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Scotland on my Mind by Dan King
Tuesday, July 2nd
Prestwick Golf Club (Old Prestwick) |
This morning it was time drop my mates off at Edinburgh airport and
pick up Mark Koenig
This part of my trip is completely lacking in plans. We will go were
the wind leads us. We decided to play quickly after picking Mark up,
before heading to Machrihanish. We figured somewhere along Ayrshire
would be best to play in the morning. Western Gailies is a course
I've heard nothing but good about, but it was hosting a Senior
Amateur event. I'm not overly excited to play Troon, and Turnberry
is a bit too many quid for this part of our trip. We decided to
go to Prestwick. Mark has played there before, and I figured I should
play a course that historically important. Also the chance to see holes
like the Cardinal, Himalayas, Elysian Fields and Alps sounded panshit
(pleasurable).
We arrived at 11:00 and were informed we could get out at a little
past 12, after a tour that was playing the course. We ended up playing
as a two-ball. The tees were set up, blue in the front, red in the
middle and white in the back. Up until now, the regular tees have
been yellow, with red the ladies tees. We just sort of assumed,
since nobody informed us that we should be playing the white tees.
As we came to find out, those were the wrong tees. We were noticed
back there by numerous caddies who said something to us in the
pub that evening.
The Prestwick Golfing Society was formed on the 2nd of July, 1851,
in the pub which is now the Red Lion. (Without knowing we played on
the 145th anniversary of the forming of the Society). Later that
year, the Society was able to lure away Old Tom Morris (then a fairly
young man) away from St. Andrews. Tom Morris was ready to leave
St. Andrews because of his falling out with Allen Robertson over the
gutty vs. feathery ball. Tom Morris laid out the original 12 hole
course between the railway line, the sea and the Pow Burn.
12 hole Prestwick hosted the first Open championship in 1860, and hosted
all of them until 1870, when Young Tom Morris won the championship for
the third consecutive time, winning the belt outright. A year later,
Prestwick, St. Andrews and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers
came to agreement to take turns hosting the Championship and to
contribute toward the new trophy (the Claret Jug). The last Open
Championship at Prestwick was in 1925 won by Jim Barnes of the U.S.A.
Macdonald Smith seemed to have the championship rapped up, but the
crowds got in the way, and he lost numerous shots coming home. Jim
Barnes had scored well long before the crowds showed up to watch the
championship. Prestwick never hosted the Open again, feeling the old
course could not handle crowd problems.
The time before Mark played Old Prestwick he played in the rain and
wind. Today, there was no rain and hardly a breath of wind. The course
rarely plays so benign. Mark didn't seem to be suffering any jet
lag, and despite giving my 6 shots, he blitzed me 6 and 5 for a pint.
The round took a very long time, well over 4 hours, seemingly even
longer since we were a two-ball. There are some really funky holes,
and most of the day it was difficult for me to pick out targets,
often times tough to tell the definition of the thin fairways from the
tall whins rough.
After the round, we went over to the Red Lion so I could pay up the pint
I owed Mark. We figured we'd only stay a while and then head up toward
Loch Lomond and then down the Mull of Kintyre to Machrihanish. While
sitting at the bar, Roddy Malcolm sat beside us and started a conversation.
He was steamin'' before he sat down, so naturally we bought him
a pint. He is the Caddie Master at Turnberry and full of stories. Only
problem was he told each of his stories 3 or 4 times. The best one was:
A caddie was carrying for an American woman at the Old Course at St.
Andrews. The round was taking incredibly long. They arrive at the final
hole, 6 hours after leaving from the first. The woman notices a house
along the right side of the fairway and asks her caddie, "That house
is beautiful, do you know who owns it?". The Caddie's reply, "Aye
lassie, that hoose dinnae been built whun we heid out this mornin."
Rorry showed us around the Red Lion, showing off the memorabilia.
He also told us a storm was coming from Ireland, and we were best off
heading for the East coast for a while. After talking a while He headed
off for the WC, and was never seen again, disappearing much as he
appeared, leaving a fine Romeo y Julieta I gave him only two puffs
into it.
Mark and I decided to listen to Roddy, and play the East coast first.
We decided to head up to Cruden Bay, but about half way we figured
we should stop somewhere on the way. I had wanted to play Balcomie,
just south east of St. Andrews. Balcomie is more commonly known as
Crail Golf Club. We found a decent room in Crail for a good price,
and the landlord set up a time for us at Balcomie the next day at
11:10.
Some of my favorite holes on Prestwick:
Hole#1 Par-4 346 yard (Railway)
The hard thing is to figure out a target to aim to. The hole appears
to be nothing but whins, with gorse toward the left and the railway
line out of bounds down the right. There is a two large cross bunkers
down the right, 290 yards from the tee. You know somewhere towards it
must be fairway, so you fire away. The approach shot is blind over the
two cross bunkers and the green is very small.
Hole#3 Par-5 500 yards (Cardinal)
On the Cardinal the driving area looks huge. However, the best shot
is as close to the right side as possible. Only problem is the Pow
Burn runs the entire length of the hole, and is out of bounds rather
than a hazard. The reason why you need to be close to the right is
to make the shot over the two very large cardinal bunkers. The take
up some 70 yards of the fairway, followed by a large mound. To reach
the fairway with your second you must clear the cardinal and the
mound covered with rough. The green is small, but in a little hallow,
making it a slightly easier target.
Hole#5 Par-3 206 yards (Himalayas)
This is a completely blind par-3. Wait for the bell so you know you
can play. All you see is a 40 foot high sand dune, with a lone
aiming point on top. The idea is too hit a lofted enough club to
get over the Himalayas, but a long enough iron to travel the
needed distance. Even making it over the Himalayas is no bargain
since the green is surrounded by 5 bunkers, 4 left, 1 right.
Hole#6 Par-4 400 yards (Elysian Fields)
The tee shot is to an elevated driving area, with three fairway bunkers
that need to be avoided, 2 to the left, one to the right. The approach
is to a green, tucked in a hollow to the right, and on a plateau. Miss
the green, and you'll be facing a very difficult chip.
Hole#10 Par-4 454 yards (Arran)
A dog-leg right, littered with bunkers. The idea is to hit as far right
as you dare, giving a shorter shot to the green. The problem is there
are two bunkers on the right, sitting right toward the ideal landing
area. Get to conservative about cutting off a portion of the right,
and you can drive through the fairway into a bunker on the left. There
are 4 fairway bunkers ready to catch any shots who come up short of
the putting surface, the final one about 50 yards short of the green.
The green is medium size, but sloped severely from back to front.
Hole#16 Par-4 298 yards (Cardinals Back)
A drivable par-4, only problem is there isn't a lot of bail out area.
In trying to drive the green, there is Willie Campbell's Grave
Bunker right in the middle of the fairway, 230 yards from the tee.
Get in this bunker, and you'll probably have to go put backwards.
Miss the putting surface right, and you'll end up in the huge
Cardinals Back bunker, which is lined with railway ties. The best
bail out area for those trying to drive this green is left into the
13th fairway.
Hole#17 Par-4 391 yards (Alps)
Hit less than driver on this hole to come up short of the Alps that
sit about 230 yards from the tee. The Alps are 30 foot high sand
hills that block your way. There are three aiming posts, and from
the tee there is a message telling you which one the pin is behind.
Come up short of the hidden green and you can end up in the Sahara
bunker, a huge bunker sitting between the Alps and the putting
surface.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Dan King
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