So, we had a terrific day at Goswick yesterday. A perfect - windy! - day with the course in great condition. Can’t believe it’s been a year already since BUDA.
What I want to talk about though is something slightly outside of the usual design and conditioning chat and that is some of the stuff which goes around the actual golf experience.
Goswick is 101 miles door-to-door for me. A two-hour drive each way. A pleasant enough journey across Fife, around Edinburgh and down through the rolling farming landscapes and sea views of East Lothian, the Borders and Northumberland. The super-special moment comes with the sign to Goswick on the A1. Taking that turning and following the winding country lane for the couple of miles to the Course is magical. The sense of anticipation is awesome. Even more so yesterday as I had to stop at the level crossing for a train to pass. The view of the Course from there is really enticing, raising the level of excitement to fever pitch!
There’s a real value to the feeling of isolation and privacy of a Course which requires a bit of effort to get to. Machrihanish is very similar in that respect. I suppose the idea of a ‘pilgrimage’ captures the sensation best.
Cheers,
F.