Edinburgh and The Castle on The Hill

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

Today, I moved in slow motion. Why? Because I didn't want the day to end. It was our last day in St Andrews for this trip and I wanted to savor every minute of it. We had such an amazing day yesterday, there was so much to be thankful for. Spence joined me at All Saints for church this morning. On the way there, I saw this rose. I walked past it at first but then turned around. I have been very intentional this trip to take note of the wonderful things that GOD has put before us. As they say, you've got to stop and smell the roses, so I did! 

We made our way safely to Edinburgh after church. It was another beautiful day, making for a pleasant trip. I was eager to show Spence the Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Castle. While we didn't tour it as we had Dunnottar, he still got a good feel for the size and scope of it. The City Center and the Royal Mile were buzzing. Clear skies and warm temps had the streets full of visitors from all over. 

One thing I have always loved about this city is the architecture. As I have said all week, I marvel at how they built these beautiful structures with the means at their disposal. Stunning! 

Spence got sidetracked a few times with the ever-present street performers. They were working it hard today with all the crowds. Definitely some interesting acts to watch. 

After a walk from one end of the Royal Mile to the other, we found ourselves in The Royal Mile Tavern. A Tennent's or two seemed to make sense after all that walking. Spence soon became enamored with the Video Poker machine in the corner. As you can see, he struck it rich for all of about five minutes before donating it all back to the cause. All in good fun!

We made our way back up the hill towards the castle before heading back to the hotel. We had an early start the next morning. The trip back to the States is always a long travel day. I cannot begin to express the joy these past ten days have given me. To be able to share this special place with my favorite human was such a blessing. Good Lord willing, we will be back here together again in the near future. Until then, I hope you have all enjoyed being a part of our adventures across the pond. Haste ye back!

 

The Town Match...Part 2 (The After Party)

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

One thing I was looking forward to beyond today's golf was the fellowship that follows during the Town Match. Teeing off at 8:24 am meant that the overall competition wouldn't be over until dark. Traditionally, after the round, players will don their coat and tie and have lunch together at one of their respective clubs. Spence and I were set to host at The St Andrews Golf Club. We had some time before lunch so we met up with Eamonn and Paul in the "Dirty Bar" of the R&A. Clubhouse rules dictate coat and tie, but here you can come straight in from the course. The four of us grabbed a table and began to reflect on the day and our match. Sitting here with my son and these two wonderful gentlemen, I couldn't have been more grateful. I had hoped Spence would get a chance to see this place and there we were. It was here where we were introduced to Kümmel, a sweet liqueur, served at traditional Scottish and English Golf Clubs. I was told it was quite effective at steadying the nerves on the course! 

Spence and I hosted Eamonn and Paul for lunch upstairs, overlooking the 18th green of The Old. As we enjoyed lunch and some great conversation, I simply couldn't have asked for a better pairing for the day. Paul shared a story that will forever stick with me at that table. He said that there was a saying that for a great day of golf, you need three things: a great course, a great location and great pals. He went on to say that the first two don't count. At the end of the day, the game is the same wherever you are. It's the people you're with that matter. Looking across the table, I couldn't agree more! 

Now that we were all spruced up, we headed back to the R&A. While I had seen almost everything in there, Spence had not. Eamonn took him on a tour before coming back to grab Paul and me for some special pictures. What a treat! We made our way back to the Great Room for some more Kümmel and conversation. Good stuff and quite potent! Throughout the afternoon, we met some wonderful folks and it was so much fun watching my son interact with everyone. It was a proud Dad moment, almost as if time was standing still. The time came to say our goodbyes and we exchanged contact info and parted ways. 

We made one last pass through The Dunny before dinner. We had to, it's on the way. While there, we ran into our Philly friends, the Elliotts. I was glad to hear that he enjoyed his first Town Match. Apparently they had the same plans as we did and we would see them shortly at, you guessed it, Little Italy! I asked Spence during dinner if he wanted to play any more golf while here and I loved his answer. He said, "Dad, no, today was perfect!" I'd have to agree. Even though the R&A won the Town Match overall, we won the day!

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!!!