Krakow Old Timers Golf Group Blog: Clark in Scotland

Yesterday brought another day of pretty decent ball striking but poor scoring at Tain… As a rule I’m over the green on most well struck shots. I found myself back on the practice green hitting recovery chips and bump and runs with my 9 iron…

I’m fairly competent until you add in undulations and rolling changes in elevation. While practicing I met a young 14 year old with talent named Callum. He reminds me of Houston and is very dedicated to improving and his game. We decided to play nine holes and he was a real gentleman. We talked about both the Walker Cup and the upcoming Ryder Cup and had a lot of laughs. We will definitely be playing more in the future after school if my schedule allows.

Today I played the Royal Dornoch Struie course in the morning with a good natured caddie named Evan. He hands me the driver on the first hole and says… down the middle please… he also tells me there is a burn that crosses the fairway at 270 but it’s not in play.

Mind you it’s dead down wind and I offered up the 5 wood as an alternative. The minute I hit it I knew it was in the drink. A couple bounces and it disappeared from sight. I looked at Evan and he returned the uneasy look that confirmed the watery fate.

This course is the little brother to Dornoch Championship Links which I will play Friday. It’s an excellent test of links golf and was in fabulous condition. I’m sure the Championship course will be an amazing experience and I’ll play it more than once before I leave. After my round I headed up to the Old Dornoch clubhouse for a great window seat overlooking the first tee and putting green for a soup and delicious bacon roll sandwich. Mind you this might be the best course in Scotland and there is a bit of stuffiness but the people and members are so genuine and welcoming it feels unnatural. It’s just not the same in the states. Most high end private clubs would not let you thru the gates much less into the dining room. After my lunch I decided to drive back north to play a small 9 hole track in the coastal town of Lybster. This course is perched right on the top of the hill in the historic town and I’m not sure who designed it but there is nothing to block the wind. As I was sorting out the routing and looking a little lost in search of the correct tee boxes and corresponding holes, a helpful member got me sorted out and also confirmed that some days the course is unplayable due to wind. Mind you today it was gusting at 28mph and business as usual. I had intended to play the 9 holes twice but the prospect of getting back to the Inn and a hot shower proved more appealing than bucking the wind for that second nine on a course I found a bit uninspiring compared to others.

Tomorrow I play another fabulous links course, the much anticipated Brora. It’s another James Braid design and is said to sit on the best piece of links land in Scotland. I tee off at 1 with a chance of rain in the forecast so should make for an interesting afternoon.