We hadn't seen this place since the 2010 Open Championship. We many fond memories of our last time here in St Andrews, many of which we have shared in previous blogs and essays. Hopefully, these next couple days would be equally successful in building some lasting memories. We didn't have the chance in previous visits to stay overnight in St Andrews so I wanted these last couple days of our trip to be something special. I was hopeful to get to play the Old Course again and Kristen had some time scheduled to visit her friends at the Old Course Hotel and Spa, emphasis on Spa. I came up on Friday to try and get on the ballot for play as a single but I got into town too late. Since I wasn't getting to play that day I spent some time walking around this beautiful town. I had no where to be since Kristen was back in Edinburgh working out and studying at the Dalmahoy. I'd be back to get her later in the day.......
Below are some images I captured along the way. St Andrews Castle sits perched along the coast line, just down from the R & A Clubhouse. I also captured a couple shots of the clock tower rising high above the town.
Not only is St Andrews the "Home of Golf" it has also been the home to several of the world's most famous golfers. Old Tom Morris and his son, Young Tom Morris. were both from St Andrews. I made my way down from the castle to the beautiful cathedral ruins and graveyard where they were laid to rest. Golf has always had a way of creating a special bond between fathers and sons. It's no different today with me and my son Spence. Take a look at these beautiful tributes to both.
I stopped by the hotel before heading out to get Kristen. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted these last couple of days on our trip to be something special. Our home for the next two days would be the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, which sits overlooking the 18th fairway and green. What a view!! We had the Young Tom Morris suite. located right above the big glass windows in the pictures below. It is a beautiful hotel and we couldn't have asked for a better location. I couldn't wait to get Kristen back up here to show her....
By the time we got back to St Andrews we were both starving at it was time to eat. We decided to head back to our favorite hang out, the Dunvegan for dinner and drinks. It sits right around the corner from the 18th green of the Old Course and our hotel. Perfect!! As usual it was crowded and we had to wait a bit for a table. The PGA Tour was playing on Sky Sports so we had hoped to watch a little of the tournament. Our patience was rewarded with the perfect corner table, an excellent vantage point for some brilliant people watching. Along with the golf, we were very much entertained by a group of guys from Sweden who were doing their best to drink every ounce of beer Jack and Sheena (Owners) had in the place. Who knew there were so many different ways to toast one another? One thing we knew for sure, there would be some heavy heads in the morning when those boys hit the first tee. We left them to their revelry as I was planning on getting up early to secure a tee time on the Old Course. 3:00 AM would come awful early tomorrow......
3:00 AM did indeed come early. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I did my best to get dressed and out the door without waking Kristen. I could see the starter's hut out of our windows and it didn't look like anyway else was there. Hopefully I would be able to get a spot on the ballot today. I ran over to the hut and to my surprise found that I would be # 7 in line for a spot. There was a group of guys from South Florida that he been there since 1:15 AM. WOW! The other two were friends from the Northeast. For the next several hours we all swapped golfing stories from our trips, regaling about birdies made and the courses we have played. St Andrews' finest also stopped by with their spot lights to try and catch some folks who were supposedly out on the Old Course in the middle of the night. I couldn't help but wonder if they were out looking for Seamus Macduff. More importantly, I wondered how I could slip away to join them in their search without losing my spot in line. I had to stay focused on the task at hand so I stayed put. Thankfully the rain and wind stayed away for the most part while we waited. At 6:30 AM Malcolm showed up at the Starter's Hut to take our names. After producing my photo ID and USGA Handicap card, I secured my time for later that morning. Hallelujah! I had a chance to go back and rest. I wouldn't be teeing off until 10:15 or after. Take a look below at the Old Course Starter's Hut, where some golfers' dreams are realized and where others go to die!
After some rest and a good breakfast, it was time to head out. Kristen was excited to get to the one of her favorite places on the planet, the Kohler Waters Spa at the Old Course Hotel. She had a little surprise waiting for her. What better way to start off your treatments than with a little champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries? Needless to say, she was pleased as was I. I made my way over to the course and was paired with three folks, a young man from California and two gents from Edinburgh. It was good grouping and we had a great time. Shortly after teeing off, I get this message..... "I'm watching you come down the 1st fairway. Putter in hand looks like. Good shot. Thanks for the champagne and chocolate. Just sealed the deal - pick me up tomorrow!! Love you!" Happy Kristen...... Now it's time to focus on the golf.....
Even though you could land a jumbo jet on the 1st fairway here at the Old Course, it was still a nervous first tee shot. Take a look at some of my favorites from the outgoing 9 holes here at the Old Course. Always thankful for a good caddy here as these sight lines off the tee are challenging to say the least. See for yourself....
The 9th is one of my favorites for sure. I love looking at this drivable par 4 with the town as the backdrop. Great vantage point from this tee. While drivable, these bunkers must be avoided. I wasn't able to make the green but I did give myself a great chance for birdie. Good stuff.
The incoming 9 has some great holes as well. The par 3 11th is known as "the shortest par 5 in Scotland." Both times I have had the pleasure of playing it, the winds have been blowing hard into and from the left making the shot into the green a daunting one. The bunkers you see are no good. The green slopes hard from back to front. Lastly, long is no good either. Other than that, it's a pretty easy hole. I went wide right on this double green (7th and 11th share a green) and ended up with more than 50ft for birdie. I was pleased to hit a great first putt, leaving myself a tap in for par. Mission accomplished. I've played this hole twice and have made two pars. I'll take that all day long.
Here are some other of my favorites from the back 9. Again, I love the having the town as the back drop on some of these shots. The double greens are something special as well. Check out the undulations on these greens. Keep your wits about you with putter in hand!! The last two shots are from the par 5 14th, another of my favorites. There is trouble down the right side that is to be avoided. Also to be avoided is "Hell Bunker" below. Fun thing about this bunker is that you cannot see it from the fairway. Go for the green in two and you better hit it well or you'll end up here. You'll be lucky to make par from here if you can even get it out of there on the first try. Thankfully, I avoided the trouble and was able to make a solid par here. Pars don't hurt!
The famous "Road Hole" par 4 17th is a great hole. The first pic is the view from the new tee put in place for the 2010 Open. The tee shot here challenges conventional wisdom as you must aim at / over the hotel to keep your tee shot in the fairway and give yourself a chance to hit the green in two. The second pic is the view from my tee shot. As you can see, I found the fairway and was able to make a par. One more hole to go....
All good rounds must come to an end. Here is the view from the 18th tee as well as a pic of two of golf's most iconic images. Today was a long day but well worth it when all was said and done. Kristen and I had a great day and it was an early night for us as we were both exhausted. Tomorrow we head back to Edinburgh for our last night of the trip. Edinburgh Castle here we come.....
