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Scotland on my Mind by Dan King
Saturday, June 15th
The North Berwick Golf Club (West Links) |
Today's round of golf was one I had looked forward to from the day we started setting up this trip. North Berwick has a history as old as St. Andrews. Only St. Andrews is an older course having continuous play over the same ground. Arguments can go back and forth if golf was first played across St. Andrews or in North Berwick (pronounced Berrick). The round we played did not disappoint me in the least. What a fun course. This is a course that is quickly becoming a very fashionable course for tourists (as was evident by the limo that pulled up while we were coming off 18 bringing Jack Nickolson and Michael Douglass to play a round).
North Berwick was designed, so to speak, by David Strath in 1878 though golf had bee played around the area for more than 200 years prior. North Berwick men of 100 years ago were famous for their short swings and wonderful short games to combat the climate.
North Berwick is an old town with beautiful homes, nice shops and golf. Driving around we saw two 18 hole putting greens (more on that later), one of which was just east of the first tee on the West Links. Parking is along Beach Road, which runs beside the 18th hole. We arrived 1/2 hour before our tee time and went to look about the Pro Shop near the Starters hut. The pro shop was formerly the first Ben Sayers factory. A few practice putts and we were called to the first tee at precisely our starting time. It was another beautiful day, but with a slight freshening of the wind.
Dougie Seaton, a Berwick resident who I have had many e-mail conversations with, was there to greet us as we prepared to tee-off. He said he would be out to meet us again later on our way in and walk the In holes with our group.
The West Links routing goes from the starter shack to a green sitting out on Point Garry (Point Garry/out), and then east along the beach. The holes are a figure 8 design with the 4th hole (Carlekemp) heading inland. The 9th tee (Mizzentop) is the farthest point on the course, heading back north to the beach. From the course begins the return to the clubhouse. The prevailing wind is generally easterly, so if you don't score well on those first 8 holes, your score is going to suffer. Despite the beautiful weather there was enough wind to make every shot, including putts, effected.
I loved all the holes on this course, but a few stand out in my memory.
Hole#2 (Sea) Par-4 431 yards. A dogleg right with the beach coming into play on the right. The more beach you cut off the easier your second shot. If you don't clear the beach however, it is in play as a lateral hazard. The green is huge with breaks numerous different ways.
Hole#3 (Trap) Par-4 464 yards. Aim for the opening in the stone wall. The stone wall that crosses the fairway appears to be closer than it looks, actually being 330 yards from the back tee. 2nd shot over the wall to a hole with only 1 bunker short right. Dick Gunderson ran his shot within 1 foot of the hole for a tap in birdie which Mike Smyth followed by hitting the pin and leaving his ball a fraction outside Dick's. Needless to say both Darla Cowden and I lost this hole.
Hole#6 (Quarry) Par-3 162 yards. A par-3 with a massive gully in front of the green and a large bunker 10 feet below the surface of the green. any shot short of the green will leave a tough sand shot with nothing but blue sky to aim at. (I'll let you guess how I know this.)
Hole#7 (Eli Burn) Par-4 354 yards. A great short par-4. Eli Burn almost touches the front of the green. Come up short and your ball will be in the Burn. Hit past the Burn and your shot has little chance of staying on this green. Better to be long and chipping back to the green.
Hole#11 (Bos'ns Locker) Par-5 550 yards. A slight dog leg left with bunkers all along the right side. Stay as close as you can to the left side, but the heather will get you if you don't reach the fairway. Bunkers short of the green are there ready to gobble up those that want to go for the green. The green is huge, 47 yards from front to back and angles at 45 degrees from right to left. When we played the pin was tucked back on the left.
Hole#13 (Pit) Par-4 365 yards. Another very tough short par-4. The drive should be right of center to leave a shot to the green over the stone fence. Attempts to come at the green from the left can result on a very tough shot from down on the beach. (ask Mike Smyth about how tough this shot can be).
Hole#14 (Perfection) Par-4 376 yards. The hole requires two perfect shots to have a chance of a two-putt par. The tee shot to a raised fairway with bunkers right and the beach left. Miss an approach to the right and you have no way of holding this green with your chip.
Hole#15 (Redan) Par-3 192 yards. One of the most often imitated holes in the world. This is the original. The tee shot is blind, over a ridge and the hole surrounded by narly bunkers. The green is at a 45 degree angle from right to left. This hole was designed for my left handed fade, though I over faded and put it in a bunker fronting the green.
Hole#16 (Gate) Par-4 381 yards. There's a choice on the tee. Try to carry the burn that sits out there at 206 yards, or lay up short and play the hole for a bogey. This hole as one of the more bizarre greens I've ever seen. (Honor formerly went to the Par-3 6th green at Riviera with the bunker in the middle). The green is 62 yards from front to back, but is actually more like two greens, both raised. A 4-5 foot deep valley bisects the middle of the green.
Hole#17 (Point Garry/In) Par-4 425 yards. If I'm going to be faced with many holes tougher than this I'm in a lot of trouble. The hole is up-hill all the way, with a 20-foot high raised green. Come up short and there is a huge hungry bunker in front of the entire green, well below the surface. I faced the most difficult 200 yard shot I've ever seen, hit a driver flush, but into the wind, and ended up in the bunker. Amazingly great but tough hole.
After the round, Dougie Seaton invited us to come to his house and watch the soccer match (England vs. Scotland) and then later watch the completion of the third round of the U.S. Open. After the soccer match, unfortunately Scotland lost, we went down to a 18 hole putting green behind his house. For 90p you can play the course. Some mighty tough holes on this course, which none of us were able to one putt. It was an hour full of fun and it is a shame that such a thing hasn't caught on in the U.S.
After a very good dinner at Nether Abbey in North Berwick we returned to finish our night watching the pros have as much trouble at Oakland Hills as we had at North Berwick.
It was a great day to be golfing in Scotland.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Dan King
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