I really enjoyed that article.  So much better than their usual travel articles.

I loved the fact that the author fell victim to his desire to play TOC, made the call, found it closed, and happily played the local course.

It was a Wandering Golfer-esque moment.

When I got to Cullen, late that afternoon, the sky was brilliantly blue, but the wind was blowing so hard that it not only knocked over my golf bag if I left it standing but once actually rolled it on the ground. I loved the course, though, and eventually joined (as the fifth player) a lively, welcoming group of older golfers from a club called Hopeman, about 30 miles west. This was their second round of the day, and they were playing a scramble, in competition with three other groups from their club. Most of them were carrying flasks, from which they were sipping a mixture of something and Drambuie -- I couldn't quite make out the recipe -- and their golf bags were so full of empty beer bottles that they clanked when the wind knocked them over. Toward the end of the round, one of the men asked, in a slurry brogue, "Wha hoe wah noo?"

This sounds like he bumped into the Scotish division of the "Hillbilly Tour".  

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Most of them were carrying flasks, from which they were sipping a mixture of something and Drambuie -- I couldn't quite make out the recipe --

This sounds like he bumped into the Scotish division of the "Hillbilly Tour".  

They were most likely enjoying a favourite wee tipple amongst the out-doorsey set of Bonnie Scotland.
The only successful marriage of tastes with Drambuie is - well - WHISKY! Not a Single Malt, generally, but one of the blends is perfect. Bell's or Grouse is fine. Mixed 50/50 with the Drambuie, it makes what we lovingly call a 'Rusty Nail'. Quite dee-licious and most heart-warming on a chilly autumn or winter's day on the links. Yum!
My sporran flask oft contains the very elixir...

FBD.

Brian, thanks for posting the link, loved the David Owens piece, can't wait to follow the trail.  We enjoyed Downfield last week, it certainly isn't as far off the well-beaten track but a fine combination of difficult and quirky holes.  Too many trees for most on this site though.

three parts whisky to one part drambuie is what makes a rusty nail though martin... can't let the drambuie drown out the taste of the whisky after all...