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Playing Old: At the Old Course, keep your eyes closed in the loo |
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Tuesday, 17 June 2008 |
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The drive over the Old Course Hotel at #17 is a knee-knocker, but the sense of achievement once you clear the shed is worth the sweat.
One visitor to this space from Denmark wrote me the following the other day about his own experience playing the St. Andrews Old Course for the first time:
On the back nine I had developed a so severe case of the shanks that I did not dare aim for the 18th green in fright of hitting one of the expensive cars parked alongside the fairway. It took almost a year to get rid of the shanks and lots of hours on the range. I will never forget the embarrassment. I cannot say that I enjoyed the round...
My own first-round intimidation at the Old Course last Saturday was at the very beginning of the round. From watching the televised Open Championship (what we Yanks refer to as The British Open) and from reports of those who had played it, I knew the fairway on the first hole was wide. But nothing can prepare you for just how much room you have -- two enormous fairways with no rough to speak of between them, and a fence so far right as to make it superfluous. If you aim down the left side of the first fairway, it is impossible to hit the ball out of play on the first at the Old Course.
Well, almost impossible. I ripped my initial drive hard left off the tee yesterday and watched it roll and roll on the hard turf toward the famous Swilken Bridge in front of the 18th tee. Friction finally took hold and the ball I was stunned that the urinals out on the Old Course had the word "Shanks" on them.
I was just about to right the ship when summer changed to winter in a matter of minutes, another thing you take for granted and even wish for at St. Andrews so that you can experience the wind and rain that is as much local custom as kilts and haggis. But just two holes of pouring rain were enough "real" experience for me. By the time sunshine had returned, I was done in, a 10 handicap carding a sloppy and unforgivable 44 on the first nine (and that with a 20-foot putt that fell for birdie on #9).
But the Old Course giveth as well as taketh away, and one 60-yard six-iron roller from off the 12th green to two feet (for birdie) set me right. I began channeling Kel Nagle, the Aussie who surprised everyone, including himself, in 1960 by defeating Arnold Palmer. On the famous Road Hole, #17, I hit my best drive of the day straight over the middle of the Old Course Hotel shed, then nailed a five-iron to three feet, prompting my young caddie to announce it as one of the best approach shots he had seen there; discreetly, he did not add "...by a  guy who shot 44 on the front." (I gave him a generous tip later for his discretion.) In shock, I made the putt for birdie on the Road Hole, followed it with a good two-putt par in the shadow of the members' clubhouse at the 18th, and carded the most memorable 83 of my life. I racked up three birdies overall for the day (and just five pars) and bore proud witness to my son Tim's even par round of 72, with three birdies himself.
It is hard to judge the Old Course the way you might any other great golf course, such is the aura and history of the place. I don't have much to compare it with in terms of truly "great" golf courses I have played. The Old is not as tough as Pine Valley, which is an exhausting experience that presents trouble on virtually every shot, no let-up whatsoever. St. Andrews gives you a breather now and then but a few misplaced drives might very well cause you to play sideways, or even backwards, out of one of its many sod-faced bunkers. The medicine you have to take on the Old Course can be more bitter than anywhere else because, at just 6,300 firm yards, every green is easily approachable if your aim is true off the tee box. But sometimes even the well-struck drive hits a mound and bounds into a deep jail. I was lucky and found sand only twice, both times at greenside, and was able to play forward although with no opportunity to get close to the hole. The backsides of those greenside bunkers slope down to the putting surfaces, leaving no good way to get close to most holes.
The Old Course cannot be compared to any great course that has some length to it. You play a different game at the Old than, say, at Shinnecock Hills, a relentlessly long and windblown track. Although the wind plays a vital role in strategy at both courses, a winning stroke at Shinnecock is likely to be a blast - think Corey Pavin's sparkling 4-wood on the 18th to win the U.S. Open in 1995 - whereas the winning stroke at The (British) Open Championship is likely to be a 40-yard putt at the Old Course finishing hole.
Pinehurst #2 and the Old Course share an emphasis on the short game, the severely rolling greens providing a number of options - putter, six-iron, lob wedge - from 20 yards off the putting surfaces. I chose putter for anything within 60 yards unless there was a hazard in my way. It was exhilarating to be able to use the flat stick in ways most U.S. courses never permit. My putting from 20 feet seemed to improve as I bore down on those 60-yarders, and the most memorable shots at the Old Course - and indeed of my week of links golf - were the putts and mid-iron chips from well off the greens.
In degree of difficulty, I would put St. Andrews at the Augusta National level, meaning for us normal golfers - i.e. not the pros for whom 450 yard par 4s are short - a good score is possible if you think strategically and stay out of trouble. St. Andrews and Augusta are all about patience and positioning. Greed kills at either place. The Old Course's greens are certainly firmer than Augusta's, but the Georgia course's putting speeds are way faster.
Although you pay mightily for the privilege of playing the Old Course - about $300 per round at the current dollar exchange rate - The Links Trust, which runs the courses of St. Andrews, does its best to pile on the extra bits. A nicely annotated yardage book comes along with the scorecard after payment of your green fees, as does a little "commemorative tin" which holds tees, ball marker and divot tool. A cheery gentleman wearing what appears to be a misshapen stovepipe hat greets you on the first tee, welcomes you to the course, and offers to take your group's photo (I took him up on it).
There were just two things that seemed a little odd and out of place at the Old Course, neither of which diminished the experience, for me at least. First, although back tees (white) are in place and add up to just a 6,700-yard layout, no non-professionals are permitted to play from there. Tim, the college golfer, was bummed out by this. The other oddity was the rest room out behind the Old Course's #9 green. The urinal was stamped with the manufacturer's name, Armitage Shanks. No course should ever plant such a seed with a name like that. Perhaps, subconsciously, that is what did in our friend from Denmark on the back nine at the Old Course.
You don't want your round to end as you stand on the 18th tee at the Old Course.
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Back online from Scotland |
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Monday, 16 June 2008 |
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Road hole: It isn't the famous one, but a road runs diagonally across the par 4 8th at Elile Links.
The small coastal towns of Scotland are a grand buffet of great golf holes, but don't expect to find many internet connections. I write this from the Bean Scene, a coffee house in St. Andrews that asks only that you purchase a drink (or food) every hour to have access. So with lemonade in hand, here come some observations on the last few days in the Kingdom of Fife, whose epicenter is St. Andrews, along with a few photos (many more golf photos to follow soon). More extensive reviews will come along in later days as well, internet access permitting, including some thoughts about finally achieving a lifelong dream, playing the Old Course.
First comment: Just south of St. Andrews, you could have yourself a grand week of great links golf without You could have yourself a grand week of golf near St. Andrews without playing any of the town's famed courses.
Add to those the other course at Crail, the Craighead, a Gil Hanse design closed for aeration this week; Charleton Golf Club, a well-regarded layout just inland from Elie with a parkland feel to it; and the nine hole classic at Anstruther, a bustling fishing village with the best seafood restaurants in the area, and you almost wouldn't miss the St. Andrews courses.
Well, almost. To be in the St. Andrews area and miss the Old Course, especially if you have never played it before, would be a tragedy. It is the quintessential combination of history and great design all rolled into one, a place to worship as well as play. It is expensive, yes -- about $500 for my son and me -- but the experience is undeniably rich and memorable and worth the cost (once every decade, say). I'll have more to say about the Old and New Courses soon.
Since this site aims largely at those contemplating life in a golf community -- I use the broad sense of the term community, meaning living in a community, planned or otherwise, with excellent access to golf -- let me make a few comments here about what may be the best place on the planet for golf, at least part of the year. We are staying in the tiny town of Crail, a fishing village of about 1,700 residents, a friendly place but not exactly a hotbed of activity for those who crave the nightlife. That said, my  son Tim and I enjoyed the company of fellow golf fans at Crail's Golf Hotel last night. The hotel was the only place in town that had the Skyport Channel on cable television, and Skyport was carrying the U.S. Open. I found myself rooting along with the locals for the lone Brit in the chase, Lee Westwood, but the interest in the crowd for Tiger Woods made me feel at home, literally. That same air of inevitably that Tiger would win, despite the reconditioned and obviously painful knee, pervaded the small but boisterous crowd. As I write this, Tiger is down to Rocco Mediate in the 18 hole playoff. Maybe not so inevitable.
I made some informal checks of real estate in St. Andrews, and it appears possible to purchase a two-bedroom, one bath flat for under 200,000 pounds sterling, or about $400,000 at the current usurious exchange rate. Local residents have an entire range of options for membership in the area's collection of courses, from those at St. Andrews -- the Old Course excepted, but discounted for members -- to a membership card for all the courses in the Kingdom of Fife. As a vacation home, say May through September, it is hard to think of a better place for a golfer to plop himself or herself down (and there are many "her" golfers on the course we have played, excellent ball strikers and they play faster than I do).
Speaking of May to September, the weather so far this week has been spectacular, nothing like the warnings. At the Old Course, we did go from summer to winter and back to summer in the space of four holes, just what you expect along either coast of Scotland. We could see the huge dark cloud and streaks of rain cresting over the hills to the west, and we knew we were in for it. The temperature dropped at least 15 degrees and umbrellas were useless (and dangerous). We had the experience of the brutal Scottish weather and the great good fortune of having it for the briefest of times.
Well, that does it for now. Much more later. Wish you were here.
Local folks and tourists alike queue up for an hour or more -- we did -- at the famous Anstruther Fish Bar on the waterfront. The restaurant does a non-stop takeaway business for its famed fish and chips, which most people eat on benches along the waterfront. The bustling, charming fishing village of Anstruther is home to a good 9 hole links, but is also just a few minutes drive from the outstanding Crail, Elie and Lundin links courses.
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Luck of draw: Lottery at the Old Course |
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Saturday, 14 June 2008 |
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St. Andrews city views are everpresent from the New Course.
I came to Scotland with my son Tim with all but one day of our weeklong visit pre-booked for golf. I left one day open on the chance that we might get lucky and be picked from all the many ballots submitted for a round at the Old Course Saturday (today). Yesterday, we filled out the form at the caddie station by the 2 p.m. deadline, handed it in and then trotted off to play the St. Andrews New Course, which at 122 years is not exactly new - just not as old as the Old Course. St. Andrews Links pulls the ballots after 2 p.m. and announces the results at 4 p.m.
After our round on the New, we stopped in the clubhouse and, after a nail biting search by the lady behind the counter, we found our names down for a two-ball - we will likely be joined by two walk-ons - at 2:10 p.m. today. I I hope I can keep it together on the first tee at the Old Course today.
We started our golf in the Kingdom at the Crail Balcomie Links, just two miles from the wonderful two-bedroom cottage where we are staying in the tiny fishing village of Crail. Balcomie is one of the oldest courses in the world, a true links with knockout views of the sea from the links land above. My son Tim, the golf architect aficionado, will follow in the coming days with a review of Crail Balcomie Links (Note: If he seems less than enthusiastic about the challenge, it is only because he shot a sterling 70 with a chip in for eagle).
The Crail Library has the only Internet connection in town, and it is open for limited hours only three days a week. I had to sign up for a local library card to log on, but the Internet connection was spotty and slow when it  worked. I am sending this article to the web site from a coffee shop in St. Andrews (you cannot find a cup of real coffee in Crail - just instant - although the folks at the Golf Hotel in town did not charge me for the cup early this morning).
Crail, though rustic, is perfectly situated for a golf week. To the north, just 10 minutes away, are the links at Kingsbarn and the Fairmont Hotel (18 by Bruce Devlin, 18 by Sam Torrance). On the approach to St. Andrews, just eight miles from Crail, is the new and widely celebrated St. Andrews Castle Course, designed by the Scottish wunderkind David McLay Kidd, and then of course all the renowned courses of St. Andrews are a few miles beyond. To the south of Crail are such unheralded gems - not unheralded by those who play a lot of Scottish golf - at Lundin Links and Elie, which are on our list for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday we are set to play Scottscraig, one of the 10 oldest courses in the world, just north of St. Andrews, before winding up our week with another go at Balcomie.
Although I am gaga about being in Scotland for a week of golf, my son has really hit the lottery. His aunt in London has arranged a belated birthday present for him, a round of golf at the famed Royal Sunningdale outside the city, after we arrive there at the end of the week. Lucky kid; he gets a week of golf in Scotland, including a round at the Old Course, at an age 42 years earlier than his father's first sojourn to the Old Sod. I sure hope he can wangle me an invite at Sunningdale. What was it the poet Wordsworth wrote? "Child is father to the man."
Face of the New Course: The sod bunkers protecting the 8th green at the New Course appear almost to be smiling. You won't be should you find one of them.
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Nothing artificial about Edinburgh |
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Wednesday, 11 June 2008 |
The surviving ruins of Holyrood Abbey date to the 12th Century. The Abbey is adjacent to Holyrood Palace, where Mary Queen of Scots lived before her imprisonment in England, and where the current Queen Elizabeth stays when in Edinburgh.
Our family trip to Edinburgh wound up tonight with a nice meal at a family run Italian bistro two blocks away. The service was efficient, if a bit perfunctory, but the food was generally consistent (the main courses outstripping the appetizers and desserts). We spent most of today at the Edinburgh Zoo, which looked as if it were going to be a disaster from the start. In the first six exhibits we visited, the animals were hiding and the California sea lion had been shipped back to California. This looked like it was going to be the biggest waste of $90 ever. But my zookeeper wannabe 16 year old daughter encouraged optimism, which paid off later with a few decent peaks at large mammals, some colorful birds and a hilarious 100-yard long parade of penguins outside their enclosure.
Here is the skinny on Edinburgh. Concerning the restaurants, we had neither a bad meal nor a great one. Individual dishes stopped just short of memorable - the pasta with king prawns tonight were quite good - but some of the little bites on the "sample platter" at one of the local pubs the other day fell short of decent (strange tasting chicken wings, mealy sausages). The Guiness on tap made up for it. For me, the most memorable bites of the four days were the two scones at Clarinda's Tea Room just a block from the Scottish Parliament building. Brown and rock hard on the outside, a combo of flaky and crumbly inside, they were perfect (embellished beautifully by raspberry preserves and clotted cream - essentially whipped cream, but better). On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the food in Edinburgh a wobbly 7.
Our accommodations have been as good as we could have asked for. Not exactly in the middle of the old City Centre, still we are close to the Edinburgh Castle, close to city transportation and close to grocery shopping and breakfast places (the bakery a block away makes a nice scone, if not the stuff that legends are made of, as at Clarinda's). The Knight Residence is an apartment hotel on Lauriston St., and our two-bedroom apartment has been perfect for the four of us (two adults and two teens). Although the wireless Internet connection seemed to shut off around 11 each night, my hard wire connection worked on command all night. The three concierges on call during our stay - Charlie, Chris and Hugh - could not have been more helpful with advice and some hands-on help with the cable TV, which was mesmerizingly complicated (three different remotes and an info box on the screen that wouldn't budge). Chris saved the day with a bit of old fashioned technology; he unplugged and then re-plugged the cable. On my ersatz scale, The Knight Residence gets a solid 8 that would be a 9 if it were not for the strip bars - with discreet signage - down on the corner. Right now, our kitchen has an unobstructed view up to the Castle, but alas next year, no more view when the office building across the street is completed.
The city is wonderful, with a stunning display of history, topography (hills formed by volcanic activity millennia ago), and architecture. Many buildings pre-date American independence and, indeed, a few before Columbus even discovered America. Although enterprising Scots have turned tradition into moneymaking opportunities with fairly expensive tours, there are more than enough chances for the visitor to see things the way they were centuries ago (and without paying for the privilege). Despite the odious monetary exchange rate, we found the 31 pounds charge for tour bus trips around the city to be a good deal. You can use any bus of four lines that cover virtually every part of the city for 24 hours, getting on and off whenever you want. (One catch: The 24 hours is a little misleading since the buses run only from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
We could have used two more days to see the city fully, but not much more than that. Edinburgh is not a large metropolis, and I judge a tourist friendly city by how easily you can learn the local map. Edinburgh's main streets essentially run parallel, east and west, and the Castle is at the heart of it all. You can use it as a kind of navigational beacon wherever you are. As cities go, this is an easy one to traverse, with splendid public bus service (we took one home from the zoo), as well as the aforementioned private bus lines. The people of the city are respectful and friendly, but straightforward, with a wit and humor that can bump up pretty close to biting. At the train station this afternoon, I asked a young man at the information booth how best to get my wife and daughter's luggage onto the train to London tomorrow morning. I said they had a few big bags, to which he said, "Aye, you Americans do travel that way."
For the most part, you know where you stand in Edinburgh.
Every day at 1 p.m., the most extroverted penguins at the Edinburgh Zoo line up to take part in a parade outside their enclosure.
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