The Castle Course....

Yesterday was my first time 'round The Castle Course. The Castle is the newest of The Links Trust courses. I had heard a lot about it and was anxious to get out there and see it. The course is a little over a mile down the coast line from St Andrews, with beautiful views of the town from several of the holes. I got a good night's sleep last night and was ready to go. After some lunch I found myself on the tee with three guys from northern England. Jeff, Bob and Nevil were all from Carlyle and were in town for several days of holiday with their wives. We made fast friends and enjoyed our way around the links. They were all excellent players and it was a great day. When all was said and done, the course reminded me of several past favorites. From Scotland, The Castle Course reminded me a lot of Castle Stuart up in the Highlands. It also reminded me of Whistling Straits back in the States. The greens feature very prominently here. There are extreme ridges running through each of the greens, turning each full green into three or four distinct mini greens. Find yourself on the wrong side of some of these swales and you may be lucky to three putt. The right pace and playing enough break was critically important. The craggy coastline was visible from quite a few of the holes, most prominently along the final two holes of the back nine. I headed back to the house after some dinner in the clubhouse. On the way home, I decided to head back to the Castle Course again today to have another crack at those greens. A second run at these greens proved beneficial today as I shot 78 from the tips. Proud of that for sure, especially with the wind getting up a bit today. It was a perfect morning and I was the first off the tee so I had the whole course to myself. So peaceful! Take a look at some of my favorites from the past couple of days below....

Now some from the back nine.......

After some lunch, I made my way back to town. I did a little walking about Market Street and things were buzzing since the kids are back at University. I found a couple spots to check out for dinner later in the week before heading to The St Andrews Golf Club for a late afternoon dram. I love being back here in the Club as there is so much history in this place. So very special.......

Happy to be here to say the least. Loving this beautiful weather, with the same expected for the rest of the week. I intend to take full advantage! Tomorrow I am planning on The Jubilee Course in the morning and The Old Course in the afternoon. A full day to say the least. I'm off now for dinner and a good night's rest.