least let my family know I've arrived safely. I find out a month later that this 4 minute phone call cost me 20 bucks.
Roger decides that he wants to try some fish and chips, since he is in the UK. The fish is huge and smelly, and it comes with mashed peas that look like they are radioactive, they are so bright green. Roger paid approximately 20 bucks for this masterpiece, and promptly pitches the entire dish into the trash can after about two bites. We slink over to the Burger King counter and order double cheeseburgers instead.
I'm standing in the Coach Line at CVG, and the Delta employee tells me if I really want to check my garment bag along with my golf clubs and suitcase, it's going to cost me an extra 100 bucks. So I decide I have time to take it back to my car and come back. But of course I have to re-pack everything. I sprain my thumb in the process. Not a good start. Then Roger and I see Tom Cope and Charlie Scroggin in the terminal. What are the chances of that? Charlie wanted to know why we didn't invite him. Awkward.
We finally got to Scotland, after a bit of panic in Atlanta. They changed the gate on us, and we almost missed our connecting flight! Then we get to Edinburgh, but no luggage! Oh crap! Again, after a bit of panic, everything shows up. Whew!
So now we have our luggage and clubs, and it's time to board the shuttle to the rental car lot. Only one problem: it's a Friday morning rush hour at the Edinburgh Airport, so the shuttle is completely packed. And here we come with oversized luggage and golf clubs. We get a lot of dirty looks, and a couple of people can even be heard grumbling about us. Wow, rough start.
Now it's time to rent the car. Roger panics and suggests that we upgrade to a car with an automatic transmission so we don't have to worry about shifting. I ask, but they look at me like I have 3 heads, and indicate that they don't have any currently available. I say OK, just give us the stick shift, we'll manage.
We get the car, and immediately cannot figure out how to get it in reverse. We literally have to put it in neutral and PUSH it out of the parking spot so we don't have to use reverse. Later on we notice that there is a little switch nestled under the shifting knob that you have to pull up on when you put it in reverse.
I stall the car three times before we get to the highway, get honked at, and even flipped off by a taxi driver (Welcome to Scotland, Laddie!). Now we are driving on the WRONG (opposite) side of the road, with little to no sleep for almost 24 hours. Whoo-Hoo!!
We're heading north to Carnoustie for our first tee time. It feels so good to get out on the open road, away from the airport madness. We stop at a little roadside restaurant/gas station to freshen up and call home. I can't figure out how to use the pay phone, end up swiping my credit card and getting an operator, and she connects me so I can at least let my family know I've arrived safely. I find out a month later that this 4 minute phone call cost me 20 bucks.
Roger decides that he wants to try some fish and chips, since he is in the UK. The fish is huge and smelly, and it comes with mashed peas that look like they are radioactive, they are so bright green. Roger paid approximately 20 bucks for this masterpiece, and promptly pitches the entire dish into the trash can after about two bites. We slink over to the Burger King counter and order double cheeseburgers instead.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Gullane Golf Club, No. 1 Course, Gullane, Scotland
A wonderfully great golf course to play. Highlights of the round: Second hole plays straight uphill to a narrow green. Third hole goes down the other side so the tee shot rolls a mile. Sixth hole plays uphill and the view starts to unfold. Then on the 7th tee, you feel like you are on top of the world. One of the best views anywhere in golf. You can literally see for miles in all directions. You feel like your tee shot will travel 400 yards. 12th Hole is also fun, a par-5 that is reachable in two. Then the 17th hole is also straight downhill, another fun driving hole. Loads of fun from start to finish.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
HCEG Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland
What can I say? Muirfield is an awesome golf course. Every hole is memorable, partially because the holes seldom play in the same direction. The course was in great shape, and let me just say that the lunch in the clubhouse after the round was probably the best lunch I've ever had. The first hole played directly into the wind, and at 446 yards, par was out of the question. In fact, par was out of the question for most of the day, except for the par-threes, where for some reason I managed to par 3 out of 4 of the par-threes. I scrounged one birdie out of Muirfield, the par-five 17th (the wind was conveniently at my back). We had a lovely day at Muirfield, and did I mention how good the luncheon was? I was lucky to break 100, but it didn't matter; the golf course held my attention throughout.
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