10 days in Scotland Solo May 20-30! - Live journal - Old Course singles wait list success on Day 1!

[noahwein]

Inspired by some threads I've read which helped my own Scotland preparations, I've decided to share some of my experiences this week on a solo golf trip to Scotland.

 

I hope some of the lessons/info I learn will help others plan their own trips. And I also hope to receive some advice from experts here on where I should be playing. And looking forward to having a contemporaneous accounting of my adventures

 

I'm an 8 hcp golfer from the Midwest with an event in London on May 31. Decided relatively last minute to come 10 days early and spend that time playing as much golf as possible on my first ever trip to Scotland.

 

General plan: Have a rental car May 20 - May 31. Have 5 nights booked at an Airbnb in Kirkcaldy (Fife, halfway between Edinburgh and St Andrews, about 45 minute drive to St Andrews) Then 5 nights booked at a hotel in Glasgow using points. I'm going to try to focus on Fife/Aberdeen/N Berwick area for first 5 days, and the Turnberry/Troon/Ayr area for next 5. But am flexible with rental car and willing to put some miles on it. 9:30pm sunsets means plenty of opportunity for driving + 36 holes a day whenever possible.

 

--Day "-1" May 19: Ballot Buddy group entry for May 21 Old Course rejected

 

--Day 0, May 20:

Arrived at EDI via AMS, grabbed a rental car, and reached my Airbnb in Kirkcaldy around 3pm. I would have liked to stay closer to St Andrews but the last minute prices were very pricey. Saved quite a bit of money staying down here offset some pricey tee times.

 

I immediately grabbed my clubs and headed out for the Singles Queue kiosk at the old course for Monday's draw. My ETA was 16:50, ten minutes before it closed for May 21st. Unbelievable seeing the 1st tee for the first time watching groups tee off on a perfect sunny day. One of the things I was most surprised by was the strong smell of the sea you sense right there at the first hole. Got my info entered into the system, and then headed back in the car to get to the New Course parking lot. 

 

New Course starter told me I could go out, but pace of play would be very rough, advised me to walk down the path to the Jubilee which was relatively empty. Sure enough I was able to get thru first 7 holes in about an hour before getting stuck behind some groups. I ended up joining a pair of older local links members which was a lot of fun, although I had more difficulty understanding their accents than I expected I would! Jubilee was a great first course to play. Takes a few holes to get used to the tight lies and unbelievably firm fairways. Not to mention all the roll out on drives and approaches. Although I thought it was quite steep at £140. I considered getting the 3-day Links ticket right off the bat, but decided I'd rather stay flexible and not tie myself to those courses on days 1-3. 

 

Somewhere around the 3rd hole, I received notice my Ballot Buddy group for May 22 Old Course was rejected. Shortly after I received my text from the May 21 Singles Queue "All tee times have been allocated. You have been placed on wait list, click here to check your live position" --- I am 12th on the wait list. I figure that's bad news. What are the odds they're going to find 12 additional spots tomorrow? I assume quite slim. Before going to sleep around 11pm, I check again and am still 12th. 

 

--Day 1, May 21:

Wake up around 07:30, immediately refresh the list and I'm 5th which is quite a jump. There's a link below to "Remove yourself from the list". I was wondering why would anyone do that. Maybe they make other plans for the day and are considerate enough to click it to let others advance a spot? Maybe 7 guys did that overnight? Around 08:20 I get a call from a +44 number and my iPhone says it's from St Andrews. "Can you be on the tee in the next 10 minutes?" No I can't, I'm a 40 minute drive away, but I can leave shortly. He tells me there's a spot in the next group, and he can't promise anything later but I should let them know who I am when I arrive because I'm near top of list. I ask him please don't remove me from the list, I'll be there as soon as I can. I make a beeline for St. Andrews and get there around 09:20. There's a couple guys in line to speak to the front desk, so I go straight to the kiosk to enter my Singles queue entry for May 22. While I'm at the kiosk I hear the first guy in line being told he's in the next group on the tee. Wow this is moving a lot faster than I had anticipated. I approach the desk next and introduce myself as #3 on the wait list and the guys says "You're #2 now, this guy in front of you just got on." Am told since I'm here, I'll be most likely considered the next golfer to fill a spot, as the guy at #1 isn't on site. I run to get my clubs from my car at the R&A Museum of Golf lot where I'm parked illegally (The machine only takes coins, which I don't have, and won't recognize a US mobile # to sign up to pay on the app).

 

I go outside to putt for a while on the putting green next to the Old Course Pavilion, and then take a break to stand on the rail to watch the next group tee off from up close. A guy next to me has his clubs next to him and I ask are you playing? He's in the next group, he got the tee time last night texted to him from the Singles Queue. I tell him I was 12th on the wait list but am now considered #1 I guess. He wishes me good luck and I tell him maybe I'll be playing with you. Well the golf gods must have appreciated my optimism because less than 10 seconds after I said that I hear my name called from the window in the pavilion. Holy s***. I go inside to pay, and next thing I know I'm standing on the damn tee box, the same one I had been watching yesterday and most of this morning. I've been in Scotland for less than 18 hours!

 

More to come shortly

Edited May 21, 2024 by noahwein

[hammergolf]

25 minutes ago, noahwein said:

Inspired by some threads I've read which helped my own Scotland preparations, I've decided to share some of my experiences this week on a solo golf trip to Scotland.

 

I hope some of the lessons/info I learn will help others plan their own trips. And I also hope to receive some advice from experts here on where I should be playing. And looking forward to having a contemporaneous accounting of my adventures

 

I'm an 8 hcp golfer from the Midwest with an event in London on May 31. Decided relatively last minute to come 10 days early and spend that time playing as much golf as possible on my first ever trip to Scotland.

 

General plan: Have a rental car May 20 - May 31. Have 5 nights booked at an Airbnb in Kirkcaldy (Fife, halfway between Edinburgh and St Andrews, about 45 minute drive to St Andrews) Then 5 nights booked at a hotel in Glasgow using points. I'm going to try to focus on Fife/Aberdeen/N Berwick area for first 5 days, and the Turnberry/Troon/Ayr area for next 5. But am flexible with rental car and willing to put some miles on it. 9:30pm sunsets means plenty of opportunity for driving + 36 holes a day whenever possible.

 

--Day "-1" May 19: Ballot Buddy group entry for May 21 Old Course rejected

 

--Day 0, May 20:

Arrived at EDI via AMS, grabbed a rental car, and reached my Airbnb in Kirkcaldy around 3pm. I would have liked to stay closer to St Andrews but the last minute prices were very pricey. Saved quite a bit of money staying down here offset some pricey tee times.

 

I immediately grabbed my clubs and headed out for the Singles Queue kiosk at the old course for Monday's draw. My ETA was 16:50, ten minutes before it closed for May 21st. Unbelievable seeing the 1st tee for the first time watching groups tee off on a perfect sunny day. One of the things I was most surprised by was the strong smell of the sea you sense right there at the first hole. Got my info entered into the system, and then headed back in the car to get to the New Course parking lot. 

 

New Course starter told me I could go out, but pace of play would be very rough, advised me to walk down the path to the Jubilee which was relatively empty. Sure enough I was able to get thru first 7 holes in about an hour before getting stuck behind some groups. I ended up joining a pair of older local links members which was a lot of fun, although I had more difficulty understanding their accents than I expected I would! Jubilee was a great first course to play. Takes a few holes to get used to the tight lies and unbelievably firm fairways. Not to mention all the roll out on drives and approaches. Although I thought it was quite steep at £140. I considered getting the 3-day Links ticket right off the bat, but decided I'd rather stay flexible and not tie myself to those courses on days 1-3. 

 

Somewhere around the 3rd hole, I received notice my Ballot Buddy group for May 22 Old Course was rejected. Shortly after I received my text from the May 21 Singles Queue "All tee times have been allocated. You have been placed on wait list, click here to check your live position" --- I am 12th on the wait list. I figure that's bad news. What are the odds they're going to find 12 additional spots tomorrow? I assume quite slim. Before going to sleep around 11pm, I check again and am still 12th. 

 

--Day 1, May 21:

Wake up around 07:30, immediately refresh the list and I'm 5th which is quite a jump. There's a link below to "Remove yourself from the list". I was wondering why would anyone do that. Maybe they make other plans for the day and are considerate enough to click it to let others advance a spot? Maybe 7 guys did that overnight? Around 08:20 I get a call from a +44 number and my iPhone says it's from St Andrews. "Can you be on the tee in the next 10 minutes?" No I can't, I'm a 40 minute drive away, but I can leave shortly. He tells me there's a spot in the next group, and he can't promise anything later but I should let them know who I am when I arrive because I'm near top of list. I ask him please don't remove me from the list, I'll be there as soon as I can. I make a beeline for St. Andrews and get there around 09:20. There's a couple guys in line to speak to the front desk, so I go straight to the kiosk to enter my Singles queue entry for May 22. While I'm at the kiosk I hear the first guy in line being told he's in the next group on the tee. Wow this is moving a lot faster than I had anticipated. I approach the desk next and introduce myself as #3 on the wait list and the guys says "You're #2 now, this guy in front of you just got on." Am told since I'm here, I'll be most likely considered the next golfer to fill a spot, as the guy at #1 isn't on site. I run to get my clubs from my car at the R&A Museum of Golf lot where I'm parked illegally (The machine only takes coins, which I don't have, and won't recognize a US mobile # to sign up to pay on the app).

 

I go outside to putt for a while on the putting green next to the Old Course Pavilion, and then take a break to stand on the rail to watch the next group tee off from up close. A guy next to me has his clubs next to him and I ask are you playing? He's in the next group, he got the tee time last night texted to him from the Singles Queue. I tell him I was 12th on the wait list but am now considered #1 I guess. He wishes me good luck and I tell him maybe I'll be playing with you. Well the golf gods must have appreciated my optimism because less than 10 seconds after I said that I hear my name called from the window in the pavilion. Holy s***. I go inside to pay, and next thing I know I'm standing on the damn tee box, the same one I had been watching yesterday and most of this morning. I've been in Scotland for less than 18 hours!

 

More to come shortly

Awesome story! Looking forward to hearing about your round..

[noahwein]

I'm in a 3-Ball, and all three of us are from the singles queue. What a cool group to be in, all of us were super pumped to be there and of similar golf ability (probably 5 to 10 hcp) Was a super friendly and fun group all day. Londoner got his 10:20 tee time sent straight to him yesterday. Guy from Mexico was 15th on waitlist when I was 12th, and was 5th this morning when I was 3rd. We both paid at same time. He declined my suggestion to have the starter do credit card roulette. I proceed to the tee box with my caddie, I cannot put into words how incredibly buzzy it felt to actually be standing on this tee box, especially after watching so many groups go earlier and not being certain if I were going to get on. I hit driver as I didn't want to risk embarrassing myself with a duffed iron or topped 3-wood. Unfortunately I hit a low ball that is fading a bit, it rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and doesn't stop until it dips into the curvature of the right-burn. Oops. My caddie retrieves my ball from the burn, wipes it off and drops it at my feet about 90 yards from the pin. I swing a wedge and absolutely skull/top/god-knows-what the ball. It never gets in the air and drops in the burn in front of green. This is not a good start! But I am still just on absolute-cloud-nine from standing on this golf hole I couldn't care less. 2 putts for a triple bogey. Out in 43, in in 39 for an 82 with a nice bird on #6.

 

(I played Royal County Down last year and shot a 78 with a double on 1, hit one of my ugliest slices ever hit on first tee, that ball is likely still on the beach. So clearly I have difficulty off the first tee on world top-10 courses)

 

On 18 I pipe a drive down the middle, have about 105 to pin, and I skull/shank a wedge, its running FAST well right of the green straight to the street, and it CLANKS against a fence post right back into play, in rough right of green, well above the pin. When I get to the ball I realize how lucky I got to actually hit the post. 90% of that fence is air. I hit a beauty of a flop/chip to 6 feet and drain the uphill put for par.

 

After lunch at Dunvegan I go straight to Elie Golf House. Wow is this course cool. You have to insist to look thru the periscope in the starter's hut. That thing is unbelievable. One of the coolest opening tee shots I've played. Elie is a really fun course and relatively a steal for £135-ish. I flew around as a single, starting around 17:00. Some great holes down by the water. A surprising number of blind tee shots towards Black/White aiming posts on big hilly fairways. Actually some of these I thought blended together. But I'm jetlagged and just played the old course so take my opinions on this with a grain of salt. It's actually quite a tough course, as it's par 70 with ZERO par-5s. Plenty of long-ish par 4's as well. 6300 yards, par 70, no par 5's, its no slouch. I got around 46/38 for an 84 with two birdies.

 

While on Elie, I get my text for Singles Queue May 22:  72nd on wait list! I do plan to enter again as I'd like another crack at the Old Course.

 

Plan for tomorrow: Looks like rain from 2pm on. I am going to try to play either Kingsbarns or Dumbarnie Links tomorrow as early as possible and then see how the weather goes Both have morning tee times posted online. If its bad in afternoon will likely just keep as an 18-hole day and will pop in to enter May 23rd Singles Draw

 

Not entering Queue for May 24th, as I have two tee times booked for Friday already (Trump Intl in Aberdeen followed by Cruden Bay)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2024 by noahwein

[noahwein]

Pics from Day 1 - Old Course & Elie (May 21). 

 

Elie was fantastic! Can't believe it's same price as Jubilee course. They have you as a captive audience in St Andrews I suppose

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2024 by noahwein

[CanFred]

This is awesome!  Can't wait to follow this thread the rest of the way - how was Elie? 

[noahwein]

13 minutes ago, ChrisATL said:

This is awesome!  Can't wait to follow this thread the rest of the way - how was Elie? 

Scroll up, I had the follow up post stuck in moderation for a bit 

[StoutKing]

Enjoy!  It really doesn't get that much better.

[CanFred]

2 minutes ago, noahwein said:

Scroll up, I had the follow up post stuck in moderation for a bit 

Ah I see it now - thanks @noahwein!  I'm going to Scotland next March with my wife (it was the only time for childcare), and Elie is high on my list.

[noahwein]

Day 2: May 22.

Big storm forecasted to hit Fife around 13:00 today. Dumbarnie and Kingsbarns both had spots at 9am or earlier, but was feeling pretty tired and didn’t want to play such a $$ round with potential for real bad weather. Ended up driving to Lundin Golf Club where I was told I could get on around 10:30 but behind several four-balls. Drove down the street to Leven Links which seemed much emptier. Lundin and Leven basically form a 36 hole complex on the same seaside links land. Lundin seems to be more highly regarded but both sounded great.

 

Very highly recommend Leven Links! It’s a 6 time Open Championship qualifier course, most recently in 2005. The fairways definitely not on the same tier of conditioning as Elie or Jubilee/Old, and if you’re a stickler for well-manicured courses you might be disappointed, but other than that I have a hard time finding fault with the course. Greens rolled as true as the previously mentioned courses. Really fun layout, some pretty demanding driving holes, excellent par 3s, reachable par 5s. The 4th green backs up to an ancient looking short stone wall which separates the two courses, and on the par 3 fifth, you tee off just across the wall from a par 3 on Lundin, with the two greens right across the path from each other. The 18th hole is special, with a very large green protected by a burn, the only hazard on the course. I think Elie had a much more interesting and fun layout, as well as a lot more elevation changes, scenery and better conditioning. Leven Links much more scoreable course. Both great in their own ways.

I played my best golf of the year so far, except for making an 8 on the first par 5 (if you’re in a deep fairway bunker save yourself the heartache and just pitch out sideways, it’s not worth trying to advance the ball if you’re not 100% confident you can pull it off!!). Out in 39 in in 38 with back-to-back birdies on 12&13.

 

i have my current course rankings as:

1) Old course

2) Elie

**significant gap**

3) Leven Links

4) Jubilee 
 

Managed to only get some light rain on last two holes and drove up to St Andrews to enter the Thursday Singles Draw. Watched some groups on 1 & 18 again, this time in some pretty gnarly rain. That’s it for the golf today!

 

 

[islesmb]

18 hours ago, noahwein said:

Inspired by some threads I've read which helped my own Scotland preparations, I've decided to share some of my experiences this week on a solo golf trip to Scotland.

 

I hope some of the lessons/info I learn will help others plan their own trips. And I also hope to receive some advice from experts here on where I should be playing. And looking forward to having a contemporaneous accounting of my adventures

 

I'm an 8 hcp golfer from the Midwest with an event in London on May 31. Decided relatively last minute to come 10 days early and spend that time playing as much golf as possible on my first ever trip to Scotland.

 

General plan: Have a rental car May 20 - May 31. Have 5 nights booked at an Airbnb in Kirkcaldy (Fife, halfway between Edinburgh and St Andrews, about 45 minute drive to St Andrews) Then 5 nights booked at a hotel in Glasgow using points. I'm going to try to focus on Fife/Aberdeen/N Berwick area for first 5 days, and the Turnberry/Troon/Ayr area for next 5. But am flexible with rental car and willing to put some miles on it. 9:30pm sunsets means plenty of opportunity for driving + 36 holes a day whenever possible.

 

--Day "-1" May 19: Ballot Buddy group entry for May 21 Old Course rejected

 

--Day 0, May 20:

Arrived at EDI via AMS, grabbed a rental car, and reached my Airbnb in Kirkcaldy around 3pm. I would have liked to stay closer to St Andrews but the last minute prices were very pricey. Saved quite a bit of money staying down here offset some pricey tee times.

 

I immediately grabbed my clubs and headed out for the Singles Queue kiosk at the old course for Monday's draw. My ETA was 16:50, ten minutes before it closed for May 21st. Unbelievable seeing the 1st tee for the first time watching groups tee off on a perfect sunny day. One of the things I was most surprised by was the strong smell of the sea you sense right there at the first hole. Got my info entered into the system, and then headed back in the car to get to the New Course parking lot. 

 

New Course starter told me I could go out, but pace of play would be very rough, advised me to walk down the path to the Jubilee which was relatively empty. Sure enough I was able to get thru first 7 holes in about an hour before getting stuck behind some groups. I ended up joining a pair of older local links members which was a lot of fun, although I had more difficulty understanding their accents than I expected I would! Jubilee was a great first course to play. Takes a few holes to get used to the tight lies and unbelievably firm fairways. Not to mention all the roll out on drives and approaches. Although I thought it was quite steep at £140. I considered getting the 3-day Links ticket right off the bat, but decided I'd rather stay flexible and not tie myself to those courses on days 1-3. 

 

Somewhere around the 3rd hole, I received notice my Ballot Buddy group for May 22 Old Course was rejected. Shortly after I received my text from the May 21 Singles Queue "All tee times have been allocated. You have been placed on wait list, click here to check your live position" --- I am 12th on the wait list. I figure that's bad news. What are the odds they're going to find 12 additional spots tomorrow? I assume quite slim. Before going to sleep around 11pm, I check again and am still 12th. 

 

--Day 1, May 21:

Wake up around 07:30, immediately refresh the list and I'm 5th which is quite a jump. There's a link below to "Remove yourself from the list". I was wondering why would anyone do that. Maybe they make other plans for the day and are considerate enough to click it to let others advance a spot? Maybe 7 guys did that overnight? Around 08:20 I get a call from a +44 number and my iPhone says it's from St Andrews. "Can you be on the tee in the next 10 minutes?" No I can't, I'm a 40 minute drive away, but I can leave shortly. He tells me there's a spot in the next group, and he can't promise anything later but I should let them know who I am when I arrive because I'm near top of list. I ask him please don't remove me from the list, I'll be there as soon as I can. I make a beeline for St. Andrews and get there around 09:20. There's a couple guys in line to speak to the front desk, so I go straight to the kiosk to enter my Singles queue entry for May 22. While I'm at the kiosk I hear the first guy in line being told he's in the next group on the tee. Wow this is moving a lot faster than I had anticipated. I approach the desk next and introduce myself as #3 on the wait list and the guys says "You're #2 now, this guy in front of you just got on." Am told since I'm here, I'll be most likely considered the next golfer to fill a spot, as the guy at #1 isn't on site. I run to get my clubs from my car at the R&A Museum of Golf lot where I'm parked illegally (The machine only takes coins, which I don't have, and won't recognize a US mobile # to sign up to pay on the app).

 

I go outside to putt for a while on the putting green next to the Old Course Pavilion, and then take a break to stand on the rail to watch the next group tee off from up close. A guy next to me has his clubs next to him and I ask are you playing? He's in the next group, he got the tee time last night texted to him from the Singles Queue. I tell him I was 12th on the wait list but am now considered #1 I guess. He wishes me good luck and I tell him maybe I'll be playing with you. Well the golf gods must have appreciated my optimism because less than 10 seconds after I said that I hear my name called from the window in the pavilion. Holy s***. I go inside to pay, and next thing I know I'm standing on the damn tee box, the same one I had been watching yesterday and most of this morning. I've been in Scotland for less than 18 hours!

 

More to come shortly

The greatest feeling I ever had in golf was standing on that 1st tee box hitting my opening tee shot right down the middle of that huge fairway. 😃

 

[sheppick.dan]

@noahwein I love the recap. Thanks for doing this. My dad and I arrive in Glasgow on 6/22 and will be making a 7 day trip!

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[scott_Donald]

Wow Tr and CB and no Royal Aberdeen?!

 

Great trip so far; love the big smile on your face! 

 

No golf shoes?

 

I am heading to St Andrews on Wednesday, I will look out for you!

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

Enjoy it. I fell in love with Scotland last week. Hope you’ll like Cruden Bay, if you have time go to Newburgh (next village) to the beach, there’s hundreds of seals sunbathing and it’s a relaxing walk. 10 minute walk from the parking lot through gorse lined dunes, beautiful. 

[noahwein]

45 minutes ago, scott_Donald said:

Wow Tr and CB and no Royal Aberdeen?!

 

Great trip so far; love the big smile on your face! 

 

No golf shoes?

 

I am heading to St Andrews on Wednesday, I will look out for you!

True LinksWear knits! My favorite golf shoe for when it’s dry outside. Unfortunately yesterday and today had to wear the waterproof shoes

[noahwein]

Day 3: May 23

 

What a day! Pretty gnarly storm started yesterday early afternoon, never seemed to stop and dumped a ton of water everywhere. When I woke up this morning, was still a light sprinkle. I had advanced from 32nd to 26th in the Old Course Singles list for today by 8am.

 

According to weather forecasts it looked like fairly light rain, so I drove over to Dumbarnie Links which was showing a 09:20 time open. However when I pulled into the parking lot there was much stronger, sideways rain, and 30-35 mph winds. This is a £299 tee time and I started having some serious doubts about whether I wanted to even get out of the car, much less go out onto the golf course. I actually got as far as taking my golf bag out of the car to organize it, and about 20 seconds later I decided to scrap the idea of playing. St Andrews is only about 30 mins away, I was in the low 20’s on waitlist, and forecast looked more reasonable in later morning / early afternoon.

 

Next thing I know I’m checking into the Old Course pavilion to let them know I’m here, I think 20th or so on the list. I was told there was a corporate block of tee times until 11:30, no chance of going off before then, but she thought decent chance of an early afternoon time. After a leisurely breakfast down the street I returned as #15 on the list. It’s still raining and the list seems to be moving so at this point I’m feeling 75% confident I’ll be teeing off at some point. Right around 1pm while #7 on the list (day of, the only important wait-list number seems to be who is actually on site inside the pavilion) I was given a 14:00 slot! I drove over to the range to hit some balls and next thing I know I’m back on the Old Course tee box!

 

I was in another group of all guys from singles draw waitlist Which I think is great as we’re all there solo so it’s not like anyone is 4th wheeling in the group. I stripe a 5 iron down the left side of #1 fairway which felt great after finding the burn with driver on Tuesday. A 9 iron in and a tap in par later I’m already 3 strokes ahead of my pace in the first attempt!

 

After duffing a chip/pitch shot on #2, from about 20-30 yards short of these severe mounds in front of green, that rolled back into valley front right of green I made a really nice putt up the hill back on to set up an easy bogey and didn’t attempt a chip like that the rest of the round. My Texas wedge was so hot I played holes 2, 4 and 5 with three total putts. Another 1 putt on 6 from 25 feet dropped in for birdie and I walked to #7 tee box at even par.

 

My Old Course wisdom from 36 holes:

 

 

1) putt from off the green whenever humanly possible. Seriously trust me. You can practice these long putts on Jubilee or New where there’s similar fairway/green speed. These greens are MUCH slower than you’ll be expecting if you’re used to playing nice courses in the US. You REALLY need to put some muscle into these longer putts to get them to the hole and you shouldn’t be nearly as afraid to miss long as you think. Out of 7 players playing 36 holes there in my groups I would say it was very rare to see someone get in trouble for rolling it too far past the hole, and leaving it short was a VERY frequent occurrence. 
 

2) DEFINITELY get a caddie. Both of mine were fantastic. These guys are pros and know the greens really well. Just on putting lines, especially over and around humps and off the green going thru mounds, I’m sure their reads saved me at least 3-4 total strokes if not more. If you are at all on the fence, trust me and get one. It will also leave you free to take more photos and videos and have a better experience.

 

 

I executed my drive on 17 really nicely, made a 2-putt road hole par, and stood on the 18th tee box at +5. Under the windy and drizzly conditions I’d say this is one of the best rounds of my life. I really cannot find the words to explain how I managed to hit a MASSIVE slice on the 18th tee that literally almost killed someone on the road, barely taking out a Range Rover windshield. Just a brutal brutal lapse in judgment and concentration when aligning myself and a piss poor golf swing, easily my worst swing of the entire week. Just set up to hit the ball down the #1 fairway. Seriously you don’t even gain anything from being on the 18 fairway. Still literally cannot believe I did it. I have a great video of it which I will try to find a way to post.
 

Double on 18, out in 39, in in 40 for a 79.

 

 

Tomorrow is the first day of my trip where I’ve actually booked tee times in advance. The former president’s course in Aberdeen followed by Cruden Bay. Looks like a clear weather day and can’t wait

[noahwein]

Trigger warning on this video. Not the tee shot you expect to hit after playing 17 holes at +5

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

At least you saved 79! Golf is brutal. 
 

Keep it coming, love your report!

[scott_Donald]

Another day of good luck!

 

You have had rain now until midday in Aberdeen. Rain has just stopped so I am off to play a single round at Royal Aberdeen at 1.50 instead of cycle(roads too wet)! Seems you will be dry for the rest of the day now.

 

I assume you were playing for a big pull hook or something there on 18. I would have been scared seeing you tee it up if I was walking down the road.

[noahwein]

Day 4: May 24

 

Epic day of golf up north today. Teed off at noon at the former president’s course in Aberdeen (if I include the name, it gets auto-held for moderators to approve). 
 

(Pro tip: this course is on GolfNow and has a “hot deal” each day which I saved about 90-100 gbp on vs their published green fee. You can book this just about any day of the week, up to 5 days in advance of tee time.)

 

This is visually one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever played. It’s in A++ condition. The only courses I’ve seen/played in person with better conditioning are ANGC (as a spectator), Shadow Creek, and Royal County Down. Greens were quite fast even by American standards and they were absolutely pure. They felt nearly twice as fast as on the Old Course. The course itself is basically a resort style course (I don’t mean this as criticism). There are some SUPER EPIC elevated tee shots. You will feel like you want to take photos of nearly each of the first 4-5 holes and several on the back nine especially 14 & 18. It reminded me a lot of Arcadia Bluffs both in terms of the eye-candy and also in the layout and playability of the course. I actually think this is much better overall than Arcadia. I got around as a single with caddie (imho a caddie here is completely unnecessary, everything is right in front of you on almost every hole) in under 3 hours. My only criticism is that the dunes (which are spectacular and massive) basically consistently served as window dressing on each side of the fairways. You’re never actually hitting over them, there’s not really any holes where they serve much of a purpose other than being there to look at. With that said I did not get tired of looking at them. 
 

After lunch in the clubhouse (very good as well) I made the quick 20 min drive up to Cruden Bay. 
 

I don’t want to get too much into detail on this round as I fear once I start I won’t be able to stop. This golf course is unbelievable. It was without exaggeration a transcendental experience for me. 17:20 tee time, there was no one in front of me or behind me the whole round. I didn’t see another person on the course for the last couple hours. They didn’t have a caddie available for me, which in hindsight really sucks because I can’t think of many courses I’ve played where having a caddie would be more helpful. On the 9 tee box I wish they had one of those roller coaster cameras where they take your photo and try to sell it to you after the ride. I would have loved to see the look on my face when I got up to that tee box. It’s unbelievable up there. 
 

A thick fog swallowed up the golf course by the time I got to 11 and I played the last 6 holes in basically 10% visibility. Then my phone died on 13 so I lost my GPS map view. Every tee shot was a blind tee shot! Every approach shot was hitting a ball into the unknown! Luckily no one was behind me so I had time to walk up sometimes 100+ yards and back, just to see where the fairway or green was. As I walked up 14 I saw the aiming post and at first figured it must be the pin. But then realized as I got closer, this is just an aiming post and then when I first laid eyes on the sunken punch bowl green I just about lost it. On 16 tee box I said to myself A SECOND BLIND PAR THREE IN A ROW??? before walking up 50 yards and realizing the green was right in front of me lol. This was a wild experience playing this back nine totally alone, not a soul around, no technology (fog so thick a rangefinder wouldn’t pick up the flag even when you could see it). On 15 I hit what I assumed must have been a pretty good shot, and as I walked onto green I couldn’t find my ball. I’ve played probably 2000 par 3’s in my golf career and I’m positive this is the first time I’ve actively hoped my ball wasn’t sitting in the cup. Old course lottery winner two out of first three days, then an ace at Cruden Bay on a blind hole in blind fog conditions, nobody would ever believe me. Thankfully it was a few yards past the green in the rough.

 

I’m not sure when I’ll be in Scotland again but I am 100% sure that when that happens I’ll tee it up at Cruden Bay again, hopefully this time with the clouds a bit higher up in the sky 

Edited May 24, 2024 by noahwein

[scott_Donald]

Seems like today is going to be a good day for Golf; I have a match at Royal Aberdeen, better play well.

 

TR is very playable but also very hard in the wind, it's long and if you miss the fairway you are screwed, lucky the fairways are big! 18 must have been hard as the wind was getting up once you got there.

 

Cruden Bay seems you either love it or hate it, I am playing it two weeks on Monday with a few Houston friends and will play probably play another 2 times this year and that is enough for me! My dad is a member and yet to play there this year and he lives 3 miles away ish. 

 

I hate 14 and 15; they have tried to replace 15 so many times but for some reason they never do. I assume you noticed the lovely par 3 in the corner that is playable, which was supposed to replace 15. 

 

Its a fun drive to Cruden Bay once off the dual carriageway!

[Messma]

15 hours ago, noahwein said:

Day 4: May 24

 

Epic day of golf up north today. Teed off at noon at the former president’s course in Aberdeen (if I include the name, it gets auto-held for moderators to approve). 
 

(Pro tip: this course is on GolfNow and has a “hot deal” each day which I saved about 90-100 gbp on vs their published green fee. You can book this just about any day of the week, up to 5 days in advance of tee time.)

 

This is visually one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever played. It’s in A++ condition. The only courses I’ve seen/played in person with better conditioning are ANGC (as a spectator), Shadow Creek, and Royal County Down. Greens were quite fast even by American standards and they were absolutely pure. They felt nearly twice as fast as on the Old Course. The course itself is basically a resort style course (I don’t mean this as criticism). There are some SUPER EPIC elevated tee shots. You will feel like you want to take photos of nearly each of the first 4-5 holes and several on the back nine especially 14 & 18. It reminded me a lot of Arcadia Bluffs both in terms of the eye-candy and also in the layout and playability of the course. I actually think this is much better overall than Arcadia. I got around as a single with caddie (imho a caddie here is completely unnecessary, everything is right in front of you on almost every hole) in under 3 hours. My only criticism is that the dunes (which are spectacular and massive) basically consistently served as window dressing on each side of the fairways. You’re never actually hitting over them, there’s not really any holes where they serve much of a purpose other than being there to look at. With that said I did not get tired of looking at them. 
 

After lunch in the clubhouse (very good as well) I made the quick 20 min drive up to Cruden Bay. 
 

I don’t want to get too much into detail on this round as I fear once I start I won’t be able to stop. This golf course is unbelievable. It was without exaggeration a transcendental experience for me. 17:20 tee time, there was no one in front of me or behind me the whole round. I didn’t see another person on the course for the last couple hours. They didn’t have a caddie available for me, which in hindsight really sucks because I can’t think of many courses I’ve played where having a caddie would be more helpful. On the 9 tee box I wish they had one of those roller coaster cameras where they take your photo and try to sell it to you after the ride. I would have loved to see the look on my face when I got up to that tee box. It’s unbelievable up there. 
 

A thick fog swallowed up the golf course by the time I got to 11 and I played the last 6 holes in basically 10% visibility. Then my phone died on 13 so I lost my GPS map view. Every tee shot was a blind tee shot! Every approach shot was hitting a ball into the unknown! Luckily no one was behind me so I had time to walk up sometimes 100+ yards and back, just to see where the fairway or green was. As I walked up 14 I saw the aiming post and at first figured it must be the pin. But then realized as I got closer, this is just an aiming post and then when I first laid eyes on the sunken punch bowl green I just about lost it. On 16 tee box I said to myself A SECOND BLIND PAR THREE IN A ROW??? before walking up 50 yards and realizing the green was right in front of me lol. This was a wild experience playing this back nine totally alone, not a soul around, no technology (fog so thick a rangefinder wouldn’t pick up the flag even when you could see it). On 15 I hit what I assumed must have been a pretty good shot, and as I walked onto green I couldn’t find my ball. I’ve played probably 2000 par 3’s in my golf career and I’m positive this is the first time I’ve actively hoped my ball wasn’t sitting in the cup. Old course lottery winner two out of first three days, then an ace at Cruden Bay on a blind hole in blind fog conditions, nobody would ever believe me. Thankfully it was a few yards past the green in the rough.

 

I’m not sure when I’ll be in Scotland again but I am 100% sure that when that happens I’ll tee it up at Cruden Bay again, hopefully this time with the clouds a bit higher up in the sky 

I had a similar experience at Cruden Bay minus the fog. Absolutely amazing round that trailed only the Old Course for me. Thanks for these daily updates. I can’t get enough!

[hammergolf]

19 hours ago, noahwein said:

Day 4: May 24

 

Epic day of golf up north today. Teed off at noon at the former president’s course in Aberdeen (if I include the name, it gets auto-held for moderators to approve). 
 

(Pro tip: this course is on GolfNow and has a “hot deal” each day which I saved about 90-100 gbp on vs their published green fee. You can book this just about any day of the week, up to 5 days in advance of tee time.)

 

This is visually one of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever played. It’s in A++ condition. The only courses I’ve seen/played in person with better conditioning are ANGC (as a spectator), Shadow Creek, and Royal County Down. Greens were quite fast even by American standards and they were absolutely pure. They felt nearly twice as fast as on the Old Course. The course itself is basically a resort style course (I don’t mean this as criticism). There are some SUPER EPIC elevated tee shots. You will feel like you want to take photos of nearly each of the first 4-5 holes and several on the back nine especially 14 & 18. It reminded me a lot of Arcadia Bluffs both in terms of the eye-candy and also in the layout and playability of the course. I actually think this is much better overall than Arcadia. I got around as a single with caddie (imho a caddie here is completely unnecessary, everything is right in front of you on almost every hole) in under 3 hours. My only criticism is that the dunes (which are spectacular and massive) basically consistently served as window dressing on each side of the fairways. You’re never actually hitting over them, there’s not really any holes where they serve much of a purpose other than being there to look at. With that said I did not get tired of looking at them. 
 

After lunch in the clubhouse (very good as well) I made the quick 20 min drive up to Cruden Bay. 
 

I don’t want to get too much into detail on this round as I fear once I start I won’t be able to stop. This golf course is unbelievable. It was without exaggeration a transcendental experience for me. 17:20 tee time, there was no one in front of me or behind me the whole round. I didn’t see another person on the course for the last couple hours. They didn’t have a caddie available for me, which in hindsight really sucks because I can’t think of many courses I’ve played where having a caddie would be more helpful. On the 9 tee box I wish they had one of those roller coaster cameras where they take your photo and try to sell it to you after the ride. I would have loved to see the look on my face when I got up to that tee box. It’s unbelievable up there. 
 

A thick fog swallowed up the golf course by the time I got to 11 and I played the last 6 holes in basically 10% visibility. Then my phone died on 13 so I lost my GPS map view. Every tee shot was a blind tee shot! Every approach shot was hitting a ball into the unknown! Luckily no one was behind me so I had time to walk up sometimes 100+ yards and back, just to see where the fairway or green was. As I walked up 14 I saw the aiming post and at first figured it must be the pin. But then realized as I got closer, this is just an aiming post and then when I first laid eyes on the sunken punch bowl green I just about lost it. On 16 tee box I said to myself A SECOND BLIND PAR THREE IN A ROW??? before walking up 50 yards and realizing the green was right in front of me lol. This was a wild experience playing this back nine totally alone, not a soul around, no technology (fog so thick a rangefinder wouldn’t pick up the flag even when you could see it). On 15 I hit what I assumed must have been a pretty good shot, and as I walked onto green I couldn’t find my ball. I’ve played probably 2000 par 3’s in my golf career and I’m positive this is the first time I’ve actively hoped my ball wasn’t sitting in the cup. Old course lottery winner two out of first three days, then an ace at Cruden Bay on a blind hole in blind fog conditions, nobody would ever believe me. Thankfully it was a few yards past the green in the rough.

 

I’m not sure when I’ll be in Scotland again but I am 100% sure that when that happens I’ll tee it up at Cruden Bay again, hopefully this time with the clouds a bit higher up in the sky 

If you enjoyed the Dunescape of Cruden Bay and The former Presidents course you MUST play Carne in Ireland!

[noahwein]

On 5/25/2024 at 1:50 AM, scott_Donald said:

Seems like today is going to be a good day for Golf; I have a match at Royal Aberdeen, better play well.

 

TR is very playable but also very hard in the wind, it's long and if you miss the fairway you are screwed, lucky the fairways are big! 18 must have been hard as the wind was getting up once you got there.

 

Cruden Bay seems you either love it or hate it, I am playing it two weeks on Monday with a few Houston friends and will play probably play another 2 times this year and that is enough for me! My dad is a member and yet to play there this year and he lives 3 miles away ish. 

 

I hate 14 and 15; they have tried to replace 15 so many times but for some reason they never do. I assume you noticed the lovely par 3 in the corner that is playable, which was supposed to replace 15. 

 

Its a fun drive to Cruden Bay once off the dual carriageway!

 

 

Hope your match went well! I would have loved to stay another day in Aberdeen to play RA, will have to be on next trip. I did notice that green in the corner near 14/15, it had no flag in it, and I couldn't figure out why it was there. In the heavy fog I couldn't really make out what was going on up the hill from it. If I had seen a teeing area I would have climbed up to take a swing.....next time

[noahwein]

Day 5: May 25

 

Drove out to Gleneagles on Saturday. £315 for a day's ticket, I played Queens followed by Kings. This property really blew me away. There is an incredibly swanky hotel with a 2-michelin star restaurant, three full size golf courses (Queens Kings, and the PGA course which hosted 2014 Ryder Cup) along with a shorter (par 3?) course. Excellent practice facilities. Proshop/restaurant all seemed top-class. Lots of beautiful people around. Looks like some very expensive houses.

 

Both Queens and Kings were absolutely fantastic golf courses. This is not links golf on the sea, but IMHO is absolute top-class golf. I would describe it sort of as heathland golf in the rolling hills, sometimes almost playing like mountain golf. Queens a bit shorter in length, a bit easier on the legs although still a pretty hearty walk in places. Nice wide fairways at spots, some interesting greens. Beautiful golf course.

 

Queens at 10 meets up with Kings at 11 with a halfway house where the two courses converge. This area is buzzing with golfers. There's a ranger on site to ensure groups take their mandatory 10-minute F&B break which I didn't love, as I had been flying thru the the end of the first-9 as a single passing a couple groups, then hit the wall again after halfway house. 

 

I walked directly from Queens 18 green to King's 1 tee (the 18 holes both converge again here in one of my favorite spots on the property, the elevation changes here are awesome) and went for another 18 holes right away. King's course is a beast to walk, especially as a second round. If you aren't accustomed to walking 36 holes in a day I'm not sure I would recommend doing it here. It was a tough hike overall. One course per day, no problem. I also saw several groups with caddies on King's. Both courses are walking only. King's course has some truly epic holes. Just the right amount of blind tee shots, blind approaches, epic hugely elevated par 3 greens. Amazing views. Wow was it great. If this place was in any other country than Scotland, England or the US I'm almost sure it would be considered the best 36 (54+ really!) golf property in the entire country. I think it even beats Jockey Club in Argentina. Actually I think it's better than Olympia Fields which might be a hot take.

 

If you have time on your trip, definitely come to Gleneagles and if you can play both courses in a day it's a great value. If you have a shorter time in Scotland and want to stick to links golf on the water, I can understand that completely

 

 

Day 6: May 26

 

I've relocated my HQ from Fife to Glasgow to be closer to the golf on the west coast. It's Sunday and I didn't see tee times listed at Prestwick and Western Gailes. I rolled into Prestwick in the afternoon and walked right into the shop, was told usually Sunday is a day for visitors but today was closed for a big club event. Lots of members around dressed to the nines. The head-pro was incredibly friendly and happy to chat with me and show me the availability for the rest of the week. Drove ten minutes away to Western Gailes, was told I could tee off around 4pm, although I'd be stuck behind twelve foursomes of visitors and pace would be rough. Since it was drizzling a bit, I decided I didn't want a 4+ hour round in the rain and would try to fit WG in later on. Across the road is Dundonald Links (DL and WG are separated by train tracks). Dundonald is £225, but from 16:40 on, twilight rate was £115. I grabbed 16:40 and had lunch at the bar.

 

Dundonald Links is a great golf course. If it were in Chicago, It'd be the #1 public course in Chicago. They played the 2017 Scottish Open here, and they have the early July Open Championship last chance qualifier here next month. However in my opinion it didn't compare favorably to the other courses I've played so far in Scotland and didn't inspire much in me. Great condition, but sort of a more boring layout (again I'm comparing this to some serious top-shelf Scotland golf). If this was the first round I'd played on my trip I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more. The twilight £115 rate is a steal, and I'd recommend coming only if:

 

1) You strike out as I did at Western Gailes, Prestwick, Royal Troon

2) You played one of those, but feel like playing another round in the evening

3) You don't want to pay more than £115 for golf

 

Otherwise I'd say skip it. Don't pay the £225 rack rate, I don't think it's worth it. If I were on vacation in a country not known for golf, and had one afternoon to play a round, and I found this place, I would have loved it and said it's fantastic. So don't get me wrong, my lukewarm reaction is much more a result of the other golf here

 

On 13th hole you find yourself at the train tracks and you can see Western Gailes on the other side. I would have loved to hop the fence because the view I had of that course looked awesome. Although I did see the foursomes all over the place, and then on my side of the tracks, there were two groups on the whole course and I played in 2:40. To be fair it was raining

 

 

My rankings so far:

 

1- Old Course

2- Cruden Bay

3- POTUS aberdeen course

4- King's Gleneagles

5- Elie

6- Queen's Gleneagles

7- Leven Links

8- St Andrews Jubilee

9- Dundonald 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2024 by noahwein

[Quebec Club Ho]

Loving your updates! Brings back memories of my trips and you make me think of doing the same on my next trip. 

 

I am with Scott Donald on Cruden - love it or hate it. Sadly, I hated it. IMHO it did not live up to the hype. Granted a couple of Extraordinary holes, the other 'nondescript' holes couldn't make up for it. 

 

I found your description of Dundonald true of  Prestwick. Besides the history, I found the course boring. The original holes 1-4 and 15-18 spectacular, so much so that I can see the history on those holes. But the rest of the course is just long and straight - no character. I'm dying to hear your opinion

 

Thank you for sharing and can't wait for the next update!

[CanFred]

Love following this thread - I'm a bit bummed I'm skipping Aberdeen area for my trip next year (I'm going with Inverness instead), but it will def be on my list next time around.  I feel like I would LOVE the quirk of Cruden Bay, but can see how it can be polarizing.

[sheppick.dan]

Great reviews! Thanks so much for doing this. Can’t wait for our trip in 4 weeks!

[flognut]

On 5/22/2024 at 12:23 PM, noahwein said:

Day 2: May 22.

Big storm forecasted to hit Fife around 13:00 today. Dumbarnie and Kingsbarns both had spots at 9am or earlier, but was feeling pretty tired and didn’t want to play such a $$ round with potential for real bad weather. Ended up driving to Lundin Golf Club where I was told I could get on around 10:30 but behind several four-balls. Drove down the street to Leven Links which seemed much emptier. Lundin and Leven basically form a 36 hole complex on the same seaside links land. Lundin seems to be more highly regarded but both sounded great.

 

Very highly recommend Leven Links! It’s a 6 time Open Championship qualifier course, most recently in 2005. The fairways definitely not on the same tier of conditioning as Elie or Jubilee/Old, and if you’re a stickler for well-manicured courses you might be disappointed, but other than that I have a hard time finding fault with the course. Greens rolled as true as the previously mentioned courses. Really fun layout, some pretty demanding driving holes, excellent par 3s, reachable par 5s. The 4th green backs up to an ancient looking short stone wall which separates the two courses, and on the par 3 fifth, you tee off just across the wall from a par 3 on Lundin, with the two greens right across the path from each other. The 18th hole is special, with a very large green protected by a burn, the only hazard on the course. I think Elie had a much more interesting and fun layout, as well as a lot more elevation changes, scenery and better conditioning. Leven Links much more scoreable course. Both great in their own ways.

I played my best golf of the year so far, except for making an 8 on the first par 5 (if you’re in a deep fairway bunker save yourself the heartache and just pitch out sideways, it’s not worth trying to advance the ball if you’re not 100% confident you can pull it off!!). Out in 39 in in 38 with back-to-back birdies on 12&13.

 

i have my current course rankings as:

1) Old course

2) Elie

**significant gap**

3) Leven Links

4) Jubilee 
 

Managed to only get some light rain on last two holes and drove up to St Andrews to enter the Thursday Singles Draw. Watched some groups on 1 & 18 again, this time in some pretty gnarly rain. That’s it for the golf today!

 

 

you may have seen my group finish TOC in that horrid weather. i did hit 2nd shot into 18 to 5 feet but missed the birdie putt ugghh

ball never got more then 6 feet off ground, rolled thru valley of sin to 5 feet

[noahwein]

1 hour ago, flognut said:

you may have seen my group finish TOC in that horrid weather. i did hit 2nd shot into 18 to 5 feet but missed the birdie putt ugghh

ball never got more then 6 feet off ground, rolled thru valley of sin to 5 feet

I might have seen you! I was standing behind 18 under an umbrella. The golfers and caddies coming in were DRENCHED! I was there probably 3-3:30pm or so

Edited May 28, 2024 by noahwein

[noahwein]

Day 7: May 27

 

Before coming to Scotland, I wasn't sure about my odds for getting on Old Course. I figured I didn't want to jinx it so if you had asked me what golf course am I most excited to get to play, I would not hesitate to say North Berwick. Today was the day!

 

I was extremely fortunate to have connected with a local member who arranged to host me and we teed off around 4:30pm. Driving into East Lothian was exciting. First of all you start to see the signs for the Scottish Open (at Renaissance) and then just as you expect the town of North Berwick is upon you. What a beautiful and perfect little beach town. 

 

My first impressions of North Berwick West Links: Understated. You're literally playing golf on perfect linksland, basically on the beach. It's not like Bandon with its bold and dramatic cliffside views of the water. You're playing nearly at sea level, alongside the beach. If you slice on the first few holes or hook on the way back, your ball is going to be sitting on the beach. N Berwick is fun to play. We played from the tips, which is only about 6500y, every hole (except maybe 3 and 17, 3 is a par 4.5 and 17 is a long approach to an elevated green) felt like it's reachable for just about anyone. The burn on 16 off the tee is challenging to clear but not so hard that it's trying to beat you up, maybe a 210-215 carry, plus a helping wind (my tee shot dropped directly into the burn). The rough is relatively benign. There are plenty of fairway bunkers on the par 5's but manageable to avoid. This is a golf course which is challenging but very fair, not penal. Just don't hit it on the beach.

 

This was the first round I can remember playing in a while where I got to a tee box, pulled out my scorecard, and realized I hadn't recorded my score for the last 4 holes. It had simply not occurred to me to pull it out. This never happens to me! And it's not like I wasn't focused on trying to play well, trying to make pars, I was. I just honestly feel like once I picked up my ball, I often wanted to take a pic of a view, and then felt excited to go to the next tee box. 16 is a wild Biarritz green, and we immediately went to the top to try out some putts from the top after holing out. I still don't know if I made my up and down 8-footer for bogey or tapped in for double, I didn't remember when standing on 17 tee and I don't remember now. Writing down a number on my card basically just slipped my mind!

 

This golf course is simply just part of the town. There are folks walking their dogs around, just going for an evening stroll. I was so jealous of them. Maybe they are members and play their golf here maybe not. Still jealous. When I walked off 18 I saw the first tee was open. I noticed there was no one in the starter's hut, it was probably 8pm. Had I not been with my gracious host, had I just been walking as a single with my bag on my shoulder, I'm 100% sure I would have marched straight back there to tee my ball back up, and just hope for the best. "oh sorry I didn't realize I'm only supposed to play 18 holes" What's the worst that could have happened

Edited May 28, 2024 by noahwein