TOC application accepted: Guess I'm going solo to Scotland!

[philsRHman]

Just to button up, St Andrews was able to move my time on the Castle with a couple emails. The first request was met with some resistance but when I let them know my itinerary has me arriving thst night they were able to find me another game, on a Sunday, which is even better since it’s the one day I can guarantee I won’t be on TOC for a second round lol

[philsRHman]

Sorry to keep replying to myself, I feel like I've passed my allotted questions. But one came up last night as I started digging into B&Bs. There are several options right along Murray Place area with single rooms that are really inexpensive, like 45-55 pounds a night. But they look quite tiny, like a twin bed and a dresser and not much room beyond that. Has anyone stayed in one? If it was a night or two I wouldn't think twice but I'll be in there for 7 nights. On the flipside, given the savings from the $100-120 I'd penciled in, I'd love to lop several hundred dollars off without sacrificing on golf.

Alternatively, I believe it's Tom Coyne who had nice things to say about the Premier Inn, which is about the same price, but a mile from TOC.

The B&B scene seems like the winner, especially as much as I love breakfast LOL. Just worried I'll end up feeling like I'm in a shoebox for a week (that said, I'm really only there to sleep, and they said they've got storage for golf clubs downstairs anyway).

[jvincent]

As an older guy, I like my comfort. Personally I like to get places to myself with enough room to spread out. You will have down time in the evening, so having a nice place to relax is good.

When we went to St Andrews we stayed at an AirBnB on the Scores. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room with satellite TV, modern kitchen, etc. It was fabulous. And when we went in April it was only about 60 pounds per night.

[tiderider]

beds will be twin quite often ... everything over there, room wise, is smaller ... showers are going to be really, really small compared to what you expect in the states ... not just the size of the room, the actual shower stall might be only big enough to barely turn around ...

[Zigzog]

I would choose the Premier Inn every time, you know exactly what you are going to get.

The rooms are the same in every Premier Inn, as are the beds etc.

They will be clean, quiet and comfy.

Is a no brainer for me, with B&B is always a gamble - don't get my wrong some can be great, but some will not be!

Premier Inn also do a decent breakfast and you can get it on a deal if you book at same time as room.

 

 

[philsRHman]

I've been poking around AirBNB and haven't found anything south of 120 pounds, and mainly a lot more space than I need. Was it 60 a man, or 60 total? Maybe I'm not searching properly if so. It seems that AirBNB might be great for a group of guys, less so for a single. Sorry if I'm sounding like Goldilocks LOLMy only time in France I remember this. I'm not a tall guy (5'6") but even I had a hell of a time trying to shower. I don't think the twin bed will bother me, it's more that I'm sort of a slob, and my clothes and crap end up scattered around. On a table, on a chair, clean piles, semi-clean piles, dirty piles. Maybe less space will force me to stay tidy.

Very interesting. Having no concept of the scale of SA, I couldn't tell if that mile between Premier Inn and TOC was a happening, lively mile, or if I'd feel off in the outskirts. I have a car and don't mind Uber if necessary to the pubs, if they're mostly down by the courses. I thought staying on Murray would put me right in the heart of everything (food, pubs, golf), but in hindsight, I have no idea why I believe that to be true. Only thing I know for sure is how close it is to TOC.

[Zigzog]

SA is a pretty small place in truth. If you have a car then you will be fine, parking in the town is not great, gets very busy and leaving your car at the Premier Inn and taking an Uber or the bus into the town would def be the smart move. There are a few pubs, they can also get busy but will be friendly. There is no very much outside of the centre of SA, where the Premier Inn is located is quiet - more of a commercial area with some car garages and a couple of supermarkets.

[philsRHman]

That actually sounds nice. a respite if I need one, but still very accessible if I want to get back in to the hubbub. I'm in my early 40s, so I don't know how much I can "hang" with the crowds. In theory, being steps away from the pubs sounds amazing, but I should also be realistic, more often than not I'm going to be dead asleep by 11.

[Zigzog]

Based on that the Premier Inn is ideal for you. Quite often B and Bs can be quite noisy with people coming in at all hours, generally you will not get that in a Premier Inn; that is a generalisation but accurate in my experience. They actually provide you a guarantee of a good night's sleep in the Premier Inn.The rooms there are a decent size and have a decent shower and full size bath. You want to be able to have a decent nights sleep to recover and get your energy up for the golf.

[Sean2]

When I saw "TOC" in the thread title the first thing I thought of was Table of Contents. So I had to click on the thread to see what that was all about.

Have fun!

 

[jvincent]

60 pounds total, assuming I am remembering the exchange rate correctly. We were amazed at how cheap it was.

 

[divebreck]

I loved playing Dunbar, I stayed at what is now called the Nether Abbey Hotel. Walked to North Berwick from the hotel, you are going to have a blast!

[philsRHman]

Wow, it’s starting to feel real. I paid for my rounds at St Andrews and North Berwick today. And reserved B&Bs for both towns. At the moment I’m going to give it a shot with a single room. After lots of reading I think it’ll be fine, and I felt pretty strongly about staying down in Murray Park right in the guts of all the magic. Something about sleeping a couple blocks from Old Tom’s shop and all that stuff.

 

If it’s absolute torture, I could always suck it up and eat the fee and find myself a bigger room somewhere. Worth the risk, I think.

[sabram]

If you're still looking for a B&B in North Berwick, I recommend Seaholm House. Here are some photos of the view from the front door. Just a couple blocks from the West Links. Comfortable room, great breakfast, clean, nice host and reasonably priced

[philsRHman]

Thrilled to see this! I actually just booked with Seaholm. This trip is becoming a reality for sure now. I finally saw my airfare drop under $1000 today so I grabbed it, and it’s actually a day earlier. So now I leave after work Friday night and should be on a golf course in East Lothian by Saturday afternoon! Thrilled to get the extra day in EL. The more I read the more I worried I’d miss in just 3 days there.

[philsRHman]

My wife is asking me about Christmas gift idea so for my trip and I was thinking of preordering yardage books for some of the course so I’m playing. I see them on eBay but anyone know if they’re available directly from St Andrews? I scoured by their online store and can’t find.

Any other ideas of stuff I might want/need? I’m pretty covered on clothes, gear.

 

edit: Nevermind I found the the yardage books online. They are 3 quid. Shipping would be way more. For that I’ll just buy them on the spot.

[tiderider]

might want to get Tom Doak's book Confidential Guide and read up on the courses you intend to play ...

[davep043]

This sounds a little silly, but take a bunch of tees. The turf is really firm, so you'll break tees really often, especially the longer ones. Take a lot of tees, shorter tees than you normally use.

[philsRHman]

I’m now inside 12 weeks until my trip. When I booked it I committed to losing 30 pounds which seemed very feasible over 6 months. I’ve got a bad lower back and it flared up badly when I was in Bandon and cost me a day and a half and I think less weight will help with all the walking

Sadly, between the holidays and being generally awful at losing weight I've still got 22 pounds to go. But one thing I have stuck with is a kickboxing class 2-3x a week for 8 weeks now. My strength is really improving, especially in my core, sit ups, planks, etc. But I’m also afraid in the course of trying to get in shape for the trip I’m going to injure myself, so it’s a catch-22.

Anyway, just using this thread as a bit of a diary, thought I’d mention it in case anyone’s had success training for a trip like this. I do want to get some more miles on my legs but the thought of 4-5 miles of walking on a treadmill is not very appealing, so I’m hopeful this more intense training will translate. Thoughts?

Also, I reached out today to see about getting into Archie Baird’s museum at Gullane. I believe he’s unfortunately passed away but I saw a contact listed in another thread. I’ll post if I get a response. Has anyone had a chance to see it?

[tiderider]

do NOT try to lose 22 lbs before then ... crazy & stupid (if you are telling the truth) ...

 

DO keep up the kickboxing ... great workout for golf, imo ... that and other "training programs" for strength with flexibility ... seriously, might want to start getting a couple of messages a month or chiro "therapy sessions" (no neck snapping) ... people might chuckle at these suggestions, but if you are going over, being in the best shape possible will make the trip much more enjoyable ... doesn't mean you have to be brad pitt cover shape, but most people don't walk that much, and walking and playing golf every day for a week takes a toll, regardless of how much of a badass one thinks one is, and regardless of all the stories of "we played 36 a day for 7 days and didn't have a problem" ... maybe not, but the golf certainly sucked ... but i would absolutely forego a dramatic weight loss ... just need to make sure you can recover from a day's play ... you don't need intense training ... you need 'recovery' training ... can lose 22 lbs when you return and aren't concerned about having to play golf to the best of your ability ...

[jvincent]

@philsRHman while I wouldn't set losing 22 lbs as a goal for 12 weeks getting in shape is a good idea.
If you are looking at something that will really help with your cardio and is low impact check out a rowing machine. It will help with your legs and core and will really get you in shape.

[El Gringo]

Yes, Archie's death earlier this year was a profound loss to the game. I don't think he was running the tours in the past year or two. While Archie's knowledge and infectious passion for the game and its history were undoubtably major reasons to see the museum it is still worth a visit. Persevere with the phone number,.

[philsRHman]

i guess when I read it, it does seem crazy to try a massive diet. But I’m a rotund 222 pounds, only 5 foot 6. My goal was to get under 200, knowing that would take a lot of stress off the legs and back. At this point, I do think the fitness efforts will mean a lot so we will just see.

And good news, looks like I have set up a time for the museum. My flight arrives on a Saturday at 8 am in EDI. Is it reasonable to think I can get to Musselburgh for a hickories round by 11 or 1130 and then to Gullane for the museum by 3? I’m pretty sure Musselburgh is only 9 holes.

[Schley]

I personally like your motivation. I'm in a similiar situation in visiting Japnan in about 12 weeks myself and trying to drop 20 lbs. which will happen if I just stop being a glutton and can get in a workout routine. Work always throws me curveballs, but i Have to prioritize my health more for sure. As I want to enjoy the trip. Actually my biggest issue with being overweight and plantar fascias is my feet. 2 things. One is blisters on the toes and second is my orthordics doing their job. I did 12 rounds in 11 days last year on one trip and was constantly taking care of my blisters and wrapping my toes etc.

 

This is a real concern IMO. BTW you will notice that while over there you will be burning calories like crazy walking so much. You will come home better than when you left as long as you don't drink ever once of beer over there. Have a great trip.

[philsRHman]

I think you're right about coming back in better shape then when I arrive. A year ago, I felt like Bandon would kickstart an early spring training, but I wound up getting back and not carrying any of the momentum forward. I also ate like crap while I was out there. I think there's a fine line while traveling of enjoying the local cuisine without going hog wild.

[tiderider]

"don't drink any beer while in scotland" ...

 

that's not how it works!

[Schley]

Didn't say Don't drink. I said don't drink EVERY OUNCE OF BEER. Enjoy but to excess will be taxing.

[jvincent]

Are there less calories is scotch? If yes, there's your solution!

[davep043]

There's less volume, for certain, which means to me you can drink more without getting full. Personally, I stuck with beer (real ales for the most part), and limited the whisky to one or two drams a night.

[philsRHman]

So another month closer and obviously the excitement is building. I leave 8 weeks from Friday.

The weather here in NJ is turning, with back-to-back 50 degree weekends. Trip's gone from very hypothetical to very real. On the fitness front, I'm still going to kickboxing 2-3x a week. But I'm quickly realizing how different the muscles are for golf and walking. The past week I started using the treadmill and mixing walking and jogging 2-3 miles to get some miles on my feet/legs. The soreness was in all different areas, which surprised me. That said, this weekend I walked 18 and while a little sore, I felt so much better than I would have this time a year ago coming out of winter. I followed it up the next day with a 3-mile hike in park near me with lots of elevation change. I'm feeling it today, but I think that's normal given the 30K steps I put in the past 48 hours. I just need to continue building because 15-20K steps looks like the low end of what I'll be doing each day over there.

A huge relief was playing Sunday. It was high 30s, low 40s when I teed off and rose into the upper 40s by the time I finished. It was perfectly comfortable, not cold at all. I've been regretting an April trip knowing that 40s and partly sunny is likely my best-case weather scenario, worrying how miserable "best case" would be. But after this weekend, I feel like that's going to be just fine. I mean, if it's 40 and blowing 20 and overcast, it will sting a bit, but that's OK.

One quick thought about exercise. My wife took my measurements before I started kickboxing in November and again last week. Even though I've only lost about 5 pounds, I've lost 5" around the belly, 3" around the waist and 1.5" around the chest. So I guess it's true when they say it's about more than just the scale.

As for shopping/packing, I typically wear shorts 95% of the time, even when it's chilly. So I need some pants, and picked up a few pairs at Costco. They appear to be wicking, some kind of synthetic mix of cotton and nylon? Need to figure out a packing strategy. Since I'm there 11 days, I think I'll do laundry mid-way. Picked up some rain gloves. Already have a lot of things collected from last year's Bandon trip but will start hunkering down in the next few weeks. Any advice? Thinking stuff like lip balm, sunscreen, on-course snacks like protein bars (I hear halfway houses are very rare), bodyglide. If I'm still on the waiting list for Muirfield I'll have to decide if I bother with jacket and tie. I've read accounts of people magically being invited to the R&A by a stroke of luck, so I think regardless I'll just stick something in the bottom of my suitcase.

Last think for this dispatch. I'm thinking about bringing my late grandfather's putter as a second short stick. It's great on slow greens, and just seems like the one way I can have a piece of him with me on the trip. It's also the same model of 8802 style I used for many many years since he bought us each one way back. It was my first new club ever. When he had given up the game, he told me to take his, but the leather grip was shot and I wanted to see how it would feel cut down from 36" to 33" which is what I normally play now (my leather grip is still so pristine I never wanted to mess with it). I wound up winning a club championship with it a few years ago. Something special about that putter, and feels wrong not to have it with my on this adventure.