Thank you again for all that provided such useful input. Based on recommendations, my tentative course lineup is as follows. I will, god willing, have the good fortune to meet up with a couple of my GCA brothers in the Highlands and Fife as scheduled, but would dearly love to meet a few more from the treehouse around Aberdeen and/or Edinburgh. I'd love as much company as can be managed on my first international trek.
Date Priority Second Round (?)
Sunday 5/24 Arrival
M 25 Boat of Garten Tain
T 26 R. Dornoch*
W 27 Golspie Brora
Th 28 Nairn Fortrose & Rosemarkie
F 29 Cruden Bay
Saturday 5/30 Royal Aberdeen Murcar
Sunday 5/31 Crail- Balcombie* Crail-Craigshead*
M 1 Carnoustie (Champ) Panmure
T 2 St. Andrews (Old) (New)
W 3 Kingsbarns (8:00...) Elie
Th 4 Castle (#7)
F 5 Gleneagles (Kings) (Queens)
Saturday 6/6 Gullane (#1) Gullane #2
Sunday 6/7 N. Berwick (West)
M 6/8 Departure
* With GCA cyberfriend
Can anybody recommend reasonablly priced accomodations convenient to these courses and appropriate for a male of modest means travelling alone?
Clean hostels or modest bed & breakfasts in safe neighborhoods are desired.
Muchas gracias, amigos!
Kyle
You are certainly a go getter, but if you are alone this sort of forced march may suit a lot of people.
Trust me. I have organized more of these damn things than I care to remember. Pay particular attention to 1, 2, 4 & 5. The most important things are getting your priority courses banged up and sorting out the weekends - preferably with the priority courses (which are mainly Sunday or afternoon options if at all on weekends). All other decisions will necessarily follow on from these two main issues.
1. If there are courses you really want to see, book your holiday around them. There is no point in going through all the trouble you will to walk away disappointed. But, be choosy about the must sees or your itinerary may feel like a forced march.
2. Get your weekends sorted. Try to play the must sees on the weekend even if they charge a premium. This frees up the much easier weekdays to poke your nose about and see where it takes you. Plus, you may get lucky and hook up with some members for a game as these clubs are much more used during the weekend. I have on more than one occasion been approached by members looking to get out when the tee was crowded. Of course it was too late too save the green fee, but they may invite you back on another day at great savings and you will probably get some good advice about lesser courses to play.
3. If you are looking to walk up a load, get detailed schedules of visitors times and what is available before you leave.
4. If you are looking to walk up a load, do it in areas with lots of good courses. St Andrews for instance is a great walk up town. All the courses can be played on the day at any time of the year provided you know the schedule of closures, comps etc.
5. If you walk off a course and think it is great, play it again even if it is the next day. It doesn't make much sense to go in search of when your car is already in the lot of a great course. Often times, clubs will allow a second round at the day rate if you decide to go again on the same day even though that wasn't the original intent. This is another great thing about weekday golf over here. The secondary courses are generally empty on weekdays so going back out isn't often too hard.
Ciao