Well the weather has cleared and the last couple of days have been beautiful here in St Andrews. The goal is to get as much golf in as my back can stand before we head north to The Meldrum House for the weekend. As fun as it is to sit and watch other folks start and finish their rounds here at The Old Course, I was ready to get out there myself. I was rained out on The Jubilee yesterday but there is nothing but sunshine today.
Just beyond the Old Course Hotel is where the practice facilities are for the Links Trust courses. This morning was actually my first time over here. It is an excellent facility with an even better view from the hitting bays. Looking back into the town and what lay ahead was all the motivation I needed to get warmed up.
Below are some pics from both my Thursday afternoon and Friday morning out on The Jubilee. Thursday afternoon I played with a fellow SAGC member and his wife. Andreas was originally from Chile and his wife from Scotland. They were here on sabbatical and enjoying every minute of their time in St Andrews. It's always nice to meet new folks out on the links. That being said, I also love having the course all to myself as I did Friday morning. I was the first person off the tee Friday morning.
The shot below was my view from the Par 4 8th hole of The Jubilee. This is my favorite hole out here as it winds its way along the estuary you see in the two shots above.
Just beyond this tee marker are some of the prettiest beaches in St. Andrews. The West Sands beaches are where they filmed the classic "Chariots of Fire."
Above is the Par 3 13th of The Jubilee. A great hole, especially back into the wind from an elevated tee. Makes it a little more difficult to "flight" a shot when you're already elevated to begin with. The next two shots are taken from the 13th tee box. You can see the shoreline directly behind you and when you look off to your right, you can see the Par 4 10th green, Par 5 11th tee and Par 5 12th green.
Above is the double green housing the Par 4 14th green (red flag) as well as the Par 4 4th (white flag). Below is a side view from the right side of the Par 4 2nd hole.
After grabbing some lunch following my Friday morning round, I was back out for my round on The Old Course. I'm so glad the timing worked out for me to get back out there. Just hoping my back would hold up for another 18 holes. Whilst I have been wearing myself out on the course these past two days, Kristen has been well kept in the Old Course Hotel's Kohler Water Spa. It's one of her favorite places in the world and they took such good care of her. She was able to make it to the 1st tee right as I was teeing off. I heard a lone "woohoo" and knew she was back there. Made me smile for sure. It's such a cool environment to have so many random folks watching you tee off. Something I could sure get used to. One day! I was paired with a gent from Northern Ireland as well as a father / son duo from Sweden. We all enjoyed one another's company and had a great time.
"Hell Bunker" is to be avoided at all cost. It sits precariously along the path of the Par 5 14th. It is 12 feet deep at its max with an average of 8 feet in depth overall. I happily flew well past this bad boy.
Love the views you get when you start heading down the back nine on The Old Course. Certainly a skyline I could get used to see routinely.
Above is the famed "Road Hole" tee shot. One of our playing partners actually bounced one off the hotel and back into the right side of the fairway. Lucky! I went down the left side to avoid any trouble. The problem with that is that the 2nd shot becomes much longer and more difficult. Pick a struggle!
My favorite finishing hole in golf.... Coming up the Par 4 18th hole of The Old Course is something every golfer should experience at least once. Such a cool feeling to know you are walking in the footsteps of the giants of the game. Thankful for all that St Andrews brought us this week. Cannot wait to return. For now, we head north to Cruden Bay and The Meldrum House for the next several days. Should be fun........
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