We started our Scottish trips for '09 with a few days in and around the Borders and Lothian regions. We stayed at The Craw Inn, Auchencrow, which I would thoroughly recommend. Nice rooms, excellent food plus, somewhat unusually for Scotland, they are a leading exponent of real ale (as well as the expected whiskies), unfortunately just as we arrived the guest beer had to be changed and the replacement was Wells Bombardier, brewed in Bedford just a couple of miles from where we live! So we travelled 320 miles to have the same beer as we drink in the pub at the end of the road....but it was very good.
Anyway, onto the golf... on the first day we played Eyemouth, one of our very favourite courses, which I'd describe as a coastal parkland course. It also boasts one of the, if not the, most extraordinary holes in golf, with the tee and green separated by the North Sea. On the second day we played The Glen which again was a coastal course, mainly parkland in nature but with a few links type holes. It had some spectacular views out to sea and some interesting holes up and down the cliffs. On the final day we played Goswick Links, which is an Open qualifier and a true links course. Amongst our party of 3, one of us thought it was fantastic, one didn't like it at all, and the third discovered he had latent Tourettes! Funnily, how much we liked it depended on how well we played, which is the nature of links courses. If you're playing well and finding the fairways they can be exceptionally rewarding, but if you're a bit off song on the day they can dishearten and destroy. What we did agree on was that if this is your home club and your handicap is in low single figures you're probably a damned good golfer on any course. So on with the pictures; scroll over the photos for a few more details.
So, that was the April tour...the second tour of the year was to Lothian and the Border Counties at the end of September. We based ourselves in Innerleithen at The Traquair Arms Hotel, a busy and homely inn with reasonable accommodation plus good beer and truly exceptional food. The four of us, Dave, Neil and Hans plus myself played firstly at Peebles. A nice course for the first day. Reasonably taxing but not too severe, with good hospitality and a nice clubhouse. On the second day we played at West Linton, one of our favourite courses. It was in beautiful condition with some taxing holes especially into the wind. We did have a bit of excitement here, on the second hole in the afternoon, where I had a hole-in-one! 143 yards par 3 with a following wind. Modesty forbids me writing any more about my fantastic shot....
On the Saturday we played at Castle Park - what a lovely course this is going to be in a few years time. It already boasts some of the best greens I've ever played on, like walking on best Wilton. The back nine, the original course, is mature and has some wonderfully interesting holes. The front nine is nicely laid out, and with over 2000 trees having been planted, is maturing nicely. However, the course isn't all this club is about. It is one of, if not the, most welcoming and hospitable clubs I've ever been to. Walking into the small bar and restaurant is like going to visit your favourite Aunt with the home made soup, cakes, comfy chairs, lovely grub....well done Castle Park.
On the Sunday we played nine holes at Innerleithen, which was very pleasant. The courses we had played in the first three days were well financed serious business ventures, and it was reflected in the nature of the courses and the facilities. On the Sunday, at Innerleithen (and Jedburgh later in the day) we played at club courses, which just poured history and heritage. They were maintained and developed by the members, for the members, and had character and personality like our own club back in Bedfordshire. I'm not saying the club courses were better of worse than the commercial courses, but there's room for both and I enjoyed their challenge. Back to Innerleithen; over 150 years old, designed by Willie Park and cut through the narrow valley in the local hills, complete with a small burn that ran through most of the holes and was magnetic as far as the golf balls were concerned.
Anyway, enough words...onto a few pictures. There's a bit of explanatory text if you hover the mouse over most of the photos.
