As I mentioned yesterday, the plan for today was to play the Jubilee Course first thing in the morning and then if able to secure a time, play the Old Course in the afternoon. I went over to see George in the Starter's Hut at the Old Course and he was able to get me squared away for 3:10 pm this afternoon. Perfect! Afternoon time in hand, I made my way over to the Jubilee for my maiden voyage with her. I have heard good things so I was very much looking forward to the round. The weather is once again magnificent so things are coming together for another incredible day here in St Andrews. I got checked in and was first off the tee for the morning. Something special about having the course all to yourself. After a couple of practice swings I piped one down the middle and was on my way.
The Jubilee, while new to me, is hardly new overall. It originally opened in 1897 to much fanfare in honor of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. The course has seen its changes over the years and is now on its fourth iteration. The Jubilee routinely hosts qualifying rounds for some of the major tournaments in the area and after my round today, it was easy to see why. The prevailing wind was into for most of the front nine. The key was to keep it in play and hang on until I could take advantage of the down wind conditions on the back nine. Thankfully I was able to do so and played really well coming down the stretch. The greens are much flatter than those I've been playing over the past couple of days at the Castle Course. Pleasant change to say the least! Check out a couple of my favorite holes from today at the Jubilee. The first couple below are of the Par 5 3rd hole. It played into a stiff wind so it was definitely a 3 shot hole.
The next couple are of the Par 3 5th and the Par 5 6th. The green on this par 3 was massive with a huge swing from left to right on it. Very important to be on the right side of this thing. The Par 5 6th also played into the wind and was a 3 shot hole. The main thing here is to avoid the fairway bunkers sprinkled about the hole. Find one and you're not likely to find a birdie.
The next picture is of the Par 4 8th. Such a beautiful setting along the water's edge. The dunes tell you where to go off the tee. It is a matter of whether you can deliver. The wind was in off the left so a nice little cut shot off the tee worked out beautifully. The 9th is a downhill par 3 that requires an exacting approach to avoid the bunkers right and left, while keeping the approach on the green. Great hole!
One of our favorite things about our trips to Scotland are the fields full of these guys. Kristen loves them so when I saw these guys, I had to take a picture for her since she isn't here to see them herself.
The next two are from the Par 5 11th. This tree provided a nice aiming point from the tee. A short wedge shot into the green left me with a ten footer for birdie. No such luck!
After my morning round at The Jubilee, I grabbed some lunch in The New Course clubhouse. A belly full of fish and chips and I was recharged for an afternoon on The Old Course. I love the view from the garden atop the clubhouse. The Himalayas Putting Course was busy as usual.
I made my way over to The St Andrews Golf Club to kill some time before my tee time on The Old. I caught up on a little Sky Sports, a pleasant change from the abundance of fishing and home shopping shows on my TV back at the bungalow. I also staked out my spot for the weekend should I stay here to watch the Ryder Cup. Gordon was kind enough to keep me hydrated before the round. After channeling Bobby Jones for a bit, I was off to the course. What a great way to spend an afternoon if I do say so myself.
I was paired for the afternoon's round with three freshmen from the university. One was from England, one from the United States and one from Canada. We had a great time and despite our 3:10 pm start time, we were able to finish right before dark. After a drink with the boys at the Golf Place Hotel, it was time for some grub. Walking 36 holes, carrying my bag, I was exhausted and starving. I made my way to Hams Hame, right below Hamilton Place. When I walked in, Herb Kohler, owner of said building etc was hosting a dinner for several tables of golfing dignitaries. Cool setting, great food! Time for bed!!!! Tomorrow's it's back to the Jubilee!
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