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Scotland on my Mind by Dan King
Monday June 17th
Gullane Golf Club No. 1 Course |
It's going to be difficult to leave East Lothian in the morning and head north. East Lothian has been the friendliest place I've ever spent any time. Numerous times I was asked on the street questions about my holiday. Someone coming out of the David Huce pro shop at the West Links of North Berwick started a conversation with me and we ended up talking for over 20 minutes. He told me about courses I should see on my holiday and experiences he had on various courses throughout Scotland. Another gentleman asked about my holiday when we were walking around Dunbar (I guess I look like a tourist). Numerous other wait persons, hotel clerks, etc.. all wanted to know how things were going and how lucky we were to be there during such fine weather. These people were not asking to be polite, but rather seemed genuinely interested. Our new friends Dougie and Carol Seaton will always have a place if they come to California. They couldn't have been more gracious.
As John Kerr says in the Foreward to his wonderful book, 'The Golf Book of East Lothian' (more on that later); "I also wish this volume to be regarded as a offering of gratitude on my part for all the kindness extended to me by this county since my adoption as one of her sons, now wellnigh twenty years ago, and specially for the sunshine and joy imparted to my life by the pursuit of the gentle and fascinating pastime with which East Lothian has always been associated."
We started out the day driving east of North Berwick to Dunbar. Rumor was there was a smoke shop there, but all that could be found was shops that stocked White Owls, etc... Dunbar is in the process of a face lift on the Town Center and construction was going on. Still a beautiful seaside town. A short drive from there we stopped to see the course of Whitekirk. From what we saw it looked like it had very good greens, but not as mature as many other courses.
Once again, we stopped at the Old Clubhouse in Gullane for a bite to eat. This time I decided to skip lunch and go right to the desert 'Death by Chocolate'. Magnificent.
Dougie Seaton had set up a 1:30 appointment with local historian, Archie Baird. Archie Baird has a small museum that shares the building with the Gullane pro shop. Appointments are needed to talk to Archie because he is usually out on the links playing various holes of the three courses. Archie and I had a very pleasant discussion on the history of golf. He is insistent golf started in Holland, I'm not entirely sold on the idea. We also had a conversation about what has hurt golf in America more; carts (my position) or writing a score on every hole (Archie's position). We agreed that both were a problem but disagreed on which was the more serious problem.
He has numerous interesting artifacts and prints in his small museum and it was a shame we had to cut it short to make our tee time on the Number#1 course. If you are in East Lothian make an appointment to see Archie's museum. I did end up buying a beautiful copy of 'Golf in East Lothian' by John Kerr. Originally printed in 1896, the reproduction in very fine.
Archie Baird
The Heritage of Golf
Tel: 0875 870 277
The weather is still beautiful here, but the wind had definitely freshened. By the time we got up to the third tee at the top of Gullane Hill the wind was going close to 30 mph. Gullane #1 runs along side Gullane #2 but the resemblance is only in the scenery. Gullane #1 is a championship course. The course is slightly longer, but the rough is much thicker and the greens much faster. We spent a fair amount of our time looking for each others golf balls in the thick rough. I have now found out what it is like to hit a ball out of heather. It's a tough shot. Once you climb Gullane Hill the views are breathtaking. From the 7th tee (Queens Head) you can see up and down the Firth of Forth, with the other Gullane courses and Luffness-New to the west and Muirfield off the the right.
My game is starting to come back. I'm still 0-fer-Scotland in the birdie category, but my drives are not getting me into the constant trouble they have been getting me into prior to now. I actually striped a drive down the first fairway with a large crowd around, ran a nice punch 7-iron up to the green, but missed my birdie putt. Least I had the opportunity.
Gullane #1 is much of what I imagined links golf to be like. It has a wonderful mix of holes and a good routing to play in a variety of wind conditions. Every green on the course was receptive to a bump and run shot as long as you hit your tee shot to the correct area. I'm still having trouble with the bump and run, but I'm starting to get a better vision of what I should be doing. I'm actually getting excited about my game, which is a darn good thing since I only have 5 more weeks here in Caledonia 'The Garden of Scotland'.
I'd rank Gullane#1 as slightly behind the West Links of North Berwick, but easily the second best course we have played on our trip so far. Archie Baird mentioned to me that he had organized an annual tournament at Gullane that had been played the previous week. They played 36 holes of Gullane#3 starting at sunrise. After a quick breakfast, 36 holes at Gullane#2 followed by a quick snack. 36 holes on Gullane#1 finished the day prior to sunset at 10:30.
The strength of Gullane#1 is the best greens we have played so far as well as the routing. You never have the same wind direction on two consecutive holes and neither do the holes run parallel each other. The holes are designed so you need to think about wind on every shot.
My favorite holes on Gullane#1
Hole#2 Par-4 334 yards (Windygate). After a gentle opening hole, now we head up Gullane Hill. You need to get the drive as far up the hill as possible because the elevation change, a good 60 yards up, will need a few extra clubs to get up the hill. The fairway is extremely narrow with heavy rough on both sides. I hit my drive into the left rough, but it was sitting pretty so I hit a driver again. I hit it pure and it still didn't make it to the green. Two decent drives and I was still short on this 334 yard hole. Only one small bunker on the hole, but it really doesn't need any more hazards other than the narrow fairway and steep climb.
Hole#4 Par-3 134 yards (Island). What appears to be an easy par#3 is made tougher by the ominous looking bunkers that front the green and severe slopes on the right, left and back of the green. Hit the green and there is little chance of holding it.
Hole#5 Par-4 436 yards (Murrays Hill). A dog leg right that heads up a gently climbing hill. Numerous pot bunkers protect the corner of the dogleg. The closer to the left you are the shorter your second, but the fairway slopes away from the corner. The green is protected by a right and left pot bunker, and the general slope of the green is front to back.
Hole#7 Par-4 398 yards (Queens Head). Three of us saw our drives taken by the wind into the thick left rough. We managed to find all three balls, but none of us could do much more than punch out to the fairway. Perhaps we were distracted by the beautiful views from the tee box. This is the highest point on Gullane Hill and you can see up and down the Forth and can even see the top of Bass Rock in the east. Least a reasonably flat green gave us a chance for pars.
That's it from East Lothian and Gullane. Talk to you tomorrow.
Dan King
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