Scotland Trip - On travel in general
Our trip was marked by special favors and exceptional New England weather. No rain for five days, and some of the boys suffered some mild sunburn.
As for the "special favors," we were quite fortunate in that regard, and much of the credit goes to one of our hosts, Blair Leburn.
I'll explain.
Most golf trips to the UK find groups of four, eight, twelve or sixteen guys going from transport to golf course to hotel. With each new day, a new golf course and a new hotel. It's wonderful, but tiring, and two wishes set in:
(1) You long to have a chance to play a course more than once. "Just give me one more chance." You just know that with one round's worth of experience, your knowledge will help you play it better a second time. But, no, you're already on to another.
(2) You'd like to stop living out of your suitcase. Believe me, even if your wardrobe is limited to golf shirts and slacks, it's tough to keep pulling out clean clothes and putting back dirty ones.
The very nature of our journey was different. Our raison d'etre in Scotland was to play a match with the Pink Elephants, so we were assured a simpler, more stable schedule. We played Royal Troon twice, both times with a group of members. Our round at Turnberry's Kintyre we decided to make alternate shot, or foursomes, so not knowing the course wasn't as important as playing safe, strategic ("You hit the ball where?") kinds of shots. And at Turnberry's Ailsa, well, I'd played that before, so it was a return trip I looked forward to.
Even more settling was the fact that we stayed in one hotel the entire trip. So on the first evening I was able to unpack and put away the suitcases. You learn who to tip for services rendered rather than those hoped for. And you just, generally, better know your way around.
One other thing: it's indescribable how pleasant it is to be able to enjoy an evening away from hotels and restaurants. Our cocktails and dinner at Blair Leburn's sister's - Lindy's - home was terrific. All eight of us, many of our day's competitors, plus other extended family members ... it was a long wonderful evening.
Here's Lindy:
And here's a shot of Blair's mum, Celia, and me:
If you ever - or the next time you - go over, make sure you book several of the courses to play more than once. Avoid the "I-have-a-week-and-I-want-to-see-as-much-of-the-country-and-golf-courses-as-possible" trap. Settle down and get to know a little bit of Scotland a lot better. And go more often.
As for the "special favors," we were quite fortunate in that regard, and much of the credit goes to one of our hosts, Blair Leburn.
I'll explain.
Most golf trips to the UK find groups of four, eight, twelve or sixteen guys going from transport to golf course to hotel. With each new day, a new golf course and a new hotel. It's wonderful, but tiring, and two wishes set in:
(1) You long to have a chance to play a course more than once. "Just give me one more chance." You just know that with one round's worth of experience, your knowledge will help you play it better a second time. But, no, you're already on to another.
(2) You'd like to stop living out of your suitcase. Believe me, even if your wardrobe is limited to golf shirts and slacks, it's tough to keep pulling out clean clothes and putting back dirty ones.
The very nature of our journey was different. Our raison d'etre in Scotland was to play a match with the Pink Elephants, so we were assured a simpler, more stable schedule. We played Royal Troon twice, both times with a group of members. Our round at Turnberry's Kintyre we decided to make alternate shot, or foursomes, so not knowing the course wasn't as important as playing safe, strategic ("You hit the ball where?") kinds of shots. And at Turnberry's Ailsa, well, I'd played that before, so it was a return trip I looked forward to.
Even more settling was the fact that we stayed in one hotel the entire trip. So on the first evening I was able to unpack and put away the suitcases. You learn who to tip for services rendered rather than those hoped for. And you just, generally, better know your way around.
One other thing: it's indescribable how pleasant it is to be able to enjoy an evening away from hotels and restaurants. Our cocktails and dinner at Blair Leburn's sister's - Lindy's - home was terrific. All eight of us, many of our day's competitors, plus other extended family members ... it was a long wonderful evening.
Here's Lindy:
And here's a shot of Blair's mum, Celia, and me:
If you ever - or the next time you - go over, make sure you book several of the courses to play more than once. Avoid the "I-have-a-week-and-I-want-to-see-as-much-of-the-country-and-golf-courses-as-possible" trap. Settle down and get to know a little bit of Scotland a lot better. And go more often.
posted by Mark Burris - BURRIS at 3:08 PM
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