Topgolf and Gatorade

I travelled with my good friend Chris and his family from Woodstock, Ontario to Cincinnati in the ’70’s. We were fans of the Big Red Machine during their heydays of Rose and Bench. They preceded to lose all their games against the Cubs, Cards and Bucs at Riverfront Stadium! But my consolation prize was sipping…

How Important is Weather for your golf trip?

Canadian golfers are a glutton for weather punishment. Our deep Scottish roots (Nova Scotia=New Scotland) make this country the place of choice along with Ireland and other parts of the UK for our links golf fix. We are willing to brave the cool temperatures, swirling wind, occasional hail, lashing rain and some sun all in…

I made birdie, please get off the tee

One of my pet peeves is someone who stands on the next tee after I made birdie. Not a pseudo birdie like when someone says, “Hey I get a stroke off the card because of my handicap!”. Nope, a natural birdie. At my local Shannon Lake GC in BC, the Loonies group that I play…

A Special, Private Whisky Tasting Session

My good friend Terry has an extremely impressive whisky collection and bar. He generously offered to have me sample some of his fine ones in Ontario. Well, my McGill and McLay in me from my mother’s side emphatically told me to say Yes and who am I to argue? I thought it best to line…

Vancouver—Not Usually for the Golf

Sure, there are good public golf courses in Vancouver proper and outlying regions like North Vancouver (Northlands) and Surrey (Morgan Creek). And if you get the call to play private golf clubs like Stanley Thompson’s treasure at Capilano in West Van or Shaughnessy in Vancouver then say an emphatic, “Yes Sir” like Verne Lundquist hollered…

Why Won’t Boris Let Canadian Golfers In But Allow Americans?

That lousy Red List UK quarantine…Is it because your hair is white like the President and not a dark as our PM proudly displays? Could it be that having a province named New Scotland (Nova Scotia) is not clear enough and you prefer Idaho? Is it because we have the oldest golf club and golf…

Drinking on the Golf Course or in the Clubhouse

Match Play-Stroke Play. Walking-Power Cart Riding. Waiting for the clubhouse drink-Flagging down Cart Girl for a special drink or beer. Europeans and North Americans  look at golf and drinking from different perspectives. When speaking to an Irishman in the Donegal Golf Club clubhouse a few years ago, I asked him why they do not offer…

First Glimpse of Links Golf

My first view of a links course was at Crail Balcomie Links in Scotland with my great Verma Cup friends in 2008. As I stood like Patton overseeing a battleground, Crail’s land seemed to be a moonscape unlike what I was used to in Canada. No trees, all walkers wandering the golf course, the old…

18 Holes Should be 19

Are you coming in for a drink? No, I’ve got to get going…I feel if you have time for 4 hours to play you have 4 hours and 15 at least. The drink following the round is an extension to the round. It symbolizes the de-brief of your day’s play, the stories of the sunk…

|

Shaking Hands at Tower Ranch GC

July 1st is Canada Day. But a more celebratory day for me was strolling into the clubhouse and seeing a server smile at me. No mask. You see, British Columbia entered a new phase and no masks were required indoors as our province reached a vaccination clip level. I had the mask on when entering,…