Scotland Trip - June 19'

[Billy__Baroo]

Hey everyone,

 

This isn't my first post regarding my upcoming trip, but now that everything's paid for and kind of set in stone, needless to say I'm getting really excited! It also helps that courses here in Minneapolis are starting to open, which is only fueling the fire. Here's our itinerary:

 

Day 1 (June 16th) - Being that it's Father's Day and this trip is just me and the old man, it kind of couldn't start in a better way. We snagged cheap round trip flights ($650/each) due to a 13 hour layover at JFK, but it works out perfect as we're gonna leave the airport for the day and catch a matinee for Book Of Mormon. I've seen it before, but my dad hasn't, and I know he'll love it. We'll find somewhere to watch the end of the US Open and hang in Manhattan before catching an 11:30 PM flight over to Glasgow.

 

Day 2 (June 17th) - We arrive at about 11 AM local time and we'll hang for most of the day in Glasgow. I have a buddy who lives in Edinburgh and he's gonna come over and meet us to show us around. As long as nothing happens with our clubs/luggage, we'll be heading north in the evening for Inverness.

 

Day 3 (June 18th) - We finally get to play some golf! We have a late tee time at Nairn just to buy us some cushion in case our clubs don't make it, or we're really feeling the effects of jet lag. I chose Nairn as it's close to Inverness and I think it'll be a good intro to links golf for a couple yanks.

 

Day 4 (June 19th) - Our second round of the trip might be the highlight, as we make our way North to hit Royal Dornoch. I was going to do a 36 hole ticket, but we're trying to squeeze in a distillery tour at Glenmorangie, and the times just didn't work out.

 

Day 5 (June 20th) - As we leave Inverness, we'll be hitting Castle Stuart. I'm really looking forward to this one (as I am with just about every course) because I've been watching old tournament footage as well as the Tourist Sauce stuff from No Laying Up, and it's got me hyped! Afterwards, we're gonna stop at Glendronach and do a tour there. It's one of my favorite distilleries, and after the tour they let you fill a bottle by hand, which I think will be a super cool souvenir for my dad and myself. We'll be sipping on that bottle for years whenever we're together. We end the evening in Aberdeen at a nice AirBnB.

 

Day 6 (June 21st) - This is the only day of 36 for us. My dad isn't much of a walker when he golfs, but I've been pushing him to do it more and more to prepare for the trip. We start the day up at Cruden Bay, which looks sick! I'm very onboard for the quirkiness and the blind shots, so hopefully my enthusiasm rubs off on my dad! After our morning there, we head down to...Trump International. I personally can't stand the guy, but dammit if he doesn't know golf. Every time I read a negative review of his courses I can almost taste the bias. We'll see for ourselves, as we're doing a stay and play with two rounds. We weren't able to make Royal Aberdeen work, which was the other choice.

 

Day 7 (June 22nd) - We have an early tee time at Trump International again before we make our way down to historic St. Andrews. My dad and I both are really looking forward to getting in early to walk around town and enjoy the vibe. We're paying a bit for our AirBnB, but we're about 2 blocks away from the old course, so it's worth it.

 

Day 8 (June 23rd) - We've got a bit of a drive for our round at North Berwick, but we've booked a later tee time so we can spend most of the day in Edinburgh with my buddy. Again, I've been watching all the No Laying Up stuff, so I'm really looking forward to this round and day in general.

 

Day 9 (June 24th) - The most expensive round of the trip goes to Kingsbarns, but from what I've read and seen from the Alfred Dunhill, I know it's going to be a special round.

 

Day 10 (June 25th) - Barring a 48 hour ballot selection, we'll be getting in line in the early AM for a round at The Old Course. This will be the perfect end cap on what should be the trip of a lifetime. I hope to not embarrass myself on 17 and get an awesome pic with my dad on the Swilcan Bridge, and then enjoy a few pints over at the (cliched, I know) Dunvegan.

 

Day 11 (June 26th) - Some tears that it's over and then an early afternoon flight back to the States.

 

For those curious, our cost so far is a little over $4,000/each, and we're planning on bringing another $1,000/each for gas, food, drinks, and souvenirs.

 

Any suggestions and tips for the regions we'll be in would be appreciated, as we'll definitely have some off time for adventures/excursions.

[El Gringo]

I believe that wonderful man, Archie Baird, no longer does tours of the remarkable golf museum he has been building and showing off for many a decade. However, I think a new couple runs the museum. Perhaps if you contact Gullane GC they may know the contact details...or try googling the museum...which is located in Gullane...directly enroute to North Berwick....I still believe it takes an appointment to see the museum Its a shame Mr Baird doesn't conduct the tours, but the museum is fascinating and well worth an hour of your time.

www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/16294301.gullane-golf-historian-awarded-british-empire-medal/

 

There is a Golfing Heritage Trail in North Berwick which is as good as any way to explore the lovely town.

www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/13554290.tribute-to-golf-pioneers/

 

Ciao

[Walter]

WOW very excited for you and your dad!!!!! So many memories coming back while reading this ... Awesome combination of courses!!! St Andrews tip : Play @ the Himmalaya Ladies Putting club , best spend 3 pounds ever !!

[Hawkeye77]

Right now go to iViewGolf on YouTube - go! Royal Dornoch, Cruden Bay and Castle Stuart are all on there. For each course they show a virtual golf ball being hit for tee shots and approach shots (quirky, BUT you see the course as it's being played and then they show an aerial of the green for each hole). It is really neat and better than any flyover or random course vlog for seeing each hole on the course. Other than your day at Kingsbarns and depending on your Old Course time, I'm not seeing a lot of time for extra stuff built into those days, they are pretty full days - for example, a round at Castle Stuart, distillery tour and the drive to Aberdeen may be about all you want in one day, lol. But, that's the time of year we were there last year and sun comes up really early and sets really late! Having said that, things "to see" don't open up all that early in the morning over there and, except for pubs and restaurants, don't stay open all that late and into the evening either. The day you play Nairn you could sure go see Culloden and see other stuff in the area, and frankly, just get to the coast and walk around the town - it's fun just being there, at least for me. Lots to see in Edinburgh, but you are correct, it's more of a drive than you may think from St. Andrews to North Berwick - that sounds like a fun day out and then great golf. Last year they had a club comp the Sunday after Father's Day, and not suggesting you bail on Edinburgh that day, but if Sunday isn't a day that St. Andrews busy, I'd take advantage of the opportunity to walk the course - maybe you get back in time Sunday evening to get out for a late evening walk along the fairways, wouldn't pass that up! Also don't underestimate putting in for the ballot the day you are at Kingsbarns (again, check the busy days at St. Andrews) - I've read that the folks there are very accommodating if you have a tee time at Kingsbarns and end up with a ballot time at St. Andrews so you might want to check that out with them in advance - but I'd bet they'd move you to the next day if you score in the ballot and why not add to your chances to get on TOC. Not sure how you are bringing the $1000? Maybe you mean budgeting? I'd pull the money out of ATM's when there instead of carrying dollars to try and exchange somewhere, had no trouble with that (well once my bank finally got the folks that serve their ATM stuff to get things right in their system - I had that all arranged with my bank and my credit card company before I left, but sure enough there I was at an ATM one early morning in Tain (no ATMS in Dornoch last summer when we were there, so take note, no matter what the Bank of Scotland suggests - they closed some up in that area, but Tain still had a couple and it was a pleasant 10 minute drive) and it was turning me down - luckily it was early morning and the bank here was open and problem solved in about ten minutes when I called). Otherwise ATMs were seamless and were the best value for changing money, other than simply just paying with my credit card - might be worth it to update your card so you are confident your chip tech is up to date and working properly - some smaller shops and restaurants were a little wonky with chip cards, actually North Berwick pro shop was as well, but they just ended up inputting manually and no worries!). Glenmorangie was on one of my daughter's "must sees" - I enjoyed the tour as well, honestly having now been on one distillery tour I don't need another, lol, but some people would say that about playing one golf course. ;-). Biggest disappointment of my life recently other than my mother's condition that prevented my dad from joining us in St. Andrews last summer, was his being unable to join us - had time reserved for him on Old and New and it would have been just magical (tearing up now). But had my wife and two daughters (the youngest couldn't play the Old Course - no handicap) and we had a wonderful time, but having him there for a couple days would have been special. Maybe someday. Playing Royal Dornoch the week before after a nice Father's Day meal at the place overlooking the course with my girls was awesome.

Have fun and hope you get more suggestions!

[AuldPLO Swiss Golftrotter]

Nice program !! I played all courses but one (Cruden Bay), solid line-up !

Check Rocpool for a nice dinner with your Dad in Inverness.

Ziggy's is a fun and nice place in St Andrews for dinner. Keys Bar is the place to have a whisky dram or two (choice of 200+ )

[fredstar]

Just be aware that the traffic on that North Berwick - St Andrews trip can be horrendous in my experience. You'll be in for a long day if you are hitting the city as well as golf.

[Quebec Club Ho]

Sounds like an awesome trip!

Are you and your dad driving? You may want to add extra time to get to each destination as some of those area changes require a lengthy drive. However the highways are great as every couple of Km there are rest stops!

 

I did a month long trip, solo, driving from...

Arrived in Edinburg drove to Carnoustie area. Then on to Dornoch - Troon - North Berwick - and finally St. Andrews! Drove @1500 Km in a month.

 

Have a great trip!!!! :D

[tad950]

Just letting you know that there are a couple tough uphill green to tee walks at Castle Stewart and Cruden Bay. The one at Castle Stewart even has a water station half way up. The walk at Cruden Bay might not be too tough overall. I saw quite a few caddies (members) in their mid to late 60's. And one woman caddie well north of that.

 

I also saw signs for a distillery trail in the Highlands. If I remember correctly the trail was for around 50 distilleries. So you might want to get a driver. : ) that day.

 

There's a parkland style course in Inverness in case you want to loosen up after your long flight.

 

Sounds like you have a great lineup of courses set up. Royal Dornoch is special. I'm sure you all will have a GREAT time !

[ceejay81]

> @Billy__Baroo said:

> Hey everyone,

>

> This isn't my first post regarding my upcoming trip, but now that everything's paid for and kind of set in stone, needless to say I'm getting really excited! It also helps that courses here in Minneapolis are starting to open, which is only fueling the fire. Here's our itinerary:

>

> Day 1 (June 16th) - Being that it's Father's Day and this trip is just me and the old man, it kind of couldn't start in a better way. We snagged cheap round trip flights ($650/each) due to a 13 hour layover at JFK, but it works out perfect as we're gonna leave the airport for the day and catch a matinee for Book Of Mormon. I've seen it before, but my dad hasn't, and I know he'll love it. We'll find somewhere to watch the end of the US Open and hang in Manhattan before catching an 11:30 PM flight over to Glasgow.

>

> Day 2 (June 17th) - We arrive at about 11 AM local time and we'll hang for most of the day in Glasgow. I have a buddy who lives in Edinburgh and he's gonna come over and meet us to show us around. As long as nothing happens with our clubs/luggage, we'll be heading north in the evening for Inverness.

>

> Day 3 (June 18th) - We finally get to play some golf! We have a late tee time at Nairn just to buy us some cushion in case our clubs don't make it, or we're really feeling the effects of jet lag. I chose Nairn as it's close to Inverness and I think it'll be a good intro to links golf for a couple yanks.

>

> Day 4 (June 19th) - Our second round of the trip might be the highlight, as we make our way North to hit Royal Dornoch. I was going to do a 36 hole ticket, but we're trying to squeeze in a distillery tour at Glenmorangie, and the times just didn't work out.

>

> Day 5 (June 20th) - As we leave Inverness, we'll be hitting Castle Stuart. I'm really looking forward to this one (as I am with just about every course) because I've been watching old tournament footage as well as the Tourist Sauce stuff from No Laying Up, and it's got me hyped! Afterwards, we're gonna stop at Glendronach and do a tour there. It's one of my favorite distilleries, and after the tour they let you fill a bottle by hand, which I think will be a super cool souvenir for my dad and myself. We'll be sipping on that bottle for years whenever we're together. We end the evening in Aberdeen at a nice AirBnB.

>

> Day 6 (June 21st) - This is the only day of 36 for us. My dad isn't much of a walker when he golfs, but I've been pushing him to do it more and more to prepare for the trip. We start the day up at Cruden Bay, which looks sick! I'm very onboard for the quirkiness and the blind shots, so hopefully my enthusiasm rubs off on my dad! After our morning there, we head down to...Trump International. I personally can't stand the guy, but dammit if he doesn't know golf. Every time I read a negative review of his courses I can almost taste the bias. We'll see for ourselves, as we're doing a stay and play with two rounds. We weren't able to make Royal Aberdeen work, which was the other choice.

 

 

Hope your trip is going well so far! Looks like today you played Castle Stuart. I'm interested in hearing about the conditions at Cruden Bay as I'll be playing there in less than a month!

 

 

[ceejay81]

Not sure why my comment didn't bump this to the top yesterday. So, here is the bump.

[Billy__Baroo]

> @ceejay81 said:

> Not sure why my comment didn't bump this to the top yesterday. So, here is the bump.

Cruden was really amazing! I thought the conditioning was perfect for what it is. A little rough and rugged, but the greens rolled so pure. The vibe there was awesome, too. Small clubhouse and super low key, and that back 9 is really something special. Enjoy your time up there!