Back To Scotland!

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Two weeks away, baby!!!

 

 

Heading to Scotland with a group of 8 for the first week of May. Will join longtime MGS Forum member @MGoBlue100, along with @evershady and several other old friends.  Here's the itinerary:
 

April 29: I arrived in Edinburgh after spending a week in Northampton and London on day job business and spending a little time with the Mrs.

April 30: Morning round with Gavin Dear and Jenn Saxton of ShotScope. Rest of the group arrives in Edinburgh - spending the day and night downtown.
May 1: Travel to East Lothian - warm up round at Kilspindie; check into the Duck Inn in North Berwick
May 2: Round at North Berwick - which remains maybe the most fun golf course I've ever played. 
May 3: Round at The Renaissance, where they played the Scottish Open last year. This one will very likely kick our ass. 
May 4: Round at Dunbar, then hop in a van and head to St Andrews. 
May 5-7: Day passes at St Andrews-which means we can play as much golf as we want and any St Andrews course that isn't The Old Course. Tee times already set We don't have tee times for The Old Course but will enter into the ballot process. If that doesn't work, well, there's camping out at the starter's shed overnight and hope. Cousin Paul and I have already played it, but the other 6 guys haven't - so I hope they get the chance. It's special. 
May 7: Four of us will play Dumbarnie on our last day there - it's new and is supposed to be spectacular. They were just finishing it up when we were there last and is said to rival Kingsbarns - can't wait to give it a go. 

The group will be providing plenty of social media. Follow us on Twitter and/or IG for all kinds of fun

Twitter: @golfspybarbajo @MGoBlue100
Instagram: golfspy_barbajo mgoblue100

 

[tommc23]

Evershady is alive? That’s a name I haven’t seen here in quite a while

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

On 4/16/2022 at 9:22 PM, tommc23 said:

Evershady is alive? That’s a name I haven’t seen here in quite a while

Alive, well, still hitting the ball a mile and still looks like the bass player in a ZZ Top tribute band. Can't wait to see what his 125 mph swing speed will do in Scotland. 

[Shankster]

We need Mahoosive amounts of pictures sir.  I’ll pay you all back with some Bandon pictures later this year or early next.

Have fun!

[Golfspy_CG2]

Lucky SOB's!  Not that I'm jealous or anything!   Curious did you arrange this through the contact we met at the PGA Show a couple years ago, or go with someone you knew previously.

[DaveP043]

Have a wonderful time, gents, it looks like a great itinerary.  Enjoy putting off the bar stool at Duck's, say hello to Malcolm.  Consider a really good fish dinner (fish and chips to most of us) at the Old Clubhouse in Gullane.  A few years ago they would send a shuttle as far as Duck's to pick us up and deliver us home.  Dunbar is a fine course way out there, make sure to keep it low coming in against the wind.  Please have a pint (or 12) on my behalf at the Whey Pat in St. Andrews.  

Cheers!

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Lucky SOB's!  Not that I'm jealous or anything!   Curious did you arrange this through the contact we met at the PGA Show a couple years ago, or go with someone you knew previously.

Arranged the trip with Jack Sallis from Halcyon Golf Travel - I met him at the PGA Show in 2019 I think. He arranged the trip my cousin Paul and I took that year. Paul is also on the trip this year. 

Jack is a terrific kid - I call him a kid, he's what, 26, 27? - and put together a nice itinerary for us. He doesn't have Old Course Tee times, unfortunately. And we did get some bad news this week. We're going to be in St Andrews May 5-7 (Leaving Sunday, the 8th), and just found out the Old Course will be closed down the 5th for Open Championship work, and there's a tournament on the 7th, so there's no ballot that day. So our only chance will be Friday, the 6th. All those plans were made long after we booked the dates, so what can you do...

So if we're miss out on the ballot, we'll be camping out at the starters shack Thursday night. I'll bring snacks. 

 

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

 

Not for nothing, here's the video cousin Paul took of my stroll up 18 our first round at the Old Course. Left my birdie just a tad short...

 

 

[MGoBlue100]

4 minutes ago, GolfSpy Barbajo said:

So our only chance will be Friday, the 6th. All those plans were made long after we booked the dates, so what can you do...

So if we're miss out on the ballot, we'll be camping out at the starters shack Thursday night. I'll bring snacks. 

 

 

I'll bring the coffee...  

[DaveP043]

47 minutes ago, GolfSpy Barbajo said:

I'll bring snacks. 

 

42 minutes ago, MGoBlue100 said:

I'll bring the coffee...  

If you're camping out from the night previous, someone better have the whisky!

[Golfspy_CG2]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy Barbajo said:

Arranged the trip with Jack Sallis from Halcyon Golf Travel - I met him at the PGA Show in 2019 I think. He arranged the trip my cousin Paul and I took that year. Paul is also on the trip this year. 

Jack is a terrific kid - I call him a kid, he's what, 26, 27? - and put together a nice itinerary for us. He doesn't have Old Course Tee times, unfortunately. And we did get some bad news this week. We're going to be in St Andrews May 5-7 (Leaving Sunday, the 8th), and just found out the Old Course will be closed down the 5th for Open Championship work, and there's a tournament on the 7th, so there's no ballot that day. So our only chance will be Friday, the 6th. All those plans were made long after we booked the dates, so what can you do...

So if we're miss out on the ballot, we'll be camping out at the starters shack Thursday night. I'll bring snacks. 

 

Cool!

That will just add to the experience, to say you camped out at St. Andrews and tell tales of all the middle of the night goings on there?  I see some putting on the 18th green with camera phones a lights...ha   Surely they have some sort of guards out for those type shennanigans ? 

[Golfspy_CG2]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy Barbajo said:

 

Not for nothing, here's the video cousin Paul took of my stroll up 18 our first round at the Old Course. Left my birdie just a tad short...

 

 

Love the raised putter on the walk!  The aimpoint, and tap in par!   What a great way to finish a memorable round!

 

[MGoBlue100]

31 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

 

If you're camping out from the night previous, someone better have the whisky!

Probably be some in the coffee...

[DaveP043]

2 minutes ago, MGoBlue100 said:

Probably be some in the coffee...

Use the blended stuff for that, safe the single malts for sipping.

[MGoBlue100]

Absolutely.  I'm not a monster...

[DaveP043]

8 minutes ago, MGoBlue100 said:

Absolutely.  I'm not a monster...

And no ice!!

[JohnSmalls]

4 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Cool!

That will just add to the experience, to say you camped out at St. Andrews and tell tales of all the middle of the night goings on there?  I see some putting on the 18th green with camera phones a lights...ha   Surely they have some sort of guards out for those type shennanigans ? 

Night putting...there's a Bushwood in Scotland?

[funkyjudge]

My wife and I will be there in July (I am actually playing Royal Liverpool and Royal Birkdale before heading to Scotland for rounds at Troon and The Ailsa Course at Turnberry). Following that, we have tickets for the Saturday and Sunday rounds at The 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Edited April 19, 2022 by funkyjudge
typos