Scotland pics

[Art Roselle]

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to sunny Scotland.  Great time, although we were there the week of the Open and got some of that wind.

Started at Brora, which was a treat.  Arrived at 6:00PM and played 30 holes before dark.  Brora has a great feel and some dramatic spots


especially if you don't hit it where you are supposed to


There are some tough approaches like here


or here at the par three 6th


And of course you cannot go to Brora without some pictures of sheep


Then off to Dornoch.  The tough par three 2nd


The 5th has a great look from the tee


And if you hit it far enough, you can get lucky and skirt the bunkers and find yourself putting for a two (not me, by the way)


Then the fun par three 6th


The great view back from the 7th tee


The par three 10th


and 13th


The famous approach at Foxy


Where after two great shots, into a 30MPH wind, you usually find yourself left with this (also not me)


One of the great looking par threes at Nairn

 
And some evidence of the wind here at the 8th, with its extra tall pin


Some of the dramatic views at Royal Aberdeen


Looking back down the confusing par 5 2nd


We loved Gullane too, especially the holes that played downhill rather than up, like here at the 11th


The famous Pit at North Berwick


Better to leave yourself to the right like this fellow, than left and into the ocean (like me, which is why I had time to take several pictures here)



And finally, the Redan 15th



I have more, but those are the best ones and I figure that is enough.  We also played Tain and Muirfield, although I did not take many pictures there.  Muirfield was the favorite of most of our group.  Playing in twosomes in 2:50 with almost nobody on the course did not hurt the already great experience there.

Art

[RJ_Daley]

Thanks Art, they were very enjoyable to view.

[Chip Gaskins]

Art

Thanks for the pics...man, I miss the UK!

[David_Tepper]

Art -

Thanks for the pics. Glad you got some nice weather on your trip.

I am always glad to look at pics of Brora & Dornoch. #6 at Brora is as tough a par-3 as any in the Highlands. It always seems to play into the wind, which does not make it any easier.

My hat is off to the fellow in your group putting for a 2 on #5 at Dornoch. He hit one helluva drive to get to that spot!

DT 

[Melvyn Morrow]

Art

Many thanks for the photos - just great, look forward to the Tain shots

Well Done

Melvyn

[Art Roselle]

The fellow on the 5th green actually hit it on both rounds.  Sort of amazing, given the good fortune required.

I did a bad job of getting the camera out at Tain.  So, about all I have to offer is this view back at the green of the Alps 11th, from the 12th tee.  Any good Alps hole has to have a bell.
 




Here are a few more of Dornoch, while I am at it.  The approach to the 4th, with the 5th and 6th greens in the background




And the great view from the crest of the hill at the 8th.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Great pictures Art thanks for sharing.

I've played all of those courses, but not in one trip.  That must have been awesome.  Was that your full itinerary or did you play elsewhere other than Tain & Muirfield?  What was your favourite and why?

[Ed Oden]

Art, great pics.  You said that Muirfield was the favorite of most in your group.  Was that your view as well?  What did you think of the rest of the courses?

Ed

[Art Roselle]

The official itinerary was

Sunday - Nairn
Monday - Dornoch
Tuesday - Nairn
Wednesday - Aberdeen
Thursday - Carnoustie
Friday - Gullane #1 and Muirfield
Saturday - N. Berwick

We played 36 at some (most) and 18 at some.  A couple of us went over a day early and played Brora and Tain also, but that was sort of spur of the moment.

Ed, I did like Muirfield the best, which is actually sort of a suprise to me.  I really did not expect it to be my favorite (not sure why).  I think the fact that it is not right on the water and my memories of watching Tiger shoot 81 in the deep deep rough may have biased my expectations of how brutal it might be.  In any case, the fact that it overwhelmed those biases and ended up top of the list (for everyone) shows just how good it is.  I would say the key factors are (in no particular order)

1- The variety and feel of the course is fantastic.  There are just no bad holes.  In addition, the circular routing is a welcome relief when you have been playing in 30MPH wind for a week.  The wind still blew hard, but at least the direction of each hole varies as you go around.  At the more out-and-back courses, we always found ourselves playing 8 straight holes into the teeth of the wind (and then 7 or 8 straight down wind).  That becomes a bit grueling and monotonous after a while.  Muirfield never feels that way.

2- The bunkering is awesome.  The way the bunkers sit low in the ground and draw balls toward them from all directions is a great feature.  They are generally small, but play huge and very strategic.  In many ways, they really make the course.

3- the whole experience is just great.  You cannot beat playing in under 3 hours with no one around and the history of the club is pretty special.

After the round, we all agreed that Doak's description is about perfect (even though we did not necessarily qualify for the low handicap or scratch description)

“Maybe the world’s best championship course, Muirfiled is one of just two Open venues (along with Turnberry) which low-handicap Americans are guaranteed to like; its visual definition and classic route plan are what the scratch player would characterize as “fair”, but it still exudes character and charm.  The quality of its bunkering is unsurpassed: each one is a fearsome hazard, but the mix of old-fashioned cross-bunkers and strategically placed wing hazards encourages the player to flirt with them, instead of forcing him to drive into tight corsets.  Each of the three par-5 holes is an essay on bunker placement, and as a set they’re probably the best three-shotters on any course in the world.  The uphill par-3 13th, to an armchair green with cruel bunkers along its flanks, is another favorite. 10.”  -- Tom Doak

In an otherwise good round, I made a true X on that armchair 13th.  Had it been a tournament, I think I would have had to withdraw after giving up in one of those "cruel bunkers".

Art