The Virginian Golf Club...

 

Today marks the beginning of a special week for Spence and me. Before he heads off to college to begin his collegiate golfing career, Spence and I are taking off to play some of the best courses VA has to offer. We'll also be paying a long overdue visit to some family here in Southern VA. We took off early this morning for The Virginian. This Tom Fazio beauty is nestled in the rolling Appalachian hills of Bristol VA. We couldn't have asked for better weather to enjoy this gorgeous layout. We had the course to ourselves and didn't see another group the entire day. Incredible! I'll get to the course in a moment. Before we get to the golf though, I'd be remiss if I didn't share these incredible Yurts with you. Each of these units come with either a delightfully comfortable King bed or two Queens. As luck would have it, the 2 Queens Yurt wasn't ready for us so they "forced" us into two King Yurts. No complaints here. Take a look inside. 

Now for the golf.....

The clubhouse above overlooks the practice green and driving range on this side. The other side overlooks the 9th green and the 10th tee. Loved the big clock below. Reminds me of some of my favorites from across the pond!

And off we go...Below is the view from the Par 4 1st hole. As we would soon find out, every hole out here offers some elevation change off the tee down into the beautiful Zoysia fairways. 

Here is the Par 3 2nd hole. Beautiful hole!

Here is the Par 5 3rd hole. The multi terraced tee boxes offer a gorgeous view of what lay ahead. This was a true 3 shot hole from all the way back. 

The 4th hole is a strong downhill par 4. It was a doozy and rightfully dubbed the #1 handicap hole. With this rough, you better find the fairway off the tee if you hope to find the green in regulation. 

Better split those two bunkers.....

Above is the corridor you have to get through to find the fairway on the Par 5 6th hole. Make it through and you have the chance to reach this green in two. Came up just short here but was able to make an easy birdie! 

Short par 4 7th below. This was the view from our 2nd shots. Roughly 105 yards in but with a two tiered green and a sharp drop off the back, distance control was key. 

What follows was my favorite hole on the front. The par 3 8th played downhill to a tiered green nestled right beside the water. The front pin location made club selection paramount. We both had 20 footers for birdie. While birdies would have been nice, we gladly walked off with two pars. 

Below rounds out the front 9 with another elevated tee shot down into the Par 4 ninth fairway. Pretty hole...

After a visit to the grill room for some Gatorades we were off to the back nine...Below is the Par 4 10th. Spence nearly drove the green from the tips....

Always nice to see some fans in the gallery alongside the Par 4 12th....

Big time Par 3 here at the 13th...230 yards into the wind from the tips. Don't come up short or it'll funnel well back down the false front. 

The last two shots are from the reachable Par 5 14th and the Par 3 15th. Continue to be impressed with this course. 

After a quick bite to eat in the Twenty - Two Bar and Grill, we hopped in the cart and made our way back over to the Yurts to turn in for the night.  Thankful for our travel mercies today as well as the wonderful weather and course here at The Virginian. What a great start to our week together. We don't have too far to travel tomorrow as we are headed just up the road to Olde Farm. Guess that's all for now!

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!