What A Way To Finish......The Old Course

Go Time @ Old Course

Our week in St Andrews has come to an end and if you would have told us earlier in the week, the weather would be like this, we wouldn't have believed you. If our day out at Kingsbarns was good weather, then today on The Old Course was one for the ages. It couldn't have been better for us. While the temps were still a bit cool, there wasn't much wind and the clouds were few and far between. I was so happy for Paul to get to cross this one off his list on such a glorious Sunday. We were playing a Best Ball stableford match today so it was all about earning points on each hole.

Undulations everywhere.... #Imagination

Paul and Caddy working out their game plan....

You want no part of this...

One of 7 double greens here @ Old Course (White Out, Red Coming In)

Par 3 11th @ Old Course

A better view of what I was facing on the Par 3 11th @ Old Course

Scenic spot along the Par 4 12th tee @ Old Course 

We finally got a little help with the wind as we made the turn for home at the difficult Par 4 12th. 

Avoiding the fairway bunkers would be one thing, navigating the slopes of this green quite another. 

Heading back towards the town @ Old Course

Love looking out across this landscape with the town in the back drop. A special place indeed.....

Yes, that 17th....

The final two holes here at The Old Course are the stuff of legend. The Road Hole 17th challenges every aspect of your game from navigating the tee shot over / around the hotel and then there's that bunker and the green! Brutal....The 18th is a much different hole to finish the round. While the tee shot doesn't pose much of a threat, the "Valley of Sin" in the front left of the green makes an up and down for par very challenging in the pin is front left. Guess where the pin was today? Guess also where we both ended up?

The Road Hole Par 4 17th @ Old Course

Couldn't have been a better day to walk The Swilcan Bridge

Approach shot into the Par 4 18th @ Old Course

Thankful as always for my time here in St Andrews and thankful to share it with Paul on his maiden voyage across the pond. We may not have won the 175th Anniversary Member / Guest here this week but we sure had fun and made a lot of memories. Thanks for following along and we hope you enjoyed our adventures along the way. 

Kingsbarns, You Beauty....

Gorgeous....

Today was one of the rounds I was most excited for. I was excited for Paul to see Kingsbarns, especially in such perfect weather. For me, Kingsbarns is special as it was the first course Kristen and I saw and played here in Scotland years ago. It was special then and certainly didn't disappoint today. We were up early to get everything moved out of the house and into the Kia. We will be nesting right behind the R&A in the Hotel Du Vin tonight. With an early time on the Old Course tomorrow, it'll be super convenient. After a delicious breakfast in the clubhouse and a little warm up session on the range, we were ready to head out. We had caddies today and were paired with two gents from VA and TN. We come all the way over here to play with someone else from Nashville. Go figure. 

Par 5 3rd hole @ Kingsbarns

Par 4 4th hole @ Kingsbarns

The course is special for many reasons. One of which is the fact that the North Sea is visible from every hole on the course. Not many links courses, although they are by the sea, can say as much. I also love the risk reward nature of some of the holes here at Kingsbarns. Case in point is the drivable par 4 6th hole below. Carry the two pot bunkers in the distance and the ball will feed down to a long sloping green. I hit a good one here and ended just off the green, short left. Much to my chagrin though I wasn't able to get up and down for birdie. Being just off the green still meant 70+ feet to the hole. I ran my first putt by and missed the return putt. Pars don't hurt...

Drivable Par 4 6th hole @ Kingsbarns

Almost got there....

Par 4 7th hole @ Kingsbarns

The par 3 8th hole below is a devilish one. The green is split in two with a massive slope from right to left. Hit your landing spot and the ball will feed right down to the hole. Paul went a little long off the tee but hit an incredible recovery shot, leaving him a short on for par. I was just off the green to the left of the pin and two putted for par myself. Great hole....

Short Par 3 8th hole @ Kingsbarns

Making the Turn...

Par 4 10th hole @ Kingsbarns

Par 4 11th hole @ Kingsbarns

Par 4 11th green @ Kingsbarns

About to let loose on the Par 5 12th @ Kingsbarns

The par 5 12th is the signature hole here at Kingsbarns. It is gorgeous, with the North Sea running down the left side. Reminds me a bit of the par 5 18th at Pebble Beach. This hole was the start of a strong back nine for me ten years ago, would it be the same today? 

Par 5 12th hole @ Kingsbarns

Par 3 13th hole @ Kingsbarns (Hit it to 2 ft)

Well, the birdie didn't come on the 12th. It did come at the par 3 13th with a nice 7 iron to 2 feet for a tap in birdie. There was a lot of wind into on this shot and with a such a small target, I was pleased to say the least with the outcome. 

Par 5 12th and Par 3 13th holes @ Kingsbarns

Beautiful Par 3 15th hole @ Kingsbarns

The other signature hole here is the par 3 15th. This is beautiful hole along the North Sea that changes with the tide. Tides out and you have to carry the rocks below. Tide's in, and the waves are rolling in, Either way, you better hit a good one. Paul hit the best shot of the group to about 15 ft above the hole. Not one he could charge with the speed of the greens but a good birdie chance nonetheless. His putt missed just left of the hole and we walked away with pars.

Forced carry of the Par 3 15th hole @ Kingsbarns

Ready to roll the rock....

Par 4 17th hole @ Kingsbarns

Beautiful Par 4 18th hole @ Kingsbarns

We couldn't have asked for a better day and experience here at Kingsbarns. The course was in great shape as always and the staff, from the welcome crew through to the caddies, got it right when it comes to a great customer experience. 

Market Street was hopping back in St Andrews

Back in St Andrews, Market Street was hopping, With such wonderful weather, the streets were filled with shoppers. The Old Course was bathed in sunshine as well. We are expecting the same weather tomorrow for our walk about The Old Course. 

Bathed in Sunshine.....

Home for our last night in St Andrews.....

We got checked in to the Hotel du Vin and caught up on a little rest before an early dinner at Ham's Hame. We were both pretty tired and looking forward to a restful evening. Tomorrow's a big day so time to get some sleep. Guess that's all for now. LYDCP!

The Crail Golfing Society and A Little Fishing in Anstruther....

Crail Ballcomie Links

Today we tee it up at The Crail Golfing Society's Balcomie Links. We were met with partly cloudy skies and windy conditions to start our round. We were paired with Steve from London. When asked what he does for work, he said, "I am a man of leisure!" Well done Steve, well done! 

Par 5 2nd @ Crail

I picked Crail as part of our itinerary for the week because of the numerous holes on both the front and back nines that hug the coast line, providing some gorgeous views throughout the round. 

A look behind the 2nd tee @ Crail

One such hole is the Par 4 5th hole, known as "Hell's Hole". With sustained winds into of 30 mph or more today, the forced carry was anywhere from 225 to 275 yards, depending on the line you took. With the wind hard into and off the left, discretion was the better part of valor so I took the more conservative route.

All smiles before we tee off on Par 4 5th "Hell's Hole"

Par 4 5th @ Crail Balcomie aptly named "Hell's Hole"

Par 4 5th green @ Crail

Par 3 6th @ Crail

The back nine showcases some really cool holes to finish out the round. There is a strong uphill Par 3 13th, playing upwards of 200 yards. The downhill Par 3 14th follows with an equally tough shot today. While the yardage wasn't that long, it played much longer heading back into the strong winds. The elevated tee certainly added to the challenge.

Par 3 14th @ Crail

We all took advantage of the downwind Par 4 15th. I was just off the green on the front while Paul and Steve were both long. Happy to walk away with a two putt birdie there. Fun hole but not without risk as water lurks just long and to the left.

Green of Par 4 15th @ Crail

We closed out the round with the lengthy Par 3 18th. With a slightly elevated tee and being downwind, it was a challenging shot. Club selection was key. Glad to walk away with a two putt par here. 

Par 3 18th @ Crail

Following a post round coffee in the lounge overlooking the course with the "Man of Leisure", Paul and I set out in search of the best Fish & Chips in Scotland. I am happy to say we found it here at the Anstruther Fish Bar. Good stuff for sure. This was the first time to see Anstruther and I must say it's quite a quaint little town. Loved the harbour.

Home of the Best Fish & Chips in Scotland

Anstruther Harbour

Got back in time to head to Hot Yoga for some stretching and then to chill out here at the house. We play Kingsbarns tomorrow morning at 8:30. Such a beautiful course. We are expecting good weather through the weekend. We are also heading to the Hotel Du Vin tomorrow for our final night here in St Andrews. 6 Livingstone Place has served us well. Guess that's all for now. LYDCP!