Kilted Golf in the Kingdom---Scotlands finest courses, my mediocre but stylish play

[ForresterModern]

So here is the long awaited travelogue of my recent trip golfing to Scotland, 8 rounds in 7 days, 5 on British Open rota courses, all but one round kilted (for more details see separate thread "Kilted Golfer DENIED Play at Royal Troon").

After arriving Friday Aug 6 by air in Glasgow I was met at the airport by our own Alex who squired me around town and to my hotel, then out for a bit of walking, hitting the kilt shops downtown, then out for dinner at a nice Scottish pub of fine pub food. Alex has posted photos of our endeavors already so I will not repeat.

I was picked up at my hotel Sat morning Aug 7 by our driver for the trip and transferred to Turnberry resort, very posh, on a hill overlooking the two Turnberry golf courses, the ocean, lighthouse, the Ailsa Craig, and the Aran Islands in the distance. Played a couple rounds on their mini pitch and putt course (which I one one and tied the other) once two other of our group arrived, and we had a putting green shoot out (which I lost---a premonition of things to come). Kilted up the whole day in my Ancient Douglas tank, and popped on the flat cap to keep the sun off my bare scalp.





Dinner and drinks watching the sun set, and our final member arrived at around 10. Up early to check out of the hotel and prep for the first Scottish golf round at Turnberry Ailsa course Sunday Aug 8, wearing Isle of Skye and kit (sorry Jock about the flat cap, but it looked good on the course with the kilt, and it was too hot for my wool tam).





The last photo was of me hitting out of Hell's Bunker, the one place the caddies told us not to hit the ball----50 feet in front of the green, its top lip more than another 6 feet below the green and with an 8 foot high sod stacked front face. It took two to get out, but I put it on the green and took two more to get down. Overall frustrating lackluster round with a couple shining moments---driver off the deck from the fairway on the only par five put me putting from 35 feet for eagle, which I of course three-putted for a par. Then dropped a 7 iron about 8 feet from the pin on 18 but left the birdie putt short and tapped in for par. Visions of things to come, with the putter letting me down at all the wrong times.

More to come in subsequent chapters.

jeff

[ForresterModern]

Monday, Aug 9, Day 3, Round 2

After our round Sunday at Turnberry, the obligatory memorabilia trip to the clubhouse pro shop, and lunch and a wee nip, we were off to the Parkwood Hotel in Prestwick for the next two nights---oceanfront view and sunset were nice. Monday we awoke to threatening clouds and headed up the coast a few miles to play Royal Troon, where I was denied play in the kilt (see separate thread) despite looking smashing, I think. Raced back to the hotel, switched into pants, met the group teeing off the first tee and the rain started coming down in my backswing, basically not really stopping for the next twelve holes. Here is how I was dressed when I was denied kilted play at Troon:



The round, beside being miserably wet, was again mediocre at best, again with a few shining moments----dropped my pitching wedge tee shot on the famed "Postage Stamp" par three hole 18 inches from the stick for a kick in birdie 2 (the nearest member of my group I think had a 6). Also woke up with three holes left to play and shot par, par, birdie coming into the clubhouse, dropping a 7 iron 4 feet right on 18 for the final birdie of the week for me. Putter was not shining exactly, but at least did not let me down on the two best birdie chances of the week. Too disgusted to consider pro-shop memorabilia I joined my mates in the guest dining room for a salad and a wee nip again. I did not take any photos this day, due to my total distaste for the whole affair of having to wear pants instead of my kilt, but may post later a picture or two if my partners forward them to me.

We considered walking onto Prestwick for an add on round there, since it was a block from our hotel, but decided against it as we would have had to walk again and were already tired after the we morning round.

More to come.

j

[Jock Scot]

OOOOH,-------- I am not feeling well ------a flat cap------ in Scotland with the kilt--------OOOOH-------- I am feeling worse-------- a tartan flat cap----------in Scotland with the kilt--------------OOOOOOH---------and its getting worse-------much worse-----------much much worse -----------a MATCHING tartan flat cap--------in Scotland with the kilt------OOOOH --------OOOOOOOH ---------!Just what is Jeff doing to me?


In spite of all the angst you are causing me Jeff, great pictures!

[Micric]

Jeff,

Yes, great pictures, but next time just wear your balmoral sideways to keep the sun out your eyes!......... :-)

[ForresterModern]

Tuesday, Aug 10, Day 4, Round 3

5 am -- arise and pack out for the drive across Scotland from west coast to east, to play Muirfield, near Musselburgh east of Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth. Muirfield is a notoriously, umm, well let us just say "exclusive", club, so much so that our driver was not even allowed to drive us down the lane leading to the club gates. Instead we had to get dropped off by the caddie shack a couple hundred yards up the way and hike in with our clubs on our backs.It was there that I was again told by the caddiemaster that I would not be allowed to play kilted. Aarrggh. I asked him to call down to the club for an official verification, so he goes into his little hut and comes back a couple moments later saying he spoke to the "top" person in the club admin and the answer was still "no kilt". I grabbed my pants, asked if I could change into them down in the clubhouse and headed toward the course. Wonderfully, and amazingly, I was met by a senior administrator of the club as I walked in the clubhouse door, who was as pleased as punch to see me kilted and coming in to play Muirfield in a traditional kilt, as were the two other senior officials of the club and several club members I spoke to. Pants went into the bag while I wondered just exactly who, if anyone, the caddiemaster at Muirfield "called" about me asking to play kilted.





Me in front of the course kilted up in my Ancient Red Douglas for play, then two pics of our group in front of the course and the historic clubhouse (for any doubting Thomases---you know who you are). Another rainsoaked and poorly played round by me, several missed birdie putts, few shining moments, until the sun came out on the last couple holes. Too rainy to take any pics during the round. But still a fun day. Muirfield does not h, again the putter was not working. A few photos then the hike back out to the bus. Muirfield does not have a pro shop, but they sponsor one in the nearby village where I picked up a cap and a nice angora sweater as memorabilia. Lunch and a couple nips at a village pub, then off for the drive up to St Andrews for the last five nights and remaining golf rounds.

So far, three rounds of golf, two kilted.

More to come.

j

[Mael Coluim]

A great photo-journal of your kilted golf holiday! Looking fantastic, Jeff!

[ForresterModern]

Wednesday Aug 11, Day 5, Round 4.

We checked into the Rusacks Hotel overlooking the 18th fairway Tuesday evening, got a great room with three windows, two overlooking a main street and the third with a fabulous view of the finishing and starting holes of the Old Course. Nice dinner and drinks out with the guys, a little walking about town.

Wednesday we again awoke to ugly skies and loaded up for the drive around to the north side of the Firth of Tay to Carnoustie, to play the historic public links there (affectionately known as "Car-Nasty" by many on the pro tour). Again started raining on the first hole and didn't stop until the back nine, while the 20 knot wind persisted throughout the round. Several compliments on the kilt (Ancient Douglas) but no problems. Another less than stellar round with few shining moments, none memorable, several missed birdie putts. I was coming to believe that I could not drop a putt outside of 6 feet. Not a lot of pictures due to heavy rain again, just this one on the 18th tee with the hotel in the background:



Hat and shirt from the pro shop (they even put our names on our hats) then back to St Andrews for another lunch, wee nip, some time in town and later a nice dinner out.

More to follow.

j

[ForresterModern]

Thursday Aug 12, Day 6, Round 5

Quarter mile bus trip to the clubhouse for the New and Jubilee courses at St Andrews, where we were set up to play the New Course, which interestingly along with the Jubilee Course, are [I]between[I] the Old Course and the ocean, built on shoreland that has slowy built up over many centuries since the original layout of the Old Course. Weather was again foreboding with dark skies all around. Got a click of me in the overlook above the 1st tee and 18th green, wearing my IOS and navy cable sweater right before tee off:




Looking back up 18th hole of the New Course at St Andrews from the clubhouse overlook.


For the third straight day started raining on the first hole, this time in my first backswing, and continued intermittently for the next couple hours. Cleared up toward the end of the round, as did my game the last couple holes, but overall another less than spectacular day, or round of golf. Few pictures again because of the rains. Again, lots of missed putts, a few of them for birdies, but still not making anything over 6 feet. Frustration mounting.

More to come.

j

[jgcunningham]

Oh man! I'm seething with jealousy. Beautiful views, fantastic courses, the company of friends. I would not care how my putter was doing. I'm off to buy a lottery ticket. Maybe I can win enough to go too.

[ForresterModern]

Friday Aug 13, Day 7, Round 6



Sunrise casting long shadows over the Old Course, from our hotel room window. Awoke early in anticipation of the round on the ultimate course, the oldest course in all of golf, the Old Course at St Andrews. 0700 tee time meant no time for breakfast, just enough to grab the clubs from the bus and walk across 18th fairway to the starters box by the first tee. Skies are clearer but still a little sketchy at tee time, but we are all mentally prepared for what should be the most historic round of golf in our lives:



First tee, me in my Ancient Red Douglas tank, Muirfield angora sweater, Cheviot fancy top hose, game face on. Grey flat cap because the red tam was still wet from previous rainy days play.

Actually a pretty good day, ultimately NO RAIN, another 20 knot west wind, played pretty well, hitting a lot of fairways and a fair number of greens, putting better but not great----sank one 10 footer to win a hole with a clutch par, then sank a 40 footer to salvage par later in the round. Drove OVER the green on one short par 4, 3 yards short of another, but did not make par on either. Aarrgh. Again, my game woke up on the last three holes. 16--Drove to within 5 yards of the green, but on the wrong side of a bunker, and drubbed my second shot into that very same bunker, making bogey from there.



17, the infamous Road Hole, where you have to hit your drive across a road, a stone fence, a low barn-like portion of the Old Course Hotel (used to be a line of houses there originally), then back over the fence and road to a fairway running practically 90 degrees to the apparent tee shot. Risk:reward to the max--the more you hit over the building, the more distance you cut off for your second shot, but it is all blind as you have no real idea where your ball lands until you walk around the corner to find it. I hit one of my best drives of the week, just a little fade on it, leaving it in what my caddie (former club champ in 1999) said was as good as it gets----just right of the fairway in the only level lie within 50 yards, looking right down the pipe at the long axis of the green.




Second shot to 35 feet, then the putter failed again---three putt for a bogey. Arrgh.



18th hole, across the Swilcan Burn, to the rugby field sized fairway shared with the 1st hole, on our left coming at us. Boomed another drive slightly left of center but 25 yards past the road which crosses the 1st and 18th fairways, something only about 5% of amateurs do, according to my caddie. We took the obligatory photo crossing the Golfer's Bridge over Swilcan Burn:



Unfortunately, some japanese golfer coming off number one mistook my ball for his and hit mine down number one, so I was left standing alone in 18 fairway where my ball should have been, while my caddy runs after the japanese guy to retrieve my ball, and my mates all hit their shots on up to the 18th green. Once the ball was retrieved and replaced I found myself standing alone in the 18th fairway, hitting my wedge to the green, again leaving another 40 footer for birdie.



Triumphant kilted stroll up 18 to the applause of the small crowd watching and taking pictures (probably applause for the kilt, not the shot). Disaster strikes when I bring out the putter, as I drill my put 10 feet past the hole, then miss the come back for another three putt bogey to finish the round---aarrgh




Fun day, fun round, even though again some mediocre play and my ever-failing putter. Forever etched in my mind, though, forever.

More to come.

j


P.S. I just now realized we played our historic round, my best of the week, on Friday the 13th----good think I wasn't thinking about it then, but maybe that can be my excuse for my failing putter.

j