Two great strolls to the first tee
Two of the best golfing experiences I have ever had commenced before hitting my first shot of the day. They also happened to be at legendary links courses. And it began simply by hoisting clubs over my shoulder after retrieving them from a locked room in a majestic hotel.
Our group of twelve Verma Cuppers were playing in the 2008 inaugural match play championship in Scotland and we wanted the full experience at St Andrews so we situated ourselves along the 18th hole at the Old Course. Historical Macdonald Rusacks Hotel is the one you see during Open Championship television coverage where spectators lean precariously from balconies breathing in the atmosphere of golfers coming home. You will witness these lucky ones when the tournament is played there this year.
After exiting the Rusacks a golfer walks along a sidewalk and passes the St Andrews Club to your right. Then appears the 45,000 square foot building Hamilton Hall overlooking the 18th hole and it sits adjacent to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. This is quite an impressive sight. One then stops cold to view the grey and imposing R & A building guarding the opening tee. Already St Andrews locals are leaning on the white fences to analyze and watch those fortunate golfers who have to fight their nerves and hope they do not dribble their drives. The fairway may be extremely wide but twitching of hands, even from CEO’s of great renown, are common. Golfers feel the spirits of the place dating centuries and caddies prepare to guide their masters through the Old’s mysteries and nuances.
Continue walking as though you are entering an arena of sport, and you are in a sense, because this is the birthplace of golf. The clubs on your shoulder seem light and then you check in to the starter shack to present your handicap certificate. And make sure this certificate is ready for show or it will be a desperate sprint back to the Rusacks, that one participant found out the hard way. So much for that enjoyable stroll to the tee…Stress Level 10 already before the intimidating opening strike.
Switching over to another part of the UK, the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle, Northern Ireland enters the mix. I grabbed my clubs from a first floor locker room in May, 2014 and walked along the hallway in my soft spikes reminiscing on St Andrews 6 years earlier. Out the back door I went solo at the crack of day. I hesitated before walking across a parking lot and viewed the lonely practice hitting net outside of Royal County Down (now they have a practice facility for the 2015 Irish Open). The shorter sister course, Annesley Links is nestled against RCD’s golf course and you pass through a subtle sign marking the confines of this incredible links course. Trees line the walk as you gain some sight of the grounds. Then veer right for a short walk past the putting green and to the clubhouse. The first tee sits beyond the practice putting green to the right and with the drizzle you knew this would be a demanding day.
In the end I had one of my best rounds of the week at the Old breaking 80 in nice weather surrounded by my best friends and a caddie named Jimmy. At Royal County Down, our Woodstonian team gritted out a tie against our game Oakvillian competitors by winning the last three holes of the match. I have to say that these two days of golf rank as the best rounds I think I have enjoyed. There were various reasons for these cherished memories including comradeship, the battle of the competition and the quality of the courses. But they both involved a basic walk, a preamble to the main show. If you have a chance, take the opportunity to walk to a favourite links golf course, by yourself, and soak in the aura of these places. They will remain etched in your memory forever.