Scotland – Simply Unbelievable
****Editors Note. This was written several weeks ago however due to a computer malfunction it was unable to be updated to the blog.
I had to get to Scotland. I think that if I returned home without seeing the land where golf was invented I would always live with regret. However, after trying for months to organize a trip with some of the guys to the country, I came to the conclusion that I would have to do it alone. The next problem I had was scheduling – for it was already April and time was running out. The final problem was cost. After all, money was beginning to run low. So in order to accomplish everything that I wanted to do – that is explore the city of Edinburgh and play the Old Course at St. Andrews – I decided to take an overnight bus from London Victoria to Edinburgh, Scotland. Costing only 28 pounds, I knew sitting in a bus for 9 hours would be tough. However thanks to some sleeping pills, my Easter Sunday night megabus trip to Scotland was great. I actually slept and when I got into Edinburgh around 8AM on Easter Monday – I was ready to go.
Sadly, I forgot my camera in the bus locker that I rented so I explored the city with very little documentation that I was there. However I can report that Edinburgh is one of the best cities I visited while in Europe. Despite the chilliness and cold weather, walking the streets of that city was amazing. I started my journey at the epic Edinburgh Castle – a World Heritage Site – and then went on the Whiskey Experience Tour that is right on the Royal Mile. I loved that tour! In fact I think it was one of the best tours I took while overseas. It made me fall in love with whiskey and I now like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert. After my whiskey tour it was time for lunch. In my case it was time for a Scottish Breakfast. Yum. I then continued to walk down the Royal Mile, checking out some of the unique sites and experiencing the culture along the way. At the end of the mile I went into the Palace of Hollyrose – the official Scottish Residence of the Queen located right across from the new Scottish Parliament. I then ventured up to the highest point of the city atop a hill and saw the incredible views that Edinburgh produces. And just like that it was time for me to head back to the bus station for I had to get to what would be the highlight of my trip.
Getting to St. Andrews felt like a pilgrimage – and it was. After all it took me about 11 hours to get there from London when you factored in the bus stops. When I got to St. Andrews Monday Evening – I immediately hopped out of the bus and started walking to the course. As I walked the hallowed streets, I knew I was in a golfing town. Every pub I passed seemed to have the Golf Channel on and every shop I passed seemed to have a golf theme to it. Then – there it was. The 18th Green of the Home of Golf. It was so open – so accessible! After all, I was standing just 15 yards from the 1st Tee. Indeed the Old Course is not hidden away like Augusta. It is meant to be seen and boy did I see it. From that point the sun had set and I had to get to my hostel. I stayed at St. Andrews Hostel, a low cost option that is nice if anyone is ever heading to St. Andrews. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the neighboring restaurant and then it was time for bed. For I had to get up early.
My alarm rang at 5AM. Why? Because I wanted to play the Old Course and since I did not have a tee time I would have to wait in line to see if the starter could fit me in sometime throughout the day. Since I did not want to travel all this way and not play the course-I ensured that I was the first in line. Getting there at 5:30AM was definitely an experience. I was the only one near the place! Around 6:30AM a Frenchman joined me, which seemed to help pass the time. The starter did not get there until 7AM and since I was first in line I had first crack at a tee time. The starter finally called my name at 7:55AM for the 8AM spot. I would go off with two members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club – sweet! Stepping up to the first tee, my handicap was the worst in the group however I did not care. After all, one was a professional Golfer in London and the other was a golf architect in Sweden. As I stepped to the tee where so many great players have started their round – I was a bit nervous. But that did not stop me from ripping a 300-yard drive right down the middle. Wow-this place is easy I thought! That confidence would soon subside. Without going into too much detail here are 5 thoughts I have about the course.
1) It is easy to play. They had tons of open times for single golfers to take advantage of. It certainly doesn’t have a Pebble Beach like waiting list. Even if you can’t get an advance reservation-there is a daily ballot each day which gives you another chance to play the course.
2) The course is not that long! Grant it the pros play from tees I couldn’t even see from my tee box, the regular tees make St. Andrews pretty short. I hit wedges into several greens and even almost drove a few holes!
3) Greens are tough. They are extremely fast and the toughest I ever played on.
4) Open! The course is very open. You can spray your drives (as I did) and get away with it. There are just small pockets of places throughout the course where if you hit into it you loose a shot for sure.
5) Weather. Let me empathize this one. Playing golf in Scotland requires one to know how to play with wind. Sometimes I would have to club up 3 or 4 clubs and aim 30 yards left or right of my target. Amazing.
All in all my time at St. Andrews was amazing. Although I shot 90-I will take it. If I could provide any tips to anyone wanting to play is go in early April. The cost is 40 pounds cheaper and you get to enjoy the course in its entirety just like the people do in June or July. The cost is cheaper in the Winter (you can play St. Andrews all year long) however you must hit off mats which as you know is not the true golf experience.
After my round it was time for a quick bite to eat and a visit to the British Golf Museum. The museum was sweet and I highly recommend it to anyone. Before I took the late afternoon bus back to Edinburgh I wanted to walk around the town of St. Andrews and see the cathedral and castle. It was amazing to walk around the town and I quickly discovered just how young it was. Turns out it has a thriving University and the students live in some pretty sweet homes and dorms. Good stuff. As I left St. Andrews I was still in shock that I played the course. As a golfer it was one of the biggest highlights of my trip and I urge everyone who loves the game to make a pilgrimage of their own to the Old Course.
Here is a video of me at St. Andrews. I am sorry for the poor quality.
It was time to head home after I got back to Edinburgh – concluding an amazing trip. While it is always nice to travel with people, I’m glad I did at least one trip on my own. After all, you learn a lot about yourself when you travel by your self.
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