A Golfer's Paradise
Content Warning: People who don't like golf should not read this. The change in content can be excused to document such a trip.
Two weeks ago, when I sent out my latest column, I told readers about a golf trip to Scotland we had planned for my good friend’s 50th birthday. At the time, I also mentioned I’d try to send updates on the trip and the courses we played. The problem, as I should have known, is that I really didn’t feel like opening a computer and typing all this information and making it look pretty at the same time.
Instead, I decided during the trip that I’d use that birdie app, Twitter, and share the experience through there.
As I mentioned in the lead-in to this story, if you aren’t a golf nut, you probably won’t enjoy reading much of any of this. What I’ve done is compiled all the brief reviews I did of the courses (not always golf-related) and edited it for this platform. HOWEVER, what you might enjoy is what became the running joke of this golf trip. I’ve always been a decent photographer (even won an Alabama Press Association award back in the day for my images). It became almost uncanny that I was able to capture so many pictures of Mickey and Kevin in almost perfect timing. So even if you don’t want to read, maybe you’ll enjoy some of the pictures from magnificent Scotland. I also learned that if you read this email, you may have to jump over to the website to finish.
Otherwise, I hope the golf-crazed readers enjoy these massive amounts of words.
Cruden Bay Golf Club
July 4, 8:40 a.m.
What a morning at Cruden Bay Golf Course. In fact, we were too excited to get to the range that we forgot to grab a bacon roll and played 18 holes with stomachs growling. The course has this wonderful mixture of stunning, straightaway, blind and winding holes. That’s my biggest takeaway - it doesn’t try to be anything except what the land gives. It fits as if it’s always been meant to be there, if that makes sense. The stretch of 4-5-6 is among the best 3-hole stretches I’ve ever played. No. 8 was my favorite, not because it’s a short par 4 but because it’s cut so perfectly between hills and seemingly cuts the course in half. Made a mess of the par 5 13th, but the snaking burn, which wasn’t in play for us, looks evil and gorgeous at the same time. Still have 7 courses to go, but I could play this course the rest of my life. And caddies were just top notch, including Declan, who also teaches and runs the caddies there. One day, I’ll be back. Until then, such a wonderful walk.
Trump International
July 4, 3:12 p.m.
Our second 18 today was at Trump International in Aberdeen and we couldn’t find a consensus among our threesome of whether we loved it or just blah. So here are my thoughts:
1. Stunning. When you look up at the massive, intimidating dunes from the fairway, they almost look frozen. This course was built between the largest dunes on the east coast of Scotland, and I kept thinking they looked like sheets of ice when the sun crept out.
2. As you’d expect from anything Trump, the course is lavish. Not sure if this was by design, but the walk was made easy by the soft, almost sponge, walkways after and between tees. I have to think that was by design.
3. About half of the green complexes feel like they are 4 greens in one. The par 5 4th was the best example. In true links style golf, if you hit the green in the wrong spot, 2 putts are anything but given.
4. The vistas - 14 and obviously 18 - make you want to stop playing golf and just pull up a chair with a cold drink. The wind turbines off the coast do not spoil a thing (probably because I live in Texas and consider them a part of the natural landscape now).
5. I have a bad back, and after playing Cruden Bay in the morning, had a hard time unlocking that thing. First 3 holes I played horrible. My caddie, Allen, never missed a chance to prod me along. We got it going on the back 9, and while some caddies are just stumps, mine deserves a raise. He made the walk perfect. Our caddies told us they think Trump International is better than Turnberry, but I’ve now played them both and they are wrong. The locker room and club house were great, but underwhelming. The conditions were identical. The aura of Turnberry, where we play 7/8, is unmatched. I’m exhausted.
Royal Aberdeen – Balgownie Links
July 5, 10:30 a.m.
Royal Aberdeen is in the books, and I finally had a revelation about playing these incredible Scotland courses - maybe something we Americans take for granted. My caddie today asked how I’d rank our first 3 courses – Cruden Bay and Trump International and Royal Aberdeen. My initial thought is to start comparing holes and which course has the best holes. But that’s not it, and that’s certainly the wrong way to think about these courses. Each of them should, and does, stand alone. Royal Aberdeen stands alone, merely for its pristine condition, its contours, its protections and, yes, an incredible outward 9. Most Americans (us included) would say Royal Aberdeen felt a lot like Trump International – same topography, similar dune protections, same region. But I don’t think that’s the way to think about Aberdeen. It had the best greens so far - nothing gimmicky, but subtle breaks and false front and run-offs that protected par (or bogey, too many times, in my case). This goes against the grain, but I found the inward 9 just as great as the first 9. I think 13 was my favorite - you have to lay back from the burn and then are confronted with a gnarly, 2-foot high wall of sand and grass to protect from miss-hit long irons. I loved everything about the course, not because it’s completely unique from all the other links courses, but because of its 233-year history and all the great golfers who have walked the same holes before us. Last, I don’t know why I’ve been so lucky, but my caddie, Finley, was the most pleasant, positive, nice fellow you could imagine. I’m 3-for-3 on the caddie streak, and that makes the rounds so wonderful.
Dundonald Links
July 6, 2 p.m.
We made it across Scotland to the west coast and played Dundonald Links this afternoon. Probably should preface my thoughts by mentioning the freezing, rainy conditions we had. Ah, Scottish golf at its finest. Our forecaddie, Robbie, was brilliant (and just missed out on The Open Championship qualifying at this course 2 days ago). Hope he enjoyed the walk with us as much as we did with him. Overall, the course is absolutely fantastic, but there are 2 areas that deserve focus. First, there are trees on this course, which isn’t normal for traditional links golf. But here’s what I love about the design: the trees are almost used the same way dunes are used on other courses. They are only there to frame the holes, and they do it splendidly. In America, trees are used to protect holes. At Dundonald, they were a pleasant change of scenery and don’t take away from the traditional links. Second, in 2019, we played Carnoustie and I remember being struck by the corner of the course, where trees protect the left side of a green before you turn back to the clubhouse (at least that’s how I remember it). We’ll be back at Carnoustie next week and I’ll remember better then. All that to say the 12th and 13th holes at Dundonald are further evidence that I need to write a best-seller called “Golf’s Great Corners.” When you tee off on the 12th, you get a view over Western Gailes Golf Club and out to the Firth of Clyde. The hole, in this weird way, has this sheen with contrasts from the bunker faces. You have to play it to understand. After you walk off the elevated 12th green (the absolute corner of the course), you turn down the par 4 13th, with trees lining the last left half, is just as wonderful, with a 3-foot wide burn protecting the front of the green. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m learning to enjoy courses for what they are. Comparing them to others is stupid. We had a wonderful time, and Dundonald should be on everyone’s list to play on the west coast.
Western Gailes Golf Club
July 7, 10 a.m.
Never mind what our bodies said, we did the ridiculous in Scotland today. The second time in 4 days we played 36 holes, starting with Western Gailes this morning. The scratch golfer in our group, Kevin, dubbed it his favorite of the trip. Says something. My thoughts: A number of years ago, I got to play Kiawah Ocean Course. What they have at Western Gailes is what the Ocean Course missed – elevated tees that allow you to see the coast while also overlooking the holes. On Western Gailes, we didn’t play the prevailing wind. We played the opposite, according to our wonderful caddies. 1-4 downwind, 5-12 into, 13 across and 14-18 back down. And when I say wind, the fan was turned to HIGH today. Steady at 22 mph. We played 3 par 4s in a row that I mentally converted to par 5s. Absolutely grueling. Our caddies kept asking if we wanted to play one tee forward on the “into” wind, but we decided we needed the full Scottish experience. We got it. Western Gailes may end up being one of the greatest courses I’ve ever played. When you think of links golf, this is it, right? This is as pure as it gets. You can hit every type of shot and you have 3 options on any one of those shots. As with most great courses, the most fabulous stretch of holes, to me, was the turn from the into wind on 12, the crosswind par 3 13th and then the par 5 14th down the rail line. Good shots are rewarded, bad ones (of which I hit many) are destroyed. As with other rounds I’ve reviewed, Western Gailes should be taken for exactly what it is - a perfect course built into the subtle dunes. The fairways jump and bump from the contours of the wind. The greens are fair, firm and finicky. The bunkers are medicine you must take, and the panoramic views are splendid. I’m not a great golfer, and the stiff breezes got me today (I shot 90), but my scratch friend shot 82 and our caddies said that was a masterful round. This was legit hard golf, and we’ll never forget this round. It’s just too bad they don’t have the infrastructure to host an Open Championship. Apparently, it was discussed back in the ’30s and determined they couldn’t handle the fans. How great it would be if golf’s best had to play this course in angry winds. Our second 18 was at Prestwick - the home of the very first Open Championship. One day, I’ll write a review of that, but after 36 holes – mostly into skin-crusting winds – I’m going to sleep.
Turnberry-Ailsa Course
July 8, 12:22 p.m.
We played Trump Turnberry-Ailsa course yesterday, and even though it was my second time around this gem, the walk to the 4th tee box and the ensuing 7-hole stretch along the Firth of Clyde was no less breathtaking. My guess is most golfers who visit this country stay along the east coast, where, from north in Royal Dornoch all the way down to North Berwick, you’re probably in the world’s golf Mecca. But the west coast of Scotland, with Western Gailes and Turnberry, are must-play venues. Once again, we got to experience true Scottish weather. As they say over here, it was a “bit blowey,” if you call sustained 18 mph winds “blowey.” Unlike traditional links courses, though, Turnberry doesn’t go out in one direction and back in another. In other words, you don’t get 9 continuous holes straight into the wind. Lucky for us, we had the wind behind our sails on the stretch of holes that makes Turnberry one of the world’s greatest courses, punctuated by a lighthouse built by Thomas Stevenson - the father of Robert Louis Stevenson. The best holes, and it’s probably not up for debate, are Nos. 5, 9 and 10. No. 5 is a par 5 with an elevated tee box and a drive to a valley that helps a wayward shot left or right. The approach is back uphill to a green overlooking the rugged coast. No. 9 speaks for itself. The par 3 is played directly into the backdrop of the lighthouse, with cliffs and pot bunkers lurking. But No. 10 was my favorite. It’s a par 5 that bends left. Still downwind, we had a chance to hit the green in 2, though we all failed miserably. The reason I liked 10 best, though, is for something completely unrelated to golf. After you hit your tee shot, don’t run down the hill to hit your next shot. Instead, take a look back over your shoulder at the stretch of holes you just played. It’s the best view of the course, and it reminds you that you could play them for a lifetime. Now, I don’t say many things negative - mainly because there isn’t much negative about Scottish golf. But, we had wonderful caddies again for this round, and as I’m an old journalist, I like asking questions. My caddie didn’t say a negative word, but I can tell they aren’t treated very well at this course. The general public (us tourists) can’t play until after noon. That means caddies can’t do 2 rounds a day, and that hurts their livelihood. Second, it sounds like the course is planning to up its fees to 600 pounds next year and require players to stay at the hotel in order to get a tee time. I think it’s a horrible decision. They’ll lose golfers who want to explore the other great courses on the west coast, and I just don’t think as many golfers will be able to justify the cost. So if you ever wanted to play Turnberry, hurry.
North Berwick-West Links
July 9, 2:10 p.m.
After 7 days and 9 rounds of golf, we played, quite possibly, one of the greatest golf courses in the world yesterday at North Berwick. The course keeps getting more and more attention as pro golfers spend a late afternoon using it as a tune-up for the Scottish Open each year. Here are my thoughts for those following: Start by forgetting about the golf for a minute. This course is part of the town, there for everyone to wander around, walk their dogs, enjoy a bite to eat, or just sit and watch. Before the round, we were on the putting green and there’s a pitch and putt course looking away from the first tee and toward the city. As we were putting, 3 fellows walked from the pitch and putt onto the green and had a putting contest. It was 3 generations of a family - a father, son and grandson battling for bragging rights. Flip flops and no tee time. They just wanted to have a go at each other. When we made it to the first tee, we waited as a family walked along the end of the fairway from the beach back to town. As you head out on the front 9, you see kids everywhere - on the coast, on the original 9-hole course, on the driving range stuck between the 8th-11th holes. This is also one of the few links courses where it’s very possible to pepper a sun bather (not naming names, but somebody in our group sent a yellow ball quite close to a picnic basket). On the inward 9, it’s also possible to block a drive into someone’s back yard. Again, not naming names, but I hit one of my best drives of the week for my 3rd shot on that hole (17). I could go on and on about the setting of this course and convince most people it’s better than the #23 worldwide ranking Golf Digest gives it. It deserves every ounce of praise possible, obviously because of the actual golf. My caddie told me links golf wasn’t designed to be fair, and that happens sometimes on this course, with drives bounding off mounds and rabbit holes. Perfectly struck shots can get knocked down by a gust and finish against the wall of a revetted bunker. As I’ve said often, I love the corners of the golf courses in Scotland, and North Berwick is no different. The stretch of 3 par 5s in 4 holes (8, 9 & 11) is such a fun 45 minutes of golf, including the par 3 10th, which is *allegedly* the easiest hole on the course. You can talk about all the other wonderful holes on this course - the original redan 15th, the perfectly impossible 17th - but I think the reason so many golfers love this course is because of the way it finishes. Perched atop the last hill on the course sits the tee box of the 18th hole. Depending on the wind, it’s a drivable par 4. (We had the wind in our face going out and then, as we got to the 8th, the wind completely shifted, so we got it into our faces on the inward 9, as well. Lucky us.) As you hit the tee shot on 18, trying not to block a ball into all the rental cars of golfers who declined extra insurance, you walk down the hill amazed at what you just experienced the last 4 hours. We’ve played some absolute gems on this trip. North Berwick is just different. It stands alone for its setting.
The Old Course-Part 1
July 10, 4:30 p.m.
Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until the end (and probably another post) to read all my thoughts on this historic monument.
Carnoustie-Championship Course
July 11, 12:20 p.m.
We’re literally limping in on this 12-round, 10-day golf trip to Scotland, and it probably wasn’t the best planning to make Carnoustie our second to last round. But what a place it is, even if I shot a billion. Here are some takeaways: When you walk to the first tee, you see a flat piece of land, with wispy fescue and barely visible sand pits decorating this field. It doesn’t look so intimidating, and the first tee shot isn’t the hardest in golf. Of course, it didn’t help that our first shots were into a driving, sideways downpour, but such is golf over here. What you quickly learn about this historic venue is that you can’t relax on a single shot. I went back over my round and really don’t remember a hole where you can “bail out.” The bunkers are placed to impact every drive and most second shots. The burns that run along and across holes seem to always be in play. Among the best holes (and by best, I probably mean hardest) are the massive par 3 16th, which has a 51-yard long (and narrow) green, the “island fairway” par 4 17th, and the historic 18th, thanks to Jean van de Velde and his implosion in 1999 in the Open Championship. Those are great holes, but the stretch of 8-10, I believe, is pure masterly of golf course design. When you turn along the back edge of this property on No. 8, it almost feels like you’ve left links golf for a minute and arrived at a parklands course where trees (and gorse) frame the left edge of 8 & 9. I don’t know how to explain all the reasons I find this stretch one of the best two in Scotland, but it is one of the two greatest golf course corners in the world. Condition-wise, the course is absolutely fair. Even if you slightly miss fairways, the shots are playable (granted we aren’t playing Open conditions). Last thing I’ll mention, which has nothing to do with golf and everything to do with Scotland… We got all four weather seasons in one round. Freezing cold and raining, followed by two holes sweating like a Houston summer morning, to perfect and spring/fall weather, back to rain again. I changed clothes five times in one round of golf. Just brilliant.
The Old Course (for real)
July 12, 12:50 p.m.
After 10 days and 12 rounds of golf, it’s time to say so long to Scotland, but not without sharing thoughts on our last round yesterday. Thanks to a wonderful gent, Scott Newport, who followed some of my writing on the trip and is a member at St. Andrews, we had a magical afternoon at The Old Course. So many things I could say… I’ll start with the course itself. To be honest, there’s nothing really special about this place EXCEPT every single step, every single hole, every single breath of air is special. As one of my friends said, we played golf in a museum. He’s right, but in museums you can only look. What we did was hold a Picasso. We got to touch the actual Declaration of Independence. I can’t think of anywhere else that you can hit the same shots hit by Hogan, Nicklaus, Old Tom, Tiger. If I had to pick favorite holes, 8, 9 & 10 are so much fun to play. No. 17 is so tough and an absolute blast. You have no idea how narrow that green is behind the bunker until you stand there and hit a putt. But if I had to pick one setting and could only play two holes the rest of my life, I think I’d just play No. 1 and No. 18 at TOC the rest of my life. The amphitheater setting, with the sound of a well-struck shot bounding off the R&A, hotels, shops and apartments, is something every golfer should experience. If the skies are blue (or even gray), lines of visitors and jealous golfers watch you hit tee shots on 1 and approach shots on 18. Good shots get a round of applause, bad ones are ignored and still envied.
Neither of the holes are too difficult, but just knowing where you’re about to step and then finishing that beautiful walk knowing what you just played is almost emotional. What a trip this has been. Exhausting and exhilarating.
There’s no chance most of you have made it this far, but coming next is a column on how wonderful it is spending 10 days in Scotland — a country where nearly everybody and everything likes you… except the seagulls.
This has been a Dream trip of a lifetime for all you guys🥳🤗