My (extended) UK golf trips

[Mike Worth]

Wanted to share that I took an extended solo golf trip to the UK this year.  It was actually a short trip in June and a 36-day trip from late Aug to Sep 29.  As retired military, I traveled “space available” in KC-10 tankers for a couple parts of the trips which saved money, as did the favorable exchange rate.


I culled a list of courses from GCA that seemed worthwhile.  Some were highly regarded, ranked courses, others were “lessor knowns” designed by Golden Era architects.  I didn’t play courses that I played during previous trips.  That meant I didn’t play TOC, St Andrews (New) Kingsbarn, Crail, Castle Stuart, Brora, Royal Dornoch, Troon, and Prestwick during this trip.  Same for Ireland as I had already played Waterville, Lahinch, Tralae, Old Head, and Ballybunion. 


The trip was a personal respite after the loss of a close family member in December (my sister) whom I took care of for 18 years. 


Courses played this year:  Northamptonshire, Cleeve Hill, Burnham and Barrow, Weston-Supre-Mare, Teignmouth, Keilir (Iceland), Braid Hills, Macrihanish Dunes, Macrihanish, Dunaverty, Prestwick St. Nicholas, West Killbride, Pitreavie, Elie, Longniddry, Gullane 2 & 3, North Berwick, Alwoodley, Moortown, Seaton Carew, Woodhall Spa, Seacroft, Narin and Portoo, Cruit Island, St. Patricks, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush – 28 courses in total 


If it looks like I jumped around a lot, it’s because I booked transport about a week in advance to take advantage of the best deals.  The NI/Donegal trip was originally unplanned and a function of train travel plans being upended due to rail strikes and then the Queen’s passing. 


Special thanks to Mike Cirba and Michael Graham for helping me during one aspect of the trip. 


I’m only posting two pictures, which were the most liked on my FB page.  Also including a list of bests and worsts, some of which is intended as good fun, if a bit irreverent.

Best Par 3s (in no particular order) - Cruit Island 5, Narin and Portoo 11, Burnham and Barrow 17, Northamptonshire 15, Alwoodley 11, Moortown 10, Seaton Carew 3, Elie 10, Woodhall Spa 5, Pitreavie 12, Cleeve Hill 16, St. Patrick's 2.










Best short par 4s - Woodhall Spa 16, Macrihanish 6, Macrihanish Dunes 1, Moortown 5.


Best long Par 4s - Macrihanish 14, Northamptonshire 16, Longniddry 7, Portrush 4, Cleeve Hill 13, St Patrick’s 16, RCD 9.


Par 5s - Narin and Portoo 10, Macrihanish 12, North Berwick 9, Teignmouth 1.



Best Mackenzie Greens: Teignmouth. Alwoodley is a close 2nd


Happy accident - Braid Hills


Unhappy accident - Pitreavie.


Worst holes - Pitreavie 10, Teignmouth 17.


Easy to see why this course is moving down the rankings:  Macrihanish Dunes.


GCA most over-romanticized - Dunaverty.


RCD vs Royal Portrush — Portrush


Best starter shack - North Berwick.


Best area to decamp for a week that flies under the radar:  Leeds.


Longest stretch without playing a par five: 59 holes.


Best views - Cruit Island, West Killbride, North Berwick


Most intriguing greens:  Northamptonshire 16, North Berwick 16




















That's me in the greenside bunker -- Seaton Carew #4.  I made an amazing bunker shot, so good the member who took the pic offered to rake my bunker.  I missed the 5' par putt.

[jeffwarne]

Fantastic trip! 36 days-that's a goal for sure.


I loved Dunaverty, and have returned each time when in the area, and always found it charming and great value.
I guess I can understand your "over romanticized" description when put into the context of such a long and varied trip. You played a lot of romanticized places!


Curious if travelling by train how you got from course to course, hotel etc.
I've always found rental cars quite affordable in the UK/Ireland.
(with the noted exceptions of vans this year-whoa-far cheaper to rent two sedans)


Curious about your selection of #11 at N&P(if I even have the right hole), which felt so similar to every other par three at the new N&P(except 7/6?-or whatever hole it is now)


Curious about the current state of Mach Dunes-I played it in 2009 and wasn't enamored with the massive scale of the place-or being forced to be led around by someone who actually didn't know the course.
But there were some really cool things I liked as well about it-the rawness.


Great to see you played West Kilbride which I enjoyed greatly.


Agreed on Braid Hills-a Finegan rec from his books.

[Mike Worth]

Fantastic trip! 36 days-that's a goal for sure.


I loved Dunaverty, and have returned each time when in the area, and always found it charming and great value.
I guess I can understand your "over romanticized" description when put into the context of such a long and varied trip. You played a lot of romanticized places!


Curious if travelling by train how you got from course to course, hotel etc.
I've always found rental cars quite affordable in the UK/Ireland.
(with the noted exceptions of vans this year-whoa-far cheaper to rent two sedans)


Curious about your selection of #11 at N&P(if I even have the right hole), which felt so similar to every other par three at the new N&P(except 7/6?-or whatever hole it is now)


Curious about the current state of Mach Dunes-I played it in 2009 and wasn't enamored with the massive scale of the place-or being forced to be led around by someone who actually didn't know the course.
But there were some really cool things I liked as well about it-the rawness.


Great to see you played West Kilbride which I enjoyed greatly.


Agreed on Braid Hills-a Finegan rec from his books.

Lots of (great) questions.  The train was easy.  I never had more than a 7/10 (0.7) mile walk from a train station to a hotel, with a couple of exceptions.  I furiously resisted taking taxis.  For the golfing part of the trip, I spent 21 British Pounds total on two taxi fares, part of which was a 5 pound tip to a really good driver.  So if you don't mind dragging the golf travel bag up to 7/10 of a mile, then what I did works. 


You're right about rental cars.  Patience paid off especially travelling somewhat off peak.  Example -- Budget dropped rental car prices to $28 per day when I was in the Lothians and Fife -- but that rate only became available 2 days before I flew into Edinburgh.  So I kept that rental car for 2 weeks and moved from hotel to hotel.  I think the 2 week invoice for that rental car was $848 -- including full insurance coverage for 2 weeks. 


Narin and Portoo 11 -- you're right, the hole is similar to the other par 3s.  I was struck by how the bunker flashed up with sand and grass to make the hole mostly blind - not the case with the others.  Some holes I can't get out of my mind and N/P 11 is such a hole. 


I don't know how to answer the Mac Dunes question.  I shared my feelings about the place to others - which include the ridiculous green to tee walks, the odd routing of 4, 5, 6 (294 yd par 4, followed by two par 3s of 130 yards), and too many blind holes.  Through these discussions, I learned of the environmental issues and the desire to not move earth.  I get it.  But the course has been open for a while now.  Some newbie like me shows up and sees it for how it is now -- the history of how and why it was built in that manner doesn't matter any more.  I played Mac Dunes by myself.  It took me a while to find the holes, but I found the place marked well-enough to get around, although I never found the 18th green from the fairway.  I was physically and mentally exhausted after the round.  Don't know if that answers your Mac Dunes question. 

[jeffwarne]

Fantastic trip! 36 days-that's a goal for sure.


I loved Dunaverty, and have returned each time when in the area, and always found it charming and great value.
I guess I can understand your "over romanticized" description when put into the context of such a long and varied trip. You played a lot of romanticized places!


Curious if travelling by train how you got from course to course, hotel etc.
I've always found rental cars quite affordable in the UK/Ireland.
(with the noted exceptions of vans this year-whoa-far cheaper to rent two sedans)


Curious about your selection of #11 at N&P(if I even have the right hole), which felt so similar to every other par three at the new N&P(except 7/6?-or whatever hole it is now)


Curious about the current state of Mach Dunes-I played it in 2009 and wasn't enamored with the massive scale of the place-or being forced to be led around by someone who actually didn't know the course.
But there were some really cool things I liked as well about it-the rawness.


Great to see you played West Kilbride which I enjoyed greatly.


Agreed on Braid Hills-a Finegan rec from his books.

Lots of (great) questions.  The train was easy.  I never had more than a 7/10 mile walk from a train station to a hotel, with a couple of exceptions.  I furiously resisted taking taxis.  For the golfing part of the trip, I spent 21 British Pounds total on two taxi fares, part of which was a 5 pound tip to a really good driver.  So if you don't mind dragging the golf travel bag up to 7/10 of a mile, then what I did works. 


You're right about rental cars.  Patience paid off especially travelling somewhat off peak.  Example -- Budget dropped rental car prices to $28 per day when I was in the Lothians and Fife -- but that rate only became available 2 days before I flew into Edinburgh.  So I kept that rental car for 2 weeks and moved from hotel to hotel.  I think the 2 week invoice for that rental car was $848 -- including full insurance coverage for 2 weeks. 


Narin and Portoo 11 -- you're right, the hole is similar to the other par 3s.  I was struck by how the bunker flashed up with sand and grass to make the hole mostly blind - not the case with the others.  Some holes I can't get out of my mind and N/P 11 is such a hole. 


I don't know how to answer the Mac Dunes question.  I shared my feelings about the place to others - which include the ridiculous green to tee walks, the odd routing of 4, 5, 6 (294 yd par 4, followed by two par 3s of 130 yards), and too many blind holes.  Through these discussions, I learned of the environmental issues and the desire to not move earth.  I get it.  But the course has been open for a while now.  Someone newbie like me shows up and sees it for how it is now -- the history of how and why it was built in that manner doesn't matter any more.  I played Mac Dunes by myself.  It took me a while to find the holes, but I found the place marked well-enough to get around, although I never found the 18th green from the fairway.  I was physically and mentally exhausted after the round.  Don't know if that answers your Mac Dunes question.

You pretty much summed up my Mach Dunes feelings.(and I had a "guide")
I love raw golf, but the scale and walks completely disenchanted me.
Playing with three mid handicappers was an extended and exhausting 5 hour easter egg hunt.
I was pleased we had paired it that day with Dunaverty.


That's kind've the way I feel about many of the modern courses ,overseas there are so many cool, interesting, smaller scale courses that I just don't see much of a need to play the large scale, large price, modern courses that inevitably have 5 sets of tees, other fluff that I guess Joe retail(supposedly) demands and commensurate walks/drama/noise.


I never pay for the insurance(usually as much or more than the rental) as my Chase Saphire covers me(even in Ireland, Jamaica and Israel-but you often have to produce a letter proving that)
I'm sure it would be a headache(pay and then collect from Credit card) if I had an incident, but I never have

[Mike Worth]

US travelers would be well advised to take full insurance coverage.  I'm writing an article for a blog that helps military retirees navigate the "Space Available" cargo plane system and that's at the top of my travel tips.


The reason is the 3rd party aspect.  If, as an American, I bring a car back damaged, the rental car company will take payment from me on the spot, leaving one to seek reimbursement from whomever you thought had you covered.  I picked up a stone in the windshield in June and had some car park scrapes with another rental car and walked away each time owing nothing. 


I should have added on the train/rental car answer that I would rent a car once I arrived at a location via train.  So I arrived in Leeds on a Saturday and then trekked out to Bradford Airport via the A1 Flyer (2 pounds) to rent a car that Monday.  Very convenient as Bradford is 9 minutes from Alwoodley

[Joe_Tucholski]

I know it's totally different situations but it's funny to read complaints about long green to tee walks and then a desire to walk 7/10 miles from train station to hotel, with a golf travel bag.


On the walks from station to hotel did anyone offer you a ride?  I've never picked up a hitch hiker but have offered a ride on more than one occasion when I've seen someone walking with golf clubs when a course was nowhere in sight.

[Mike Worth]

I know it's totally different situations but it's funny to read complaints about long green to tee walks and then a desire to walk 7/10 miles from train station to hotel, with a golf travel bag.


On the walks from station to hotel did anyone offer you a ride?  I've never picked up a hitch hiker but have offered a ride on more than one occasion when I've seen someone walking with golf clubs when a course was nowhere in sight.

Ok, I’ll bite. Walking from a train station to a hotel is about saving money versus paying a ridiculous taxi fare. Long green to tee walks are just wrong :-).


No one really offered a ride but I would say that if you’re walking in a dense urban area, the only ones offering you a ride are the taxis

[Charlie Goerges]

Mike, were you saying you were walking 7 to 10 miles or seven tenths of a mile (.7 miles)?

[Mike Worth]

Mike, were you saying you were walking 7 to 10 miles or seven tenths of a mile (.7 miles)?

Seven tenths of a mile. That was the most I had to walk and I think I did it twice

[Charlie Goerges]

Mike, were you saying you were walking 7 to 10 miles or seven tenths of a mile (.7 miles)?

Seven tenths of a mile. That was the most I had to walk and I think I did it twice

That's what I thought. I will say that I've encountered green-to-tee walks longer than that here in the US.

[Greg Hohman]

Mike, I can't comment on the golf, but enjoyed the read and admire your resourcefulness.

[Mike Worth]

Mike, I can't comment on the golf, but enjoyed the read and admire your resourcefulness.

Thanks for that. I do want to point out while I may have been resourceful I didn’t cut corners on quality. Example, I stayed 2 nights in the Greywalls Inn. 


There are other examples too, but I was determined to live reasonably well while also not wasting money on stupid stuff.

[Mike Sweeney]

Mike,


I see your journey and now following. Thanks for posting.

[Garland Bayley]

I don't have the Chase card so I heeded Jeff's advice about Ireland and bought the insurance. The third party is an issue there as someone hit the passenger side while it was parked. I didn't notice, but was shown it when I returned the car. Pointed out I had the insurance and I was on my way.

That, combined with deteriorating driving skills as I age caused me to do the next trip totally by train and bus.

My last trip I took my son, and he drove.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Mike, I'm so glad you were able to take this trip. You were faithful to your sister for many, many years. I have taken solo trips to GB&I and loved them. There is something refreshing about being able to change at a moment's notice. It is easier to do than if you are in a group.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Mike, were you saying you were walking 7 to 10 miles or seven tenths of a mile (.7 miles)?

Seven tenths of a mile. That was the most I had to walk and I think I did it twice

Ha, thanks I was thinking he was walking 7 to 10 miles, which seemed intense.

[Mike Worth]

Mike, were you saying you were walking 7 to 10 miles or seven tenths of a mile (.7 miles)?

Seven tenths of a mile. That was the most I had to walk and I think I did it twice

Ha, thanks I was thinking he was walking 7 to 10 miles, which seemed intense.

While it is true that Army guys are (considerably) tougher than USAF :-), I think 7 miles is a bit over the top. 


An amusing anecdote here -- I arrived in Cambridge on Tuesday via rail and the taxi driver refused my request for a ride to the hotel.  He couldn't fit my golf bag in his trunk and gave up.  So I walked. 

[Tommy Williamsen]

Mike, did you drive yourself ever or did you take public transportation only?

[Mike Worth]

Mike, did you drive yourself ever or did you take public transportation only?

I did both.  The concept was to arrive in an area via public transport (either by air or train) and then rent a car in that area.  I'd then return the rental and move on to the next area.  I did use public transport to move around within a given area.


The best individual movement was the Braid Hills experience.  I discovered the course by accident, did some research about it here, and decided to play it.  I walked there from the hotel -- never taking the rental car out of the car park.  It was 3/10 of a mile (0.3 miles). 

[Sean_A]

Why were you in Cambridge?

I spose you had the car in England. Did you pick it up in Cambridge?

Ciao

[Mike Worth]

Why were you in Cambridge?

I spose you had the car in England. Did you pick it up in Cambridge?

Ciao

Cambridge was a tourist stop enroute to RAF Mildenhall to catch a military cargo plane home.


I did not have a car. I was on the train from Stansted earlier that day.

[Sean_A]

Why were you in Cambridge?

I spose you had the car in England. Did you pick it up in Cambridge?

Ciao

Cambridge was a tourist stop enroute to RAF Mildenhall to catch a military cargo plane home.


I did not have a car. I was on the train from Stansted earlier that day.

Wow. That is pretty serious to take trains to places like Cleeve Hill then walk.


Did you play the Sacred 9 before catching the flight at Mildenhall?


Ciao

[Mike Worth]

Why were you in Cambridge?

I spose you had the car in England. Did you pick it up in Cambridge?

Ciao

Cambridge was a tourist stop enroute to RAF Mildenhall to catch a military cargo plane home.


I did not have a car. I was on the train from Stansted earlier that day.

Wow. That is pretty serious to take trains to places like Cleeve Hill then walk.


Did you play the Sacred 9 before catching the flight at Mildenhall?


Ciao

I played Cleeve Hill in June.


That trip I came over to RAF Mildenhall in a cargo plane and rented a car and drove around England for a while playing courses only in England.


So for that part of the trip I was in a rental car the whole time.


I couldn’t imagine getting to Cleeve Hill any other way than a rental car my God

[Tony_Muldoon]

Mike love your account.   


I can't find a link but in Portugal 3 years ago I played with some Scandinavians who had really useful adaptable bags.


For flights it was a rigid case. In two parts. One was effectively the size of a bag and the other the hood.


Once in the airport you could retrieve two wheels on limbs from the 'lid', and pull out a handle that transformed the bottom half into a one piece trolley bag that manoeuvred really well. Yhis took seconds. The top section was left in the hotel room each day and they walked to the golf course wheeling their clubs with them. I can't recall the detail but there was some kind of 'access flap' to 'pocket' space.


In play they were every bit as good as a bag on a trolley and I was most impressed.  Would be much easier to move on foot than a standard travel bag around the country. If his appeals try some on line golf sites based in Sweden?


My best effort was carrying bag and suitcase, via bus and London tube to Kings cross. Train to Edinburgh, change for North Berwick. Walk from station to The Glen GC i.e. East links (1.2miles). Carry round course and then back into town to Hotel.
Next day bus to play at Gullane. Walk two and three. Bus back.
I slept well that weekend.