The Town Match...Part 1

New here? We're posting daily from Scotland through September 21 — follow the trip. 

Early start to the day. There was hardly a soul stirring when I dropped off the car this morning. So peaceful! Spence was ready to go when I got back. With all the excitement about the day to come, I don't know how much sleep we got. Coffee was a priority this morning and we were off to the club. Our 8:24 am tee time on The Old Course was all set. We were matched with two R&A members from Canada. My caddy friends said it was a great draw and they were correct. They were fantastic players and even better gentlemen. Being Spence's first trip around The Old, I wanted the day to be special. They certainly helped make that happen. We met our caddies, Grant (me) and Ronan (Spence) at the first tee. Both quickly said that we were about to play in the windiest conditions they'd seen all year. Winds were 30 mph+ sustained with gusts up to 50 mph. AWESOME, LET'S GO!  After introductions were exchanged, we were off. Our head to head matches were over, 2 and 2. Today, we were on the same side for the one that mattered most! Being Foursomes or Alternate Shot format, I took the odds, meaning I had the first tee shot. I am always nervous on the first tee here. Today it was more for Spence than myself. I wanted him to have the best of days. I settled in and hit a nice drive down the left center. He was set up nicely for our approach shot. As you can see from the video below, he nailed it. A beautiful swing that left us just 15 feet behind the hole. I left us a tap in for par after the birdie putt came up just short. Well done Son! 1 up after 1. 

By the 3rd hole, my caddy needed to head in as he wasn't feeling well. I hated to see Grant head in. A young seasonal caddy from New Zealand, Jordy, came out to take over for me. He has split the last 3 years between St Andrews and back home at New Zealand's #1 course, Tara Iti Golf Club. He proved to be a delightful young man and a good caddy. The match was a tight one. Eamonn and Paul were giving us all we wanted in the increasingly difficult winds. It was hard to keep our balance much less putt. The ball was oscillating on each green. Lag putting, especially into the wind proved to be extremely challenging. Even short putts required our full attention. Both caddies said neither The Open nor the Dunhill would be played in such conditions. For us and the Town Match, the show must go on! 

As we got out towards the point on the par 4 7th, it began to spit rain. While the rain came and went quickly, it left us with this beautiful rainbow. HE was certainly blessing this day in so many ways.  We ended the front nine 1 up in the match. Still anybody's ball game as we made the turn. We had some challenging holes coming up, namely the devilish par 3 11th. Dead into a three club wind and severely sloping green, this one was tough. I thought I hit a good shot here but came up just short. Eamonn hit a good shot into the green. With the slope of the green and the gusting winds all hard left to right, their ball ended up over 75 ft away. Spence hit a good shot out of the bunker. The same slope and winds got us too and we ended up well away from the hole. Neither of us could get our ball to sit still long enough to putt it. We ended up agreeing to halve the hole and move on. We were all thankful to get off this  green. 

After finding a bunker off the tee on the par 4 13th, they pulled even with us. We managed to go back to 1 up on the par 5 14th before giving it right back on the par 4 15th. As I said earlier, these guys were really good and this was a fantastic match. We came to the 16th needing a good tee shot. Spence delivered and we avoided the bunkers down the left side. Mission accomplished! Paul set them up nicely as well in the heart of the fairway. The winds were howling off the right so club selection was a challenge. I was able to cover the left bunker, leaving Spence an uphill putt for birdie. Unfortunately, they found the bunker and were unable to get up and down for par. After another nervy five footer for par, we walked to the famous 17th Road Hole 1 up with 2 to play. Being an odd hole, finding the fairway was my job off the tee. I put my best driver swing of the day on it and hit a beautiful cut that never left the center of the fairway. EXHALE! 

I'm not sure I have ever been so nervous for Spence as he prepared to hit this second shot. It wasn't just any shot. This wasn't just any hole and this wasn't just any day. With the winds as strong as ever, we still had 200 yards in. He ripped his iron shot to the front left of the green, managing to avoid the infamous Road Hole Bunker. Eamonn hit a beauty as well, setting Paul up for his second shot. He hit it well, just a bit long and it ran through the green. We were left with a 40+ ft putt for birdie. It was uphill and into the wind. This was just the sort of putt I'd butchered earlier in the day. The backside of the bunker would push the ball right to left. After getting a read from Jordy, I locked in, stroked the putt and watched it as it tracked towards the hole. It was as if it was moving in slow motion. It never left the pin and rolled into the hole with perfect pace. I looked up to see Spence grinning from ear to ear. He was so happy, as was I. What a special moment! We won our match 2 and 1. Eamonn and Paul couldn't have been more gracious. They were genuinely happy for us as we shook hands. While the match was over on the 17th, Eamonn insisted the Spence and I play the 18th. He didn't have to do that and I will always appreciate the kindness in that moment. 

Spence and I both ripped it up the par 4 18th. Following our photos on the Swilcan Bridge, we walked side by side up the fairway. We both had short wedges into the green. I knocked it to six feet or so. He hit his even closer. We had a nice gallery gathered behind the 18th green. While it wasn't meant to be for Spence,  I was able to make mine for back to back birdies to finish the round. This day, this place, this course with Spence, it doesn't get any better! 

 

A Friday Fun Day...

New here? We're posting daily from Scotland through September 21 — follow the trip. 

Today was a wonderfully lazy day for us. We slept in a bit before heading out to see some of the sights in St Andrews. Of note, I wanted Spence to see the St Andrews Cathedral ruins. Such a massive complex that was built in the 1100's. So incredible to see the scale of these stone buildings and to imagine how it all came to be. One can only imagine how beautiful this place would have been in its prime. Still stunning to me in its current state. After walking through the beautiful stone arch at St Leonard's School, we were at the cathedral ruins. 

Another popular reason many golfers make their way to the St Andrews Cathedral ruins is to visit the gravesites of some of the world's most famous golfers. Both Old and Young Tom Morris (father and son) are buried here together. Their prowess on the golf course is the stuff of legend. Between the two of them they won eight Open Championships. Dad was the oldest Champion of the Open at 46 years of age. A record that still stands today. Son won four consecutive Open Championships by the age of 21. While Young Tom died far too early at the age of 24, Old Tom Morris lived a long life and was a foundational character in the game for decades. He was the "Keeper of the Green" at The Old Course. He also deigned and influenced numerous course across the UK and Ireland. Old Tom and his brother George were some of the founding members of The St Andrews Golf Club, of which Spence and I are proud members. Such a rich history here. Just beyond the Morris memorials is the marker for Old Tom's mentor and St Andrews Golf Club member, Allan Robertson. 

After leaving the cathedral ruins, we made our way for some coffee on St Andrews University's campus. Talk about some beautiful buildings and a rich history. 

As I said in the title, today was about chilling out and having some fun before the big match tomorrow. We had some shopping to do before we made our way to the club. Spence was all too willing to use his member card to get us in the door. So thankful to be able to share this with him. We grabbed a little bite to eat here, just enough to hold us until Little Italy. 

We popped into "The Dunny" for a pint before dinner. There we met a lovely couple from the Philly area here in the States. He was an R&A member in town for the Fall Meetings and his 1st Town Match. We sat and talked for quite some time before dinner. As we were leaving, they made a point of saying what a wonderful young man Spence was. Always nice to hear and couldn't agree more. 

 Dinner was excellent as always. Spence and I both went a different direction tonight. He went with a ribeye covered in Peppercorn Sauce and mushrooms. I went with the Lobster Ravioli dish. So good! With such a big day tomorrow, we were in early. Almost go time!!!

What a Hoolie at Crail...

New here? We're posting daily from Scotland through September 21 — follow the trip. 

Today we made our way down the coastline to Crail and the Balcomie Links. I thought we were playing at 12:40 pm but our time was 10:40 am. Thankfully, we were able to grab a later time at 1:30 pm. My little scheduling snafu gave us some more time to grab some lunch. All's well that ends well! The food was great as always in Crail's clubhouse. Spence has become quite the fan of vinegar on his chips. Who knew?  Now on to the golf...

The winds were forecast for 20-30mph sustained, with gusts even higher. Standing high atop the hill on the 1st tee, I'd say they were spot on. This was the windiest day on the course for me in quite some time if not ever. Spence would say the same. Today was a test of patience and humility. Spence started off strong with his 1st birdie of the day, a wedge to four feet. Well done!

The Par 4 5th hole sits hard along the water. It is nearly a 90 degree dogleg right, playing well over 400 yards on the card. With the wind today it was easily playing close to 500 yards. Brutal hole. We both escaped with "good" bogeys. 

Spence giving it a go on the 5th. 

Here's the green on the 5th. Have always loved how this hole backs up to the farm. There's usually a nice gallery of coos watching the golf. 

Par 3 6th below was a fun one. The wind that we were dead into off the 5th tee was now hard off the right. I was able to flight a five iron down and find the green, short left of the hole. One putt later, I had my first birdie of the day. Couldn't let Spence have all the fun. 

Taking a break on the Par 3 13th. It was so windy and had gotten quite a bit cooler. Nowhere to hide from the wind on this course. It was at this point we debated heading back to the house. We were going to miss our dinner reservations at Little Italy at the pace the round was going. We were able to push our reservations back so we could finish the round. Glad we did as today will serve as good practice for Saturday's very similar forecast. 

There actually was one place to hide from the wind and Spence found it on the way to the 15th tee. This cave has some historical significance as you can see below. Today, it was a place for Spence to take refuge. So many of these courses have so much history tied to them, golf or otherwise. 

Loved the view from high above on the 17th tee. You can see all four finishing holes as well as the clubhouse sitting high on the hill to the left. As the day begins to fade, the lighting was beautiful. Beautiful ending to another day of memories made. Today's match was a draw...We've halved two and he's won two. Wouldn't have it any other way!

Perfect....

We got back home in time for a much needed hot shower. Dinner wasn't until 8:15 pm so we didn't need to rush. Everything worked out perfectly and we enjoyed yet another wonderful meal at Little Italy. Spence and I both ate the same thing as the other night, Lasagne Al Forno for me and Tagliata Cosa Nostra for Spence. It's that good. Tomorrow is wide open as we don't have any golfing plans. The back is feeling better and I don't want to rock that boat prior to the Town Match on Saturday. There are still some things to show Spence here in town and we still need to get in a match over on the Himalayas putting course. 

Cruden Bay...This Gem Never Disappoints 

New here? We're posting daily from Scotland through September 21 — follow the trip. 

We were excited to get up here today for this one. Pictures don't do this place justice. It's as much a feel as it is a place. This member-owned club gets it right starting with the smallest of details. See our welcome sign below. Thoughtfully created each morning for the day's guests. A nice touch as soon as you walk into the grill room upstairs.

Still nursing the back a bit so we opted for lunch instead of hitting balls to warm up. It's a little over a two hour drive to Cruden Bay from St Andrews. Beautiful as the drive might have been, my back would argue differently. We had caddies for this round. I wanted to be able to focus on my game as well as savoring every moment with Spence. Murray was on Spence's bag and I was paired with Graham. Both were excellent caddies and it was clear from the start we were in good hands with them.

Off they go... The beginning of a wonderful afternoon. 

The Par 3 4th hole is a beauty. It sits right along a little harbor area to the left. Into the wind, it would give you all you wanted. Murray said Sir Nick Faldo once took driver off the tee to get there. Thankfully the winds were much kinder today. We both hit the green and both made par. 

High above the Par 5 5th hole. As you can see, the sun came out and made for a wonderful afternoon. 

Caddy conference here before teeing off on the Par 5 6th hole. He took their advice and hit a good one. Unfortunately my back started to give me fits about this time so it was slow and steady for me. 

Well placed bench behind the 8th tee. A little rest can do a body good. I was able to hit a good one on this short Par 4. A nice pitch and a two footer later, I carded the first birdie of the day. 

Spence and Murray dialing in a birdie putt on the 9th. Came up just shy but a nice par nonetheless. 

The one above is a view from the 10th tee, looking down onto the holes to come. Gorgeous views. 

                             

This Par 4 12th hole goes out to the farthest point from the clubhouse. Well worth the trek, as just below are the views from the back of the green as well as from the Par 4 13th tee box. We were able to spot some seals playing in the water and on the rocks. Good stuff!

Spence let this one rip...One of his best of the day! 

                                       

The holes along this backside run hard along the North Sea. Beautiful views all the way. This was from the Par 3 15th tee. The one below is the Par 3 16th. 

St Olaf's Well, seen below, sits alongside the 17th hole at Cruden Bay. There's an ancient burial ground and this well is said to commemorate the 1012 battle here where King Malcolm II of Scotland defeated the Danes. Afterward, Malcolm laid those enemy lives lost to rest here with honour and built a small chapel to  mark the spot. 

Today was a long day with all the travel. Wouldn't have had it any other way though. The course was as brilliant as ever. Murray and Graham were excellent caddies and we were blessed with wonderful weather. Lastly and most importantly, memories made with my boy! For those keeping up with the match count, Spence got the best of me today, 3 & 2. Truth be told, while I try my best, I always pull for him! Tomorrow we head to Crail. A much shorter drive thankfully. It's a fun course that I know Spence will enjoy. The winds are meant to be up tomorrow so it should be a good day. See you soon....