By Dave Wells (#2803), Our Reigning Golf Nut of the Year
The Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, is the special place where the wonderful game of golf got started in the early 1400s….. this is the golf trip of all golf trips. When you land in Scotland, you have reached your ultimate dream of golfing with the history of the game, plus I might add that the Scottish people are some of the nicest, friendliest folks on earth.
Nancy and I actually planned our Scottish golf trip around the 1994 British Open which was at the Turnberry Ailsa Championship Golf Course that year with the Winner of the Open Championship being Nick Price.
And then we had the opportunity to play several Scottish golf courses including Nairn, Royal Dornoch, Carnoustie, and the Old and New St. Andrews Golf Links, so as this special golf trip began, Nairn Golf Course was the first stop…the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup have been played at Nairn in northeast Scotland, and to this day, some 20 years later, we still exchange Christmas Cards with our caddy and good friend, Mr. Walter Frazier of Nairn, Scotland….golf is such a special game of bringing friends together not for a round or two, but for a lifetime. Walter still reminds me of the excitement created by my Albatross on the Par 5 Number 10 hole at Nairn…that would be a 2 on the Par 5…a memory forever.
Then on to Royal Dornoch in northern Scotland, and again with Walter and his son…WOW, what a great links golf course, as good as it gets…Donald Ross was the club’s head greenskeeper and Golf Pro before he immigrated to the United States as one of the greatest golf architects. Many of his designs, most notably Pinehurst # 2, bear the hallmark of Royal Dornoch’s greens.
Royal Dornoch is the third oldest golf course behind St. Andrews and Leith and is always considered to be in the Top 100 Golf Courses in the world…some golfers hit their Driver on all 18 holes at Royal Dornoch.
When you tee it up at Royal Dornoch, it is an experience of a life time….some 4 hours north of Glasgow, and well worth the trip.
Next up, Carnoustie Golf Course, the home of many British Opens and by the seashore in Angus, Scotland…..the history of Carnoustie is one of the best, and the Par 4 6th hole at Carnoustie is still referred to as ‘Hogan’s Alley’ with Ben Hogan winning the British Open there in 1953.
From Carnoustie to St. Andrews and ‘The Old Course’ where the game of golf started….when you tee it up on Number 1, your nerves just might get the best of you. Nancy and I were playing with a couple from Austin, Texas…nice folks, good golfers named Sharon & Travis….when Travis worked his way to the first tee, his swing took his golf ball left through the famous 18th fairway to the souvenir shops across the street…..he said, “What do I do now?” I said, ”I think you’re OB….Hit another ball quickly”, which he did, and away we went on # 1 at the St. Andrews Old Course…our golfing history in the making.
I hit a Driver and then a 6 Iron in the middle of the green on the Par 4 First Hole, and Nancy hit a nice drive, then laid up on the burn (creek) in front of the green….chipped over the burn and knocked in a 30 foot putt for a par….and I three putted for a bogey. Isn’t golf a great game? And the putter can certainly be the winner as Nancy went on to par #1 & #2 on The Old Course. What a beautiful day as we progressed around that famous golf course, putting sometimes from 20 yards off the green.
Several holes share the same green (7 double greens) and the players on the highest numbered golf hole have the right to complete the hole first…for example 7 & 11 with golfers on # 11 completing the hole first…also, notice that all shared greens, and there are several, add up to ’18’ as in 18 holes……and some sand traps where you absolutely have to go sideways to get out….you cannot elevate the ball going toward the hole… what a challenging golf course, and then, when you get to the road hole, # 17, stay left, stay left, and stay left some more.
Then, for the famous 18th hole, and after you hit your tee shot and cross the Swilcan Bridge, your round at St. Andrews will go into your memory bank as one of the best golfing experiences in your life….and then on into the Niblick Restaurant & Bar for refreshments and relive those beautiful golfing adventures in Scotland, a golfing place like no other.
Golf at St. Andrews is the best, and the Cadets or Caddies as Mary, Queen of Scots named them in the 16th century, will be leading the best golfers in the world around this links course at the 2022 ‘Open Championship’ in July, the final major of the year.
Jack Nicklaus said on finishing his career at St. Andrews in 2005, “I’m very sentimental, and the place gets to me every time I go there. St. Andrews was always where I wanted to finish my career.”