Starting to plan for a 2014 summer/fall golf trip and went back to look at this thread. I realized there are some questions I didn't answer and I never posted photos. I didn't take all that many photos on the trip but figured I could post a few.
Joe: which 5 courses do you wish you hadn't bothered organsing and which are your top 5 courses from the trip.
I don't regret playing any of the courses I played, that being said I probably won't play the following courses on a return trip:
Machynys Peninsula Golf Club - If I wanted to play a Nicklaus faux links course I'll do it in the US. I do regret I didn't listen to the advice of my Pennard playing companion to play Ashburnham.
Murcar Links - Unless they restore the width.
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club - Nothing wrong with the place just other places I'd rather play.
Strathtrynum - Why play here when you have other options that are far superior
The International - An expensive version of an American CFAD
What was your total miles driven, Joe? Looks like it had to be well over 1,000 maybe even 1,500.
It was nearly 1800 miles in the UK and about 800 km in the Netherlands.
Joe,
When you want a further break from unpacking boxes perhaps you could let us know which courses you enjoyed playing the most and which you think are the best tests of golf.
Royal Dornoch was my favorite course and I also really enjoyed Royal Hague and De Pan. That being said those are easy answers. The courses I was most surprised with and really enjoyed playing were Pennard, Borth, Fraserburgh, Golspie (really any of the Braid Courses). The reason I say those courses is I felt like what the members valued are the same things I value. At each of these courses I could feel the members and staff all loved their course, loved golf and wanted to share their passion.
As far as the best tests of golf I associate that with challenging. Murcar was clearly the most challenging. If you missed the fairways you were dead. If you missed the greens you were in trouble. The course that offered the most challenge while still playable I thought was Dornoch. I'm glad the most prolific course designer in the US was from Dornoch.
The rolling firm ground at Pennard was a great intro to golf in the UK.
A rough weather day at Aberdovey
A view down over Royal St. Davids from close to where we stayed the night.
Mackenzies Cavendish. One of three inland courses I played on the trip.
Stonehaven was probably the most unique course I played.
My wife's favorite walk was at Fraserburgh
Does it get any better than Dornoch...
For me it doesn't get any better than Dornoch...my favorite course
I really loved the texture and colors at the Castle Course. I thought it was a pretty good course that played easier than it looks.
TOC seems like it should be so easy...if you can avoid the bunkers.
Where else would this be acceptable.
*edited because images were lost...not sure if these were the original images.