My Scotland Golf Trip

[schapma1]

I recently returned from a golf trip to Scotland with two friends. The trip was a success and I want to thank all the Golfwrk'ers for their helpful suggestions and recommendations in the preparation. In that vein I've attempted to provide a detailed account of our trip from planning to completion for readers contemplating a similar trip.

 

SUMMARY

 

Our golf trip to Scotland ("Trip") began on April 28, 2017 and ended on May 9, 2017. The Trip included sixteen rounds of golf across ten days. Planning began in Fall 2016 with flights booked in November. Tee times were secured shortly thereafter directly through the courses. Accommodation and car rental was booked through Hotwire. No golf travel agencies were used. The total cost of our Trip ranged per golfer from $5,500-7,000 CAD. Our Trip saw us play at the following courses (in order):

 

1. Prestwick (x2)

2. Glasgow Gailes

3. Royal Troon

4. Muirfield (x2)

5. North Berwick

6. Carnoustie

7. St. Andrews Jubilee

8. St. Andrews Castle

9. St. Andrews Old

10. Royal Aberdeen

11. Trump International Links (Scotland)

12. Cruden Bay

13. Royal Dornoch

14. Castle Stuart

 

THE GOLFERS

 

Our group included three golfers with handicaps ranging from two to six. Two of our group are professionals and a third (me) just graduated from a professional program. Two are members at golf courses. The ages of our group range from 29 to 35. We are friends through spouses and work and play golf together on most weekends during the summer. This was our first "big" trip together though we have done weekend golf trips together in the past.

 

We were probably one golfer short of an ideal trip. A fourth would have saved us money on hotels and on our Muirfield round, however, a fourth would have likely cost a bit more to rent a bigger car. We were only accompanied by a fourth golfer at our round at the Old Course.

 

Much of the success of the Trip was down to the great company and quality of golf played by my fellow travellers. It was an absolute treat to play round after round on spectacular golf courses and then spend the evenings reminiscing about the shots played at certain holes. Moreover, everyone wanted the Trip to be about golf, which allowed us to play as many rounds as possible. I was spoiled to play with great golfers who were also incredibly nice individuals.

 

Takeaways

 

1. If doing the trip in a group, ensure you get along with your fellow travellers. There's no escaping your playing partners on a trip like this and a bad round coupled with travel can certainly do a number on people.

 

2. Find golfers of a similar calibre. For one, it makes gambling a little easier. Two, it allows everyone to play the same tee. Three, it allows for better pace and rhythm of play.

 

3. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Our Trip included a fairly detailed itinerary based almost exclusively around golf. Everyone pre-trip was in agreement on the courses and golf to be played. There was little confusion or dissent as a result.

 

THE PLANNING

 

The Idea

 

The idea for the Trip was floated Summer 2016. We had narrowed in on late April, early May for the Trip by September and finalized exact dates by November (note this allowed for several months of advocating spouses). The timing of our Trip was purely down to scheduling availability and not related to cost or weather. We booked everything for four golfers with hopes of convincing a friend to join us. Golf courses were accommodating in altering our tee times to three golfers several weeks in advance.

 

Days

 

We first started off with a rough number of days each one of us could take off. The consensus was that if we could work around two weekends, the Trip could span 10-12 days.

 

The Courses

 

From there we moved to a list of courses we wanted to play. Unsurprisingly the Old Course featured prominently on all our lists, as did Troon and Muirfield. All three of us had played the Old Course and Carnoustie, while some of us had played Turnberry, Kingsbarns, Prestwick, Gullane, New Course, Jubilee, and North Berwick. None of us had been north of St. Andrews so we were interested in playing around Aberdeen and in the Highlands. Some of us had heard great things about fairly niche courses (the Campbeltown two), while others were interested in fitting in as many top courses as possible. Moreover, one of our group had reciprocal arrangements with several of the "Royal" designated courses and was keen to use the "free" rounds for the group. The early list looked something like this (in no particular order):

 

Prestwick

Western Gailes

Loch Lomond

Turnberry

Troon

Dundonald

Irvine

Glasgow Gailes

Machrihanish

Machrihanish Dunes

Muirfield

North Berwick

Gullane

Dunbar

Glen Club

Gleneagles

St. Andrews (New, Old, Jubilee, Castle)

Kingsbarns

Carnoustie

Royal Aberdeen

Cruden Bay

Trump International Links (Scotland)

Royal Dornoch

Castle Stuart

Nairn

Brora

 

Early Planning

 

The list of courses informed early scheduling. The courses in Scotland, for the most part, fit neatly into clusters. Broadly, there is the Ayr cluster 30 minutes or so west of Glasgow which includes a wealth of stunning golf courses including Prestwick, Troon, and Turnberry, to name a few. There is the equally stunning East Lothian cluster 30 minutes or so east of Edinburgh, which includes Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick, etc. There are the courses in and just outside of St. Andrews (Kingsbarns). There is the Aberdeen cluster, which I include Cruden Bay and the controversial Trump course in. Finally, there is the Inverness cluster, with Royal Dornoch and Brora 45 minutes or so to the north and Castle Stuart and Nairn to the east.

 

Early Challenges

 

With this list in tow we set about trying to develop an itinerary that allowed for a balance between volume, variety, quality, and cost. Our early planning encountered the following challenges:

 

1. Early planning during Fall 2016 was largely based upon the previous season rates and availability. Our experience was that most courses did not disclose the upcoming rates for the following season until late Fall. Thus, early iterations of the Trip anticipated tee times at Turnberry and Dundonald only for both courses to bump their rates significantly.

 

2. Most courses are not "pure" public links and include significant restrictions on public play, especially on weekends. The most extreme example of this is Muirfield, which only allows public play on Tuesday and Thursday for bookings of four regardless of the number of golfers in the group. Booking the Old Course on preferred dates is nigh impossible and thus, as we found, required an early morning line in front of the Old Pavilion and good fortune.

 

3. We were surprised by the lack of replay rates at some courses. We were keen on playing certain courses twice as we had heard about the wealth of blind shots on certain courses and hoped to drive down our trip costs.

 

First (couple) Itineraries

 

It is important to note that our Trip underwent several iterations. In fact, our "booked" itinerary departed significantly from what our Trip turned out to be due in large part to the flexibility of golf courses once you're on the ground in Scotland. Crucially in our group there was one individual that was able to take on organizing the Trip as well as the flexibility among everyone to make adjustments when certain tee times were not available.

 

We were weary of gas prices and long drives and thus rather quickly figured out the best loop was from Glasgow to Edinburgh, up to St. Andrews, on to Aberdeen, with our last days in the Inverness area. This, in theory, minimized the length of driving while allowing us to visit the North of Scotland last and presumably closer to the summer months.

 

Almost immediately our group accepted that our Trip was going to include a significant number of tradeoffs. Certain courses could only be played on certain days, green fees were particularly high at some courses, and we wanted to play golf in all of the aforementioned clusters. Thus, the first several itineraries amounted really to either/or propositions for each cluster. These included:

 

1. Campbeltown

 

We were interested in playing the two golf courses in Campbeltown due in large part to their excellent reputation, novelty, and low cost relative to other courses. The initial thought was to somehow pair a trip to the peninsula with a round at Loch Lomond--i.e. driving from Glasgow to Loch Lomond playing a round then continuing on to Campbeltown and play both courses the following day. A quick email to Loch Lomond quickly dispelled any notion of a round at Loch Lomond, which left us with the prospect of flying to Campbeltown from Glasgow to play. The FlyBe flights out of Glasgow did not post to early 2017 which further left us with the prospect of six hour roundtrip drive from Glasgow (and likely a day lost to commuting). In the end we opted against the detour to Campbeltown as it would mean one less day of golf in the Ayr region.

 

2. Ayr

 

Ayr boasts an incredible array of golf courses and much of the trouble here revolved around choosing which golf courses not to play. The consensus both before and after the Trip was that if money was no object we would have played Turnberry, Troon, Prestwick, and Western Gailes. Turnberry, of course, has undergone a much talked about renovation. Troon hosted last year's Open, Prestwick hosted the first Open, and no list of the top golf courses in Britain in complete without reference to Western Gailes. The green fee at Turnberry, however, had jumped post-renovation to £250 (note in the summer months for non-hotel guests it is £350 on weekends). The green fee at Troon was similarly (and in hindsight unjustifiably) high at £230, while the Prestwick and Western Gailes green fees were in the £160-190 range.

 

Furthermore, what was clear from reviews was that the region also boasted several impressive tracks that featured regularly as Open qualifying courses including Irvine and Glasgow Gailes at substantially cheaper green fees. Moreover, our conversations with Loch Lomond also turned us on to Dundonald, which had recently been announced as host of the 2017 Scottish Open and also had, at the time, a reasonable green fee rate. Dundonald ultimately bumped their green fee rate post-announcement to £125.

 

Thus, we determined that we were going to play one of Turnberry or Troon and Prestwick or Western Gailes, with a discounted round at Glasgow Gailes on the last day of April. We chose Troon because of the most recent Open and Prestwick because of their replay rate.

 

3. East Lothians

 

All of three of us were eager to do the day at Muirfield so it was only a question of ensuring we were in the area on a Tuesday or Thursday. We booked Muirfield with the hope of finding a fourth and promise from the club that they would try to find us a fourth should we be unable. Neither of us were able to find a fourth and Muirfield ultimately was our most expensive green fee on the Trip, though well worth it. North Berwick was similarly a must play and, as the most travelled member of our group mentioned after the round, might be the most stunning ocean golf experience of his life. The question then faced was whether we tuck another round around the North Berwick time or spend some extra time resting and seeing the sites in Edinburgh. The Glen Club was an appealing alternative especially at a green fee of roughly £40. One of our group spoke highly of Gullane No. 1. With several more days of golf awaiting us and the possibility of walking on at either Glen or Gullane no booking was made.

 

4. St. Andrews

 

Interest in detouring to Gleneagles on our way to St. Andrews was minimal, especially as it would likely have taken away from time either in Edinburgh or St. Andrews. The Old Course was a priority for us. We were unfortunate to pick a week in which the R&A had largely closed off the course to the public for members. We were unsuccessful with our advance ballot and resolved to book our tee times around a potential 48 hour ballot or walk-up on the day of play. None of the group had played the Castle Course and we were all eager to play Carnoustie as presumptively better golfers than the last time the course savaged us. The largely aspirational plan was to play Castle the day the Old Course was closed then walk on to Jubilee or New in the afternoon and then play the Old Course the following morning and Carnoustie on our way up to Aberdeen. The £240 green fee at Kingsbarns seemed high relative to the offerings at St. Andrews.

 

5. Aberdeen

 

The Aberdeen choice of golf courses was relatively straightforward. The group wanted to play Royal Aberdeen due in large part to a reciprocal as well as Cruden Bay. It seemed logical to play Cruden Bay on the way to Inverness, however, our preference on an early morning time such that the afternoon could be spent at Speyside distilleries proved troublesome. A tee time was also secured at the Trump course in large part because a deposit was not required and thus could be cancelled free of charge.

 

6. Inverness

 

Similarly, the group desperately wanted to play Royal Dornoch and leverage reciprocal arrangements. We planned on flying out of Inverness at noon which allowed for an early morning tee time at the nearby Castle Stuart. Castle Stuart was overly accommodating in allowing our group to go a full hour off before the next tee time in the morning.

 

Golf Essentials and Accessories

 

Each of our group planned on bringing all the golf clothing and equipment needed for the Trip such that there was no need to ever purchase balls or items from a pro shop. Generally speaking, everyone had a gore-tex rain suit which doubled as an excellent wind breaker, rain gloves, an extra golf glove, two pairs of golf shoes, a toque, a baseball cap, an insulated vest, warm sweaters, and at least two dozen golf balls. In addition, popular items included extra socks, disposable hand warmers, granola bars, a flask, a water bottle, sunblock, chapstick, moisturizer, and blister bandaids. One of our group carried a driving iron in place of his hybrid, which proved genius on certain days.

 

Some items that proved relatively useless were an umbrella, extra tees, a pitch mark tool, and a SLR camera.

 

Takeaways

 

1. Understand that booking a trip without a golf travel company likely means some uncertainty and time investment in securing preferred tee times and travel options. If no one in your group is willing to take lead on booking the trip then going the way that we did may not be the best idea. Moreover, if group members are not going to defer to a certain extent to the group lead and not willing to accept some variance in scheduling then a travel company maybe the best option for your trip.

 

2. Early planning should consider shoulder season options and replay rates. We were able to secure some deals by playing certain courses on shoulder season rates, which differ from course to course. Every major Scottish golf course also needs playing multiple times. For a course such as Cruden Bay with breathtaking views and blind tee shots galore, playing it twice is almost mandatory.

 

3. Getting a morning tee time on a weekend in Scotland is incredibly difficult, unless you're playing at one of the newer tracks.

 

4. Consider the financial commitment to secure a tee time at each course. Some courses will require the full green fee up front and thus effectively tie you to that round. Others require a nominal deposit. Where we booked 36 holes we tried to ensure that the second eighteen did not require a deposit or a nominal one at that.

 

5. Bring everything you need on the trip. Prices in pro shops are borderline extortionate in some places relative to what you might pay at home for similar items.

 

6. Disappointedly, some courses do not include a yardage guide in your £175+ green fee. Eat the £5 cost. Yardage guides help out there, especially off the tee.

 

NON-GOLF PLANNING

 

Hotels

 

We booked all our hotels through Hotwire. The bookings were done on Black Friday to secure additional discounts. In general, we had a pretty good idea what hotel we were going to get by cross-referencing to other travel sites. None of our group was particular fussed about getting five-star hotels, however, we were keen to stay at a nice hotel in St. Andrews. Some of the highlights included a stay at the Marine Troon Hotel on Royal Troon and the Golf Inn beside the Dunvegan in St. Andrews. Both are recommended.

 

Car

 

None of our group can drive stick and thus we were forced into the premium of paying for an automatic car. We rented directly through one of our point programs. We lucked out with a Prius hatchback which was just enough room for the three of us and our golf bags. The car was great on gas and probably saved us a couple hundred bucks.

 

Restaurants

 

Our group relied on the Guardian's and NYT's restaurant reviews for bookings. A couple highlights were the Peat Inn just outside St. Andrews and Links House beside Royal Dornoch. The Balgrove Larder is a must for lunch in St. Andrews and the Scotch Whisky Bar at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh was a lot of fun as well. Rather than pan the bad restaurants here I'll simply say that our experience was that there wasn't the same bang for your buck as in other world cities for good food. Moreover, late tee times posed problems for finding a meal outside of McDonald's as most kitchens closed at 10/10:30pm.

 

Flights

 

We booked our flights in November. Our flight was the first item we booked, however, we only did so after reaching out to each golf course to confirm tee time availability.

 

Takeaways

 

1. Once you book your flight there is no going back. Within days of booking our flight we secured tee times and paid deposits. Within a couple days really six months out the trip was essentially booked and the bulk of it paid for.

 

THE FINAL (Golf) ITINERARY

 

April 28, 2017: Fly to Glasgow.

April 29, 2017: Arrive in Glasgow and stay in Glasgow for the evening.

April 30, 2017: Play Prestwick and Glasgow Gailes; stay in Troon.

May 1, 2017: Play Royal Troon and Prestwick replay; stay in Edinburgh.

May 2, 2017: Play Muirfield twice with second round as a two-ball; stay in Edinburgh.

May 3, 2017: Play North Berwick; stay in St. Andrews.

May 4, 2017: Play Castle Course; stay in St. Andrews.

May 5, 2017: Play Old Course and Carnoustie; stay in Aberdeen.

May 6, 2017: Play Trump International Golf Links and Royal Aberdeen; stay in Aberdeen.

May 7, 2017: Play Cruden Bay; stay in Inverness.

May 8, 2017: Play Royal Dornoch twice; stay in Inverness.

May 9, 2017: Play Castle Stuart; fly home.

 

THE TRIP IN REVIEW

 

Our Trip departed slightly from the above itinerary in the following way:

 

April 28, 2017: Fly to Glasgow.

April 29, 2017: Arrive in Glasgow and stay in Glasgow for the evening.

April 30, 2017: Play Prestwick and Glasgow Gailes; stay in Troon.

May 1, 2017: Play Royal Troon and Prestwick replay; stay in Edinburgh.

May 2, 2017: Play Muirfield twice with second round as a two-ball; stay in Edinburgh.

May 3, 2017: Play North Berwick; stay in St. Andrews.

May 4, 2017: Play Jubilee and Carnoustie; stay in St. Andrews.

May 5, 2017: Play Castle Course and "dark time" Old Course; stay in Aberdeen.

May 6, 2017: Play Royal Aberdeen; stay in Aberdeen.

May 7, 2017: Play Trump Links and Cruden Bay; stay in Inverness.

May 8, 2017: Play Royal Dornoch once; stay in Inverness.

May 9, 2017: Play Castle Stuart; fly home.

 

Weather

 

Scotland has been particularly dry this Spring and this continued through our Trip. We did not have a day of rain and had several spectacular days of sunshine and little wind. Oddly, our rounds at Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart could not have been more perfect weather-wise, and near the end of our Troon round we were all in bare sleeves. With that being said, our round at Carnoustie featured some of the strongest winds we've all ever played in. The par three eighth hole took my nine iron tee shot further left than straight. Having witnessed our two earlier tee shots go OB left on that hole, the third off the tee in our group wisely pulled out four iron and "chipped" off the tee to the front of the green and made par. We also played the front nine at Royal Aberdeen into a similar fan, which resulted in more driver-3-woods into 400-yard par fours then any of us like to admit out loud.

 

THE RANKING

 

This, as will be the case with your trip, will be the talk of every conversation with your group for the foreseeable future. In our group there was near unanimity at the top of our list and at the bottom. The newer courses did not get great reviews from our group, while group members struggled to find the right fit for courses such as Cruden Bay and North Berwick beside the tournament golf courses. This list is under protest by some in our group.

 

1. Muirfield

2. Old Course

3. Royal Dornoch

4. North Berwick

5. Carnoustie

6. Cruden Bay

7. Royal Troon

8. Royal Aberdeen

9. Prestwick

10. Castle Stuart

11. Jubilee

12. Glasgow Gailes

13. Castle Course

14. Trump International Golf Links (Scotland)

 

COURSE REVIEWS

 

I'll not endeavour to provide full reviews of each course, but rather a recap of our general thoughts and experience at each course. We did not use caddies.

 

Muirfield

 

Muirfield was nothing short of stunning and well worth the extra expense. We had booked as a four per policy and hoped to find a fourth or be placed with a fourth and subsequently reimbursed. Neither occurred and we ultimately played as a three. We had anticipated a curt and brusk treatment based on the scuttle in these forums and abroad, but were treated well from start to finish, including an impromptu request for a replay. I suspect that members make a point of avoiding the course on "visitor" days. Lunch was a blast and a must for any visitor. Not only was the food excellent, but the whole experience of throwing on a jacket and tie a real treat. We noted that we've never quite had staff wait on us like they do at Muirfield. The cellphone policy is very real and oddly enough there was no cell phone reception in the clubhouse, but four bars a hundred feet away in the parking lot.

 

The golf course was the most natural golf course our group had ever been upon. The overriding comment was that the land was quite simply made for golf. Though not the seaside links of North Berwick, Cruden Bay, or Royal Dornoch, the course was visually impressive and well worth the extreme cost. The course was in immaculate condition and while the fescue was not up, it played difficult in a 15 mph wind. One of our group tallied a 74 for low round on the Trip. I suspect none of us will ever play Muirfield again due to the cost and difficulty securing a tee time. However, I think we'll all remember this round as one of the best of our lives.

 

Old Course

 

Our adventures with the Old Course began in Fall 2016 where we submitted a tee time request to no avail. We then submitted a request through the 48 hour ballot with an identical result. For staff in the Old Pavilion who likely see groups such as ours on a daily basis--jilted by both ballots and desperate to play the course--they are exceptionally kind and understanding. We were instructed to show up the morning of play at 3/4am to line up for the opening of the Pavilion at 6am where the first golfers were likely to be sent off almost immediately or at a designated time during the day. Naively we agreed that 3/4am was simply too early and that we would be safe having a group member show up at 5am, with the rest of the entourage showing up at 6am. 5am rolled around and we were the 25th golfer(s) or so in line. Our only chance of playing was likely during a "dark time" at 5:30pm. We went and played Castle at 7am and hung out in the cafe of the British Golf Museum all afternoon staring down golfers on the first tee ready to go at a moment's notice. 5:30pm rolled around and we got out at a somewhat discounted rate behind several university students who seemingly have as part of their tuition fees free green fees at the Old Course and quite clearly no idea how good they have it. Nonetheless, we played 15 holes in the sunshine, 16 and 17 with little visibility, and 18 in the dark, which was fun in itself.

 

The Old Course is a bit wonky and quite frankly if it wasn't the Old Course probably wouldn't rank as high (cue shaming). It was, nonetheless, a nice reprieve from some of the tougher tests earlier in the Trip and a cool experience in its own right. The other group members, who ranked the Old Course much higher than I did, will certainly disagree with this assessment.

 

Royal Dornoch

 

Dornoch is a beautiful town and Royal Dornoch is a spectacular golf course. The wall of yellow gorse that divides the golf course is something you likely will only see once in your life. There's certainly something to Tom Watson's comments about the course being the most fun he's ever had golfing. There's a naturalness to each hole and the beach views are something to see. Dornoch is well worth the trip. Despite it being later in our Trip the course ranked high for everyone and coupled with a trip to the nearby Glemorangie distillery was an awesome day.

 

North Berwick

 

North Berwick was just a lot of fun. The proximity between greens and the next tee box can be nerve-wracking at times and pose some confusion, but the combination of coast views and estate homes makes it one of the more visually stunning golf experiences in the world. It is a must play on a trip to Scotland, especially if you're ever in the Edinburgh area.

 

Carnoustie

 

Carnoustie is the hardest golf course, ever. Our group could not fathom how any golf course could be harder and some in our group had played the tougher US Open venues. The wind was up during our round, but the general comment was where do you hit the ball safely? The windows to hit fairways were incredibly small and where one took anything less than driver or three-wood, one was forced to hold a long iron on greens that when dried out, as was the case during our round, made like Mutumbo. I think you can count the amount of GiR across all three of us on one hand. Making par was a minor miracle. There were two nines on eighteen in our group.

 

The town of Carnoustie pales in comparison to the experiences offered by St. Andrews or Edinburgh. They are currently building a new club house for the Open next year and staff were overly keen in trying to get our golf bags from our car to the bag stand ten feet away. It was a bit ridiculous. We opted against staying at the hotel on the course despite a room only costing $85CAD.

 

Cruden Bay

 

There is so much to like about Cruden Bay. There is a stretch of holes on the back nine that have views like nothing you can quite imagine. My favourite hole on the Trip was the par three fourth. The hole is likely not most people's favourite given the difficulty holding anything on that green, but the hole is perfectly framed by a small creek on the left that shrivels up when the tide is out and on the right by gentle mounds and the well-worn walking path to the hole. The course starts simply enough with two relatively straight par fours. Elevated greens and unforgiving green-side slopes serve to make the holes anything but friendly. The third hole really sets the tone for the round--a blind, downhill tee shot led to three lost balls in our group. On the back there was at least five either approach of tee shots to blind locations. The yardage guide was somewhat difficult to follow and we could've stood to play a second round or with a member. Nonetheless, Cruden Bay is highly recommended and well worth including in any trip to Scotland.

 

Royal Troon

 

Troon starts easily enough. Right up to the Postage Stamp the course can be played under par, weather and all. Starting at nine and most certainly at ten, the course becomes arguably the hardest stretch of golf one might experience in Scotland. I'm not entirely sure how anyone hits the fairway at eleven and the trauma usually carries over to twelve. There simply is no respite on the back nine and any dreams of a nice score are usually gone by 18. Troon was our second highest green fee on our Trip and we estimated probably £50 more than where it should be. With that being said, we're all glad to have played it.

 

Royal Aberdeen

 

Royal Aberdeen was hard. The vast majority of the front nine played into the wind and made par a rarity among our group. There are some beastly holes into the wind. I'm not sure what the wind was like during Justin Rose's Scottish Open or Jordan Spieth's Walker Cup, but my word those holes felt like an eternity. The back nine played easier and there were a couple vanilla holes. The course also lacks the spectacular views of some of the others played on the Trip and Aberdeen itself is a normal city without the tourist appeal of Edinburgh or St. Andrews. The clubhouse is quite neat and unlike most of the clubhouses which have received modern updates seems firmly planted in a previous era.

 

Prestwick

 

Prestwick was our first round and was a great way to start the Trip. Unlike any of the other courses Prestwick provides you with a group photo on the first tee which is a nice touch. The course is much shorter than some of its colleagues, but a lot of fun and a test in of itself. Prestwick is an excellent introduction to golf in Scotland. Driver is required on only a few tees, blind shots are par for the course, with distance control and touch around the greens at a premium. The green fee is a little steep, but none in our group regretted our two rounds. At times it felt as though we were one of only a handful of groups on the course.

 

Castle Stuart

 

Castle Stuart was our last round of the Trip and the highest ranked of the "new" golf courses played. We played it in impeccable conditions and quite unlike anything usually anticipated. The staff allowed us to play early in the morning in order to make a lunch time flight. Unlike the Castle Course in St. Andrews and the Trump course in Aberdeen where the need to create ridiculous putting surfaces seemed to possess the designers, Castle Stuart is more muted in its use of undulation and offered up both challenging and beautiful golf. Highly recommend playing Castle Stuart if in the Inverness area.

 

Jubilee

 

Jubilee has a lot of the Old Course in it at a fraction of the price. Tee times were easily secured by simply walking up to the starter and the round played quickly.

 

Glasgow Gailes

 

Glasgow Gailes was a true test of golf and real bargain relative to its nearby competition. The course does not feature the spectacular golf holes, views, or membership lists that its neighbours do. Nonetheless, it was a real test and a highly recommended round for all golfers, especially low handicappers looking to get a quick round in at challenging course for a somewhat affordable rate. One of our group was in a pot bunker at least each hole.

 

Castle Course

 

There was little love for the Castle Course among our group save for the spectacular views of St. Andrews below. The word "gimmicky" comes to mind when reviewing Castle Course. The course reminded our group of the newly built courses that dot the BC interior in Canada and while spectacular in their views can be overly penal and downright exhausting after a while. Particular scorn was reserved for the greens at Castle Course. Just about every hole had an accordion for a green. One was often faced with a thirty foot putt for par breaking ten feet to the right and up two levels. If going out of town, keep on going to Kingsbarns.

 

Trump International Golf Links (Scotland)

 

This is just a downright poor golf course. First, the green fee is way too high at £185. Second, the course is way too hard for its clientele. We watched as the twosome in front of us played the course in five hours. Neither were particularly bad golfers, but the forced carries and wind simply made any ten handicap a complete hack. Most holes are bordered by fifty foot dunes on each side with foot-high fescue. If you miss the fairway you're likely in these dunes and fescue, and if you're in the fescue your ball is likely lost. The course, however, plays all of this wash as lateral hazard which strips the recovery shot from the round and makes for odd playing. There are five or six tees, which is odd by Scottish standards. The course does have spectacular views, but it literally cut among farmland and the smell of manure is never far. There are similarities to some of the other Trump courses, Ferry Links comes to mind for the undeniably manufactured feel to the golf course.

 

GOING FORWARD

 

Our Trip was unique in many respects. We were by far the youngest group of golfers on most courses and in talking to most groups the only group that had arranged a trip such as ours without the support of a professional guide. For all of us this was a once in a lifetime golf trip. We mentioned how we might be able to do another four or five day trip to Scotland, but we would unlikely ever play as much golf as we did ever again. Certainly there are abbreviated trips to the Glasgow/Ayr area, St.Andrews/Edinburgh area, and North of Scotland. We mentioned how we would really like to do four days based out of Inverness around Scotch and golf at some of the courses in the area given how the green fees are substantially cheaper, but I suspect that is several years off. Each of us are about to embark on different professional and personal endeavours that is surely going to derail any ambition of another large golf trip. Moreover, we were all incredibly lucky and fortunate to have the support of our significant others in doing this trip. Speaking for myself, it will take many years before I build up the requisite spousal goodwill to entertain another trip such as this one.

 

I would encourage anyone or any group of friends considering such a trip to go. The trip was a blast and something I'll never forget. It is remarkable to be able to play the courses you can play in Scotland. Certainly nothing of the sort exists anywhere else in the world.

[pwogspare]

Sweet trip. Thanks for the detailed post.

 

My group of 8 is headed to Scotland in late August for a self-booked trip. First booking was last June for Muirfield and we were successful in the advanced ballot for the Old Course so we were able to build the itinerary around those two courses.

 

August 24 - Fly Ottawa-Newark-Edinburgh

August 25 - Play North Berwick & drive to St. Andrews (not ideal but couldn't arrange a time at NB later in our trip).

August 26 - Play Kingsbarns & stay in rented house in St. Andrews for 6 nights (Kingask properties)

August 27 - Play Carnoustie

August 28 - Old Course

August 29 - New Course possibly Lundin Links in afternoon

August 30 - Crail Balcomie

August 31 - Leave from St. Andrews early am and play 36 at Muirfield. Stay at Macdonald Marine Hotel.

September 1 - Play Dunbar

September 2 - Still open - Possibly one of the Gullane courses or The Glen

September 3 - Fly home

 

103 days to departure!

[schapma1]

That's a great looking trip and I wouldn't worry all that much about the North Berwick-St. Andrew's drive. It's roughly an hour and a bit. You might opt for a replay at one of the courses as opposed to playing something like Crail or Lundin.

 

The Peat Inn outside of St. Andrews is quite nice. The Balgrove Larder is a great lunch spot and a nice place to pick up something small for a significant other. We also did Forgans in town which was also good.

 

Bring the jacket and tie for Muirfield. The whole golf then lunch experience is a lot of fun. The two-ball in the afternoon will be fun as well and is strictly enforced.

[Hawkeye77]

Awesome write up, thanks!

 

I've decided it's now or never for planning (meaning not the fantasy planning I do at least once a year, usually in the dark of winter) while I'm still not too old, and outside chance I might convince my dad to join for 3 days in St. Andrews (really hoping that can work), but he can't be away from my mom for two weeks. Wife and one of my daughters (serious golfer and Anglophile) are all in whenever I decide. My other daughter's idea of dream trip is Wimbledon (yikes) or US Open/Broadway shows, but she has to wait 3 years for that.

 

I've been fascinated with Royal Dornoch through video and literature for a long time so our plan is to focus on a longer term stay in that area, play the course at least twice, play others within a reasonable drive, some more well known than others, most linksland, but not all. But also time for castles and distilleries (my daughter insists - the things they pick up in college!). St. Andrews area to finish the trip.

 

There are so many courses and I know bucket lists of more famous courses probably have a lot more than what we will be playing (Dornoch, Brora, Boat, Fortrose, Cullen, Moray, Tain are the "musts" so far), but a 36 a day marathon and lots of travel won't work for my wife and I know from hunting and fishing trips, I really like to have time just to relax and decompress so we will be taking it all in in just two areas.

 

Again, great recap and inspiring this Saturday morning. Counting the days until we can apply for St. Andrews tee time and see what happens and make decisions from that point.

[Hawkeye77]

Question - in St. Andrews annual application draw can you request more than one date as part of that or are you limited to picking "the" date you think works?

[alfriday]

OP,

 

Have they finished the refinements at Cruden Bay? When I was there three years ago they were getting ready to change the 9th hole. In the past it was a boring hole--basically a hole through a pasture to get from the front to the back. The new hole was going to go along the ridge line of the dunes with an "Infinity green." Also, they were going to remove a big hump of sand from the Old Tom Morris par three on the back--15 or 16 I think. According to my caddy, who was on the renovation committee, the sand had blown in over the last 100 years and a meter high hump of sand had formed at the front of the severely sloped green. It made it almost impossible to hit to a front pin. They plan was to take the hole back to the original design.

 

Any insight to the changes?

[schapma1]

To answer the two questions above:

 

1. You can apply for three dates I believe for the St. Andrews draw.

 

2. They've made the changes to Cruden Bay. Really wished we played there twice given the blind shots.

[gussie]

Fantastic writing

Sounded like a trip to remember

I was in st Andrews in late April also

Great town

Staff in St. Andrews links trust are very professional

I will be back

[Gem]

What a fantastic write-up and I am glad you had a great time.

I totally agree on much of what you have said, especially the Castle course. I have played it once and will not go back unless they do something about those ridiculous greens. You see the subtle but fantastic surfaces at Muirfield then look at these new stupid green designs on many modern courses and wonder what they are thinking about. With good greens the Castle would be a good course, it certainly has the views.

 

If you are doing a Moray trip make sure to play Moray Old, my favourite course anywhere and I post this on any of the Scotland trip discussions:-) Some of the holes on this course remind me of North Berwick but not near as quirky.

 

As a Scot it does also feel a bit strange to say anything other than good things about the Old Course but I am not a big fan of it myself. I absolutely love the town and the whole feel of the place but whilst the OC is a must play for any golf fan it is one you probably won't go back to many times.

I have been many times viewing golf events or holidays in the area but only played it once back in 1989 and got a nice applause from people standing behind the green when I holed my birdie put on 18 with my yellow Titleist PTS 90 ball:-)

 

 

I forgot to add, Carnoustie in a wind is as tough a course I have ever played but still brilliant 'fun'.

[schapma1]

Noted on Moray! I think that will be on the docket for our next Inverness and area adventure.

[fhandley]

Great write up! I planned the trip for myself and two other guys and we leave a week from Saturday for 8 days. We range from 30-32 and hanicaps between 7-11. We start in Inverness for 3 days. Playing Castle Stuart, Brora, and Dornoch with the option to replay or hit Nairn on way back to St. Andrews. We are relying on the ballot or walking up. You mentioned waiting around that day, do they call if someone cancels? Also, if you had any other hints or recommendations for getting on Old. I have been twice but its been several years and I didn't pay attention to food places. We will hit Peats Inn, Balgrove, and Forgans.

 

We are playing Kingsbarns as even know its expensive one of my favorite courses. Also we have a late afternoon round at Carnoustie. That gives us 1 full day and three half days to fit in the Old and some of the other courses. We are staying at the Fairmont and I have always been intrigued by the Castle and almost want to play it so I can confirm what everyone says about the greens. We are trying to find a place to play near Edinburgh on the last Saturday.

 

Hoping we have some dry days as well!

[schapma1]

They won't call. In the event that there's a cancellation its whoever highest on the list is around that gets the spot. No other hints. We were well down the list and managed to get out during a "dark" time--no guarantee of finishing 18.

 

Avoid Castle. I think you're set with Kingsbarns, the Old Course, and either Jubilee or New in St. Andrews.

[duffer987]

Good to hear everything went smoothly... but c'mon not being able to drive a manual? For shame ;)

That is funny you got a Prius though, just like still being in Vancouver.

 

Agree wholly on the Castle Course. It might work as a 2nd 18 for Tobiano, but not where it is. But you do need to play it to find out for sure.

[jwortsman]

Thanks for the write-up! I'm headed over as a single at the end of the summer (last week of August) where I'll be driving myself and found this very helpful. Did any of your group use caddies or just find your own way around? How did you find the driving?

[thecraw]

Next time make the Campbeltown trip. I'm biased but both courses are well worth the effort. Totally agree with you re Royal Troon, it is an absolute beast into any sort of wind, so much so I genuinely rate it harder than Carnoustie myself.

 

Castle course is another I wouldn't rush back to, bit too tricked up and very "unnatural" in feel, great condition and great views. If you want a break from links next time I'd recommend Blairgowrie Rosemont. Stunning course.

[golfortennis]

Thanks for the write-up! I'm headed over as a single at the end of the summer (last week of August) where I'll be driving myself and found this very helpful. Did any of your group use caddies or just find your own way around? How did you find the driving?

 

Do you have a time?

[jwortsman]

I currently have times at Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie. I'm trying to find someone there at the same time to enter the Old Course ballot with, but if not, I'll show up early and try to walk on. I'm currently trying to decide if I should spend 1 or 2 days trying to do that before trying to arrange a time at Muirfield or North Berwick.

[schapma1]

Thanks for the write-up! I'm headed over as a single at the end of the summer (last week of August) where I'll be driving myself and found this very helpful. Did any of your group use caddies or just find your own way around? How did you find the driving?

 

Group did not use any caddies. We didn't really regret that decision, however, there are probably a few courses on our list that deserved playing twice due to blind shots (Cruden Bay comes to mind). I can see having a caddy at the Old Course as part of the experience though of all the courses its probably the one you need it least.

[schapma1]

Thanks for the write-up! I'm headed over as a single at the end of the summer (last week of August) where I'll be driving myself and found this very helpful. Did any of your group use caddies or just find your own way around? How did you find the driving?

 

Sorry, driving was fine. Some of the timing estimates Google Maps provided between places was woefully off (in a good way). It took us 30 minutes to get from Glasgow down to Prestwick and a hour to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The drive through Speyside to Inverness from Aberdeen was fun. I'd recommend trying to do that during the day though as you can stop in Dufftown and go to something such as the Seven Stills and avoid driving roads that bend and turn without warning and without lighting.

[Sean2]

Well done! Sounded like you had a great time. I can drive a stick, so if you need someone next time... :-)

[schapma1]

Next time make the Campbeltown trip. I'm biased but both courses are well worth the effort. Totally agree with you re Royal Troon, it is an absolute beast into any sort of wind, so much so I genuinely rate it harder than Carnoustie myself.

 

Castle course is another I wouldn't rush back to, bit too tricked up and very "unnatural" in feel, great condition and great views. If you want a break from links next time I'd recommend Blairgowrie Rosemont. Stunning course.

 

I'd like to do some of the parkland courses and Campbeltown courses next time as well.

 

Well done! Sounded like you had a great time. I can drive a stick, so if you need someone next time... :-)

 

Sean2, we could've used you! We needed a fourth.

[schapma1]

I currently have times at Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie. I'm trying to find someone there at the same time to enter the Old Course ballot with, but if not, I'll show up early and try to walk on. I'm currently trying to decide if I should spend 1 or 2 days trying to do that before trying to arrange a time at Muirfield or North Berwick.

 

If you're a single and show up in the morning, you should be able to get out. I was able to do that last year as was another in our group.

[golfortennis]

I currently have times at Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie. I'm trying to find someone there at the same time to enter the Old Course ballot with, but if not, I'll show up early and try to walk on. I'm currently trying to decide if I should spend 1 or 2 days trying to do that before trying to arrange a time at Muirfield or North Berwick.

 

If you're a single and show up in the morning, you should be able to get out. I was able to do that last year as was another in our group.

 

Ok, so we are about to fly back to Canada in the morning. Played the three main courses last week. Walked on to the new course pretty much right away on MOnday, Same on Wednesday. What was really funny was that on Sunday when we first got to town, we spoke with the starter at the new course, and asked about what time to line up. He said it's really hit and miss. Usually it's not crazy, but one day a few weeks ago he said there were 23 Chinese fellas who came down at 3 am to try to get on. I thought immediately of this thread when I heard that. Your luck was horrible.

 

I ended up going at 2 am to line up. I had tried to head over at 1 am, since I couldn't sleep anyway, but my wife said it would be such a long time to wait. Finally after an hour, i got up and went. I was #5 in line, would have been number one had I gone earlier. There were 15 people by about 3:30. So take that for what it's worth. It was a great group of people.

 

I ended up being effectively number 3 because a couple in front of me wanted to play together. #1 got out in the first group, #2 was in the second or third. When it got to me, the lady asked if I wanted a "guaranteed tee time." What that means is that local ballots, members, and I believe lottery tee times are given the option of someone joining the group, the open ballots must take a single to fill out the foursome. So that is where getting there early paid off for me. I was able to get 10:10 guaranteed, go back for breakfast, a bit of a nap, and then come back.

 

And you need a caddie. Not "need" from breaking your back, or anything, but there are just so many stories the caddies know, not to mention breaks of putts, etc. And make no mistake, if you're a decent player and not a jerk, they really want to help you. They don't get that many sticks, and so they really enjoy the ones they do get.

 

What was really funny was that when the shop opened at 6 am, there were 22 people in line. 3 ladies showed up not long before opening. We went back after my round to hand in the caddie feedback(ask for Norm), and I ran into the 3 guys I was paired with. Turned out their wives were about to go off, and they were 19-22!!

 

All of it made for great stories.

[North Butte]

No disrespect to other people's preferences but for me listening to caddie-provided entertainment is the last thing I need or want when spending big-$$$ and huge amounts of my annual leave time to play golf overseas. I'm there to experience golf courses I will likely never see again. And to enjoy playing golf on those courses. I just can't do that with my ears of full of banter, no matter how much local color it may contain.

 

I'm good with a solo round, it really maximizes how in touch with the course I am as well as how well I will remember the details of various features and shots on offer. And I'm definitely good sharing a round with someone I'm playing a friendly game against, whether head to head or in a team arrangement of some kind. But give me a talkative caddie or worse yet put me in a foursome with multiple talkative caddies and honestly I'd just as soon be back home playing in my usual dogfight.

 

But that's probably a minority opinion, although it's one shared by some of the guys I know who have traveled an awful lot more than me over the years. Great craic over beers after the round? Priceless. Non-stop storytelling and banter during a round? Pass.

[golfortennis]

Well, you are certainly entitled to your view. I can think of at least 5 things that had the caddie not told me about as we went by, I would have been really disappointed not to have known about them.

 

If you get on with your group, then the caddie might be redundant, but if you're getting on as a single, you may be with a group who does not speak english. While I most certainly am trying to post a score when I am playing, I am not, nor do I want to be, concentrating fully on my next shot the whole time I am walking to it. It would really suck not to be able to talk to anyone for the entire round.

 

And it's not as though the caddies are incapable of the three ups. You tell them that at the beginning, that's what they will do. I never found their to be "non-stop storytelling and banter", but different strokes for different folks.

 

What I will take issue with is the "figuring it out for myself." If you're playing a course again, then yes, I would agree. But figuring out you should have hit a different club your only time playing the course really sucks. Just because a caddie says "aim here with this club", you still have to hit the shot, which is easier said than done in the wind and rain of Scotland. Plus, we're not pros, so there's that. It wasn't real comfortable handing over all that money, but frankly it was worth it.

[North Butte]

What I will take issue with is the "figuring it out for myself." If you're playing a course again, then yes, I would agree. But figuring out you should have hit a different club your only time playing the course really sucks. Just because a caddie says "aim here with this club", you still have to hit the shot, which is easier said than done in the wind and rain of Scotland. Plus, we're not pros, so there's that. It wasn't real comfortable handing over all that money, but frankly it was worth it.

 

Not sure who the "figuring it out for myself" was quoting. I didn't say anything like that and don't see it anywhere in this thread.

 

FWIW, my preferred way to "figure out" a course I've never seen is to play with a member or someone else familiar with the course. On occasion I've even played with one of the pro-shop staff in lieu of a caddie. There are certainly some UK courses where a solo round having never seen the course before would be a very frustrating exercise. Dornoch is a little bit that way and at Royal St. George's (which is hosting this year's Amateur) you could probably lose a box of golf balls if you don't know where to aim on some of those semi-blind shots. For me a caddie would be a third-best choice for that sort of local knowledge but better than going in totally blind.

 

Other courses, like Birkdale for instance, are as simple as you could want to find your way around. I played there with another USA visitor who was also seeing it for the first time and we had no worries about navigating the tees shots and approaches. We did have Strokesaver books and that was more than sufficient. There are plenty of links courses which present themselves fairly obviously but also plenty of them which require a fair bit of local knowledge.

[kevinricci]

Awesome write up, thanks!

 

I've decided it's now or never for planning (meaning not the fantasy planning I do at least once a year, usually in the dark of winter) while I'm still not too old, and outside chance I might convince my dad to join for 3 days in St. Andrews (really hoping that can work), but he can't be away from my mom for two weeks. Wife and one of my daughters (serious golfer and Anglophile) are all in whenever I decide. My other daughter's idea of dream trip is Wimbledon (yikes) or US Open/Broadway shows, but she has to wait 3 years for that.

 

I've been fascinated with Royal Dornoch through video and literature for a long time so our plan is to focus on a longer term stay in that area, play the course at least twice, play others within a reasonable drive, some more well known than others, most linksland, but not all. But also time for castles and distilleries (my daughter insists - the things they pick up in college!). St. Andrews area to finish the trip.

 

There are so many courses and I know bucket lists of more famous courses probably have a lot more than what we will be playing (Dornoch, Brora, Boat, Fortrose, Cullen, Moray, Tain are the "musts" so far), but a 36 a day marathon and lots of travel won't work for my wife and I know from hunting and fishing trips, I really like to have time just to relax and decompress so we will be taking it all in in just two areas.

 

Again, great recap and inspiring this Saturday morning. Counting the days until we can apply for St. Andrews tee time and see what happens and make decisions from that point.

If you decide to cull your golf, I'd eliminate Boat first, then Fortrose.

[Gem]

Awesome write up, thanks!

 

I've decided it's now or never for planning (meaning not the fantasy planning I do at least once a year, usually in the dark of winter) while I'm still not too old, and outside chance I might convince my dad to join for 3 days in St. Andrews (really hoping that can work), but he can't be away from my mom for two weeks. Wife and one of my daughters (serious golfer and Anglophile) are all in whenever I decide. My other daughter's idea of dream trip is Wimbledon (yikes) or US Open/Broadway shows, but she has to wait 3 years for that.

 

I've been fascinated with Royal Dornoch through video and literature for a long time so our plan is to focus on a longer term stay in that area, play the course at least twice, play others within a reasonable drive, some more well known than others, most linksland, but not all. But also time for castles and distilleries (my daughter insists - the things they pick up in college!). St. Andrews area to finish the trip.

 

There are so many courses and I know bucket lists of more famous courses probably have a lot more than what we will be playing (Dornoch, Brora, Boat, Fortrose, Cullen, Moray, Tain are the "musts" so far), but a 36 a day marathon and lots of travel won't work for my wife and I know from hunting and fishing trips, I really like to have time just to relax and decompress so we will be taking it all in in just two areas.

 

Again, great recap and inspiring this Saturday morning. Counting the days until we can apply for St. Andrews tee time and see what happens and make decisions from that point.

If you decide to cull your golf, I'd eliminate Boat first, then Fortrose.

Awesome write up, thanks! I've decided it's now or never for planning (meaning not the fantasy planning I do at least once a year, usually in the dark of winter) while I'm still not too old, and outside chance I might convince my dad to join for 3 days in St. Andrews (really hoping that can work), but he can't be away from my mom for two weeks. Wife and one of my daughters (serious golfer and Anglophile) are all in whenever I decide. My other daughter's idea of dream trip is Wimbledon (yikes) or US Open/Broadway shows, but she has to wait 3 years for that. I've been fascinated with Royal Dornoch through video and literature for a long time so our plan is to focus on a longer term stay in that area, play the course at least twice, play others within a reasonable drive, some more well known than others, most linksland, but not all. But also time for castles and distilleries (my daughter insists - the things they pick up in college!). St. Andrews area to finish the trip. There are so many courses and I know bucket lists of more famous courses probably have a lot more than what we will be playing (Dornoch, Brora, Boat, Fortrose, Cullen, Moray, Tain are the "musts" so far), but a 36 a day marathon and lots of travel won't work for my wife and I know from hunting and fishing trips, I really like to have time just to relax and decompress so we will be taking it all in in just two areas. Again, great recap and inspiring this Saturday morning. Counting the days until we can apply for St. Andrews tee time and see what happens and make decisions from that point.

If you decide to cull your golf, I'd eliminate Boat first, then Fortrose.

 

Everyone is different but I really enjoy Boat of Garten and it is an easy course to walk.

 

Fortrose and Cullen are quirky and fun but the Boat is a much better course than them.

[Hawkeye77]

Thanks for the info guys!!!

 

I see the Old Course submissions start on my dad's birthday, so I won't forget that. Hoping he will join us at the end of the trip for St. Andrews.

[tiderider]

re muirfield accepting only foursomes ... you were only a threesome, so i assume they will allow a twosome or threesome, but you must pay for a foursome regardless?