A summer holiday to Scotland - advice needed!

[b101]

A couple of videos and pictures from Turnberry - didn't play brilliantly, but managed +12 in serious wind, particularly on the front nine. Only really found my game with a few holes to play, but there were some very dodgy misses in there. Highlights were a birdie on the par 5 eighth, an awesome drive on the 10th, which I got on camera, and making the Tom Watson 2009 up and down, having gone over the back as well from near the plaque . The course itself was incredible - the greens haven't yet fully settled in and so there are different speeds all over the place, but it's such a good test. If you don't find the fairway, you can't score.

 

Very short swings due to crazy amount of wind!

Fourth green - with the wind, you have to start the ball off the left of it, pretty much on the ocean...:

Second shot into the 7th green. Didn't make the putt (story of the day!):

View from the new championship tee for the 9th:

Panoramic view from the 10th green. Arguably the most scenic par five anywhere:

My Tom Watson 2009 moment captured (sort of - plaque, tee shot and where my 6 iron over the back finished up):

Not worth the money, I don't think - hard for it to ever be the case at the price, but I loved every minute of it. It's a great course and deserves to have the Open back soon. Western Gailes today and hopefully my swing is on better form!

Edited July 26, 2016 by b101

[b101]

Played better at Western Gailes yesterday and loved the course - very welcoming and had me thinking much more than Turnberry did as the greens were smaller with danger pretty much everywhere. I started out brilliantly, playing the first 4 in -1, but then turned into the wind - into and off the right - and immediately lost a ball playing for too much wind on the hardest hole, which I'd have bogeyed anyway. Putting again wasn't as good as it has been and I just haven't felt like I'm going to hole anything outside of 6 feet. Highlights were the first four holes, particularly feeling like DJ or Rory on the 4th, a good par on 7 (see below) and a good last four holes - bar another lost ball on 18... 

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1072354

My par on the 7th - only swing I recorded was a really nice punch 5 iron from 170 into a strong breeze:

3rd tee:

'Secret' 6th green:

Looking back on the 13th green:

I get a few days' rest now before my last couple of rounds, both at Machrihanish Dunes. I've learnt a lot about my game playing these two rounds that I hadn't known beforehand. I find it really hard when I don't know the line and have to guess and commit to the shot far less. If I can see it though, it's generally fine. I need to sort the driving in the wind out as there's just no room for error - a slight mishit and a ball that would be safe is gone. Additionally, particularly at Turnberry, I need to stop overthinking things. Occasionally I'd find myself trying to hit a 7 iron with the ball miles back in my stance to deloft it, aiming way left to compensate and just should have hit what I felt comfortable with and taken the hit with the wind. My putting has to get better as well, particularly from range. So much fun though and I will definitely play Western Gailes again (probably more of a certainty than Turnberry) - I loved the course and the welcome you get was amazing.

[iSank]

On October 5, 2015 at 11:34 AM, DaveP043 said:

If you get to Dornoch, you could make it most of a week playing at Tain and Brora as well.  The Glenmorangie distillery is in Tain also, a tour seems like a nice way to spend an afternoon.  Castle Stuart and Nairn are just the other side of Inverness.  For a nice B&B in Dornoch, try Two Quail.

http://www.2quail.com/

 

 

Would you recommend 2quail over the hotel that's by the 1st tee of Dornoch? Looks like the summer of 17 is gonna be a good one!

Mahalo,

iSank

[DaveP043]

7 hours ago, iSank said:

Would you recommend 2quail over the hotel that's by the 1st tee of Dornoch? Looks like the summer of 17 is gonna be a good one!

Mahalo,

iSank

Just my personal preference, I like B&Bs as compared to hotels.  I also prefer to be right in the middle of town, and the hotels by the clubhouse are all of a 5-minute walk to the middle of town.  (Dornoch is small, really small).  Another place I've stayed in Dornoch is called Tullochard, and it's maybe 10 minutes walk tothe  town center, but it was a newer B&B, with pretty large rooms, and the hosts took great care of us there too.  I think wherever you stay would be great.  If you want to see some hotel reviews, I'd recommend Tripadvisor.com

[iSank]

Thanks for the reply DavePO43, I asked cuz my wife and I are not B&B fans after a weird experience but being in town is important and Scotland B&B's, well we just gotta get over  past events. Yes on tripadvisor, good info but hearing it from the golfing community raises the value. 

Big Thanks to b101 as this has been a great thread. After our visit to St Andrews in 2015, we knew we would go back, and things just worked out for next summer. 

All the best gentlemen.

will

[DaveP043]

Oh, another thing, I just visited the 2Quail website, and see that they offer dinner now.  They didn't when we were there in 2011.  At that time, the co-owner, Michael, was the head chef at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, but apparently he's now at 2 Quail full time.  If its you and your wife, this would be a nice place for a very private dinner.

And for a nice pictorial essay on Royal Dornoch, check out:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40107.0/

[iSank]

14 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

Oh, another thing, I just visited the 2Quail website, and see that they offer dinner now.  They didn't when we were there in 2011.  At that time, the co-owner, Michael, was the head chef at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, but apparently he's now at 2 Quail full time.  If its you and your wife, this would be a nice place for a very private dinner.

And for a nice pictorial essay on Royal Dornoch, check out:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40107.0/

Foto essay makes one want to leave today! Mahalo, appreciate the 2 Quail info. My wife has gotten her handicap down well enough under 36 so we'll enter the advanced rez system and build the trip around a date (at Old Course) if offered to us. We love the Old Course Hotel, and it's a celebratory year for us so the trip has potential. 

B101, nice par on the 7th, we had nothing but sun and no wind on our 2015 visit, I don't imagine we can be so lucky to avoid that wing twice. 

 Aloha,

iSank

[b101]

Thanks all! A couple of last posts detailing Machrihanish Dunes, which, in a very rare occurrence, Igot to play the same course twice just hours apart. Not long, but a lot of blind shots, crazy greens and elevation changes. What I learnt today was that when I get out of position here, it's a real struggle - the greens are often very narrow and if you don't have the right angle, you've not got a hope of an up-and-down. Not one for those who hated Chambers Bay last year...

Played alright actually - a great front nine only slightly spoiled by a poorer back nine when my tee shots got a bit looser. Putting still wasn't great, and I didn't hole much, but what annoyed me the most were the two fat shots out of nowhere on 15 (first GW) and 17 (awful tee shot). I took the driver at pretty much every opportunity and mostly got away with it in spite of some shockers down the stretch (10, 13, 14 and 18 were all poor strikes). The plan for tomorrow is to sort out some lines going into greens. I don't really think I need to be much less aggressive, but getting on the wrong side of 4, 10, 13 and a couple of others was suicidal. Interesting that unlike so many courses I play, ending on the left side of the fairway is a considerable disadvantage on the vast majority of holes. There are also a few marker posts that just don't help and if you go straight over them (as I did with two of them), you end up in the rough at best...)

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1083978

For an idea of what some of the greens were like - the second and my putt across (or at least, a very rushed re-take to show the breaks with a crap hitty stroke!)...

Tee shot on the 6th - ended up pin high but 10 yards right, off the green. Interesting how much shorter my backswing can be than I think it is...

On the tee - unhelpful GPS watch or worst par 3 ever...? (managed to get the right yardages, but for the wrong holes (this is for the 3rd, a par 5).

5th green:

4th green - a good example of when not to miss a short par four left or right...

The second round was a little better - I still screwed up on 3 and 10, but generally played better than yesterday. A few weird duffed shots still came about, and I need to take my time with partial wedges, particularly when I have an odd stance. Driving was miles better today, with just the one lost ball (on 10, when I tried to put a slower swing on it and just got it all wrong, snap-hooking it left). The provisional was absolutely fine... Didn't sink a single birdie putt and my putting really needs a look when I get back - my alignment seems to be slightly off and I've developed too much of a hit on longer putts for my liking. Still, a good end to my golfing time in Scotland.

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/benpage101/round/1085750

More pictures below. The first may just be the best I've ever seen a golf course - I was first out at 7.30am and the light was amazing:

Looking back at the 1st hole:

Back down the third:

3rd green (pin was back centre, just above the second dip):

Back down third green:

5th tee (greenkeeper had left the flag out... Not that it troubled me as I ended left, past the bunker and managed possibly the best up and down I've ever made - flop shot up 15 feet landing about one foot on, which still rolled 15 feet past, then holed the putt):

12th green (par three). Missed the birdie putt:

The rest of the course is beautiful as well, it's not just me showing my good shots! I just tend to get all happy when I've hit a good one and remember to take the camera out. I don't think I could play this course too often - it's a bit too extreme - but it was great fun for two rounds!

Overall, I just can't wait to come back and play some of the ones I missed! I actually think Western Gailes was my favourite over Turnberry, possibly because I wasn't paired up, possibly because (whilst Turnberry was amazing) I just prefer the quieter, more classical links. Would recommend all three courses heartily though!

[iSank]

Absolutely enjoyed this thread, big Mahalo's to everyone who contributed. B101 please do share a post trip review. Next summer we are planning a trip to Scotland and would enjoy hearing some thoughts on reserving tee times, or places to stay, or general recommendations. Would being outside the UK make a difference? We have to travel almost half way around the world but to be there in Scotland it's well worth the effort. 

Cheers,

will

[b101]

@iSank - I probably won't do much more of a post-trip roundup, as I think the posts speak for themselves - that was all the golf I managed, but I will definitely be coming back to Scotland and certainly Ayrshire.

In terms of some things you'd want to think about when booking a trip:

1) Do it yourself. It's more fun and definitely not too difficult to sort (even from the other side of the Atlantic; just email the secretary or give them a quick phonecall. None of the conversations I had when booking a tee time lasted more than 3 minutes, so I wouldn't worry about charges too much). You also get to pick and choose the courses that you want and will usually get them cheaper than with a standard tour, but I'd price things up and work it out yourself - it's part of the fun. 

2) With regard to courses, don't just go by the top100 lists, but do read a load of reviews. Prestwick was higher than Western Gailes, as was Turnberry, but the reviews really detailed the friendly feel at Western Gailes, which I can't rate highly enough. Try to get in a variety of courses and plan to use the facilities at the bigger venues. There's loads of short game areas, putting greens and ranges (particularly at Turnberry) to make the most of. Also, worth being aware that Turnberry will pair you up if you aren't a 3 or 4 ball. The pair I was with definitely lessened my enjoyment of the place, so it's worth bearing in mind.

3) Accommodation can work out really well if you plan ahead and scout out independent places/use sites like AirBnB. We found that it's easy to source places nearer large towns/cities, but the further into the highlands you get, the harder it was. You will need a car as well to reach places, so factor this in.

4) Be prepared to book 6 months to a year in advance (the pair I played Turnberry with had booked a year ahead, I did it in January). Most courses won't need it, but it'll also get you a chance to get excited about it/trade photos etc.

5) Consider a caddy if you're in a group. I never got one, but did lose a few balls due to simply not knowing what the line was. At least ensure that you get course guides, but Scotland brings a lot of blind shots where marker posts aren't always of great use!

I think wherever you go, you'll have a great time, but do ask and I'll try to help as much as I can. There's so much good golf out there; I can't wait to go again!