REDeYeS88 Gets His Haggis On
09-03-2019
, 08:27 PM
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Is September still peak golf season in Scotland?
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how far out are some of these rounds booked?
What are the lodging accommodations in each region?
What are the lodging accommodations in each region?
apparently one of the biggest challenges to planning a trip like this is working around the various non-member tee times in each area...pretty much every course has the majority of their times set aside for member play and some days visitors can't even get on. you may stay four days in one place but there's a chance you can't get on the four courses you want to play during that time because you just can get the visitor times to mesh over those four days. all the more reason to start planning (and paying) WAY early.
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What is on the itinerary before the golf?
Edinburgh>Glencoe>Portree>Oban>Glasgow. We're staying less than a quarter mile from the Oban Distillery...i hope well withing stumbling distance.
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What’s your career to allow for such extended time away?
09-04-2019
, 11:17 AM
09-10-2019
, 06:13 PM
I live in Edinburgh. Crossing my fingers you get some decent weather - it can really go either way at this year. And if it turns out windy... well, thats just part of links golf!
You have a great itinerary lined up. I'm jealous
09-14-2019
, 10:25 AM
It was an absolutely wonderful week with the spouse, but her flight left at 6:00am this morning and I made my way from Glasgow to Prestwick. just checked in to my B&B for the next five nights. Here’s the view from the second floor parlor:
of course that view is of:
don’t get to play today, but I did spend some time walking the western edge along the path between the course and the ocean. 25-30mph wind off the water and I have no idea what I would do with a tee shot like 11 was playing with the wind from the right. With all the pot bunkers I guess the only thing to do is be long and right, but the wind is blowing from the right?
time to head to town for some lunch and then a nap before the first of the group arrives this evening....more to follow
Spoiler:
of course that view is of:
Spoiler:
don’t get to play today, but I did spend some time walking the western edge along the path between the course and the ocean. 25-30mph wind off the water and I have no idea what I would do with a tee shot like 11 was playing with the wind from the right. With all the pot bunkers I guess the only thing to do is be long and right, but the wind is blowing from the right?
Spoiler:
time to head to town for some lunch and then a nap before the first of the group arrives this evening....more to follow
10-01-2019
, 08:07 PM
10-01-2019
, 08:15 PM
i'm going to ease in to this trip report like we eased into the golf on the trip.
Day 1 (9/15):
after seeing spouse off on a 6am flight out of Glasgow on 9/14 i drove to Prestwick, walked the Old course for a bit, took a few pics, and made my previous post.
one of the interesting things about golf in Scotland is the Land Reform Act of 2003 which "specifically establishes a right to be on land for recreational, educational and certain other purposes and a right to cross land". what exactly does this mean? as one example, you can walk your dog on one of the top courses in Scotland in the evening and not get run off. in another example, some courses will warn you to look out for oblivious pedestrians that may be walking from the beach on a trail that passes directly in front of your tee box. what this meant for me is that i could spend the afternoon walking several holes of Old Prestwick for my own entertainment while helping players find their balls in the wispy fescue after wayward shots.
on to the golf.
Six of our group arrived late morning on 9/15 after a 16+ hour trip from the west coast of the US. One of our group arrived the day before and he and i picked up the rest at GLA with our rental cars, dropped their luggage off at the B&B, and headed straight to Prestwick St. Cuthbert. the course is nothing to write home about...a parkland course in a linksland region, but it was the perfect venue for a group of jetlagged travelers to get their swing on with little expectation and none of the pressure of playing a 'top' course under those circumstances. it's also worth mentioning the members were very friendly and hospitable, and asked us what we thought about the course as we enjoyed our after round pints.
a few pics to give you a sense of the course
3.5 hour rounds are expected:
the view from the first tee:
looking back to the 18th green:
and that's all i'm going to post of the course....decent to play but doesn't compare to the courses to come.
Day 1 (9/15):
after seeing spouse off on a 6am flight out of Glasgow on 9/14 i drove to Prestwick, walked the Old course for a bit, took a few pics, and made my previous post.
one of the interesting things about golf in Scotland is the Land Reform Act of 2003 which "specifically establishes a right to be on land for recreational, educational and certain other purposes and a right to cross land". what exactly does this mean? as one example, you can walk your dog on one of the top courses in Scotland in the evening and not get run off. in another example, some courses will warn you to look out for oblivious pedestrians that may be walking from the beach on a trail that passes directly in front of your tee box. what this meant for me is that i could spend the afternoon walking several holes of Old Prestwick for my own entertainment while helping players find their balls in the wispy fescue after wayward shots.
on to the golf.
Six of our group arrived late morning on 9/15 after a 16+ hour trip from the west coast of the US. One of our group arrived the day before and he and i picked up the rest at GLA with our rental cars, dropped their luggage off at the B&B, and headed straight to Prestwick St. Cuthbert. the course is nothing to write home about...a parkland course in a linksland region, but it was the perfect venue for a group of jetlagged travelers to get their swing on with little expectation and none of the pressure of playing a 'top' course under those circumstances. it's also worth mentioning the members were very friendly and hospitable, and asked us what we thought about the course as we enjoyed our after round pints.
a few pics to give you a sense of the course
3.5 hour rounds are expected:
Spoiler:
the view from the first tee:
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looking back to the 18th green:
Spoiler:
and that's all i'm going to post of the course....decent to play but doesn't compare to the courses to come.
10-03-2019
, 05:59 PM
Day 2 (9/16): Old Prestwick
The Original Site of the Open Championship...let that sink in for a minute. This place drips golf history.
The Red Lion Inn is still around, just up the road from the course, and a great place for dinner (especially fish and chips) and a a couple of pints. They are very proud of their connection to the club.
how was the weather on the first tee? not too shabby, thanks for asking.
apparently i was distracted by the experience and didn't take very many pics this day. we played it again a few days later and i'll talk more about the course and it's quirks in that post. for now i'll just share a few general beauty shots of the course. you may see some of these images again in my follow up post that describes the course in a little more detail.
an overview of the back 9 taken the day before
some of the hardware in the clubhouse
what does Tom Watson think? his letter in the clubhouse lets you know
the clubhouse from the parking lot of our B&B
The Original Site of the Open Championship...let that sink in for a minute. This place drips golf history.
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The history of Prestwick Golf Club stretches back over 160 years to a time when golf was in its infancy. In 1851, a group of 57 enthusiastic members, who met regularly at the Red Lion Inn, made the momentous decision to form a golf club purchasing two cottages opposite the tavern.
The first cottage would become the members’ clubhouse whilst the other was gifted to the club’s Keeper of the Green, ball and clubmaker - Old Tom Morris. Together with a gold medal presented by the club’s first captain (the Earl of Eglinton) for an annual competition still played for today, the legend of Prestwick was born.
Old Tom had uprooted his wife Agnes and young son Tommy from St Andrews to layout the 12-hole course over the links. His unique design proved popular, and the club enjoyed a meteoric rise hosting the first Open Championship within 10 years of its formation. The last and 24th Open Championship at Prestwick was held 65 years later in 1925.
In 1864, Old Tom returned to St Andrews. His house was auctioned with the proceeds used to part-fund the construction of a new clubhouse on the present site in 1868. It cost £758.
The clubhouse was extended in 1877 and 90 lockers, which are still in use today, were added in 1882. A major re-development was completed in 1999 consolidating the clubhouse’s prominent position overlooking the first tee and 18th green.
With its unrivalled history, charismatic course and warm welcome, there are few places like it in the world of golf.
The first cottage would become the members’ clubhouse whilst the other was gifted to the club’s Keeper of the Green, ball and clubmaker - Old Tom Morris. Together with a gold medal presented by the club’s first captain (the Earl of Eglinton) for an annual competition still played for today, the legend of Prestwick was born.
Old Tom had uprooted his wife Agnes and young son Tommy from St Andrews to layout the 12-hole course over the links. His unique design proved popular, and the club enjoyed a meteoric rise hosting the first Open Championship within 10 years of its formation. The last and 24th Open Championship at Prestwick was held 65 years later in 1925.
In 1864, Old Tom returned to St Andrews. His house was auctioned with the proceeds used to part-fund the construction of a new clubhouse on the present site in 1868. It cost £758.
The clubhouse was extended in 1877 and 90 lockers, which are still in use today, were added in 1882. A major re-development was completed in 1999 consolidating the clubhouse’s prominent position overlooking the first tee and 18th green.
With its unrivalled history, charismatic course and warm welcome, there are few places like it in the world of golf.
Spoiler:
how was the weather on the first tee? not too shabby, thanks for asking.
Spoiler:
apparently i was distracted by the experience and didn't take very many pics this day. we played it again a few days later and i'll talk more about the course and it's quirks in that post. for now i'll just share a few general beauty shots of the course. you may see some of these images again in my follow up post that describes the course in a little more detail.
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an overview of the back 9 taken the day before
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some of the hardware in the clubhouse
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what does Tom Watson think? his letter in the clubhouse lets you know
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the clubhouse from the parking lot of our B&B
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Last edited by REDeYeS00; 10-03-2019 at 06:16 PM.
10-03-2019
, 08:27 PM
10-04-2019
, 10:20 PM
Day 3 (9/17): Shiskine
playing at Shiskine was the most controversial decision by the organizers of the trip.
those of us (like me) who have never been on a Scotland trip really had no opinion, but those that had were split between staying close to Prestwick and playing one of the other great links courses in the area (Royal Troon, Dundonald, etc); or driving 30 minutes north to Ardrossan, taking a 90 minute ferry ride to the Isle of Arran, and driving another 20 minutes across Arran to Shiskine to play a relatively unknown 12 hole course that nobody we know has experienced before.
lucky for all of us the decision was made to make the trek to Shiskine just outside the town of Blackwaterfoot, Scotland.
History
the Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club was founded in Blackwaterfoot in 1896. originally designed by Willie Fernie of Troon, the original course was a 9 hole layout (only the 5th and 9th holes remain). in 1912 the course was extended to 18 holes, resulting in a rework of most of the property. during WWI six of the holes (which were somewhat forced on to the property) were played so infrequently they reverted to their natural state and the current 12 holes of Shiskine are the result. Willie Park reworked the remaining 12 holes in the 1920's and what currently exists is the result.
Trip
on the ferry with Arran in site
the folks at Shiskine were some of the nicest and most accommodating we met on the trip. before we made the journey we learned they did not have a license to sell beer, but they were more than happy to find refrigerator space in their restaurant to store the beer we brought and serve it to us while we had lunch between the two 12 hole rounds we played and after the second round. fantastic folks.
The Course
12 Holes, 2770 yards
seven 3 pars (ranging from 121-211 yards)
four 4 pars (ranging from 221-369 yards
one 5 par at 479 yards
the Pro Shop
the Clubhouse
The round starts with the longest par 4, a simple 369 yards with a pedestrian path and OB/beach on the left and severely sloped hill on the right. Just poke that drive out there around 250 to a 15 yard wide landing area and then flip a wedge to the green hidden behind a large mound on the right….welcome to the course. The only benefit is random walkers on the path were more than eager to help you find your ball if you happened to snap hook your drive.
Hole 2 is the second of the four par 4s. 350 uphill, into the wind, with a blind landing area and a bern short of the tiny green. Take note of that big rock on the right, it’s the star of the next two holes
Hole 3 ‘Crow’s Nest’ is where the fun starts. The big rock in the distance is called Drumadoon, and Hole 3 is called Crow’s Nest. The scorecard says it’s a 125 yard hole but obviously the elevation changes that. There’s a black and white striped aiming stick that gives you the line, anything left of the yellow flag is dead.
After you hit your shot you get to climb the hill to the green, in suspense all the way if you think you hit a good shot, but are also rewarded with views like this
My 9i within 10 feet and inside the previous group’s KP marker (we were paying 1 pound per person to every guy that had a KP on each par 3 during this round)
Hole 4 ‘The Shelf’: After climbing up to the Crow’s Nest, we’re treated to this view from the tee box from The Shelf, a 140 yard hole that’s even more downhill than the Crow’s Nest was uphill. The 20mph wind off the ocean doesn’t exactly help the club selection.
I went with the same 9i I hit on the Crow’s Nest and ended up inside the KP mark again.
Beauty shot of Drumadoon and the 4th green
Hole 5 ‘The Point’: the longest Par 3 at 211, hard wind from the right. After two rounds we had 16 shots to hit this green and only one of us did.
Hole 6 ‘Shore Hole’: a 266 yard Par 4. Kinda hard to tell from the pic, but there’s a fence running along the entire right side resulting in a narrow landing area. The hole takes a severe turn right to a sunken green that you can’t see from the fairway.
Hole 7 ‘Himalays’: just your run-of-the-mill 165 yard par 3 blind shot towards an aiming stick on a hill to a small green.
Looking back towards Drumadoon from the 7th green.
Hole 8 ‘Hades’: how hard can a 211 yard Par 4 be when playing into a 25mph wind?
Hole 9 ‘Drumadoon’: the one and only par 5 on the course. I’m disappointed I don’t have more pics of this hole. Wide landing area off the tee, very narrow severely sloped layup area for the second to avoid a bern, and a tough approach to an elevated green.
Hole 10 ‘Paradise’: downhill 150 yard par 3 with a bern short of the green and pot bunkers surrounding it.
Hole 11 ‘The Hollows’: another long blind par 3 tee shot, this time 200 yards
Hole 12 ‘Kilmory’: a seemingly benign 120 yard finishing hole, unless you end up in a greenside pot bunker like I did.
In summary, Shiskine was absolutely amazing. The strongest comparison I can make to playing it was playing the Sheep Ranch at Bandon several years ago. There’s just something magical that happens when you don’t play 18 holes of par 72 golf that erases all of your preconceived notions of what golf should be. Par doesn’t matter because it’s just a random number. being able to see where you’re hitting your next shot really doesn’t matter when everyone else you’re playing with has to hit the same shot.
Group consensus after playing for two weeks is Shiskine was the most enjoyable, stress free round for everyone…highly recommend.
playing at Shiskine was the most controversial decision by the organizers of the trip.
those of us (like me) who have never been on a Scotland trip really had no opinion, but those that had were split between staying close to Prestwick and playing one of the other great links courses in the area (Royal Troon, Dundonald, etc); or driving 30 minutes north to Ardrossan, taking a 90 minute ferry ride to the Isle of Arran, and driving another 20 minutes across Arran to Shiskine to play a relatively unknown 12 hole course that nobody we know has experienced before.
lucky for all of us the decision was made to make the trek to Shiskine just outside the town of Blackwaterfoot, Scotland.
History
the Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club was founded in Blackwaterfoot in 1896. originally designed by Willie Fernie of Troon, the original course was a 9 hole layout (only the 5th and 9th holes remain). in 1912 the course was extended to 18 holes, resulting in a rework of most of the property. during WWI six of the holes (which were somewhat forced on to the property) were played so infrequently they reverted to their natural state and the current 12 holes of Shiskine are the result. Willie Park reworked the remaining 12 holes in the 1920's and what currently exists is the result.
Trip
on the ferry with Arran in site
the folks at Shiskine were some of the nicest and most accommodating we met on the trip. before we made the journey we learned they did not have a license to sell beer, but they were more than happy to find refrigerator space in their restaurant to store the beer we brought and serve it to us while we had lunch between the two 12 hole rounds we played and after the second round. fantastic folks.
The Course
12 Holes, 2770 yards
seven 3 pars (ranging from 121-211 yards)
four 4 pars (ranging from 221-369 yards
one 5 par at 479 yards
the Pro Shop
the Clubhouse
The round starts with the longest par 4, a simple 369 yards with a pedestrian path and OB/beach on the left and severely sloped hill on the right. Just poke that drive out there around 250 to a 15 yard wide landing area and then flip a wedge to the green hidden behind a large mound on the right….welcome to the course. The only benefit is random walkers on the path were more than eager to help you find your ball if you happened to snap hook your drive.
Hole 2 is the second of the four par 4s. 350 uphill, into the wind, with a blind landing area and a bern short of the tiny green. Take note of that big rock on the right, it’s the star of the next two holes
Hole 3 ‘Crow’s Nest’ is where the fun starts. The big rock in the distance is called Drumadoon, and Hole 3 is called Crow’s Nest. The scorecard says it’s a 125 yard hole but obviously the elevation changes that. There’s a black and white striped aiming stick that gives you the line, anything left of the yellow flag is dead.
After you hit your shot you get to climb the hill to the green, in suspense all the way if you think you hit a good shot, but are also rewarded with views like this
My 9i within 10 feet and inside the previous group’s KP marker (we were paying 1 pound per person to every guy that had a KP on each par 3 during this round)
Hole 4 ‘The Shelf’: After climbing up to the Crow’s Nest, we’re treated to this view from the tee box from The Shelf, a 140 yard hole that’s even more downhill than the Crow’s Nest was uphill. The 20mph wind off the ocean doesn’t exactly help the club selection.
I went with the same 9i I hit on the Crow’s Nest and ended up inside the KP mark again.
Beauty shot of Drumadoon and the 4th green
Hole 5 ‘The Point’: the longest Par 3 at 211, hard wind from the right. After two rounds we had 16 shots to hit this green and only one of us did.
Hole 6 ‘Shore Hole’: a 266 yard Par 4. Kinda hard to tell from the pic, but there’s a fence running along the entire right side resulting in a narrow landing area. The hole takes a severe turn right to a sunken green that you can’t see from the fairway.
Hole 7 ‘Himalays’: just your run-of-the-mill 165 yard par 3 blind shot towards an aiming stick on a hill to a small green.
Looking back towards Drumadoon from the 7th green.
Hole 8 ‘Hades’: how hard can a 211 yard Par 4 be when playing into a 25mph wind?
Hole 9 ‘Drumadoon’: the one and only par 5 on the course. I’m disappointed I don’t have more pics of this hole. Wide landing area off the tee, very narrow severely sloped layup area for the second to avoid a bern, and a tough approach to an elevated green.
Hole 10 ‘Paradise’: downhill 150 yard par 3 with a bern short of the green and pot bunkers surrounding it.
Hole 11 ‘The Hollows’: another long blind par 3 tee shot, this time 200 yards
Hole 12 ‘Kilmory’: a seemingly benign 120 yard finishing hole, unless you end up in a greenside pot bunker like I did.
In summary, Shiskine was absolutely amazing. The strongest comparison I can make to playing it was playing the Sheep Ranch at Bandon several years ago. There’s just something magical that happens when you don’t play 18 holes of par 72 golf that erases all of your preconceived notions of what golf should be. Par doesn’t matter because it’s just a random number. being able to see where you’re hitting your next shot really doesn’t matter when everyone else you’re playing with has to hit the same shot.
Group consensus after playing for two weeks is Shiskine was the most enjoyable, stress free round for everyone…highly recommend.