Turnberry: 105 never felt so good!

Maybe it was the fact that the sun was shining for almost the entire round. Or perhaps it was the refreshing smell from the sea across the 8 holes that fall next to the water. Or maybe it was the birdie on the 6th hole (after leaving an eagle putt embarrassingly short). Maybe it was the beautiful views and challenging, yet fair course design from the front tees (even at approx 5800 yards) Then again, maybe it was the friendly (and incredibly helpful) caddies who reminded us both of just how far that ball can roll on a links course. Come to think of it, the roll alone on a lot of holes could have been the reason alone! Or it could have had something to do with Scott and I getting to play alone today, and Scott shooting a great score. There was also the friendliness and smiles on the faces of the men playing in the groups in front of and behind us. And let’s not forget the lager shandy at the bar after the round where we could sit and watch groups come up the 18th hole. Maybe its just the memories of Tom Watson’s incredible attitude and sportsmanship when he lost the British Open here in 2009; what a great attitude. Whatever the reason, shooting 105 has never felt as good as it felt today at Turnberry. Bar none - one of my favorite rounds of golf. I highly recommend it.

If its not Scottish...

If you google "origin of golf" you'll see that there is in fact some debate as to where the game of golf originated. Some argue that a game similar to it was played in the Netherlands or even in China as early as the 1200s! However, a spokesman for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, said "Stick and ball games have been around for many centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland." (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_golf) Based on the fact that there are references to golf in Scottish parliament from as early as the 1400s, I believe him! I'm sure that my Scottish heritage has not created a bias at all.

And so when one has two weeks off in the middle of the summer golf season in the North East of the USA with 90 - 100 degree heat, what else would you want to do than turn the temperature down a notch (to around 60) with a trip to Scotland for golf! So here I am in Scotland - our hotel last night was only about a mile down the road from the local municipal course which looks like a challenge all on its own, but we're here to P-L-A-Y and that's what we're doing. We have 3 rounds booked - all on courses where the British Open has been played. We are hoping for a 4th round at St. Andrews but will have to wait for lottery results tomorrow to find out whether this is going to happen! I'm ready to be humbled by the game... stay tuned for details...