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Tuesday, October 4, 2011
At Least it's Windy
When we started the planning for our trip there were two courses that we all agreed we'd love to play: The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) and St. Andrews. We were lucky in getting tee times at both. Muirfield only allows guest play on Tuesdays and thursdays and then only twelve tee times are given out. It is possibly one of he toughest places to get on that allows non-member play.
Today we played 36 holes at Muirfield. In the morning we played a four ball match and in the afternoon a two-ball alternate shot. This is one of the rounds where we had arranged for caddies. Let me tell you, if you've never had a caddy you should get one. Even if you aren't a golfer you should get one. If for nothing else to have someone carry around your stuff and keep you entertained. Our for caddies ranged from a student to a retired college professor and they were a hoot. Stuart, Tom, Graham and Paul fed us great information, jokes and local lore for four hours.
Muirfield is a beautiful tract of land set near but not on the Firth. An Open Rota course, it truly deserves the accolades it receives. And Tom Watson is correct that you have to respect the wind. The wind blew all nit before we played and continued to blow all day. The only upside was that it finally blew in some driving rain to make the whole Muirfield experience complete.
Our first round was played without the rain but with the wind. I knew we were in trouble when my caddy said he was only looping my bag today because it was too 'bloody windy' to play. It seems that every par four was straight into the wind and every par three was with the wind. Made for a long day. You really had ignore the par rating on each hole and just accept that it was going to be a really high score for the day. We ranged from a low of 95 to a high of 101 (mine) today and we were happy to get those scores.
After the first round we were deemed worth to have lunch in their member's dining room. Dress is coat and tie for all participants. Fortunately none of us has enough hair to worry about what the wind had done to our coifs. The meal is served buffet style in a very nice dining room. The entire clubhouse is very nice but not overstated.
After lunch we played our alternate shot round. This is a great after lunch round since it plays much quicker and requires each player to only hit half as many shots. Much easier on fifty plus backs. Mid way through the round we were greeted by the nice driving rain that made our round so much more enjoyable. We finished just as the sun was setting on the east of Scotland.
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Today we played 36 holes at Muirfield. In the morning we played a four ball match and in the afternoon a two-ball alternate shot. This is one of the rounds where we had arranged for caddies. Let me tell you, if you've never had a caddy you should get one. Even if you aren't a golfer you should get one. If for nothing else to have someone carry around your stuff and keep you entertained. Our for caddies ranged from a student to a retired college professor and they were a hoot. Stuart, Tom, Graham and Paul fed us great information, jokes and local lore for four hours.
Muirfield is a beautiful tract of land set near but not on the Firth. An Open Rota course, it truly deserves the accolades it receives. And Tom Watson is correct that you have to respect the wind. The wind blew all nit before we played and continued to blow all day. The only upside was that it finally blew in some driving rain to make the whole Muirfield experience complete.
Our first round was played without the rain but with the wind. I knew we were in trouble when my caddy said he was only looping my bag today because it was too 'bloody windy' to play. It seems that every par four was straight into the wind and every par three was with the wind. Made for a long day. You really had ignore the par rating on each hole and just accept that it was going to be a really high score for the day. We ranged from a low of 95 to a high of 101 (mine) today and we were happy to get those scores.
After the first round we were deemed worth to have lunch in their member's dining room. Dress is coat and tie for all participants. Fortunately none of us has enough hair to worry about what the wind had done to our coifs. The meal is served buffet style in a very nice dining room. The entire clubhouse is very nice but not overstated.
After lunch we played our alternate shot round. This is a great after lunch round since it plays much quicker and requires each player to only hit half as many shots. Much easier on fifty plus backs. Mid way through the round we were greeted by the nice driving rain that made our round so much more enjoyable. We finished just as the sun was setting on the east of Scotland.
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Location:Muirfield Golf
Monday, October 3, 2011
Now on the Tee
I've been blessed in my life. A great wife, two amazing kids and the opportunity to have visited some pretty amazing places in my life. The latter have been shared both with my wife and some great friends. This trip is all about spending time with great friends and playing golf in a most special place. I do truly believe though, that we could be playing about anywhere and still have an amazing experience. We just happen to be able to do it in Scotland.
And where else but at the spiritual home of golf than St. Andrews? Ever since we booked this trip I have anticipated this day more than any of the others. No other course holds the same fascination for me as does St. Andrews. To stand on the first tee and relive shots you've seen made by the worlds best is to have reached the nadir of my golf career.
Today Greg, Bob, Tony and I reached that lofty height. I don't think that in my wildest dreams I would ever have managed that I would be standing on these grounds. But here we were. I'd like to say that I pured my driver straight ahead but I'd be lying. It was really more of a weak fade that only stayed in bounds by the grace of Old Tom Morris, St. Andrews designer. And since the winds of hell continued to blow as strong a they did yesterday my second shot was destined for a watery grave in the burn in front of the green. I was sad to walk off the first green with an eight but thrilled to be there in the first place.
The rest of the round was played in similar blustery conditions except for the middle six or seven holes where we were blessed with a bit of driving rain again. This made for some challenging shots and even tougher putts. A sure sign that it's windy out is when your caddies instructions include not only the break to take into account but the wind speed as well.
Well the rain finally stopped and the sun peeked out from behind still formidable clouds just in time for us to play the last five or six holes in relatively benign conditions.
The finish at St. Andrews is something special. The wide expance of both the first and eighteenth fairways joined together. A long fence separating the golf course from the town. Dozens of spectators lined up along the fairway hoping o watch some real golfers. I'm happy to say that we didn't embarrass ourselves. Four great tee balls to just at or past the path that cuts across the fairway showed that despite our earlier efforts we really can play golf. My fellow golfers played nearly perfect shots onto the green while I was a few yards short. A too strong putt that rolled thirty feet past the hole meant I had my work cut out for me. Fortunately my comeback was just a foot short for a five. The others finished with pars to close out a round that won't be forgotten.
Tomorrow we head to the Jubilee course. Most people feel this is a much tougher course than the Old Course. Time will tell. Our tee time is early in the morning so we will have time to wander around the town and see what else it has to offer other than a great golf course. As if it needed anything else.
Scenes from today:
And where else but at the spiritual home of golf than St. Andrews? Ever since we booked this trip I have anticipated this day more than any of the others. No other course holds the same fascination for me as does St. Andrews. To stand on the first tee and relive shots you've seen made by the worlds best is to have reached the nadir of my golf career.
Today Greg, Bob, Tony and I reached that lofty height. I don't think that in my wildest dreams I would ever have managed that I would be standing on these grounds. But here we were. I'd like to say that I pured my driver straight ahead but I'd be lying. It was really more of a weak fade that only stayed in bounds by the grace of Old Tom Morris, St. Andrews designer. And since the winds of hell continued to blow as strong a they did yesterday my second shot was destined for a watery grave in the burn in front of the green. I was sad to walk off the first green with an eight but thrilled to be there in the first place.
The rest of the round was played in similar blustery conditions except for the middle six or seven holes where we were blessed with a bit of driving rain again. This made for some challenging shots and even tougher putts. A sure sign that it's windy out is when your caddies instructions include not only the break to take into account but the wind speed as well.
Well the rain finally stopped and the sun peeked out from behind still formidable clouds just in time for us to play the last five or six holes in relatively benign conditions.
The finish at St. Andrews is something special. The wide expance of both the first and eighteenth fairways joined together. A long fence separating the golf course from the town. Dozens of spectators lined up along the fairway hoping o watch some real golfers. I'm happy to say that we didn't embarrass ourselves. Four great tee balls to just at or past the path that cuts across the fairway showed that despite our earlier efforts we really can play golf. My fellow golfers played nearly perfect shots onto the green while I was a few yards short. A too strong putt that rolled thirty feet past the hole meant I had my work cut out for me. Fortunately my comeback was just a foot short for a five. The others finished with pars to close out a round that won't be forgotten.
Tomorrow we head to the Jubilee course. Most people feel this is a much tougher course than the Old Course. Time will tell. Our tee time is early in the morning so we will have time to wander around the town and see what else it has to offer other than a great golf course. As if it needed anything else.
Scenes from today:
Location:Saint Andrews, Scotland
Happy Birthday Tony
Today Tony turned 51. We celebrated by playing at Gullane #1. The first hole is a simple short par 4. This just serves to give you false sense of security. Number 2 is straight up a hill that likely in the winter has a double diamond rating for downhill skiing. To say it's a bit uphill is an understatement.
Gullane is right along the Firth of Forth. The leeward side is quite docile but get to the top of the hill and the winds of hell come blowing off the bay. I don't think any of us had ever played in as strong winds as we faced today. And it blew it all day long. And then it blew harder. And harder. By the end we were worn out. Top it off with a wee bit of rain at the end and it was a tough round.
Dinner tonight was at an Italian restaurant called Osteria. What a treat. White table cloths and fine china. Well above our level of sophistication. Tony wouldn't let us sing happy birthday to him so we had to settle for a round of deserts. Happy birthday LP.
Tomorrow we head to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) for 36 holes. This will be our first round with caddies. I'm looking forward to that experience.
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Gullane is right along the Firth of Forth. The leeward side is quite docile but get to the top of the hill and the winds of hell come blowing off the bay. I don't think any of us had ever played in as strong winds as we faced today. And it blew it all day long. And then it blew harder. And harder. By the end we were worn out. Top it off with a wee bit of rain at the end and it was a tough round.
Dinner tonight was at an Italian restaurant called Osteria. What a treat. White table cloths and fine china. Well above our level of sophistication. Tony wouldn't let us sing happy birthday to him so we had to settle for a round of deserts. Happy birthday LP.
Tomorrow we head to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) for 36 holes. This will be our first round with caddies. I'm looking forward to that experience.
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Sunday, October 2, 2011
A few pics
Here's a few shots from today's round at North Berwick West course! What a great track.
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Random Thoughts
Woke up before my flat mates to venture out and take some pictures around North Berwick. Greg had volunteered to go along with me. Looking out the window revealed a steady drizzle and grey skies. Since we'll be traipsing around a soggy golf course in a bit I decided to bag the photo shoot and let Greg sleep.
Yesterday we stopped in Gullane for a quick lunch on our way into North Berwick. Gullane is a charming little village that's home to numerous golf courses-including The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield for us stateside). Haven't seen it yet but you can feel the presence.
After a few more minutes drive up the coast we found ourselves in North Berwick, our home for the next four days. First we should clear up the pronunciation of our temporary home as the Scots do talk a wee bit different than those of us who are a bit removed from The King's English. The proper way to say it is Nor Barrack as in army barrack.
Our rented home is more than I expected when booked. I'm not sure how old it is but it is completely renovated with very nice furnishings and decorating throughout. There is a full kitchen with a nice stove that looks straight out of a commercial kitchen. We were met by Lorna who manages the place and she couldn't have been nicer. She even had croissants for us when we arrived.
I didn't have much time yesterday (or brain cells that weren't jet-lagged) to say much about our round of golf. This morning I have the time, the brain cells are rested albeit a little confused by the wonderful Talisker Scotch that Greg and I picked up yesterday in Gullane.
We arrived at Kilspindie well ahead of our tee time. After a long trek across the Atlantic we were sure we'd need a few extra minutes to work out the kinks in our fifty something backs. The clubhouse and pro shop at Kilspindie are very plain but serviceable. But we weren't looking for fancy for our first round and Kilspindie fit the bill perfectly. They don't have a range but rather a couple of mats where you hit into nets. Right next to the mats is a bunker so that we neophytes can test our skills. There is one similarities between bunkers at my home course and Scotland: they both have sand. Beyond that not so much. This bunker wasn't much more than ten feet across with a gentle, welcoming entry. Rising above the face was a tower of sod that looked imposing yet not impenetrable. Oh how first glances can be deceiving. I should state for the record that I'm not a great bunker player. My strategy is generally to avoid any kind of social interaction with them. But occasionally you do find yourself with a chance to test what you are made of and for that reason I decided to give it a go in the practice bunker. Now, mind you this wasn't really much of a bunker as Scottish bunkers go. my first swing was well executed-good contact behind the ball with lots of sand to help propel the ball. In this case the sand merely propelled the ball directly into the face of the bunker. I think I heard the bunker laugh a bit. A few more try's weren't any more successful. A local gent gave me a few pointers. They must have worked because I promptly managed to launch the ball out of the bunker and and land it about fifty yards away. Not bad except my target was only ten yards. I should note that the entire round of golf was played without me losing a golf ball-except for one I shanked out of that damn practice bunker. I gave up after that and decided that my best plan was to avoid the roughly 10000 bunkers we will face this week. Good plan.
I tell you that story because it has some relevance to the round of golf we were about to enjoy. The first hole at Kilspindie is a 165 yard par three. There's a green side bunker on the left and one on the right. Bob was sure that the one on the left has a ladder. He was anxious to see someone utilize this apparatus. A side note: the first tee is located just feet from the clubhouse so your first shot is in full view of a ever changing gallery. We spent a few minutes watching other groups tee off but no one ventured into the trap. Since I had been so successful in my earlier attempts in the practice bunker I decided to place my first shot in the left bunker for Bob's entertainment. Much to my surprise I ( and others I'm sure) I landed my shot on the green within fifteen feet of the green.
The course Runs along the Firth or Forth (the local bay) for three or four holes and then turns back the opposite direction. We were fortunate that we were with the wind for the beginning of our round to give us some confidence. One observation-the green to tee distance at Kilspindie has got to be amongst the shortest possible. I'm not saying that we were close but there were times when I was teeing off and was worried that I would hit someone putting on the adjacent green in my backswing.
Running out of time to write more. We're headed out to North Berwick West course at noon. Still raining there's a good chance we'll get wet today.
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Yesterday we stopped in Gullane for a quick lunch on our way into North Berwick. Gullane is a charming little village that's home to numerous golf courses-including The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield for us stateside). Haven't seen it yet but you can feel the presence.
After a few more minutes drive up the coast we found ourselves in North Berwick, our home for the next four days. First we should clear up the pronunciation of our temporary home as the Scots do talk a wee bit different than those of us who are a bit removed from The King's English. The proper way to say it is Nor Barrack as in army barrack.
Our rented home is more than I expected when booked. I'm not sure how old it is but it is completely renovated with very nice furnishings and decorating throughout. There is a full kitchen with a nice stove that looks straight out of a commercial kitchen. We were met by Lorna who manages the place and she couldn't have been nicer. She even had croissants for us when we arrived.
I didn't have much time yesterday (or brain cells that weren't jet-lagged) to say much about our round of golf. This morning I have the time, the brain cells are rested albeit a little confused by the wonderful Talisker Scotch that Greg and I picked up yesterday in Gullane.
We arrived at Kilspindie well ahead of our tee time. After a long trek across the Atlantic we were sure we'd need a few extra minutes to work out the kinks in our fifty something backs. The clubhouse and pro shop at Kilspindie are very plain but serviceable. But we weren't looking for fancy for our first round and Kilspindie fit the bill perfectly. They don't have a range but rather a couple of mats where you hit into nets. Right next to the mats is a bunker so that we neophytes can test our skills. There is one similarities between bunkers at my home course and Scotland: they both have sand. Beyond that not so much. This bunker wasn't much more than ten feet across with a gentle, welcoming entry. Rising above the face was a tower of sod that looked imposing yet not impenetrable. Oh how first glances can be deceiving. I should state for the record that I'm not a great bunker player. My strategy is generally to avoid any kind of social interaction with them. But occasionally you do find yourself with a chance to test what you are made of and for that reason I decided to give it a go in the practice bunker. Now, mind you this wasn't really much of a bunker as Scottish bunkers go. my first swing was well executed-good contact behind the ball with lots of sand to help propel the ball. In this case the sand merely propelled the ball directly into the face of the bunker. I think I heard the bunker laugh a bit. A few more try's weren't any more successful. A local gent gave me a few pointers. They must have worked because I promptly managed to launch the ball out of the bunker and and land it about fifty yards away. Not bad except my target was only ten yards. I should note that the entire round of golf was played without me losing a golf ball-except for one I shanked out of that damn practice bunker. I gave up after that and decided that my best plan was to avoid the roughly 10000 bunkers we will face this week. Good plan.
I tell you that story because it has some relevance to the round of golf we were about to enjoy. The first hole at Kilspindie is a 165 yard par three. There's a green side bunker on the left and one on the right. Bob was sure that the one on the left has a ladder. He was anxious to see someone utilize this apparatus. A side note: the first tee is located just feet from the clubhouse so your first shot is in full view of a ever changing gallery. We spent a few minutes watching other groups tee off but no one ventured into the trap. Since I had been so successful in my earlier attempts in the practice bunker I decided to place my first shot in the left bunker for Bob's entertainment. Much to my surprise I ( and others I'm sure) I landed my shot on the green within fifteen feet of the green.
The course Runs along the Firth or Forth (the local bay) for three or four holes and then turns back the opposite direction. We were fortunate that we were with the wind for the beginning of our round to give us some confidence. One observation-the green to tee distance at Kilspindie has got to be amongst the shortest possible. I'm not saying that we were close but there were times when I was teeing off and was worried that I would hit someone putting on the adjacent green in my backswing.
Running out of time to write more. We're headed out to North Berwick West course at noon. Still raining there's a good chance we'll get wet today.
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