St Andrews Trip Report April 2019

[Haloha]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @Haloha said:

> > Argonne69, thanks for the great stories and pics! Its always fun to read your reports. So since this was your 500th round is the 600th round next year? Just wondering how many rounds a year you get to play? I'm at around 125 rounds a year

>

> No, this was my 500th different golf course played. My 400th was Pebble Beach in July 2017. I've played over 500 rounds in the past 5 years, and over 1000 rounds since 2007. I've been averaging 65 new courses a year, but certain life changes later this year will significantly change that, up or down. I'm getting laid off from work in October, and I'm either going to wind up in a new job, or retire early.

 

500th "DIFFERENT" golf course?! Do you ever play a course twice? That is awesome!

Sorry to hear about the job :-( I'm in the same boat since January. But on the bright side I'm on the course more often. Good luck and again thank you on your golf reports!

[Argonne69]

I have a handful of local courses that I play on a regular rotation, probably 3 to 5 times a year each. However, for the past 12 years I've taken 5 to 9 golf trips a year, playing anywhere from 4 to 9 new courses on each trip. I've played a handful of out of town courses twice, e.g. Wa Ko Pa, Troon North, Erin Hills, Streamsong Red and Blue, but for the most part I try to play new courses on my trips.

 

Also, there are over 200 public courses in the Chicago area. I've played 160 of them, and I'm trying to play them all at least once. Each season I try to play at least 5 courses in the area that I haven't played.

 

[spud3]

Did you take caddies on all courses or just TOC?

Thanks for another great report!

[Argonne69]

> @spud3 said:

> Did you take caddies on all courses or just TOC?

> Thanks for another great report!

 

I had caddies at Kingsbarns, Castle, and the Old Course. My primary goal was to not get too worn out leading up to TOC. 'Glad I had them the first two days, as Kingsbarns and Castle are much tougher walks pushing a trolley than the flatter St Andrews Links' courses.

[babyfade]

I got a boner because of this thread!!

[aenemated]

Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

 

[davep043]

> @aenemated said:

> Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

>

 

To use a Scot saying, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're staying in St Andrews, there are a bunch of really good links courses within a short drive. One I enjoyed that doesn't get a lot of attention, not far from Carnoustie, is at Panmure. The holes nearest the clubhouse are relatively uninspired, but the middle 12 are really nice.

[aenemated]

> @davep043 said:

> > @aenemated said:

> > Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

> >

>

> To use a Scot saying, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're staying in St Andrews, there are a bunch of really good links courses within a short drive. One I enjoyed that doesn't get a lot of attention, not far from Carnoustie, is at Panmure. The holes nearest the clubhouse are relatively uninspired, but the middle 12 are really nice.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! And yep, I'm staying at the Scores right there by the R&A. I've a slight chance to get on Kingsbarns after my round at the Old Course - which I'm told is spectacular.

[davep043]

> @aenemated said:

> > @davep043 said:

> > > @aenemated said:

> > > Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

> > >

> >

> > To use a Scot saying, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're staying in St Andrews, there are a bunch of really good links courses within a short drive. One I enjoyed that doesn't get a lot of attention, not far from Carnoustie, is at Panmure. The holes nearest the clubhouse are relatively uninspired, but the middle 12 are really nice.

>

> Thanks for the recommendation! And yep, I'm staying at the Scores right there by the R&A. I've a slight chance to get on Kingsbarns after my round at the Old Course - which I'm told is spectacular.

 

You'll have fun, wherever you play. If you walk up the Scores to the end of the block, you'll find the Russell Hotel, with a nice wee pub and a pretty good restaurant. The Thai-spiced mussels were extraordinary.

[jvincent]

> @aenemated said:

> > @davep043 said:

> > > @aenemated said:

> > > Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

> > >

> >

> > To use a Scot saying, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're staying in St Andrews, there are a bunch of really good links courses within a short drive. One I enjoyed that doesn't get a lot of attention, not far from Carnoustie, is at Panmure. The holes nearest the clubhouse are relatively uninspired, but the middle 12 are really nice.

>

> Thanks for the recommendation! And yep, I'm staying at the Scores right there by the R&A. I've a slight chance to get on Kingsbarns after my round at the Old Course - which I'm told is spectacular.

 

If you have a chance, check out Crail. Not a "big name" course, but the Balcomie links dates back to 1895.

[aenemated]

> @jvincent said:

> > @aenemated said:

> > > @davep043 said:

> > > > @aenemated said:

> > > > Hopping a flight at LAX Sunday morning headed to Edinburgh! Playing the New Course, Old Course and Carnoustie - these are the only confirmed tee times. Might try to line up one more round depending on how I feel and the weather.

> > > >

> > >

> > > To use a Scot saying, you'll be spoiled for choice if you're staying in St Andrews, there are a bunch of really good links courses within a short drive. One I enjoyed that doesn't get a lot of attention, not far from Carnoustie, is at Panmure. The holes nearest the clubhouse are relatively uninspired, but the middle 12 are really nice.

> >

> > Thanks for the recommendation! And yep, I'm staying at the Scores right there by the R&A. I've a slight chance to get on Kingsbarns after my round at the Old Course - which I'm told is spectacular.

>

> If you have a chance, check out Crail. Not a "big name" course, but the Balcomie links dates back to 1895.

 

Good to know - thank you!

[Hawkeye77]

Crail porn - okay, soft porn - the cell pics just don't do justice to the course and lighting was so-so on a late summer afternoon. After playing there, head for Anstruther for the best fish and chips you will find anywhere (with ice cream just "next door") and quaint little town.

 

Oops, can't say p-o-r-n!

 

[scott_Donald]

Anstruther is a great wee town, I was there for test photos for wedding photographer as he lives there nd really knew nothing about the place until was there.

 

Loving all the pics.

[Hawkeye77]

The boat trip to the Isle of May that we took left from Astruther. There's a longer one that leaves from North Berwick I believe. Our time in Anstruther was for the puffins and fish and chips - Crail was later in the day - works in any order!

 

 

 

 

[aenemated]

I have many, many things to say about my trip - just returned yesterday - but the one thing I can state with no hesitation ... Carnoustie is the greatest course I've ever played.

 

I got the full links golf experience on the Old Course the day before Carnoustie. Cold, rain, wind ... I recall standing on the 12th tee wondering if I was going to survive. I couldn't feel my hands, I was completely soaked and shivering ... and it was amazing. I learned a completely different type of golf that day which lead to possibly my best day of ballstriking ever at Carnoustie. I couldn't make a putt there to save my life and as we were walking off the 18th green; my caddie - this delightful older fella named Dave - grabbed my arm and said to me "You should have scored 75 today, lad. Go home, learn to putt and come back." Absolutely not complaining about my 81.

 

I'm still gathering my thoughts and writing an essay - a requiem for the player I was before this trip, if you will - but something is different now.

 

I can't get back over there soon enough. And I'll just leave this here ...

 


 

[philsRHman]

> @Argonne69 said:

> OK, time to wrap up the report. It was a great trip, with my primary goal of playing the Old Course as my 500th course completed. Other than a few minor changes in my travel plans, everything went off without a hitch. The weather was cooperative for the most part. I play golf in Chicago in windy conditions from March through November, so the 45 to 50 degree temps weren't an issue. The lovely 73 degree day on Monday was a bonus.

>

> As noted earlier, I got my tee times on TOC and Castle through the singles lottery. However, I don't think it would have been a problem showing up as a walk-on. 'Tough to schedule an international trip without a guaranteed tee time, but it seems this time of the year would be a good time if you didn't enter the lottery. I'm not sure when it starts to get busier, but I imagine things would pick up in late May.

>

> I was a tad worried about not having a rental car, but I found enough to do to keep myself occupied. Pubs included. On Thursday evening I was thinking that I may have had my fill of the local courses, so I called Carnoustie to see if they had an early tee time on Friday morning. They didn't. I guess I didn't look at a map close enough to notice that Carnoustie is basically right across the street from the Golf Street train station. Since I was planning to take the train to Dundee/Glasgow, it would have been fairly easy to get to the course on my final day. That said, I'm still glad I played the four main courses at St Andrews Links, as it's unlikely I'll be back any time soon. Carnoustie will be on the list for the next visit. As noted previously, one can safely travel to/from St Andrews without a rental car. If you're happy with the idea of sticking close to town, I recommend it. The bus and train service was almost ideal without the hassle and cost of a car.

>

> I was very pleased with my play, especially my generally uncooperative driver. 'Not hooking the ball into the cr*p sure makes for a fun week. I'm a low ball hitter, and the firm conditions were just right. My lag putting was also spot on when I found a GIR. I was disappointed with my play on the par 3's. I average one bogie per round on the par 3's by taking a very conservative approach, i.e. forget the flag and fire for the middle of the green two putt yourself to an easy par, but my irons were misbehaving, and I wound up averaging close to 3 bogies a round. My scrambling didn't quite get it done during the week. I think it's primarily due to the turf that I don't get to play on regularly. I'm very good at using a hybrid or Texas wedge around the greens, but I couldn't quite get the speed right, and left myself too many 6+ footers for par.

>

> One minor nit during the trip was the continuous hiccups with wireless data. I was international roaming with my Verizon plan, and while I had 4 or 5 bars of signal strength in town, it would sometimes take 4 to 6 attempts to render a web page. Too many people on too few towers? 'Not sure, but it was annoying. I was able to hop on to free wi-fi at times (w/ VPN), but that's generally a hassle.

>

> As for the courses, I found them to be fun, but none of them will crack my top ten. I'd rank them:

>

> 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

>

> 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

>

> 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

>

> 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

>

>

> Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

>

>

 

Been scouring the UK board and this is the first time the door has cracked open for a return to Bandon before making the St Andrews trek. Am I misreading? I worry I’m overbuilidng Scotland in my mind and it could never live up to it. I worried the same about Bandon and it surpassed them. So with all your experience, would love your opinion.

[SCalGolfer]

> @philsRHman said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > OK, time to wrap up the report. It was a great trip, with my primary goal of playing the Old Course as my 500th course completed. Other than a few minor changes in my travel plans, everything went off without a hitch. The weather was cooperative for the most part. I play golf in Chicago in windy conditions from March through November, so the 45 to 50 degree temps weren't an issue. The lovely 73 degree day on Monday was a bonus.

> >

> > As noted earlier, I got my tee times on TOC and Castle through the singles lottery. However, I don't think it would have been a problem showing up as a walk-on. 'Tough to schedule an international trip without a guaranteed tee time, but it seems this time of the year would be a good time if you didn't enter the lottery. I'm not sure when it starts to get busier, but I imagine things would pick up in late May.

> >

> > I was a tad worried about not having a rental car, but I found enough to do to keep myself occupied. Pubs included. On Thursday evening I was thinking that I may have had my fill of the local courses, so I called Carnoustie to see if they had an early tee time on Friday morning. They didn't. I guess I didn't look at a map close enough to notice that Carnoustie is basically right across the street from the Golf Street train station. Since I was planning to take the train to Dundee/Glasgow, it would have been fairly easy to get to the course on my final day. That said, I'm still glad I played the four main courses at St Andrews Links, as it's unlikely I'll be back any time soon. Carnoustie will be on the list for the next visit. As noted previously, one can safely travel to/from St Andrews without a rental car. If you're happy with the idea of sticking close to town, I recommend it. The bus and train service was almost ideal without the hassle and cost of a car.

> >

> > I was very pleased with my play, especially my generally uncooperative driver. 'Not hooking the ball into the cr*p sure makes for a fun week. I'm a low ball hitter, and the firm conditions were just right. My lag putting was also spot on when I found a GIR. I was disappointed with my play on the par 3's. I average one bogie per round on the par 3's by taking a very conservative approach, i.e. forget the flag and fire for the middle of the green two putt yourself to an easy par, but my irons were misbehaving, and I wound up averaging close to 3 bogies a round. My scrambling didn't quite get it done during the week. I think it's primarily due to the turf that I don't get to play on regularly. I'm very good at using a hybrid or Texas wedge around the greens, but I couldn't quite get the speed right, and left myself too many 6+ footers for par.

> >

> > One minor nit during the trip was the continuous hiccups with wireless data. I was international roaming with my Verizon plan, and while I had 4 or 5 bars of signal strength in town, it would sometimes take 4 to 6 attempts to render a web page. Too many people on too few towers? 'Not sure, but it was annoying. I was able to hop on to free wi-fi at times (w/ VPN), but that's generally a hassle.

> >

> > As for the courses, I found them to be fun, but none of them will crack my top ten. I'd rank them:

> >

> > 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

> >

> > 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

> >

> > 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

> >

> > 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

> >

> >

> > Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

> >

> >

>

> Been scouring the UK board and this is the first time the door has cracked open for a return to Bandon before making the St Andrews trek. Am I misreading? I worry I’m overbuilidng Scotland in my mind and it could never live up to it. I worried the same about Bandon and it surpassed them. So with all your experience, would love your opinion.

 

The Old Course is for connoisseurs. If you love golf course architecture you will enjoy it. Study the history and the famous holes. The more you play it the more it reveals its nuance to you. Your average Joe golfer will not get it. You will absolutely not be disappointed when you are standing over your ball on the first tee, I can promise you that! It's the home of golf! Man I want to go back and play the Old Course again. I already told you the courses I played and they were all outstanding, not to mention the people and culture. Bandon and Scotland are both great, but they are different. Do them both.

[Argonne69]

> @SCalGolfer said:

> > @philsRHman said:

> > > @Argonne69 said:

> > > OK, time to wrap up the report. It was a great trip, with my primary goal of playing the Old Course as my 500th course completed. Other than a few minor changes in my travel plans, everything went off without a hitch. The weather was cooperative for the most part. I play golf in Chicago in windy conditions from March through November, so the 45 to 50 degree temps weren't an issue. The lovely 73 degree day on Monday was a bonus.

> > >

> > > As noted earlier, I got my tee times on TOC and Castle through the singles lottery. However, I don't think it would have been a problem showing up as a walk-on. 'Tough to schedule an international trip without a guaranteed tee time, but it seems this time of the year would be a good time if you didn't enter the lottery. I'm not sure when it starts to get busier, but I imagine things would pick up in late May.

> > >

> > > I was a tad worried about not having a rental car, but I found enough to do to keep myself occupied. Pubs included. On Thursday evening I was thinking that I may have had my fill of the local courses, so I called Carnoustie to see if they had an early tee time on Friday morning. They didn't. I guess I didn't look at a map close enough to notice that Carnoustie is basically right across the street from the Golf Street train station. Since I was planning to take the train to Dundee/Glasgow, it would have been fairly easy to get to the course on my final day. That said, I'm still glad I played the four main courses at St Andrews Links, as it's unlikely I'll be back any time soon. Carnoustie will be on the list for the next visit. As noted previously, one can safely travel to/from St Andrews without a rental car. If you're happy with the idea of sticking close to town, I recommend it. The bus and train service was almost ideal without the hassle and cost of a car.

> > >

> > > I was very pleased with my play, especially my generally uncooperative driver. 'Not hooking the ball into the cr*p sure makes for a fun week. I'm a low ball hitter, and the firm conditions were just right. My lag putting was also spot on when I found a GIR. I was disappointed with my play on the par 3's. I average one bogie per round on the par 3's by taking a very conservative approach, i.e. forget the flag and fire for the middle of the green two putt yourself to an easy par, but my irons were misbehaving, and I wound up averaging close to 3 bogies a round. My scrambling didn't quite get it done during the week. I think it's primarily due to the turf that I don't get to play on regularly. I'm very good at using a hybrid or Texas wedge around the greens, but I couldn't quite get the speed right, and left myself too many 6+ footers for par.

> > >

> > > One minor nit during the trip was the continuous hiccups with wireless data. I was international roaming with my Verizon plan, and while I had 4 or 5 bars of signal strength in town, it would sometimes take 4 to 6 attempts to render a web page. Too many people on too few towers? 'Not sure, but it was annoying. I was able to hop on to free wi-fi at times (w/ VPN), but that's generally a hassle.

> > >

> > > As for the courses, I found them to be fun, but none of them will crack my top ten. I'd rank them:

> > >

> > > 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

> > >

> > > 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

> > >

> > > 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

> > >

> > > 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

> > >

> > >

> > > Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

> > >

> > >

> >

> > Been scouring the UK board and this is the first time the door has cracked open for a return to Bandon before making the St Andrews trek. Am I misreading? I worry I’m overbuilidng Scotland in my mind and it could never live up to it. I worried the same about Bandon and it surpassed them. So with all your experience, would love your opinion.

>

> The Old Course is for connoisseurs. If you love golf course architecture you will enjoy it. Study the history and the famous holes. The more you play it the more it reveals its nuance to you. Your average Joe golfer will not get it. You will absolutely not be disappointed when you are standing over your ball on the first tee, I can promise you that! It's the home of golf! Man I want to go back and play the Old Course again. I already told you the courses I played and they were all outstanding, not to mention the people and culture. Bandon and Scotland are both great, but they are different. Do them both.

 

100% agree. St Andrews is also about the history, and not just about the course. Soak it up. Like Bandon, you'll be surrounded by golf fanatics. Interacting with these "pilgrims" is also part of the fun.

 

If you're worried that the St Andrews courses are a bit too bland, make sure to book rounds at some of the other courses in the area, e.g. Kingsbarns. I've been told many times that Crail is also a worthy stop.

[duffer987]

> @philsRHman said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > OK, time to wrap up the report. It was a great trip, with my primary goal of playing the Old Course as my 500th course completed. Other than a few minor changes in my travel plans, everything went off without a hitch. The weather was cooperative for the most part. I play golf in Chicago in windy conditions from March through November, so the 45 to 50 degree temps weren't an issue. The lovely 73 degree day on Monday was a bonus.

> >

> > As noted earlier, I got my tee times on TOC and Castle through the singles lottery. However, I don't think it would have been a problem showing up as a walk-on. 'Tough to schedule an international trip without a guaranteed tee time, but it seems this time of the year would be a good time if you didn't enter the lottery. I'm not sure when it starts to get busier, but I imagine things would pick up in late May.

> >

> > I was a tad worried about not having a rental car, but I found enough to do to keep myself occupied. Pubs included. On Thursday evening I was thinking that I may have had my fill of the local courses, so I called Carnoustie to see if they had an early tee time on Friday morning. They didn't. I guess I didn't look at a map close enough to notice that Carnoustie is basically right across the street from the Golf Street train station. Since I was planning to take the train to Dundee/Glasgow, it would have been fairly easy to get to the course on my final day. That said, I'm still glad I played the four main courses at St Andrews Links, as it's unlikely I'll be back any time soon. Carnoustie will be on the list for the next visit. As noted previously, one can safely travel to/from St Andrews without a rental car. If you're happy with the idea of sticking close to town, I recommend it. The bus and train service was almost ideal without the hassle and cost of a car.

> >

> > I was very pleased with my play, especially my generally uncooperative driver. 'Not hooking the ball into the cr*p sure makes for a fun week. I'm a low ball hitter, and the firm conditions were just right. My lag putting was also spot on when I found a GIR. I was disappointed with my play on the par 3's. I average one bogie per round on the par 3's by taking a very conservative approach, i.e. forget the flag and fire for the middle of the green two putt yourself to an easy par, but my irons were misbehaving, and I wound up averaging close to 3 bogies a round. My scrambling didn't quite get it done during the week. I think it's primarily due to the turf that I don't get to play on regularly. I'm very good at using a hybrid or Texas wedge around the greens, but I couldn't quite get the speed right, and left myself too many 6+ footers for par.

> >

> > One minor nit during the trip was the continuous hiccups with wireless data. I was international roaming with my Verizon plan, and while I had 4 or 5 bars of signal strength in town, it would sometimes take 4 to 6 attempts to render a web page. Too many people on too few towers? 'Not sure, but it was annoying. I was able to hop on to free wi-fi at times (w/ VPN), but that's generally a hassle.

> >

> > As for the courses, I found them to be fun, but none of them will crack my top ten. I'd rank them:

> >

> > 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

> >

> > 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

> >

> > 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

> >

> > 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

> >

> >

> > Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

> >

> >

>

> Been scouring the UK board and this is the first time the door has cracked open for a return to Bandon before making the St Andrews trek. Am I misreading? I worry I’m overbuilidng Scotland in my mind and it could never live up to it. I worried the same about Bandon and it surpassed them. So with all your experience, would love your opinion.

 

Like I've said previously maybe here or in the PNW subforum - I've been to both a bunch and done correctly the UK & Ireland is on another level to Bandon.

If you really enjoyed Bandon, you will really Scotland :-)

[mci711]

 

> 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

>

> 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

>

> 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

>

> 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

>

>

> Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

>

>

Just finished up my trip. We played 3 of the same courses you did. Kingsbarns, castle, and old course. I absolutely loved kingsbarns and the old course. I could play the old course every day for the rest of my life. Kingsbarns reminded me a bit of whistling straits crossover with Bandon. It goes into my top 5, I'd have it ahead of Pebble. The Castle course was one of the most beautiful courses I've ever played. It 100% reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs, only if the circus came and designed the greens. It felt like a more manufactured Arcadia, but was still good. If it was on lake Michigan it would be a top 25 course by golf digest. The final course was north Berwick, which was all around the most fun and interesting of the courses. It's a can't miss in Scotland I believe. We plan on going back in 2022 for the Ryder cup (Italy) but stopping in Scotland. There are so many more to play.

 

[Argonne69]

> @mci711 said:

>

> > 1) Castle Course: The toughest of the bunch with a good variety of holes, plenty of trouble off the tee, and the trickiest greens. Great views of the sea. As mentioned earlier, it reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. I'd say it would likely make a top 20 course for me.

> >

> > 2) Kingsbarns Links: Similar to the two Sand Valley courses, they fairways are generous, and the greens are challenging without being unfair.

> >

> > 3) Old Course: Iconic? Of course. A true links golf course that plays firm and fast, and often makes you think about your club selection off the tee. I'm very glad I got to play it, but I won't be in a hurry to play it again. The majority of the holes (2 - 16) blend together without distinction. I'm sure that there are plenty of nuances that come out with repeated play, but the reality is that most of us will play it once, or maybe twice.

> >

> > 4T) New and Jubilee Courses: Similar to TOC, but without the history. Fun courses to fill out a week, but uninteresting for the most part. I'd play any of the four Bandon Dunes courses over both of them eight days a week.

> >

> >

> > Overall I'd certainly recommend a trip to the birthplace of golf. Getting there is a little bit of work, but not difficult.

> >

> >

> Just finished up my trip. We played 3 of the same courses you did. Kingsbarns, castle, and old course. I absolutely loved kingsbarns and the old course. I could play the old course every day for the rest of my life. Kingsbarns reminded me a bit of whistling straits crossover with Bandon. It goes into my top 5, I'd have it ahead of Pebble. The Castle course was one of the most beautiful courses I've ever played. It 100% reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs, only if the circus came and designed the greens. It felt like a more manufactured Arcadia, but was still good. If it was on lake Michigan it would be a top 25 course by golf digest. The final course was north Berwick, which was all around the most fun and interesting of the courses. It's a can't miss in Scotland I believe. We plan on going back in 2022 for the Ryder cup (Italy) but stopping in Scotland. There are so many more to play.

>

 

Funny you should mention that. I played Arcadia once, and I though it was overdone, especially the greens. If I had a bulldozer, I'm sure it would wind up looking something like that. Lol. The only thing missing was the clown's mouth and the windmill. Castle was a lot more forgiving if you got off line. Aracadis has a few holes with the enormous fescue covered slopes on either side. If you get caught up in that junk you're in real trouble.

 

[Chanceman]

Bandon is like being in a tight little golfing bubble whereas St Andrews is a very warm and diverse golfing experience. Not just golf actually as the town could stand alone without it.

[tiderider]

> @Chanceman said:

> Bandon is like being in a tight little golfing bubble whereas St Andrews is a very warm and diverse golfing experience. Not just golf actually as the town could stand alone without it.

 

spot on ...

[scott_Donald]

I am heading down tomorrow for an event - Duke course on Monday, stay Old Course hotel with big thing in the ball room then get up and try and play New or Jubilee. looking forward to it.

[mci711]

> @Chanceman said:

> Bandon is like being in a tight little golfing bubble whereas St Andrews is a very warm and diverse golfing experience. Not just golf actually as the town could stand alone without it.

 

Now that I've done Scotland, though there are so many more courses I'd like to play there, I think spending a few days at Bandon is more appealing to me. I loved the courses I played and hanging out arrive the old course was maybe the coolest golf feeling/experience, that being said the 4 courses soon to be 5 at Bandon is just impossible to beat. There isn't a better collection of golf courses in 1 spot (public) anywhere in the world. The ease of it for me makes it the best golf trip. But I can't wait to go back to Scotland either.

[duffer987]

> @mci711 said:

> > @Chanceman said:

> > Bandon is like being in a tight little golfing bubble whereas St Andrews is a very warm and diverse golfing experience. Not just golf actually as the town could stand alone without it.

>

> Now that I've done Scotland, though there are so many more courses I'd like to play there, I think spending a few days at Bandon is more appealing to me. I loved the courses I played and hanging out arrive the old course was maybe the coolest golf feeling/experience, that being said the 4 courses soon to be 5 at Bandon is just impossible to beat. There isn't a better collection of golf courses in 1 spot (public) anywhere in the world. The ease of it for me makes it the best golf trip. But I can't wait to go back to Scotland either.

 

I can appreciate that positive sentiment, even if I don't quite agree with the world bit ;-)

I think every new course I see, trip I take, the more I appreciate the regulars, whether that be our annual Bandon trip or the $50 muni I play weekly/bi-weekly. Now that you've had a sampler of the classic courses, it'll definitely give you a new POV for viewing Old Mac next time out.