Golf in Scotland

In the summer, some of us go sailing and some of us hang out at the beach. But then there are others who are more ambitious and travel to Scotland to hit the links at one of the oldest courses in the world - The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. To many golfers the Old Course, an ancient links course dating to before 1574, is worthy of a pilgrimage. So with Scotland promoted as the 'Home of Golf', as well as whiskey - two crowd pleasers with our group - it was an obvious destination.

In addition to the challenge of the courses, there can be the challenge of the weather. There was no Bermuda High here, in fact we wrestled on our Barbours and Wellies and took on all that Scotland could deal us with a single malt in our hand! The terrain is rugged, the scenery beautiful.  One half expected to see the kilted Mel Gibson ride over the hill - Braveheart cavalry and all. You are pretty sure you're not in Kansas anymore - the critters look different and the accent is sometimes hard to understand. The dogs all have a purpose - no diamond studded collars or amusing cowboy bandanas on these pups. The most spectacular scenery is around every corner. The cliffs are incredible. One can imagine violent North Sea storms challenging the coast. The countryside is breath-taking and one envisions Heathcliff roaming the misty moors. The lavendar and lilac are prolific as is the single malt scotch, another natural wonder and not one to be dismissed. With the damp and the cold, it's no wonder the Scots have a wee nip to take the chill off. In Scotland, it is not unusual to see a castle dating back to the 12th century. Most of that era are rubble, but the 17th century ones are still going strong and litter the countryside.  Of course staying in a beautiful  hotel has its perks as well - the most memorable, the call to cocktails by the bagpiper.