Walking the Old Course

Heading out to investigate.

The golf courses at St Andrews Scotland are owned by the town and managed by the St Andrews Links Trust. Golf is played seven days a week on all of the courses except the Old Course. This tradition is supposedly linked to Old Tom Morris, Keeper of the Greens, who declared that the Old Course needs a day of rest. With the exception of professional tournaments there is no play on Sundays. It is public ground and you are welcome to walk the course.

Documenting the troubles.

As we were scheduled to play the Old Course on Tuesday we thought it wise to go out and walk the course to see what was in store for us. We headed down North Street, turned on to Murray Park and down The Scores to the first tee. I surveyed the fairway shared by the first and eighteenth holes and immediately experienced disappointment. Numerous signs were posted around the first tee and eighteenth green indicating that people should KEEP OFF. I was hoping to walk on green and tees and explore bunker up close and personal. Dang! We headed down the first checking out our supposed landing areas and the best angles to the green.

Hit it over the C in Course.

As we approached the first green and second tee we were struck by the lack of KEEP OFF signs. It then hit us that we could in fact walk on greens, tees, and in bunkers if we liked. The keep off signs were limited to the high traffic areas.
The day was overcast with light wind, much like what we would face on Tuesday. The number of bunkers and there positioning is overwhelming. This could be trouble. We got in green side bunkers from which you couldn't see the green. We studied the slopes on the greens and marveled at the size of the famous double greens. There are seven double greens, shared greens for the outward and inward nines. The sum of the holes numbers always add to eighteen. 2+16, 3+15, etcetera and so forth. I think we made it out to the sixth or perhaps it was only the fifth, when  we realized that we needed to head back if we were to make our tee time a the Golf House Club at Elie. We didn't rush but move towards the final hole, Tom Morris. We posed for pictures on the Swilkin Burn Bridge, somebody took pictures and I hope they will add them here. We got our first view of the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse form the course, a harbinger of what was to come later in the week.

R & A Clubhouse

The Dunvegan Hotel

On the corner of Golf Place and North Street in St Andrews Scotland you'll find the Dunvegan Hotel. That's about a good 6 iron from the first tee on the Old Course. It's a curious place owned by a couple, one from Texas the other Scottish. I don't know anything about the hotel, but I'd characterized the bar area as part Scottish pub, part American sports bar.
The place was packed when we went there on our first evening in Scotland. The cliental was a weird combinations of American and Swedish golfers. I'd bet a few of the participants were caddies. It was loud and crowed, but it had numerous big screen, high definition televisions. The third round of the Player's Championship was live from Florida, with a five hour time difference. How strange, it was dark (past 11 o'clock), we were having dinner and drinking Scottish ale, on a chilly night in May watching Tiger on his way to a win.
I don't remember what we ate or drank, just that I was really tired and hoping to get over the jet lag on our first day.

Scotscraig

The Scotscraig Golf Club was founded in 1817, making it the thirteenth oldest golf club on the planet. The clubhouse, a white building with a red tile roof, dates to 1903. Trophy cases in the mixed grill room were loaded with hardware. We showed up about an hour before our tee time. We would have been there earlier but we took the "scenic" route.
The folks in the pro shop were very accommodating. They accepted payment for a 2:30 tee time. They are currently running a special, £120 for a foursome after 1:30 pm on the weekends. What a deal!! They directed us to the mixed grill room where we could pick up lunch before we headed out for our first round in Scotland. The barmaid was outgoing and friendly and saw to it that all of our culinary needs were satisfied.
We then headed to the first tee, which was pretty quiet at that time of day. Only a few groups went out after we did. The first hole, The Admiral,  is a parr 4 that doglegs ever so slightly to the left. It has a generous landing area. The hole has no bunkers and most of is protection comes from mounds and humps in the fairway. Though not a true links course as it is about a quarter mile from the sea, Scotscraig has many features that play like that way. As we had all arrived from the States that morning with little sleep, The Admiral didn't need much to protect itself from our attack. The breeze was strong, the gorse thick and the rough deep; it was going to be a long day of golf. We didn't care, we were paying our first round of golf in Scotland!
As the day proceeded, our golf didn't improve. We hit the ball hither and yon, into the gorse, trees, out of bounds, and into deep bunkers. For a short time, during the playing of the ninth and tenth holes, is rained; more than a shower, less than a downpour. It didn't dampen our spirits though because we were playing golf in Scotland!
The first nine holes play much like a links course, the second nine more like a parkland course. The latter even has a pond! We never hit the wall, that point on your first day of golf in Scotland after the overnight plane flight, where you just want to sit down and give up. Was it the excitement, the cool breeze? We were tired, but not hit-the-wall tired. Looking back to the score card I can document that I was tired. I never put down scores for the ninth and eighteenth holes. Yikes, the scores were bad enough already! Driving the 11 miles back to our flat is where I hit the wall. Damn did I want out of that car.
I have no pictures of the course. Perhaps DLux of WA or DLux of OH will add a few to this post.

138 North Street

We headed to St Andrews with the hopes of an early check-in to our accommodations at 138 North Street where we would spend our first four nights. Hazel and Laurie Crane own this two-bedroom flat in the middle of St Andrews that is no more than a five minute walk from the first tee on the Old Course. It's a very well-appointed flat with two small bedrooms, a generous living room and a spacious kitchen. The amenities are all very modern and it includes anything you might need. Hazel sees to it that the flat is stocked with some basic provisions to get your stay started off right. Had we been in the mood to cook we could have saved a lot of money that we spent in restaurants, but all we really ate in the flat was breakfast.
As we had hoped we checked in early and dropped off most of our luggage prior to heading out for our first round at Scotscraig. The only negative comment I could make was that the WiFi was on-the-fritz. Laurie tried valiantly to get it up and going before he and Hazel set out to Spain for their holiday, but he was unsuccessful.
We grabbed a quick bit to eat and headed out for our first round of golf.

The Departure

On Friday, May 10, Suzie and I picked up Greg and headed to the Concord Coach Lines terminal in Bangor. The day was sunny and bright.

There was one issue, the cat had eaten Greg's breakfast, at least some of it rendering the rest unpalatable. This would turn out to be the only issue with our departure. After Suzie left us off and we said our goodbyes, Greg headed to Dunkin Donuts for sustenance. We were a bit worried about seats as it was Friday of exam week at UMaine and we figured that there would be many students getting "out of Dodge". That assumption was correct but the influx of passengers wasn't so large as to hinder our departure. The ride to Boston was uneventful leaving me time to take a self portrait on the bus.

Everything went like clockwork. There was little traffic and our arrival at BOS (Logan) was on time. We approached the counter at Aer Lingus with some trepidation as you are always concerned about the weight of you checked luggage, even when you know you're well under the weight limit. The clerk was professional and efficient and our concerns were unfounded as she never weighed our golf bags. After our bags were checked we headed to security.

At the beginning of the security lines we encounter a strange avatar woman who kindly gave us instructions as to how to proceed. I'm glad we didn't have any questions because she couldn't have answered them. As per everything else so far, security was a breeze, no issues, leaving us time for sustenance and refreshments prior to departure.
Boarding went smoothly. Aer Lingus treats it's passengers well. We took off and there was an opportunity to purchase a beverage, we were then served a light dinner that was tasty, and later a small snack. Small LED screens were inset in the back of the seat in front of you and there was a wide selection of music and movies. I chose to try and get some sleep and for the most part I ignored the entertainment. My only complaint was that the cabin lights were not dimmed during the flight like that have been on all the previous trans-Atlantic flights I've ever taken. This made sleeping more difficult.
We landed at Dublin in a pea soup fog, with cold rain and mist. The Dublin airport is a curious place. Getting from one flight to another requires that you clear security again and pass through a maze of corridors and hallways that would baffle a rat. Eventually we found our gate and were soon escorted out into the rain to queue for admission onto the plane. Our puddle jumper was dirty, dingy and noisy. The flight attendant looked like she was totally unhappy and miserable. This last leg of the flight was the only part of the journey that was unpleasant and it really wasn't all that bad.
Our arrival in Edinburgh was early and into a the same weather we had in Dublin. We deplaned and headed to baggage claim where I am pleased to report that our baggage arrived at the same time we did. This is good when you are headed to Scotland to golf. Knowing that our plane was due to arrive at about the same time as Dylan's, I kept and eye out for him and sure enough I spotted him soon after we arrived. I watched him as he walked the length of the baggage claim area and he only spotted me when he was within range of a makable putt, and for me that's not very long. Now we were three.
We emerged into the main area of the Edinburgh airport. No Dan. Dang. We set up shop at the COSTA adjacent to international arrivals. We needed energy for the upcoming day so coffee and breakfast rolls were ordered as soon as we used our debit cards at the cash point to obtain some currency. No sooner than we had our breakfast, Dan arrived. And then we were four.
Dan ordered as well and was promptly served. Introductions were made as Dan and Dylan had not met Greg before. It was then time to go. We called Arnold Clark, our car hire (rental) company and proceeded to spot 12 in the queue for busses, taxis and such. In no time at all a driver showed up and whisked us away to the off site car hire location. It took a few moments to fill in the paper work but went well overall. It was then time to load the van and head for the Home of Golf, St Andrews!

Now What?

The last post was from Dan, more than two weeks ago at the beginning of the pilgrimage. I guess we were a bit too busy to update this blog while the trip was in progress. Too much going on and typing any significant amount of information on an iPhone is an impossibility, at least for me.

So here's the plan. Based on our memories and any cryptic notes we took while on the trip we'll attempt to document our activities, well at least the ones that are suitable for mixed audiences. I don't know who, if anyone, is following this blog, so it may just be for us, but that's fine.

My plan is to make additions in approximately the chronological order in which they happened. Dan or Dylan can do what they like. I hope they will correct any mistakes in my recollections, grammar, spelling or any other error I commit!

I've seen the promised land and it is good!

I arrived in Edinburgh on schedule at half past 10am this morning. Exhausted from the travel I had a light lunch at at airport Cafe Nero before tackling the last few miles of my journey from Washington DC to old town Edinburgh. 

Revitalized after some much needed grub I hopped on a comfortable Airlink express shuttle downtown. 

For 3 pounds 50 pence I got more than my money's worth!

I arrived at my home for the night (a DLUX of ME recommendation) and was pleased to find a stunning view of Castle Rock from the hostel entrance. 

Wasting no time I joined a three hour city tour and took in many of the cities main attractions (along with a healthy heaping of history) on foot. 

After the tour there was just enough time for a quick happy hour pint before heading back to the hostel to clean up before dinner. 

So far this trip is batting 1000. Can't wait for the rest of the crew to arrive in the morning!

-Dlux of DC 

The Journey Has Started

After an excruciatingly long period of waiting the journey has begun!! Hurrah!!
Actually it's only begun for one of us. Dan is safely in Scotland scouting out Edinburgh as I write. He departed yesterday and had a safe journey.
Dylan, Greg and I depart today. Greg and I in about three hours and Dylan a bit later. In a perfect world we all met in the lobby of the Edinburgh airport in about 19 hours and head to the Kingdom of Fife.

Balblair

When you sit at the bar at your favorite watering hole and peruse the selection on the shelves behind the barman, er should I say barpreson, what do you see for single malt Scotch whisky choices? Chances are you'll only find Glenlevit, Glenfiddich or both. Is this because those two are the best single malts? Some would say yes and some would disagree. Sounds like a typical night at your local watering hole, doesn't it. I'd say it's because each possesses a strong and powerful marketing department.
Both of those companies have distilleries in the famous Spey Valley that offer tours and tastings. We could visit them or take the path less travelled.

In our search for Highland distilleries we stumbled across Balblair. It's a relatively small distillery near Edderton, not far from Tain and Glenmoranigie distillery (we might visit that one as well). Balblair has limited distribution in the States but is renown for 'vintage' whiskies that have won many awards. Therefore we have arranged a tour that includes tasting of  three vintages on Wednesday May 15 at 2:00 pm.
We'll post a review next week!

Don't let a long flight cramp your golf game

Use some of these patented in-flight exercises to stay limber during your flight so that you arrive in Edinburgh relaxed and ready to play some golf!

-DLux of DC

Back Update

During the last work week I visited the chiropractor three times and went to see a massage therapist once. Next week, I've got the same schedule for treatment. Am I free of back pain? I think not. Will it be manageable in Scotland? I hope so! Particularly with my morning stretch and if I walk. Walking seems to help. I think a good stretch before golf will also be a big deal.

The Chiropractor

I visited the chiropractor yesterday. He worked on me for 20 minutes and gave me some stretches. It was somewhat painful but it was all for the good. He also wants to see me today, tomorrow and three times next week. He understands the significance of the trip. I will see the massage therapist once more before the trip. I stretch morning & night and I try and exercise every chance I get.
I'm doing all I can to get in shape. Perhaps I waited too long? I'm worried that the round at the Old Course will be the fourth straight day of golf. I hope the back holds up!

Hope

Today I had a therapeutic message. Forty-five minutes of mashing and pushing on my muscles. It hurt. However, now I feel better than I have in months. She recommend a visit to a chiropractor, and that will occur tomorrow at 3 pm.

Will I be able to play golf pain free in Scotland? I dare not answer that question in the affirmative. However I can hope. I have another visit with her on Wednesday of next week. Keep your fingers crossed.

What do I plan to pack?

Passport

Info about tee times, housing, etc. What’s been paid already, what hasn’t. 

Info about flights

I foresee a small binder or folder with a pocket for this stuff.

Small road atlas of Scotland

iPhone, charger, adapter

moleskine book for journal and a pen and pencil

Book for the airport, perhaps “The Big Three and Me”

Sta inflatable travel pillow

Camera

(This will all be in a small personal bag, i.e. back pack)

As it’s a golf trip....

1 set golf clubs in a golf bag in a travel bag

1 rain suit

1 pair golf shoes

18 golf balls (maybe less)

1 golf umbrella

The rain suit will serve several purposes. I’ll wear it in the unlikely event of rain. I’m seriously thinking about wearing the rain suit trousers as the pants I wear for golf (they'll already be on if it rains, plus I'll save on trouser use).  I think the rain jacket will serve as my primary light jacket. 

3 short sleeve golf shirts 

5 undershirts

2 long sleeve knit turtle neck shirts

1 long sleeve button down shirt

1 sweater vest

1 pullover fleece, or one of these: http://www.budgetgolf.com/FootJoy-Performance-Half-Zip-Lined-Sweater.html   I’ve got to make up my mind soon.

Many cotton briefs

Many pairs of socks

2 khaki trousers - Dockers™ or LLBean™

1 pair of jeans

1 boxer shorts for sleeping

Leather shoes

Sneakers or walking shoes for walking

Toiletries Kit (that includes)

Razor

Shaving cream (small travel can)

Deodorant (small travel size)

Shampoo (small travel size)

Tums

Motrin

Prescription medications

Toothbrush

Toothpaste (small travel size)

The time is near at hand!

There was a time when the waiting period for this trip was measured in years. Over the 12-months I've counted the months. More recently I've been counting the weeks and now I'm counting the days! (15-left, to be precise).

While I have a down moment I want to take some time to share a few simple and (fairly) common sense trave-tips to keep in mind as we approach departure and make our final preparations.

1. It's 8:21pm. Do you know where your passport is? If you haven't seen your passport recently, go take it out of it's save storage place, dust it off, have a laugh at the no-doubt terrible photo, and check the expiration date. So long as your passport is exactly where you thought it was, and it's valid (for at least 6-months beyond our anticipated return date) you can stick it back in it's save place and forget about it for the next couple of weeks. On the day of our departure your passport will your single most important posession. The second most important thing on the day of departure is 
2. Money and a way to get more. I never leave for a trip without a hundred dollars or so in (preferably small-denomination) US currency. Exchanging hard currency generally gets you the worst exchange rate so this money isn't meant to fund your trip but you'll want to have some around in case of an emergency (or a sudden pang of patriotism strikes). ATM's abound in the UK and as long as your plastic has a VISA, MASTERCARD, or AMEX logo on it you shouldn't have a problem withdrawing money abroad. If you don't travel frequently notify your primary bank that you'll be spending money overseas to avoid the posiblilty of an annoying and time consuming "security hold" put on your account by a bank looking our for your best interestes.
3. Make sure you have your essential travel documents. In the age of e-tickes and voucherless confirmations the list of "must have" travel documents is very short. In addion to your passport and moolah, the only things that you must make sure you have before you leave for the airport are perscription drugs, vaccination confirmations (not-relavant for our trip), and proof of onward travel (a copy of your ticket showing that "yes, I'm entering Scotland, but I'm not staying forever, see, here's my ticket." Other good thing to have include proof of travel insurance (or domestic coverage that is valid oversees, and itinerary print outs (D-Lux of ME are you going to email out a final draft before departure?). 
4. After steps 1, 2, and 3 are taken care of, you'll need to make sure you've packed golf equipment (clubs, balls) and appropriate clothes. Don't stress too much about packing. Realize on the way to the airport that you forgot to pack your umbrella? Guess what, they sell umbrella's in Scotland (no sht). Sure you may shell out a bit more money if you pick up a golf umbrella at St Andrews, but on the bright side, you now have a golf umbrella from St Andrews! I've said it before and I'll say it again "pack half as much stuff and bring twice as much money as you think you'll need." Assuming you've taken care of the above things I have only two more suggestions for easing the hassle that is the travel part of traveling. 
5. Hurry up and wait. Go to the airport with more time than you think you'll need. Sitting around waiting at the airport isn't particularly fun but it's a hell of a lot better than trying to run through a crowded airport with all your things in tow praying for a mechanical delay so that you don't miss your flight to Europe. Think they'll hold the plane for you? Unlikely. Take my advice and go an extra half hour earlier than you think is necessary. 
6. My final piece of advice is not unrelated to the last suggestion. It is, quite simply, be patient. Travel is exhausting. It's a series of tests to patience and endurance. It's cramped stuffy seats with recirculated air bad food and noisy babies you can't block out even with top-knotch noise-canceling technology. At the end of all the flights its long customs lines, people bumping into you, speaking languages (or accents) you don't understand, and a whole heaping of chaos. If you feel your patience running thin close your eyes, take a deep breath, think about where we're going and what we are accomplishing, exhale, and relax. 

Watch out Scotland, here we come. 

-DLux of DC

Update on the back

As the time for departure is rapidly approaching, I feel the need to get out and try and get a few holes in whenever possible. Yesterday was sooo bad! 

The weather was amenable today and I could get out, I thought it was prudent to play a few holes. I chose the Kelley nine at Bangor Muni and carried my clubs, that will be the last time for a while. Throughout the round the hamstrings were tight and there was back pain but it was minimal. Though I didn't hit the ball great, it was considerably better than yesterday mostly because my tempo was improved. The chipping and putting was the bright spot. 

At this point in time I suppose I'll be using a trolley for my clubs in Scotland.

That goodness for little things

Today offered up a 9 hole round of golf. I didn't carry the clubs but instead used my walker. The good news is that my back held up. I sat on a couple of benches and stretched my hamstrings, but I got through the round. It was cold, wet under foot and extremely windy. The golf sucked, but my back held up!

Updates

PROGRESS! You may know of my problem with a certain type of shot where, during the swing, the ball makes inadvertent contact with my old friend El Hozel.

I decided to take a different approach than what I've been doing.

1. I went outside, no more simulator. Yes the ground is still frozen. Yes the ground that isn't frozen is saturated with water. Yes it's cold outside.
2. I have been limiting myself to 60 yard shots with a pitching wedge. Short back swing, short follow through.  Still the meetings with the ProV1 and El Hozel were too frequent.
3. Finally, I've focused on keeping my head still AND behind the ball. No more forbidden meetings of ball and hosel, at least today.
4. I've been limiting myself to very few shots at any given time. Today it was only 25, 60-yard shots. With this success I decided to quit before I reverted to bad habits.

BAD NEWS
After only 25 shots and picking up the balls my back hurts. I've made progress in this regard but I still have a ways to go before Scotland. I'll continue to be vigilant in my exercise routines!

Departure: 47 days and counting!

After a one year postponement, the departure is drawing nigh. When I stop and think about it, time flies.  A year ago seems like yesterday.

The recent 15 inch snow storm has severely delayed any opportunity to practice outside, and it seems like a round of golf before we leave won't be possible. I know that's not true, but my opportunities will be severely limited. You see I'm doing a training course to become a rider coach in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation scheme. By the time the snow melts, April at the earliest, I will be spending three consecutive weekends in the training sessions. These include four hours on a Friday evening, and eight hours on Saturday and Sunday. If you add that up, it leaves no time for golf on the weekends until the last one in April. Then I have to lead a field trip on Sunday the 28th. So before we leave, it's Saturday April 27, and May 4 and 5 as my only weekend options for warm-up golf. Yikes.

Of course I'll have time for some 9 hole sessions during the week and ample opportunity for  "the range" where I'm a three handicap. A shank on the first tee of the Old Course will not occur and my plan is to not hit a ground ball.

The lodging is all booked, the vehicle reserved and most of the courses set. Hurry up and wait!