SCOTLAND!!!

[Tom Huckaby]

It would be a good investment to take a caddie the first time at the Old Course.  There are so many ways to play each hole that a good caddie will be a great insight to how.

That's true.. but the key word there is "good."

My batting average for such is .500 - great for baseball, not so great for spending extra money on a trip packed with large expenses to begin with.

TH

[Bill_McBride]

It would be a good investment to take a caddie the first time at the Old Course.  There are so many ways to play each hole that a good caddie will be a great insight to how.

That's true.. but the key word there is "good."

My batting average for such is .500 - great for baseball, not so great for spending extra money on a trip packed with large expenses to begin with.

TH

True, I am 50/50 on the Old Course.  My first was a yahoo I met in the bar the night before who was hungover at 6:30 am the next morning.

The next time I asked ahead for some suggested names, requested those three, got one who I have since used three more times and recommended a few times as well.  He costs a few more quid but well worth the investment.  He knows all the possible lines on each hole and recommends the one best suited to how you are hitting the ball that day, rather than a 'one size fits all approach.'

For example, on #12 it was obvious I couldn't carry the minefield of bunkers in the fairway, so he had me hit the ball almost to the Eden course.  From that position I had a 120 yard shot looking right down the axis of the green to a front pin.  Should have been a can of corn.   

[Tom Huckaby]

Bill - Tony Muldoon started a new topic about this.  Best to discuss over there.

In any case, as I say, asking for someone also doesn't mean he's around or available.  Of course if it works, that's the best way. 

[Kyle Henderson]

It would be a good investment to take a caddie the first time at the Old Course.  There are so many ways to play each hole that a good caddie will be a great insight to how.

I'm covered. My intention is to aim down the right side (slighly in bounds) and pull it, at least for the first and last five holes. If I hit a bunker, I'll blast out. No biggie. I expect that I'd find more of them if I knew where they were. Blissul ignorance.

Also, I intend to aim for the middle of each green and play to the closest pin, whether or not it's correctly numbered.

(Seriously though, is there a rule which grants a free drop if you accidently find the wrong cup?)

Follow up question: Any attractive lady caddies (don't tell my girlfriend I asked) ?

[jeffwarne]

It would be a good investment to take a caddie the first time at the Old Course.  There are so many ways to play each hole that a good caddie will be a great insight to how.

That's true.. but the key word there is "good."

My batting average for such is .500 - great for baseball, not so great for spending extra money on a trip packed with large expenses to begin with.

TH

True, I am 50/50 on the Old Course.  My first was a yahoo I met in the bar the night before who was hungover at 6:30 am the next morning.

Bill,
Umm if you met him in the BAR, what were you expecting him to be doing at 6:30 am-changing the holy water in the church?

and if he was merely hung over at 6:30-I'd say he's a pretty GOOD caddie.
Most are still drunk at 6:30

[Bill_McBride]

It would be a good investment to take a caddie the first time at the Old Course.  There are so many ways to play each hole that a good caddie will be a great insight to how.

That's true.. but the key word there is "good."

My batting average for such is .500 - great for baseball, not so great for spending extra money on a trip packed with large expenses to begin with.

TH

True, I am 50/50 on the Old Course.  My first was a yahoo I met in the bar the night before who was hungover at 6:30 am the next morning.

Bill,
Umm if you met him in the BAR, what were you expecting him to be doing at 6:30 am-changing the holy water in the church?

and if he was merely hung over at 6:30-I'd say he's a pretty GOOD caddie.
Most are still drunk at 6:30

But Jeff, I met him at 8 p.m.!  How did I know he'd be out all night? 

[Scott Warren]

Just wanted to bump this, as Kyle is two days from returning home... I'm looking forward to hearing all about his trip.

[Patrick Kiser]

Just wanted to bump this, as Kyle is two days from returning home... I'm looking forward to hearing all about his trip.

He might not be coming back... 

[Carl Nichols]

Are the caddies as hit-or-miss in Ireland?  I have a late July trip I'm planning and hadn't been thinking I'd need to devote effort to finding good caddies....

[Bill_McBride]

Are the caddies as hit-or-miss in Ireland?  I have a late July trip I'm planning and hadn't been thinking I'd need to devote effort to finding good caddies....

Just be sure to let the club know in advance you want a caddie.  There may not be any hanging around.  Only TOC in my experience has caddies waiting for unplanned arrivals.

[Tim Leahy]

Do any of the great Scottish courses allow riding carts?

[Cristian]

Do any of the great Scottish courses allow riding carts?

Maybe, but you might have to bring one yourself.... ;-)

[Kyle Henderson]

I just got in the door. Fantastic trip. Sunny almost everyday. Winds were very manageable. I'm honored that my trip merited a return to the top of the thread heap.

I'll save details (and complete sentences) for later this week, as I'm into my 24th consecutive hour of awake-itude.

Golf wise,  I saw (and attempted to savor) a ridiculously ample sample of Scotland's finest... 36 holes each and every day.

My credit card bill will surely be horrendous.

More to come.

-K

[ed_getka]

Kyle,
   Welcome back. I look forward to hearing about the trip after you've recovered from the jet lag.

[Patrick Kiser]

Welcome back Captain... 

[Melvyn Morrow]

Kyle

Welcome back and hope it was great fun.

Also looking forward to your in-depth thoughts and photos of your endeavours.

Am pleased you played 36 holes, which should have broken the ice and given you a real feel for each course. 

Can’t wait for your comments.

Melvyn

[Kyle Henderson]

Am pleased you played 36 holes, which should have broken the ice and given you a real feel for each course. 

Except I only played the same course twice on a few occasions...

[Anthony Gray]

  Kyle,

  You are up early, I see you are stil on scotish time. What courses did you play? Would you please list them?

  Thanks,

  Anthony

[Kyle Henderson]

For inquiring minds, “The” synopsis:

Travel Day: SFO to Amsterdam, 5 hour layover (walked around downtown), second plane to Edinburgh.  Land at 4pm local time on an hours sleep, drive to Dornoch (4 hours). Crash. Wake up and go.

             AM                          PM
DAY 1 Royal Dornoch        Brora (w/ David Tepper)
High fog, dead calm, no movement on the North Sea

DAY 2 Golspie                    Royal Dornoch (w/ David Tepper) + peeked at Tain & Skibo Castle
Partially cloudy (the occasional few seconds of spit, followed by sunshine an very light breezes)

DAY 3 Castle Stuart (Tour) Nairn (joined a member team stableford fun, classy old gents)
Cloudy but calm and dry

DAY 4 Royal Aberdeen        Murcar (walked during Scottish Strokeplay Tourney practice round)
Partially cloudy, slight breeze

DAY 5 Cruden Bay              Cruden Bay (chat w/ Ally Matheson, greenskeeper, good chap)
Very warm, sunny with medium easterly winds in the afternoon

DAY 6 St Andrews-Castle    St Andrews-Old (walked up at 3:20, out at 3:40)
Sunny and warm again, strong south easterly winds

DAY 7 Crail- Craigshead      Crail-Balcombie (with Marc Pearce and Marty Gynn Bonnar)
Sunny and warm, calm

DAY 8 Carnoustie-Champ    Panmure (paired with Muirfield member, invited for Friday!)
The occasional cloud, warm, calm

DAY 9 St. Andrews-New     St. Andrews-Eden (peeked at Jubilee & St. Andrews Bay)
Cloudy, slight breeze.

DAY 10 Kingsbarns              Lundin Links (peeked at Elie, ladies tourney prevented play)
Sunny morning, partially cloudy afternoon with mild winds

DAY 11 Gleneagles-Kings    Gleneagles Queens (peeked at PGA centenary)
Partially cloudy, calm

DAY 12 Muirfield (front 9) Muirfield (18 holes, foursomes with members)
Mostly sunny, despite forecast, mild easterly winds

DAY 13 Gullane #2              Gullane #1
Mostly cloudy, rainy, and with strong south easterly gusts! What gives?!

Day 14 N. Bewick-West       N. Berwick-West
Partially cloudy in the morning, sunny afternoon, slight breeze.

Travel Day: Wake up at 3 am, drive to Edinburgh, fly back to SFO via Amsterdam. Dinner with girlfriend. Crash.

Today: Wake up early. Edit photos to share with my GCA brethren.

[Anthony Gray]

  Kyle,

  What did you think of Castle Stuart?

  Did anything suprise you about the trip?

  When you go back is there a "can't miss" course?

  What do you think about the food?

   Anthony

[Bill_McBride]

What a wonderful break, meeting a Muirfield member and getting to play there.  I'm sure your foursomes partner was astonished by your length.  My partner in that game at Muirfield was Philip Gawaith, who is enormously long in contrast to yours truly.  We both got to play second shots from places where we usually don't get to (or have to in his case!  )

Great trip, memories for a lifetime.  I'm sorry you weren't able to play Elie, it was the biggest surprise for me last time over.  The 36 at North Berwick makes it for it on the Quirk-o-meter but barely!

Welcome home, look forward to hearing about the pleasant surprises as well as the known wonders.

[Kyle Henderson]

  Kyle,

  What did you think of Castle Stuart?

  Did anything suprise you about the trip?

  When you go back is there a "can't miss" course?

  What do you think about the food?

   Anthony

Mr. Gray,

To answer your queries:

-Castle Stuart looks to be a very amazing course. Certainly it is as visually appealing as can be (a Parsinen trademark), but it also appears to possess those lovely little ripples that make links golf so much fun, especially around the greens. The figure eight routing should provide a balanced test in different wind conditions. While it is nigh impossible to o ffer a strong opinion without playing the course, I suspect few from this forum will give it less than an 8 on the Doak scale. It has the potential for greatness, no doubt.

-I was surprised by how slow some of the greens were in Scotland, especially given how hard they still play on wet days (of which I had few).

-Should I manage to set aside enough time and reources for a return trip, I plan to focus on the western coast of Scotland (Machrihanish, Turnberry, Prestwick, Western Gailes, Troon). But, of the courses I played, I would most relish a return to Royal Dornoch and Cruden Bay.

-The food was decent enough taste-wise, but I will have difficulty facing my patients (cardiovascular disease) this week.

-K

[Anthony Gray]

  Kyle,

  Thank you for your response and your shout out for Cruden Bay. CB is a very unique golfing experience. Did you play with someone that knew the course or take a caddy?

  Anthony

[Kyle Henderson]

What a wonderful break, meeting a Muirfield member and getting to play there.  I'm sure your foursomes partner was astonished by your length.  My partner in that game at Muirfield was Philip Gawaith, who is enormously long in contrast to yours truly.  We both got to play second shots from places where we usually don't get to (or have to in his case!  )

Great trip, memories for a lifetime.  I'm sorry you weren't able to play Elie, it was the biggest surprise for me last time over.  The 36 at North Berwick makes it for it on the Quirk-o-meter but barely!

Welcome home, look forward to hearing about the pleasant surprises as well as the known wonders.

That was a very lucky turn of events. Sharing in that splendid lunch hour in that stately dining room with a few dozen members had to be a much different experience from that of "visitor day" luncheons. My host has been an HCEG member since 1976, so he knows all the regulars. Priceless.

Another lucky concidence: Mark Pearce, GCA poster extraordinaire, sent me an email suggesting we meet by the 18th green of the Old Course on Saturday at 8 pm. I never got the email, but I happened to play the Old that day and finish at that exact time. Spooky.

A great chap and gracious host.

Oh, I also had more good weather during my two-week stay than the U.K. had during all of 2008, according to the locals.

[Kyle Henderson]

  Kyle,

  Thank you for your response and your shout out for Cruden Bay. CB is a very unique golfing experience. Did you play with someone that knew the course or take a caddy?

  Anthony

Played the morning with two South Carolinians. One of them had played there previously. He was helpful. His friend was 70 years-old and a very fast player. We finished in 3 hours flat, quite the feat in that terrain! In the afternoon, I played with a local fisherman/member and his brother in-law.