What an unbelievable day it was playing 36 holes in St Andrews. Epic.
Finishing in the dark on the Old Course
First our group started with 18 holes on the New Course. The New Course sits next to the Old Course. It was designed by Old Tom Morris and opened for play in 1895. The greens were fantastic and the tight links style golf was fabulous.
After some afternoon rest in our flat (more on this later) we went down to the Old Course for a 5:30PM tee time. There is enough daylight this time of year to start that late.
In our group was Scott, a caddie on the Old Course, and an excellent golfer. We had a 2-man match pitting my friend Todd and me against Scott and our other lad Shane. The match was extremely fun and competitive. I shot one over par on the front with a tail wind. I had a lone birdie on the par-3 8th which brought our match closer. Scott made a clutch par to secure the win on the front in the nassau.
The back nine was much more difficult as we turned back into the wind. The golf was solid. Despite our efforts, caddie Scott and Shane closed out the rest of the bets on the 15th and 16th holes.
The last few holes were cold and fun as the cloud cover covered the setting sun. By the time we were on the 18th it was dark. I had a 12 foot birdie putt to break 80 which just missed. Despite shooting +7 on the back I feel it was a solid nine given that it was a 3-club wind, cold, and we were playing the world’s greatest golf course.
The winners enjoyed wee pints at the Dunvegan pub. The sweet taste of victory. Cheers.
I can’t think of a more fun day of golf. I love Scotland and I love the Old Course.
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