How do you prepare for a golf bucket list trip to Scotland? Easy. Buy a 1-iron, which I did at the eleventh hour at Play It Again Sports – a good ol’ Ping Eye 2.
I was in Scotland in July to cover my first British Open, and my wife, LaMonica, and her parents joined me for part of my two-week excursion as we explored Edinburgh, the Highlands, Royal Mile, the Isle of Skye and, of course, St. Andrews.
My trip began in Edinburgh the week before the Scottish Open in East Lothian. An afternoon covering the Scottish Open at Gullane Golf Club on Scotland’s Golf Coast was a good start to the pilgrimage. And even though jet lag was setting in, I figured the best way to fight it was to play golf. So off I went that evening to Longniddry, a nice transition for Americans who want to get accustomed to links golf. Many of Longniddy’s holes are familiar parkland, with trees akin to the Monterey Peninsula, but about half are traditional links. Be prepared for 120-foot putts and hitting it low when the wind kicks up. It’s not easy, but for the love of Scotland try playing the ground game. It opens your mind to a thoroughly enjoyable style.
I was running on adrenaline and anticipation during the two-hour drive to St. Andrews that evening. My hotel was the MacDonald Rusacks, which abuts the Old Course’s famous 18th hole. It was surreal opening my room door to the best view in St. Andrews, which comprised the course, coastline and landmark R&A clubhouse. Apparently Justin Rose stayed there earlier that week and called the Tom Morris Junior Suite “the best room in golf.” Well said.
Naturally, I couldn’t sleep. Could you? After two hours I rose with the sun at 4 a.m. and hustled to walk the Old Course. For three hours I took hundreds of photos trying to capture the magnificence of the Road Hole (17), the simplicity of the first and the gentle beauty of the 18th and its Swilcan bridge. On TV it looks larger than life, but in person it’s fairly small and glistens from the burn’s reflection.
St. Andrews has to be the ultimate spot in golf, and I can’t think of a worthy second. Just walking the old town’s lively streets provides a palpable joy as you sense the pride of locals. St. Andrews’ reality didn’t match my perception; it exceeded it, by miles. If you go, arrive the week before the British Open because the course is open for visitors to walk. It’s an unforgettable journey.
Open week itself was phenomenal. I was lucky to write stories on dozens of American players, but the best assignments were covering Zach Johnson and Tom Watson. Johnson told me that “the scorecard should be irrelevant” throughout a golfers’ round, and I’ll never forget the moment late Friday as five-time champ Watson left the media center to a standing ovation. Seconds later, as he packed his trunk with the smell of the nearby sea in the air, I asked Watson to compare his last British Open at St. Andrews to his final U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, in 2010.
“It was very similar,” he said succinctly. Mind you, it was 10:49 p.m. on cut day of his final British Open. He was tired. I was excited. It all happened so quickly, but it’s a moment I’ll take to my grave.
Like any diehard golfer, I had to play more golf during and after Open week.
Crail provides two fun and demanding courses about 15 minutes down the coast. I made the morning sojourn twice and played both the older Balcomie and Craighead links. Each presents a fair test. Expect more wind on the seaside Balcomie links but you’ll get rewarded with stunning vistas and elevation drops, such as at No. 14, a 145-yard par-3 with intricate pot bunkers and a front bunker the size of Texas. Enjoy a meal and lively conversation at the storied clubhouse with members of the Crail Golfing Society. It’s only been around since 1786, so the yarns are plentiful.
By the time I finished writing Johnson winner’s story it was 3:45 a.m. Tuesday in the eerily quiet media center. I slept two hours (my trip average) and drove back south to East Lothian for more links adventures.
I began at the Tom Doak-designed Renaissance Club, a refreshing collection of forest, links and jaw-dropping seaside views. It’s a rewarding journey through nature and a place that feels as old as Scotland, even though it’s less than 10 years old. Its best stretch is holes 8-11, with the start displaying remnants of an ancient stonewall along the right side. As you leave the green, a lone cypress awaits on the right. It’s a fitting homage to Pebble Beach just as you enter Renaissance’s cliff–side holes and long strolls from green to tee box. It’s all part of the beauty of the Scotland experience, so enjoy the walk while you can. The par-3 ninth is beautifully exposed along the sea, as is No. 10. The stunning par-4 11th, with cliffs on the left, provides dramatic views of the distant lighthouse and is one of the most exciting holes I’ve ever played. Bring your best lag stroke to Renaissance because the greens are big and devilishly undulating.
I played my afternoon round at North Berwick, an enjoyable seaside links built in 1832 that begins and ends in town. If you want character, originality and links challenges, this is your spot. The layout measures 6,140 yards but plays and feels longer because of winds that can swat your ball and squash your ego. My 1-iron proved a reliable driving club into the screaming winds. Iconic boulders in the sea provide a constant backdrop at this course, and players often tee off within yards of locals walking their dogs in the town park. The greens are big and flat, so you can be aggressive with your putter or wedges on chips.
My favorite holes are 13-18. Thirteen, at 358 yards, seems gettable but its signature narrow green guarded by a stonewall makes for a ticklish approach. I promptly chipped my third into the wall, eliciting a belly laugh from Golf Channel Japan’s Rex Kuramoto on the next tee. The par-3 15th is North Berwick’s most famous, mainly because of the original Redan green that architects have emulated throughout the U.S. The key characteristic is a semi-blind, uphill green that angles diagonally away from the tee. Short of the surface, I played the best bump and run shot of my trip with a 7-iron but naturally missed my 5-footer for par. Such is life. North Berwick’s closing hole is a replica of St. Andrews’ 18th – a drivable par-4 with the town on the right and clubhouse behind. Grab a pint inside. It’s a must.
My final stop was at Gullane Golf Club’s No. 1 course. I had no idea I was saving the best for last, but it was a stroke of good fortune. Golf has reportedly been played at Gullane for more than 350 years, even though it was officially established in 1882. Gullane is a links treat with a mixture of elevated and flat holes. The greens are contoured, yet deceptively flat and slow, so it’s not surprising that Southland native Rickie Fowler and his aggressive putting stroke won the Scottish Open there the week before the British Open. For inspiration, it’s tough to top Gullane’s seventh tee box with the ocean on your right and views of Edinburgh 30 miles ahead in the distance, but the 11th tee box is a worthy rival because of its location on cliffs above the Firth of Forth. Both are wonderful vistas for taking in the land and sea.
If you go, embrace the subtleties of Scottish golf. Many scorecards have bathroom codes and will tell you the pace of play expected for a group. Expect to see names for every hole, and be prepared for rain at any time, even though the heavy stuff rarely lasts long. Above all, be aware of where you. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Garrett Johnston, a frequent contributor to Southland Golf and other magazines and newspapers around the world, appreciates the support and guidance he received from, among others, the golf courses, Travel Scotland and Golf Scotland. Follow him on Twitter @johnstongarrett.
