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“This is the origin of the game, golf in its purest form, and it’s still played that way on a course seemingly untouched by time. Every time I play here, it reminds me that this is still a game.” Arnold Palmer on the Old Course at St. Andrews

Last winter, I learned that Peter Walsh at Golf365RI was planning on taking a group of people over to Scotland and Ireland to play some golf. And not just Scotland, but St. Andrews which of course bills itself as “The Home of Golf”. This was an opportunity I could not pass up. I put down my deposit, started booking my flights and waited with eager anticipation for the next 10 months. Finally, the time elapsed and I was on a non-stop Delta flight from Boston to Edinburgh.

But first, the preparation. If you do not have proper rain gear, purchase it. I went with the FootJoy HydroTour jacket and pants as well as a waterproof cap and a new pair of rain gloves. Also, I purchased a new pair of Adidas Tour 360 waterproof shoes. And bring plenty of socks. Finally, a wind jacket pullover is a must have. Prior to the trip, I played in a scramble at Fenner Hill that was rain or shine and it rained for the first 13 holes. I can tell you the HydroTour jacket and pants kept me dry. Also, empty your golf bag of anything unnecessary that would weigh it down. You need to keep your golf bag with the travel bag under 50 lbs. for the airline and, if you are taking a caddie, keep it light as possible for them. I took 18 balls with me and that was plenty.

While in St. Andrews, we stayed at The Andrean Links boutique hotel. It felt a little bit like a college dormitory. Someone was there to check us in upon arrival, but after that, the front desk was unmanned. There wasn’t a traditional lobby and they contracted with a restaurant around the corner for breakfast. 99% of the rooms had a bathroom in the room, but because I booked as a single I drew the short straw of having the bathroom down the hall.

The bathroom was exclusive to my room though and they provided a robe to throw on for the 15 steps to the loo. That being said, the bathroom was amazing. The shower had a rain shower head as well as a wand and a warming towel rack. The bed was very comfortable although there was not a lot of room for luggage (the room was named the Wee Double after all). They did provide a folding rack for a suitcase that barely fit between the bed and the wall. Upon arrival, there were bottles of water and snacks (gratis) in the room.

I thought that was a nice touch. On the first floor, they provided a closet with cubbies to store the golf bags and your room key card provided access to the closet. T

he hotel was a 5 minute walk to The Old Course and the many shops and restaurants surrounding it. I would definitely stay there again.

Unfortunately, when the roster of courses were put together, a tee time could not be guaranteed at The Old Course. There is a 2-day group ballot and also a daily ballot for single golfers when tee times are canceled.

The group ballots can be done online, but the daily ballots require you to go to the Old Course Pavilion and enter on a tablet. You fill in your information, take your picture, and attest that you have a handicap of under 36.

Unfortunately for me, I tried 3 times and the best wait list number I received was 14, which got down to 6 in the afternoon but the starter said there was zero change that 6 would change further.

Others in my party got on via the group ballot and the single ballot.

So, with the Old Course out of the picture, the first course I played was the New Course (131 years old, by the way).

The New Course does first come, first serve tee times. You can go see the starter at 7:30am and he’ll probably get you out after 9:30am (members go out prior to that). E

Everyone in and around St. Andrews said The New Course is better than the Old Course. Someone in my party got to play both and he agreed with the sentiment.

Other than the signature holes of 1, 17, and 18, the Old Course holes were kind of the same.

The New Course was a good introduction to Scottish links golf. The rough and fescue were tough but fair.

The greens were not particularly fast, probably rolling 9.5. And we were treated to sunny and breezy conditions that allowed the course to play a bit easier.

I hit one pot bunker all day and it was green side on the 16th hole. The Dunhill Links were hosted at St. Andrews the weekend we arrived and I watched a clip of Robert MacIntyre hit out of a green side bunker on the Old Course with a similar lie, very close to the bunker wall against the green.

So I opened the 56° wedge and swung as hard as I could. The ball popped out about 12 feet from the pin. Unfortunately, the putt burned the edge of the hole. I shot an 82. It probably could have been a bit lower given the easy conditions, but overall it was a satisfying day.

After the round, we went to the reservations center, which is next to the 1st tee for the New and Jubilee courses, to see where we could score a tee time for the next day.

The Jubilee was full, and there were openings at the Castle course but we would be on our own for transportation.

They had openings at the Craigtoun (pronounced cray-ton) course which is also off campus but they did provide a shuttle there. It used to be owned by the Old Course Hotel but was sold to the St. Andrews Links Trust.

It was called The Dukes prior to being sold. We were told it is a parkland course which is like the style we are used to back home.

Also they allow buggies (motor carts) on the course. We booked a time and arranged a 9am shuttle to pick us up at the Old Course Pavilion. Also, I have to say the staff at St. Andrews are very friendly and make you feel as though you are a member of the club.

Craigtoun was just as they advertised. Parkland style up on a hill that overlooks the town and the North Sea. I can see why the locals love Craigtoun as a change of pace from playing links golf.

The course was in great condition. Greens were rolling a bit faster than the day before and once again, we were treated to sunny skies with a slight breeze.

They had a range to warm up on, balls not included. Played well again, shot an 84.

The next day, we drove to Crail Balcomie (about 10 miles away) to play the Craighead Links course which was designed by Gil Hanse. It also overlooks the North Sea and has medieval walls built by the Vikings integrated into the course. The greens were running faster than the other 2 courses, maybe 10.5.

While sunny, we finally got a taste of the Scottish wind. It was breezy out there and the course was a challenge with thicker rough and fescue. Unfortunately, my driver went to sleep on the front 9 but started to come around on the back. I suspect a couple of extra pints at the Dunvegan might have something to do with it. Alas, 49-40 for an 89.

Day 4 of Scottish golf would bring us to Carnousite which was about a 45 minute drive from St. Andrews. Once again, the sun was shining but the wind was whipping at 20 mph with gusts to 30. On the practice green, the wind was affecting the trajectory of the putts.

This was a course I decided to take a caddie on since it was known for its difficulty. His name was Alf and he was a tremendous help, especially finding my ball on the 1st hole. Again, my driver was not cooperating and after 7 holes, went 3-wood off the tee the rest of the way.

Carnoustie concluded our golf in Scotland. The next day, Saturday, we returned to Edinburgh to catch a flight over the Irish Sea to Dublin. Unfortunately, this is what awaited us…

The flight was sold out and there was zero chance of fitting all of our group’s clubs and luggage on board. Upon landing in Dublin, someone in our group declared his golf bag was still in Edinburgh via his AirTag. I also had an AirTag in my golf bag and sure enough, the Find My app confirmed my clubs were also left behind. It wasn’t until I got to baggage claim that I discovered my suitcase didn’t make it as well.

There were four other flights later in the day but all of those were sold out. Thus, our bags would be routed via British Airways over London Heathrow arriving in Dublin around 12:30pm on Sunday. On Sunday, I confirmed via the Find My app that my golf bag made it on time and yet, my bags were not delivered to the hotel on Sunday. I woke up Monday morning and called the front desk to see if they somehow got delivered early in the AM.

They did not. I called Aer Lingus’s baggage line to confirm the delivery company did not possess them. Upon confirmation, I took a 30 minute taxi ride to the airport, found someone at the departures desk that called a supervisor. After speaking to Kelly, she told me my bags would be brought to me in 5 – 10 minutes. And 20 minutes later, we were reunited, I would not have to use rental clubs again, and had some fresh clothes. A quicker taxi ride back to the hotel enabled me to change, grab a bowl of cereal, and make the shuttle to the course.

Unfortunately, others in our group didn’t get their bags until Tuesday.

As for the golf, the first course we were playing was The Jameson Links at Portmarnock. This was Sunday, when I was sans clubs. Their rental set consisted of Qi4D woods, QiMax irons, a 54° sand wedge and a 60° wedge. Given the tight fairways there, I had to resort to chipping with the PW. The QiMax irons were a bit hotter than the Mizuno JPX923’s I play but once I got used to them, they were pretty good.

The first thing noticeable about this course, compared to the Scottish courses we played, was how they carved the course into the dunes and hills. The Scottish courses we played didn’t have the same type of topography. I really enjoyed the landscapes of the course. The starter gave each of us a scorecard/yardage book holder which I thought was a nice touch, though we had to keep remembering the distances were in meters. I really missed my 52° wedge around the greens and with the rented clubs, managed to shoot an 86.

The following day, after getting my belongings back, we were playing The Island. Up until 1973, this course was only accessible by boat…

We were blessed with a sunny day and temperatures approaching 70°F. The wind would pick up later in the round. They also recently verticut the greens. They were in good condition albeit with a fine sand topping them on the front 9. Never the less, this course was my favorite on the trip. The topography of the course was amazing. One hole almost felt like the intro to M*A*S*H when the helicopters are flying through the Korean hills. There were a few blind shots throughout the course, all marked with posts or other targets to aim for.

I shot a 39 on the front and thought I might have a round coming. But, the wind kicked up and 2 successive holes got me on the back. The par 4 12th hole was 420 yards with a left to right hurting wind. Drive was OK, a bit right in manageable rough. Didn’t hit a good second shot but I was in the fairway with about 55 yards in. The green was elevated with a huge false front. My 3rd shot went to the back of the green with a middle-front pin placement. These greens weren’t sandy like the front 9. My putt was downhill with a helping wind and sure enough, it went past the hole and kept going down the false front.

Back up to the green and two more putts earned me a 7. The 214 yard par 3 13th hole didn’t treat me any better. The tee shot had the same left to right hurting wind, My 3-wood started left of the flag but not enough. The wind kept pushing it right, hit the right fringe, went OB into gorse/fescue and ended up with a 5. I did shoot 85 on the day. The course was amazing (especially the sausage roll at the halfway house!) and would highly recommend adding if you travel to Dublin.

Our final course of the trip was Royal Dublin. It was not as hilly as the first two Irish courses, but it would be a test with the wind which was blowing 30 mph gusting to 40.

The front 9 was primarily with the wind, except for two par 3’s. The back was primarily into the wind, except one par 4 on which I managed a wind-aided 305 yard drive.

That night we all gathered at La Caverna in the Temple Bar district of Dublin to celebrate a great golf trip.

Departure day saw an uneventful cab ride to the airport. Check in was quite smooth and I had about a 10-15 min queue to get through airport security. In Dublin, you are pre-cleared through U.S. Customs. I signed up for Global Entry which allowed me to breeze through.

In fact, many credit cards may reimburse you for this and I highly recommend it. The total process probably took about 45 minutes. I had a long wait for my flight but Aer Lingus was on time and equipped with Starlink. The internet access was super fast. My only nit is they didn’t have USB chargers in the seats.

Looking back and knowing what I know now, I would concentrate on either Scotland or Ireland for a trip. Especially given the fact that the commuter plane couldn’t fit our luggage. St. Andrews definitely has the history but I really enjoyed the Irish courses.

I would love to hit the Northern Ireland courses next time, although I put in for the Swilcan Package ballot (a round on the Old Course, and a round at another St. Andrews course) at St. Andrews for next year, so who knows what the future may bring!