Today found us short on sleep after last nights Old Course adventure but high on enthusiasm as we struck out on the New Course with a 904 tee time. Today we were paired with two nice fellows from North Carolina who kept it moving.
Jimmy and I scored 2 veteran Old Course caddies that were numbers 6 and 7 in the roster of all caddies in St Andrews. Gary was my Shepard and Malcom took the lead for Jimmy.
I found the fairway bunker on the second hole and thought it best to play out and try to make the hard earned par or easy bogey… Gary thought otherwise and suggested I hit it clean and down the fairway…. I managed to hit it absolutely flush and just drilled it into the top layer of sod of the bunker… back at my feet it comes…. While Gary says “bad luck laddie”….. well I guess so Gary…. All the while Jimmy is laughing to himself.
Both Jimmy and I have the no go Off Limit shot that each of us Hate….. for Jimmy it’s gorse and for myself it’s fairway bunkers.
Hate em.
The New Course is anything but new. Built in 1895 and designed by Old Tom Morris it runs parallel with the Old course on 18 holes. Once you are out there it’s a flurry of activity as it’s all foursomes and caddies everywhere. Balls are flying, some holes cross paths and there are shared greens. It’s well orchestrated confusion that comes off with out a hitch. Greens at both the Old and New are the fastest we have played in St Andrews. Firm is an understatement. It’s no wonder they play the ground game here as every shot involves a bit of luck. A shot that lands short can roll back at you or bounce forward or worse yet into a bunker. Land a full shot into the green and it most surely will either be a long long way from the hole or just bounce over. Hit it left or right and it careens way off line. Throw in the wind and it’s a never ending puzzle that has a million solutions.
Our old timers group would love the firm fairways but if we had these greens at home there would be a bit of unrest but we’d all be better chippers.
Tomorrow brings us to more St Andrews links courses, the Jubilee and the Castle…. And we have the same caddies who are all in on the trash game.
Should be a ball!
Jimmy strutting down the fairway after hitting a bomb
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