What to Expect your First Time in Ireland & Scotland - Part 2

* If you haven't read Part 1 of this blog click HERE, then come back and read Part 2.

​The next morning, TJ and I were up bright and early. We bid adieu to our flat and made way to the Dublin airport for our short flight to Edinburgh. Landing in Edinburgh, we picked up our rental vehicle and headed to East Lothian to meet up with some friends and for TJ to show me some of the great courses and hotels we use for our groups. After a few hours of touring around, we made a quick lunch stop back in Edinburgh before making our way to our final destination for the next few days, St Andrews. To be honest I was exhausted the whole drive up to St Andrews, I even caught myself nodding off for a few minutes, not the best co-pilot for TJ! Once I noticed we were about 20 minutes out of St Andrews, it’s like I caught my second wind. How could I not be excited? ​

I’ve seen this place on television countless times, but I was now going to see it with my own eyes and then what felt like out of no where, there we were, driving across the 1st and 18th fairways of the Old Course! It’s amazing! Just seeing the course and the setting in person you feel the history, and that is a moment every golfer needs to experience. That night we checked into the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel with a room looking out at the Old Course, had a few pints at the Dunvegan and TJ showed me around the town.

The Dunvegan Hotel Pub

12th Hole, Jubilee Course

Waking up the next morning we didn’t have a tee time or a real concrete plan. We knew we were in the 48-hour ballot to try and get on the Old Course for the following day, but it was a beautiful day in St Andrews so we had to play a round of golf, right? After a quick breakfast we made the walk over to the 1st Tee at the Jubilee Course and got ourselves a walk-up time. The great thing about all the courses that are under St Andrews Links Trust umbrella, excluding the Old Course, is that about half the times each day are set aside for walk-ups. 

The Jubilee Course is one that maybe doesn’t get talked about much or get the praise it deserves from the majority of people that visit St Andrews. I found it to be a great course, a lot of amazing holes and a great test. That day had easily the strongest winds I have ever played in, at times a three to four club wind which added to the difficulty, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Jubilee Course is great and a course to get out and play the next time you’re in St Andrews.

TJ puts one close at the Par 3, 5th Hole on the Jubilee Course

Early morning walking the Old Course

Unfortunately, we weren’t successful with our Old Course ballot for my last day in Scotland so we did the next best thing, got up bright and early and walked it from 1st tee to 18th green before the first tee time of the day. If you are unable to play the historic course when you’re in St Andrews I highly recommend walking the course. You will get to see all the dramatics, the beauty and walk the grounds that so many legends have before you, and why wouldn’t you take that opportunity. 

It was time to play my last round of the trip on the New Course at St Andrews. Again, we walked over and got a time like we did the day before and to be honest this was one I was really looking forward to playing even before I arrived. Much like the Jubilee Course, there are a lot of great holes and it sets up as a fair challenge where you can definitely score well, but if you try and get too fine it can start to pile up on you quickly. Not only did I get to play a great course on my last day, but I ended up playing an Even Par back nine to close out the trip on a high. After a pint at the Jigger Inn adjacent to the 17th fairway of the Old Course, and a great final dinner at The Adamson, I called it an early night as I had my early flight back home to Toronto in the morning.

Only in links golf can you hit a "Great Drive" and end up with this lie on your approach.
18th Hole, New Course.

This was a trip that I will never forget and one that has not only checked a few boxes off on my bucket list, but I now have an even better idea of the product that we sell at Golf Away Tours. Part of what made the trip so great was TJ’s knowledge of everything and his recommendations of what we should do each day. Working under TJ for almost two years now, I have learned a lot that I have been able to use to help lead our clients in the right direction for their trips, but I now having that personal experience of actually being there, and that is invaluable. 

I’ll leave you here with a few things I learned during my short time over in Ireland and Scotland that you can take with you for your next trip. Don’t worry too much about your score, posting a score that is close to your handicap will prove to be a tough task. When playing in wind and rain that strong, there is no such thing as a “Stock Shot.” You have to think about every stroke and be open to playing shots that you wouldn’t normally play at your home course in North America, like keeping the ball low and running your approach shots in. Most importantly, enjoy the links, take it in as much as you can and have fun! Finally, if you haven’t been over to Scotland or Ireland or are looking to head back some day, what are you waiting for? Contact us at Golf Away Tours, we would love to help make your dream golf vacation come true!

Happy Golfing!

Matt
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