Today was our last day in Scotland and after a longer than expected return trip from Belfast last night, we really didn't have any plans. As we enjoyed another wonderful breakfast at the Dalmahoy, we talked about heading up to St Andrews. I didn't have a tee time anywhere so I really didn't know what we would end up doing. Kristen made her way to the gym at the hotel until I could get things sorted out. We are coming back in September of 2014 for the Ryder Cup and I really wanted to see Gleneagles to get a feel for things before we were there with 50000 of our closest friends for the Ryder Cup next year. First things first, I called the spa at Gleneagles and was glad to hear that they had a spot for Kristen. Once the spa was secured, I was able to call the pro shop and get a tee time on the PGA Centenary Course. Another audible to the schedule that was working out like a charm. I got back to the room and told Kristen about our change of plans. In a few minutes we were on our way. While I knew how special this place was going to be, Kristen had no idea. This was going to be fun......
When we pulled into Gleneagles, all Kristen could say was "Wow." Such a majestic place set in these beautiful mountains. We walked through the main entrance to this grand hotel and then made our way to the spa. After a few minutes of walking past all the shops etc... it was clear that Gleneagles is in a league all its own. We found the spa and the gym. After getting checked in, Kristen turned, kissed me goodbye and said, "I've got this...I'll be just fine! She was happy as a lark. I'm so thankful this all worked out as it was a great way to spend our last day in country.
I had some time before my tee time so I grabbed some lunch in the clubhouse. The weather was very cool and sunny for most of the day and I knew I would be lucky to finish my round teeing off at 3:30. While I was eating lunch I got a text from Kristen saying, "We have a new global # 1 spa. I'm never leaving!" On that note, I made my way to the PGA Centenary Course for my afternoon round. I was paired with two lifelong friends, Wolfgang and Dirk who were in Scotland for a week or so of good golf etc. I really enjoyed getting to know them a bit as we made our way 'round the course. As it turned out, Wolfgang and I had both worked for the same company at different times during our career. I love how the game of golf can bring people together from a across the globe. Through the first few holes, I could tell that Wolfgang would definitely be getting the best of Dirk on the course. It didn't faze Dirk though as he kept plugging away. The front nine had several really cool holes on it. Thinking about next year's Ryder Cup as I was playing, I could see where there is the potential for a lot of low scoring and high drama. Below is a picture from the 1st fairway. I loved having the mountains as a backdrop to my approach shot into the green.
The 2nd hole is a shortish par 5 that will know doubt provide plenty of birdies and maybe even a few eagles.
Here is one looking back towards the mountains and tee box from the 3rd fairway.
This next one is of the par 3 4th hole. This hole is brute. Wolfgang's caddy told us that they didn't even use the back tee during the recent European Tour's 2013 Johnnie Walker Classic. Into the wind, it plays well over 240 yards from back there. There isn't much room for error regardless of which tee we played from. I left it in the right front bunker but was able to get it up and down for par.
The next picture is from the par 3 6th hole. It was much shorter than the 4th hole but the green still offered quite a challenge should you end up on the wrong side relative to the pin. I went long and left here and failed to get up and down. Frustrating but hard to stay mad long in such a beautiful place like this.
We finished the front nine without rushing at all. The back nine was a different story. With the clouds rolling in and the temps dropping, we had to really get after it to finish all 18 holes. We came to the par 5 18th in the dark. We could hardly see anything but we were determined to play 'em all. I hit a decent drive and 2nd shot. My third was coming in from just inside the right rough. I hit what I thought was a great shot. The caddies were all applauding my efforts. However, when we got to the green, there was no sign of my ball. We looked all over and couldn't find anything. Thankfully one of the caddies thought to look over the back of the hill behind the green. There it was. So, I now had a shot to a pin some twenty feet below me with no green to work with. Did I mention it was now completely dark out? With Wolfgang and Dirk down at the green I played away. I took a sand wedge and hit a bump and run to the crest of the hill. My hope was that I could get it just over the edge and then gravity would do the rest. The ball came off just like I had planned and it slowly made its way down the hill. Wolfgang was cheering as it would seemingly stop then start rolling again. It seemingly took forever for the ball to get to the green. When all was said and done, the ball ended up about three or four feet from the hole. It was a good shot. It would have been a great shot had I made the putt!!! Regardless, we had a great day. To cap off the day, Kristen and I had a wonderful dinner in the clubhouse before heading back to the Dalmahoy in Edinburgh. Our Scottish and Irish getaway has come to an end and we will be heading back home tomorrow. Thanks for the memories. See you next year!!!!!!
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