Speaker 1: I miss a green for example, I'm already upset. When
Speaker 1: I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset.
Speaker 1: And when I find my ball.
Speaker 2: In a bride egg Friday Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg,
Speaker 2: Frida Egg, fridaggg, Frida Egg, bride Egg, Lie.
Speaker 1: I'm about ready to run off of the hump.
Speaker 2: Hello and welcome to the Friday Egg Podcast. My name
Speaker 2: is Garrett Morrison and I'm here today with Andy Johnson.
Speaker 3: How's it going, Andy, Garrett, it's uh, it's wonderful. Just
Speaker 3: uh ready for another week. I'm ready for the women
Speaker 3: to open this week and uh, you know, just daydreaming
Speaker 3: about return trip to Scotland.
Speaker 2: Yeah, when is that gonna happen? Probably not this year, Yeah,
Speaker 2: probably not. It's it's to go to all the places
Speaker 2: that we need to go to.
Speaker 3: Yeah, travel's travels. It's been a lot of travel. So yeah,
Speaker 3: I think I don't want to broach this subject with
Speaker 3: Missus Fridegg of another trip to Scotland without her.
Speaker 2: As far as she's concerned, You're never going back to
Speaker 2: Scotland again.
Speaker 1: No, no, no, she knows I got to go back.
Speaker 2: That wouldn't that wouldn't be realistic. But you made your
Speaker 2: first trip there recently and that's what we're going to
Speaker 2: talk about today. This will in fact be a two
Speaker 2: part podcast because you saw so many great places in
Speaker 2: the whatever it was ten days that you were there,
Speaker 2: and so today we're going to talk about Mirfield Golan
Speaker 2: Golf Club numbers one and two and eee. So those
Speaker 2: are the three courses or three facilities that we're going
Speaker 2: to talk about, but you saw a number of other
Speaker 2: courses while you were there. We'll address those in the
Speaker 2: second part of this post. Now, you are in the
Speaker 2: midst of writing a series about your trip to Scotland,
Speaker 2: and that's more of like a travelog, right You're you're
Speaker 2: describing sort of your experiences in golf and outside of
Speaker 2: golf while you were in Scotland. So you're doing that.
Speaker 2: These podcasts will be focused a little bit more on design.
Speaker 2: That's the basic plan, right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's the plan.
Speaker 3: Obviously, some stuff will probably spill into one and the other,
Speaker 3: but you know, the writing it's been fun to do
Speaker 3: something a little bit different than just the hardcore course
Speaker 3: analysis is fun, you know. Obviously doing the trip with
Speaker 3: Brendan poor Ath, you know, you find yourself in some
Speaker 3: humorous moments and and and bringing some of those to life,
Speaker 3: like like him being being confused for Rory McElroy five
Speaker 3: foot eight Rory McElroy and six Brendan poor ath like
Speaker 3: it was.
Speaker 2: Why did you get a sense for why people thought
Speaker 2: he was or why this person thought he was Roy McElroy.
Speaker 1: No, I so this happened.
Speaker 3: This happened while I was walking to the terminal for
Speaker 3: my connecting flight, and Brendan told me like the guy
Speaker 3: like came up to him and in the best, the best,
Speaker 3: my favorite part of the whole story was like Brendan's
Speaker 3: like at the end of it, he was like, hey,
Speaker 3: good luck next week and walked away and then like
Speaker 3: got got back to his kids and family and they
Speaker 3: were like pointing at Brendan, and Brendan thus vacated the problem.
Speaker 1: He had to leave.
Speaker 3: And then when he returned for boarding, that's when when
Speaker 3: the guy's kid asked for selfie and Brendan's like, listen,
Speaker 3: I am not Rory McElroy.
Speaker 2: He was forced to acknowledge it. So you wrote about
Speaker 2: this incident in your first Scotland Journal, which is already
Speaker 2: live on the site. But uh, yeah, for people who
Speaker 2: can't picture this or haven't seen Brendan Porath before. Brendan's
Speaker 2: like six'. Four he is a tall human. Being rory
Speaker 2: McElroy is like five.
Speaker 3: Six, yeah doesn't have curly, hair like it doesn't look
Speaker 3: anything like.
Speaker 1: Him they're both.
Speaker 2: White that's that's about the extent of the. Similarities so,
Speaker 2: uh completely bewildering. INCIDENT i.
Speaker 3: Mean the other funny thing is Like rory's like probably
Speaker 3: pretty close to being.
Speaker 1: A billionaire at this, point and.
Speaker 3: You, know like he would not be flying like a
Speaker 3: Commercial united flight Through dulles Like group Four.
Speaker 2: United, yeah that's not Where rory is these.
Speaker 1: Days so it was it was a humorous start to the.
Speaker 3: Trip so, yeah it's fun to write about a few
Speaker 3: things that happened and some of the characters along the
Speaker 3: way and and some of the games and and different.
Speaker 1: Things but but it was a great. Trip it Was
Speaker 1: it was really.
Speaker 3: Fun the courses were were delight, WELL i think like
Speaker 3: THE i think one of the Things i've thought about
Speaker 3: a ton is, like is the architecture that much better
Speaker 3: there or do the conditions just allow the architecture to
Speaker 3: play so much? Better and, LIKE i think that's probably
Speaker 3: a good jumping off point is like some of the
Speaker 3: architecture is is you, know, amateur.
Speaker 1: Rudimentary in its.
Speaker 3: Nature BUT i think what you, know the, conditions whether
Speaker 3: it's the wind or the firmness and speed of that
Speaker 3: of that fescue, turf that it just makes so much
Speaker 3: of the stuff come more alive and be more. Relevant
Speaker 3: it makes the bunkers play much bigger, it you, know
Speaker 3: and it also you, know the the fact that you
Speaker 3: have to play to the fronts of greens all of
Speaker 3: a sudden make everything way more you, know in play
Speaker 3: right that front left In america and when it's ninety
Speaker 3: degrees and human and superintendents have to play defense on
Speaker 3: their golf courses like we're we're just trying to keep things.
Speaker 3: Alive like you, know when you put a back right,
Speaker 3: pin the front left bunker is like not relevant at.
Speaker 3: All but In, scotland where you're thinking about like, Okay
Speaker 3: i'm hitting a wedge AND i have to land this
Speaker 3: on the front edge and the bent pins back, right
Speaker 3: that front left bunker all a sudden is really. Relevant
Speaker 3: and playing putting yourself on the left side of the,
Speaker 3: fairway you, know causes some distress in your in your,
Speaker 3: mind because you have to deal with that. Bunker SO
Speaker 3: i think that's like one of my first big takeaways
Speaker 3: is you, know and this ISN'T i don't know if
Speaker 3: the you, KNOW i think there are some places where
Speaker 3: the architecture is significantly better or. Great is great architecture
Speaker 3: maybe not significantly, Better BUT i think in a lot of,
Speaker 3: sense a lot Of american courses are better, designed but
Speaker 3: they don't have that ingredient of the the playing conditions
Speaker 3: that allow them to actually be better golf courses.
Speaker 2: And just the, land, right, yes because it's the land
Speaker 2: that allows the playing, conditions first of all to be.
Speaker 2: Great it's the nature of the soil and the seaside
Speaker 2: terrain that a lot of these courses are. On but
Speaker 2: also you, know you're next to the ocean and you've
Speaker 2: got this, great undulating often surface to play, on and
Speaker 2: in a lot of, ways that's more important than. Architecture.
Speaker 2: Right that overwhelms the importance of architecture to the degree
Speaker 2: that maybe design doesn't.
Speaker 1: Matter as much.
Speaker 2: Anymore is that kind of what you're.
Speaker 3: Saying, Yeah, Yeah and it's like little things like you,
Speaker 3: know you Play North barrick and we are going to
Speaker 3: talk About North barrick, here but like you tee off
Speaker 3: on the second hole and you look at the fair
Speaker 3: away and it's just like, wow you, know it's running like,
Speaker 3: crazy and there's all these little like boumps in and
Speaker 3: mounds and and you know they're just effectively grass over
Speaker 3: sand that's been blown, around and it's, like you know
Speaker 3: that combined with like it's just that's the stuff that's you,
Speaker 3: know irrepupacable and in.
Speaker 1: You know THAT i just butchered that. Word but in.
Speaker 3: For and, uh Like, kansas in the middle Of, kansas
Speaker 3: you can't have. That like Obviously Prairie dunes has some of,
Speaker 3: that but like you, know for most metro, Areas atlanta
Speaker 3: just doesn't have that, right and they don't have the
Speaker 3: the the weather with like the.
Speaker 1: Cool pretty much.
Speaker 3: Cool it was pretty warm some of the days we were,
Speaker 3: there but the cool weather in the sand to have
Speaker 3: the playing conditions that they. Have SO i think like
Speaker 3: the first thing About scotland and just in general is
Speaker 3: like it's just a it's a marvelous place.
Speaker 1: To maintain a golf.
Speaker 3: Course and you, know and especially if you're playing the
Speaker 3: seaside links, courses you, know you have everything you want
Speaker 3: for a low, input phenomenal playing.
Speaker 2: Surface, yeah you, know and a lot of these courses
Speaker 2: that you played are in a way pre golf. Architecture,
Speaker 2: yes you, know golf architecture wasn't really architecture until somebody
Speaker 2: had to come in and make changes in order to
Speaker 2: adapt a particular piece of land to. Golf at a
Speaker 2: lot of courses In, scotland there wasn't much adaptation necessary
Speaker 2: therefore there wasn't much architecture. Necessary there was design that
Speaker 2: went into placing the tea's and the greens and you,
Speaker 2: know laying out the, course but they weren't moving much
Speaker 2: earth or having to do things to the soil in
Speaker 2: order to make it play in an ideal way because
Speaker 2: the land was already. Ideal and, so you, know looking
Speaker 2: for golf architecture at a place LIKE, eee you, Know
Speaker 2: i'm not sure that's the. Point you, know it's a
Speaker 2: designed golf, course but it's not an architected golf. COURSE i,
Speaker 2: know that's not a.
Speaker 1: WORD i don't.
Speaker 3: KNOW i Think eli's, got you, know a pretty sophisticated,
Speaker 3: routing you, know if we want to and that's.
Speaker 2: Design that's What i'm referring to as. Design architecture when
Speaker 2: i'm you, know this is What mackenzie makes this. Distinction
Speaker 2: i'm not sure it's like a legitimate. Distinction somebody could
Speaker 2: argue me out of, this but an architect comes into
Speaker 2: play when you're moving stuff, around when you're having to
Speaker 2: do complex things in order to adapt a site to.
Speaker 3: Golf that makes. Sense, YEAH i think that's the. Thing
Speaker 3: is so much of it's just found, right it's the golf.
Speaker 1: There it's.
Speaker 3: FUNNY i went to the beach with the day AFTER
Speaker 3: i got back with my family and it, was you,
Speaker 3: know Northern california beach and it's just like sitting in
Speaker 3: these sand dunes AND i just was looking at, it you,
Speaker 3: know AND i was, like, well this would be a golf.
Speaker 1: Course, scotland you, know, yeah.
Speaker 3: Exactly and it's a it's a beach in Northern. California
Speaker 3: so the, weather you, know it's pretty much like sixty
Speaker 3: degrees there all year. Round you could probably have you,
Speaker 3: know it's like where this is protected. Land this is
Speaker 3: A national park beach That i'm, at you, know In,
Speaker 3: scotland this might be a golf course and be one
Speaker 3: of the best golf courses in the, world you, know
Speaker 3: it's just the nature you look, at like the way the.
Speaker 3: Same it's just, like, oh this would be, perfect you, know,
Speaker 3: cool cool, weather constant wind and uh and sand.
Speaker 2: Dunes well that's sort of our, INTRODUCTION i, suppose why
Speaker 2: don't we get To. Merefield this is the home of
Speaker 2: The Honorable company Of Edinburgh, golfers which Predates merefield by
Speaker 2: quite a, bit. Right it's one of the sort of
Speaker 2: original golf, clubs but they moved to from one site
Speaker 2: to another in their early.
Speaker 3: DECADES i think this is a little bit confusing For
Speaker 3: americans because we don't really Have but you, know the
Speaker 3: best way to describe it is the. Club you, know
Speaker 3: if you talking about the group of, people it's The
Speaker 3: Honorable company Of Edinburgh. Golfers if you're talking about the,
Speaker 3: place the golf, course It's, meerfield.
Speaker 2: Right the club is not necessarily the same as the, place,
Speaker 2: yes whereas In, AMERICA i mean it's almost always the
Speaker 2: case that the club is the. Place.
Speaker 3: Yeah so in the in the one of the reasons
Speaker 3: is that this, place this this club has a lot
Speaker 3: of history before it settled On, meerfield as it's is
Speaker 3: long term home and it it shared spaces before it
Speaker 3: got To, merefield so it wasn't like they had other
Speaker 3: courses that were exclusively the exclusively theirs before they got.
Speaker 3: There but obviously extremely historic, place a historic club and.
Speaker 3: Place uh it was the you, know the first place
Speaker 3: they wrote the first rules of. Golf you, know that's
Speaker 3: how they had the first golf competitions with The Silver,
Speaker 3: club you know trophy that you, know they had like
Speaker 3: the first trophy in. Golf they were fundamental in getting
Speaker 3: The Cleric jug. Made they have A cleric. Jug they're
Speaker 3: one OF i think five or, six you, Know they've
Speaker 3: multiple people told me. This i'm, SORRY i can't remember
Speaker 3: five or six places that have their own Clert.
Speaker 1: Jug you.
Speaker 3: Know so this is a this is a fundamental golf
Speaker 3: course and club In scotland and obviously it'll be the
Speaker 3: host this week of THE Aig Women's. Open historically has
Speaker 3: been a club that did not have women members. It you,
Speaker 3: KNOW i think you, know they had they had been
Speaker 3: removed from The OPEN rota after twenty, thirteen AND i
Speaker 3: think part of the mandate was to adapt with the
Speaker 3: times into the club's. Credit they have done that and
Speaker 3: they're hosting this week AND i think that you, KNOW
Speaker 3: i think one of the things you'll see them kind
Speaker 3: of back into the open rota AND i think they're
Speaker 3: going to host a lot more women's open going, forward
Speaker 3: and that's wonderful because you, know you could make an
Speaker 3: argument that this is the most well put Together scottish
Speaker 3: links course that there.
Speaker 2: Is, yeah we were talking earlier about how a lot
Speaker 2: of courses In scotland are kind of like made before
Speaker 2: the period when golf architecture had advanced to a, POLISHED
Speaker 2: i suppose. Level i'm not saying that's, better but that's
Speaker 2: just what it. Was but before golf architecture truly became ultra.
Speaker 2: Professionalized merefield is not an example of.
Speaker 3: That.
Speaker 2: Right this is a well built golf, course or a
Speaker 2: golf course built in the modern way as that was
Speaker 2: understood in the. Twenties and that's because it was completely
Speaker 2: redesigned By Harry colt in the early.
Speaker 1: Twenties.
Speaker 2: Right the original course At meerfield was routed designed by
Speaker 2: Old Tom.
Speaker 1: Morris it was on a, small small plot of, land.
Speaker 2: A small piece of, land, yeah kind of pretty short
Speaker 2: holts really for the most, part and traveled in more
Speaker 2: or less a counterclockwise route around the. Property it started
Speaker 2: Hosting open championships, early but the First open championship that it,
Speaker 2: held it actually got kind of shelled by the standards
Speaker 2: of the period that there were some low scores at
Speaker 2: THE i think it was the eighteen ninety Two, open
Speaker 2: and so it was not a super well regarded course
Speaker 2: after it. OPENED i think that the general consensus on
Speaker 2: it is that it, was you, know somewhat unappealing and
Speaker 2: not all that. Challenging, well, okay maybe its reputation kind
Speaker 2: of changes as it evolves over the next couple of.
Speaker 2: DECADES i don't know that much about, That but WHAT
Speaker 2: i do know, is of, Course Harry colt came in
Speaker 2: in the early twenties and redesigned it completely made it
Speaker 2: into more or less the golf course it is.
Speaker 3: Today the club OBTAINED i think it was fifty additional
Speaker 3: acres of, land and when they did, that that's when they.
Speaker 3: Redesigned they Brought colt in to completely redesign the golf
Speaker 3: course and at that point that's Where deerfield then. Ascended
Speaker 3: and if you know anything About Harry, Colt Harry colt
Speaker 3: is really the you, know we don't talk about him
Speaker 3: a lot In, america and that's because he didn't design
Speaker 3: a lot In.
Speaker 1: America what he did was he.
Speaker 3: Hired people Like Charles, Allison alistair mackenzie worked For Harry
Speaker 3: colt for a. While but those guys did the. Traveling
Speaker 3: Harry colt he didn't like to leave THE, uk you.
Speaker 3: Know so if you go to THE, uk there's lots
Speaker 3: Of Harry colt golf courses and And Harry colt has
Speaker 3: designed and been a part, of you know of places
Speaker 3: like figuring out and putting together the final product Of
Speaker 3: Pine valley And Royal county down you, know like he
Speaker 3: he has he is, yeah and Obviously, mirfield so he,
Speaker 3: has he has A his roster of golf.
Speaker 1: Courses is just.
Speaker 3: Extraordinary and he's not well known In america because he
Speaker 3: didn't design a lot of courses In. America but this,
Speaker 3: guy if you go over to THE, uk he, is you,
Speaker 3: know the bee's, knees he's you, know you, know the the.
Speaker 3: Guy so and one of the things that was he
Speaker 3: was fundamental in in golf course architecture history was he
Speaker 3: was the first one that really made golf architecture of. Profession,
Speaker 3: so you, know In, america guys like McDonald at the,
Speaker 3: Time tilling hast are building, courses but they are extraordinarily
Speaker 3: wealthy individuals who are kind of just doing it for.
Speaker 3: Fun they're doing it building courses for their, friends their rich.
Speaker 3: Friends Harry colet was the first one that kind of
Speaker 3: formalized the, profession started charging. Fees built a firm out
Speaker 3: to a business around, this so that, is you, know
Speaker 3: kind of like an he was a professional golf. Architect
Speaker 3: mierfield brings him in and they built like it's a
Speaker 3: really well thought of golf. Course it's you, know one
Speaker 3: of the things immediately and obviously the land there is
Speaker 3: different than a lot of links. Land but one of
Speaker 3: the things That mierfield doesn't. Have it's got a routing
Speaker 3: that moves a lot of different, directions as opposed to
Speaker 3: like you, know the old course you saw at the
Speaker 3: open it plays out and, back you, know with the
Speaker 3: loop is a place where it kind.
Speaker 1: Of jogs around a different.
Speaker 3: Direction But merefield it plays counterclockwise around the edge of
Speaker 3: the property and then it plays the opposite direction back
Speaker 3: around the inside of the property clockwise around the inside
Speaker 3: of the.
Speaker 1: Property so like it might be reversed from, THAT.
Speaker 3: I think it's. Clockwise it is. Clockwise the you know
Speaker 3: something that threw me for a. Loop The scott say
Speaker 3: anti closs top.
Speaker 2: Clockwise, yes, yeah that's a that's that throws me off as.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, No but suffice it to, say the h
Speaker 2: one nine goes one direction around the perimeter and the
Speaker 2: next nine goes the other direction around the. Interior and
Speaker 2: this is sometimes referred to as the merefield. Routing right
Speaker 2: when other golf courses emulate this basic routing, arrangement people
Speaker 2: often look at that and, say, oh that's a merefield.
Speaker 2: Routing so it's really identified with this golf.
Speaker 3: Course the one hole on the golf course that stands
Speaker 3: from that old tom routing is the second. Hole so
Speaker 3: it's a really neat hole. Too it's got great, strategy you,
Speaker 3: know it's got the wall that sits on the on the,
Speaker 3: green it's got the boundary line up the, left it's
Speaker 3: got bunkers on the.
Speaker 1: Right it's a it's a really neat little.
Speaker 3: Hole the first hole's job really is to just get you,
Speaker 3: out and the second is where you start to encounter
Speaker 3: some really interesting. Land like the first hole is super,
Speaker 3: flat you, know it's hard because it's you, know pretty
Speaker 3: narrow and, long and it plays into a prevailing, wind
Speaker 3: but then that second hole really introduces you to the
Speaker 3: ground and the types of things that you'll see throughout
Speaker 3: the rest of the golf. Course but so they this
Speaker 3: routing that they, Constructed like the thing that it does
Speaker 3: is it's constantly moving different, directions so the wind is
Speaker 3: never you, know you're not playing the same wind hole
Speaker 3: after hole after, hole and then you switch and you
Speaker 3: play the same relatively same wind hole after hole after. Hole,
Speaker 3: Right so that's one of the big things that it does.
Speaker 3: DIFFERENTLY i think the other thing THAT i noticed a
Speaker 3: lot with With mirfield is it has a little bit
Speaker 3: more eccentric. Greens you, know it's got some more you,
Speaker 3: know you get out. There the fifth hole is an.
Speaker 3: Example it's got like kind of a two tiered. Green
Speaker 3: the you, know you go on that stretch of golf
Speaker 3: from really like five through through, eighteen and there are
Speaker 3: some really neat greens in that, stretch like the eleventh
Speaker 3: THE i, mean the fifteenth has a great, green the
Speaker 3: seventeenth is a really deep punch bowl kind of. Green
Speaker 3: but they have some a little bit more like you
Speaker 3: can tell professional, greens, right they aren't just kind of
Speaker 3: like how the land sits or a built up plateau
Speaker 3: like are. There they have different pockets that impact strategy
Speaker 3: as you go back and relate back to the. Hazards
Speaker 3: they aren't just, like, oh let's dig a bunker.
Speaker 1: Here the bunkers are the other. Thing Like colt was really.
Speaker 3: Known for his cross, bunkers and At mirfield you see these.
Speaker 3: Bunkers they have them that sit across. Fairways you, wonder,
Speaker 3: oh like if you looked at it On Google, Earth you're,
Speaker 3: like how does that? Relate but they have profound impact
Speaker 3: because of the turf and the speed of the. TURF
Speaker 3: a great example is the eighth hole. There it's a par,
Speaker 3: four it's a big. One it's on the corner of the.
Speaker 3: Property like you, know it's kind of the end of
Speaker 3: your loop around the. Property and you, know you have
Speaker 3: these cross bunkers that sit probably about thirty yards twenty
Speaker 3: five yards thirty yards in front of the green and
Speaker 3: they're built. Up they obscure your view of the green
Speaker 3: a little. Bit you can still see the. Green one
Speaker 3: of the big things At. Mirfields there's only one true
Speaker 3: BLIND sot, shot but there are a lot of like
Speaker 3: semi obscured blind, shots like where they're partially, blind and
Speaker 3: this is one of, them and you're hitting and like you,
Speaker 3: know In, america these these bunkers would have note you
Speaker 3: just hit it to the, green but everything pitches. Down you,
Speaker 3: know everything's running away with the. Property and, really you,
Speaker 3: know you need to land the ball just barely over
Speaker 3: those bunkers and then it runs into the green and
Speaker 3: if you, land if you fly it to the, green
Speaker 3: you're probably going to end up over the green and
Speaker 3: there's a bunker back.
Speaker 1: There you, know you can get yourself in some.
Speaker 3: Trouble but you, know for the most, part going past the,
Speaker 3: green as long as you miss that bunker is a
Speaker 3: pretty simple pitch. Backup AND i don't think a lot
Speaker 3: of people will hit them into. Them but when you
Speaker 3: give them the wide, berth what ends up happening is
Speaker 3: you end up over the green and you you cost
Speaker 3: yourself a chance at making a.
Speaker 1: Three you.
Speaker 3: Know, likewise like you, know the tenth hole has got
Speaker 3: a great it's a it's a big part. Four it's
Speaker 3: a good example of like you wouldn't think these cross
Speaker 3: bunkers that are like fifty five or sixty yards from
Speaker 3: the green have any relevance to the whole until you
Speaker 3: miss the fair.
Speaker 1: Away and if you miss the, fairway then.
Speaker 3: All of a sudden where you want to get your ball,
Speaker 3: to which is like you want to try and like
Speaker 3: you're hitting out of the like thick. Ruff you want
Speaker 3: to just try and run something up by the. Green
Speaker 3: all of a sudden you're, like, WELL i. CAN'T i
Speaker 3: got to lay up back of these cross, bunkers and
Speaker 3: like then all of a, Sudden i've got a full
Speaker 3: shot In and this got like way more, complex like
Speaker 3: making a par became a very. Difficult like you, know
Speaker 3: you think about pro golf like hid it in the,
Speaker 3: Rough like you see these guys they just hack it
Speaker 3: up there by the green and then their short games
Speaker 3: are so good they get up and. Down these bunkers
Speaker 3: prohibit your ability to get up. There uh and and
Speaker 3: so you start to see these crossing hazards and how
Speaker 3: they impact play and how they emphasize different aspects of.
Speaker 3: It you, know they have other Cross we just talked
Speaker 3: about two bunker bunker complexes that cut all the way
Speaker 3: across the. Fairway you, know they also have them to
Speaker 3: cut in on, diagonals and the qualth hole is like
Speaker 3: a great example of that is a shortish part for
Speaker 3: it plays into a prevailing. Wind but you know the
Speaker 3: way the green relates to, everything you want to push
Speaker 3: it up towards that left side to keep you, know
Speaker 3: to make your approach into the green a better angle
Speaker 3: and to use the slope of the green to your.
Speaker 3: Advantage but like you need to get kind of close to.
Speaker 3: Those and the thing about these bunkers why they're so.
Speaker 3: Intimidating they're, tiny, right and being tiny little pot, bunkers
Speaker 3: you get really bad lies in. Them you can get
Speaker 3: into some spots like really like the worst, thing the
Speaker 3: worst feeling is when you see your ball just like
Speaker 3: trickling towards the bunker and you see it just like
Speaker 3: slowly drop in because you know you're on an.
Speaker 1: Edge right and they aren't going.
Speaker 3: Anywhere but the other aspect about these, bunkers and you
Speaker 3: saw it a lot at The open At St andrews
Speaker 3: at The Old, course they play really. Big you, know
Speaker 3: the contouring around them swallows up balls with the speed
Speaker 3: of the. Turf so these bunkers play lot bigger and
Speaker 3: they exact huge. Penalty like a lot of times you're
Speaker 3: just like you're chipping, out you're hitting an explosion shot
Speaker 3: like you would hit around the green out to just
Speaker 3: chip it, out you. KNOW i think that's the big
Speaker 3: thing With mierfield is, like you, know the bunkers and
Speaker 3: the rough exact a huge penalty out, there and it's
Speaker 3: it's really a golf course that you have to drive
Speaker 3: the ball.
Speaker 1: Extraordinarily, well so what you've described is kind of a
Speaker 1: well designed. Course yes that there is some architecture that
Speaker 1: has gone into this course From Harry colt and that
Speaker 1: sort of makes it stand out in a way from
Speaker 1: a lot of the very much older courses In. Scotland
Speaker 1: not saying it's better or, worse it's just a. Thing it's.
Speaker 2: Different, yeah it's, different all. Right so With, Mierfield i've
Speaker 2: always sort of been puzzled about this course because there's
Speaker 2: a big gap BETWEEN i think how Meer field appears
Speaker 2: to a distant, viewer how you might react to pictures of,
Speaker 2: it and how you might react to it being on
Speaker 2: television like it was at the twenty Thirteen, open and
Speaker 2: how players who have been to the course talk about.
Speaker 2: It many players say this is one of the very
Speaker 2: best courses in the. World this place is. Incredible but
Speaker 2: WHEN i look at pictures of the course that doesn't
Speaker 2: immediately jump out to me the way it does at
Speaker 2: Say Royal County down Or Royal Port, rush where, clearly
Speaker 2: oh my, god what an incredible spectacular. Course meerfield is
Speaker 2: the land is more. Subtle it's not right next to the.
Speaker 2: OCEAN i know these are sort of shallow impressions of
Speaker 2: somebody who hasn't been. There But i'm just wondering whether
Speaker 2: in your visit there you saw what really pushes it
Speaker 2: over the. TOP i mean a lot of courses are strategically,
Speaker 2: Sound so what Makes meerfield so, special you, know to
Speaker 2: make people react to it the way they?
Speaker 1: DO i think that.
Speaker 3: Obviously golf architecture today driven by, photos you, know like
Speaker 3: people looking at, photos is so much of it centers
Speaker 3: around dramatic features that photograph, well like when you have dramatic,
Speaker 3: features you get the big shadows as in you, know you,
Speaker 3: know they pop and people, say, WOW i can't wait
Speaker 3: to play that. Place and somebody that has capitalized on dramatic,
Speaker 3: features you, know is the like The, kaisers like the
Speaker 3: sand valley banded. Dunes they are filled with these dramatic
Speaker 3: dunescapes like and, meanwhile there are. Courses if you go
Speaker 3: down the list of of courses like the best course
Speaker 3: in the, world a lot of the stuff is a
Speaker 3: little bit more. SUBTLE a lot of the best features
Speaker 3: for golf are, Smaller, Right it's the the little, undulations
Speaker 3: the little rolls that are really. Great, like you, know
Speaker 3: when you have these big, features big dramatic dunes and big,
Speaker 3: hills like balls end up in the same. Spots when
Speaker 3: you have the little, features the ball can kind of
Speaker 3: roll and pinball around and end up in different places
Speaker 3: more so than when you have Like i'm either on
Speaker 3: top of the hill Or i'm down on below the.
Speaker 3: Hill you, know you get much more random. Bounces AND
Speaker 3: i think that's the thing With, mierfield is that from
Speaker 3: the eye from drone photos, especially a lot of stuff gets.
Speaker 3: Flattened it's just these little, movements these little changes the
Speaker 3: way the course just kind of moves slightly different. Directions
Speaker 3: like your brain is always, thinking like you're highly engaged
Speaker 3: on every shot out. There AND i think that's the
Speaker 3: thing about, it, right is that there aren't any spots
Speaker 3: where you could take. Off sometimes when you have big, movement,
Speaker 3: right you're, thinking IF i just get it over that,
Speaker 3: hill it's going to shoot down and it'll end up.
Speaker 3: Here right At, Mirfield you're constantly worried about where the
Speaker 3: ball is going to end up because it's a little
Speaker 3: bit more you, know you have to really plot your
Speaker 3: way around, there and it's not you don't feel like
Speaker 3: you can take any shots really.
Speaker 2: Off do you think that's what's going to make it
Speaker 2: a compelling place for The Women's open this?
Speaker 1: Week?
Speaker 3: Yeah, ABSOLUTELY i think you, know the way the ball
Speaker 3: reacts on the ground, there you have to have such
Speaker 3: control of your golf, ball and where we're talking about
Speaker 3: the most accurate players in the. World professional women golfers
Speaker 3: are extraordinary at driving the golf, ball and this is
Speaker 3: a golf course that demands precision off the, tee demands
Speaker 3: you to be in the right places and then from,
Speaker 3: there you, know the approach shots are much more manageable
Speaker 3: when you're in the fairway and you have control of
Speaker 3: your golf. Ball that being, said you, know with the
Speaker 3: greens being a little bit more well thought, out you
Speaker 3: have spots where you have to be in certain places to.
Speaker 3: Attack SO i, think like everything with the women and
Speaker 3: and the way the, turf the turf conditions and the
Speaker 3: design you know their their shots are really gonna come
Speaker 3: alive out there in the in the people that are
Speaker 3: playing the right.
Speaker 1: Shape you.
Speaker 3: Know that's the THING i think With links golf, too
Speaker 3: when you combine wind and the speed of the, turf
Speaker 3: it really matters to hit the ball the shape and
Speaker 3: the trajectory you. Want you, know if you're gonna try
Speaker 3: and hit a, Cut if you're trying to hit a
Speaker 3: cut seven iron into a green and you catch it
Speaker 3: a little on the toe and it draws and it
Speaker 3: carries two yards further and has the hook spin you
Speaker 3: end up over the, green then that's the really cool
Speaker 3: thing About links. Golf and and when the when the
Speaker 3: turf conditions come alive with championship golf is that it
Speaker 3: Doesn't it's not just about hitting good. Shots it's about
Speaker 3: hitting great shots and hitting the right. Shot and that's
Speaker 3: what's gonna be so fun to watch with the women
Speaker 3: because you're gonna, see, hey who's driving the ball?
Speaker 1: Great and AND i think, it you, Know, Mike.
Speaker 3: My qualm With mierfield would be that the rough is
Speaker 3: is a little too. Thick they have a lot of
Speaker 3: pride in they're thick, rough WHICH i think is is
Speaker 3: kind of.
Speaker 1: Silly it removes some of the.
Speaker 3: Heroics of recovery that you that is so great about.
Speaker 3: Golf but with the, WOMEN i think the fairways are
Speaker 3: actually a very appropriate test and like you, know with
Speaker 3: a with a little bit tighter, dispersion it's a it's
Speaker 3: a wonderful place where like you, know it's not just
Speaker 3: gonna be a driving test because like these the best
Speaker 3: women in the world can go out there and they
Speaker 3: could hit every fair, away AND i think that's always
Speaker 3: a good. Thing like if you drive the ball, well
Speaker 3: you're you're going to pass the test with flying. Colors
Speaker 3: but then from there it you have to pass the approach.
Speaker 3: Test you have to pass you, know you have to
Speaker 3: be really good around the greens and you have to
Speaker 3: put well, right that to me when something's not a,
Speaker 3: Prerequisite and driving accuracy for the women won't be a
Speaker 3: prerequisite because they're such good driver of the golf, ball,
Speaker 3: right you have to drive the ball, well you, know
Speaker 3: and if you drive the ball, extraordinary you will you
Speaker 3: can hit every.
Speaker 2: Fairway it'll also be a prerequisite not to have any
Speaker 2: super wild, drives which applies a little bit of, pressure,
Speaker 2: right you can't make a big mistake or you're going
Speaker 2: to really pay the price with that rough out. There but,
Speaker 2: YEAH i mean so your objection to the rough would
Speaker 2: mostly be for everyday amateur, Play.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly LIKE i you, know one of the, Players
Speaker 3: i'll keep them. Nameless like in our, group it was
Speaker 3: right off the, plane didn't have a good driving, day
Speaker 3: and you, know all day we were just looking for
Speaker 3: golf balls and that's not really. Fun and you, know
Speaker 3: like you we went and played eight other. Places this
Speaker 3: wasn't an issue anywhere, else and including the old course
Speaker 3: that had Just hope hosted The Open. Championship you, know, so,
Speaker 3: like to, me looking for off balls is perhaps the
Speaker 3: worst aspect of. GOLF i, like don't ask for help
Speaker 3: looking for, myball BECAUSE i don't want to help people
Speaker 3: look for their.
Speaker 1: Ball you, know it's a it's an awful aspect of.
Speaker 1: Golf and what.
Speaker 3: Happens and this is a little bit of the case
Speaker 3: With Prairie dunes, too and some other course In. America
Speaker 3: but like what happens is like you've got this great
Speaker 3: design and in a way it's ruined because it's like
Speaker 3: both both sides of the fairway or, ponds you, know
Speaker 3: and it's like an inevitable lost ball or out of
Speaker 3: bound stakes even worse if you're playing really, rigorously rigorously
Speaker 3: by the, rules like it's like out of, bounds you
Speaker 3: can't find your ball and you're you, know you hit
Speaker 3: it there and you're going back to the, tee and
Speaker 3: and that THAT'S i, think my, big my big, Uh
Speaker 3: LIKE i would Hold mirfield at a in a higher
Speaker 3: regard if they had more manageable. Rough and and from
Speaker 3: What i've gathered this, year the rough is about is
Speaker 3: managible as it's got ever ever.
Speaker 1: Been.
Speaker 2: Yeah that the famous list Of Alistair mackenzie's principles of golf,
Speaker 2: architecture the eighth one is there should be a complete
Speaker 2: absence of the annoyance and irritation caused by the necessity
Speaker 2: of searching for lost. Balls and you, know you don't
Speaker 2: have to agree with all Of Alastair mackenzie's, principles BUT
Speaker 2: i think that's a pretty solid. One we all know
Speaker 2: that feeling of searching for a ball that's just off
Speaker 2: the fairway but you can't find it all of a.
Speaker 2: Sudden that is a kind of unnecessary unpleasantness in. Golf
Speaker 2: and it has to be, said a lot of. Links
Speaker 2: courses in THE uk And ireland right now have been
Speaker 2: growing rough. Recently it is something that you hear from
Speaker 2: people who live there and play a lot of. Golf
Speaker 2: there's more and more, big, juicy sort Of american style
Speaker 2: rough and we could really do without.
Speaker 3: THAT i think from PHOTOS i, SEE i Think ireland
Speaker 3: has the plague of thick rough the. Most it seems
Speaker 3: like look at the rough there AND i look at.
Speaker 3: It it's like one yard off a thirty yard wide
Speaker 3: fair away And i'm, like oh my, god like you
Speaker 3: possibly find your ball in.
Speaker 1: There you, know these are just.
Speaker 3: PHOTOS i haven't met over, there so you, know but,
Speaker 3: like just from PHOTOS i, see.
Speaker 1: It just looks looks. AWFUL i.
Speaker 3: Think one THING i do want to talk about is
Speaker 3: like we've talked a lot About Harry, cole But Tom,
Speaker 3: simpson another great architect That americans don't really know, about
Speaker 3: made huge contributions At. Meerfield he took out a bunch
Speaker 3: of bunkers when he came in the NINETEEN i think
Speaker 3: nineteen thirty, three he renovated the course a little.
Speaker 1: Bit he came to assess. It he took out a
Speaker 1: bunch of.
Speaker 3: Bunkers he added a bunker on the ninth, hole which
Speaker 3: you'll hear about The simpson bunker in the. Approach it's
Speaker 3: kind of like right where you want to hit. It
Speaker 3: it's a brilliant. Bunker and then he moved the thirteenth.
Speaker 3: Hole so one of mere fels iconic par. Threes it's
Speaker 3: it's it's a, gorgeous gorgeous green. SITE i mean it's a.
Speaker 3: Green it's just a Quintessential lynks. Green it just sits
Speaker 3: in par three, green it sits in a. Dune it's
Speaker 3: got bunkers and it's just you, know it's a jaw
Speaker 3: droppingly beautiful par. Three the thirteenth that is his. Whole
Speaker 3: he designed that. Completely and, uh just another one of
Speaker 3: the one of the things in the clubhouses is they
Speaker 3: have Some Tom simpson's, sketches which he was.
Speaker 1: Like the the Great Golden age golf artist of all of.
Speaker 2: Them his sketches are beautiful and he's also a Great
Speaker 2: he was also a great thinker about golf course. Architecture
Speaker 2: the Book The Architectural side Of golf is a must.
Speaker 1: Read yeah you have my? Copy been? One DO i
Speaker 1: have your?
Speaker 2: Copy? Yeah YOU'RE i THOUGHT i bought my.
Speaker 1: Copy you're a book. Book you know you Give garrett.
Speaker 2: You have my copy Links land By Michael. BAMBERGER i
Speaker 2: Do you. Didn't you didn't give that back to.
Speaker 1: Me we traded. THAT i bought your. Spy no you.
Speaker 1: Didn't that's that was the TRADE i.
Speaker 3: GOT i got Links, Land you got the architectural side of.
Speaker 1: GOLF i remember.
Speaker 2: Distinctly all, right, well we need to trade back at some,
Speaker 2: point but in any, case it's A it's an amazing,
Speaker 2: book And Tom simpson is one of the truly great
Speaker 2: thinkers about golf course. Architecture he says things that are
Speaker 2: a little bit different from from everybody else and highly
Speaker 2: worth listening to and going back to because he's not
Speaker 2: as commonly read as You're mackenzie's and other authors of that.
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Speaker 2: we should move on to the other courses we are
Speaker 2: going To scots, today which Are gullan And. Ely we
Speaker 2: will touch on these courses slightly more briefly than we
Speaker 2: did On. Meerfield you, Know, Merefield you're going to see
Speaker 2: that on YOUR tv this, week so we thought we'd
Speaker 2: go a little more in depth. There but, uh let's
Speaker 2: talk About. Gullan what is the land like At, gollan
Speaker 2: because from WHAT i, hear it's a little bit different
Speaker 2: from a lot of links land that you see out.
Speaker 3: There, absolutely so you can't talk About Gullan Golf club
Speaker 3: without talking about the town Of gullin.
Speaker 1: Right it's this you, know you.
Speaker 3: Drive it was a neat experience coming To scotland the
Speaker 3: first time and going straight to the town Of gullin.
Speaker 1: Right you, uh you.
Speaker 3: Get off the, plane you get in the car and you're,
Speaker 3: driving you, know on a highway and then you get
Speaker 3: off and you get you're driving to the town Of
Speaker 3: gullen and you pass like Kill spindy right on the.
Speaker 3: Sea then you go To Luffness new which is In.
Speaker 3: Gullan it's kind of at the foothills Of Gallon, hill
Speaker 3: which we'll talk about in a. Second you See Leftness
Speaker 3: new and you see the golfers Playing Leftness new and
Speaker 3: then you get To Goland Golf club which is situated
Speaker 3: at right A Golan, hill which is on i think
Speaker 3: the south side of the, town and you just see
Speaker 3: all these golf holes all over the. PLACE i, mean
Speaker 3: there's three courses At, golan so there's golf, everywhere and
Speaker 3: you Have Leftness new right next. Door there's just golf
Speaker 3: everywhere you can, see and it's golf over this. Hill
Speaker 3: so you have this big hill that the golf course
Speaker 3: sits on and there's constantly golfers going up and playing down.
Speaker 3: It so it's just to get your entrance Into golan
Speaker 3: is this great hill where the golf club sits and
Speaker 3: there's just always golfers on, it and it's just like,
Speaker 3: wow this is golf right like, this this is where
Speaker 3: you're you, know this is a town is centered around.
Speaker 3: Golf so the town sits just north of the hill
Speaker 3: and the golf club and like really the club is
Speaker 3: an extension of the. Town so there's three golf courses.
Speaker 3: There There's golan, one which people will know of because
Speaker 3: The Women's scottish and The Men's Scottish open that have
Speaker 3: been played there. Recently Ricky foller one there And Brandon
Speaker 3: stone And Aria Jutanna. Gard So golan one is the
Speaker 3: most well known golf course At. Golan but that being,
Speaker 3: said we Played gold two first at the day After,
Speaker 3: mierfield and that golf course you hear nothing. About AND
Speaker 3: i try WHEN i, TRAVEL i don't like to read
Speaker 3: anything about any golf, courses SO i kind of have
Speaker 3: my own, thoughts you, know and don't know anything going
Speaker 3: In golan. TOO i walked, Away i'm, like how's nobody
Speaker 3: ever told me about Gold, Too like this is extraordinary golf.
Speaker 1: Course AND i, think you, know both of.
Speaker 3: Them you tee off on one side of the hill
Speaker 3: and the majority of the golf is on the other
Speaker 3: side of the. Hill so early in both, rounds one
Speaker 3: of the dowt sides of both these courses is you
Speaker 3: are scaling a giant, hill so you have you, know
Speaker 3: AND i think Gold and one gets over the hill
Speaker 3: a lot cleaner Than golan. Two So golin won the second,
Speaker 3: hole which is typically the first.
Speaker 1: Hole so one of the things With golan the one the.
Speaker 3: Championship course At golan uses a couple holes From golan.
Speaker 3: Two they use the seventh and the eighth, holes which
Speaker 3: are they're they're fine holes, there BUT i don't think
Speaker 3: they are in any ways the best holes At golan.
Speaker 3: Two but the uh But gulland, one you, know the
Speaker 3: the the way it gets AND i think it might
Speaker 3: be a little, bit you, know one of the benefits
Speaker 3: that it went over the hill a little bit a
Speaker 3: little less severe of a spot in the. Hill so you,
Speaker 3: know it's a great uphill part four that's got this
Speaker 3: skinny green that's benched into the.
Speaker 1: Hill that's the way it gets over the.
Speaker 3: Hill and then you play and you go up it,
Speaker 3: again and you, know we can talk About gold one
Speaker 3: a little bit, more But gold. Two you, know you
Speaker 3: start off on one side of the road that runs through.
Speaker 3: Town you cross the, road there's a great par four
Speaker 3: that kind of like one of those classic short par
Speaker 3: four is over a ridge that bends along the side
Speaker 3: of a, ridge and then the third hole is a
Speaker 3: short par four that literally plays like straight up the.
Speaker 3: Hill and it's a very rudimentary way to get over the,
Speaker 3: Hill like there was not much thought And Willie park
Speaker 3: designed this golf. Course, yeah you just play straight up
Speaker 3: the hill and it's not it's not a clever way
Speaker 3: to get over the hill the whole you, know you're
Speaker 3: climbing up. It, allegedly they keep they have a defibrillator
Speaker 3: now because they've had they call it heart attack. Hill
Speaker 3: they've had like numerous issues with you, know with people
Speaker 3: having heart issues as they go over this. Hill like
Speaker 3: it is a intense climb and it's you, know it's
Speaker 3: a two. Hundred you, know you hit driver and you're
Speaker 3: just right up by the. Green effectively it's a it's
Speaker 3: a par three and a. Half but then your reward
Speaker 3: is maybe the best hole on property is the fourth
Speaker 3: hole immediately after, that and you just Are you're opened
Speaker 3: up to this expansive view of The firth Of forth
Speaker 3: and you're just playing down and it's just a great
Speaker 3: long part four that's got you know where you want
Speaker 3: to hit.
Speaker 1: It there's.
Speaker 3: Bunkers it's just so, that, REALLY i, think is Where
Speaker 3: golan two shines. Is once you get over that hill
Speaker 3: is extraordinary. Golf and one of the neat things after
Speaker 3: Playing mierfield is the second. Round you, know you go
Speaker 3: out to play and you don't come back, Right mierfield comes.
Speaker 1: Back it's got returning. Nines gollan.
Speaker 3: Two you go out and it and it starts this
Speaker 3: journey away from the.
Speaker 1: Town.
Speaker 3: Right you go over this hill and you're you've left, town,
Speaker 3: right you start in. It you've left town and you're
Speaker 3: out and you're on this. Journey and one of the
Speaker 3: neat things About gold too is, that Unlike goal, one
Speaker 3: you really kind.
Speaker 1: Of go on this.
Speaker 3: Exploration you get down really low down near the sea
Speaker 3: and you know there's walking trails like you have the
Speaker 3: right to roam In. Scotland you, know property lines don't
Speaker 3: hold as much weight as they do In. America so
Speaker 3: one of my favorite things about About Gold too is
Speaker 3: you're getting down into this the low dunes, land especially
Speaker 3: into the back. Nine you, know some dramatic shots like you,
Speaker 3: know you get the, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth fourteenth really
Speaker 3: is an amazing stretch of golf in this low dunes.
Speaker 3: Land but you're down there and you're like amongst people
Speaker 3: hiking around and to, me so many, times like The
Speaker 3: Great golf is like in places where you would want
Speaker 3: to go on a, Hike and there was something about you,
Speaker 3: know this is. Second it's the first round That i'm
Speaker 3: not like super jet. Lagged it's LIKE i got some
Speaker 3: sleep and like you're playing this round and you're you're
Speaker 3: on this journey away from town and you know you're
Speaker 3: going to go back to town at some. Point but
Speaker 3: you get down and you're with the people that are
Speaker 3: just hiking in the in the dunes along the sea and.
Speaker 1: In those holes down there are are really.
Speaker 3: Extraordinary you get down low in the seed and you
Speaker 3: know there's a ton of topographical movement when you consider
Speaker 3: the hill you go, over then you kind of cascade
Speaker 3: down into the low sea land and then you come
Speaker 3: back over the hill and back to the. Clubhouse it's
Speaker 3: a it's under one hundred, pounds and you, KNOW i
Speaker 3: think one of the THINGS i took away is, like
Speaker 3: if you consider going To, scotland if you're if you're thinking, like,
Speaker 3: Okay i'm at the age WHERE i want to make
Speaker 3: five six trips To scotland over the course of the
Speaker 3: rest of my. Life the way you should do it
Speaker 3: is you should center around town And East lothian's a
Speaker 3: great place to center. Around gullan would be a wonderful
Speaker 3: place to center a trip. Around and the cost of
Speaker 3: these trips substantially goes down when you do it this,
Speaker 3: way so it makes it you, know find a cheap,
Speaker 3: flight book your, flight center around one area and you
Speaker 3: can keep the cost. Manageable because there's great courses Like
Speaker 3: goal and two that you're never going to read about
Speaker 3: because they aren't in the Open.
Speaker 1: Roda you're never going to like hear about.
Speaker 3: Them but this is a golf course that you, know
Speaker 3: if it was In, america would be one of the
Speaker 3: great public golf courses In, america and.
Speaker 1: It would be The. Greens fee would be. Crazy.
Speaker 3: There it's ninety five. Pounds, right this is a one
Speaker 3: hundred percent golf. Course you should see if you're interested in.
Speaker 3: Architecture it's a wonderful place to, play and it's ninety five.
Speaker 3: Pounds AND i started to think about it's, like all,
Speaker 3: right like this is how you make this trip manageable
Speaker 3: if you want to do multiple. Trips it's like it
Speaker 3: doesn't have to be a Crazy you get your head your.
Speaker 3: Home the other thing is you you limit your driving.
Speaker 3: Time you get to experience the town aspect of these
Speaker 3: places and you can center your your your golf in an.
Speaker 1: Area and this is around for less than a hundred.
Speaker 2: Bucks And i'm not sure we've mentioned, this but there
Speaker 2: are three courses At. Golin you played two of, them
Speaker 2: but there are, three so there's a there's a lot
Speaker 2: of golf to be, had and there are a ton
Speaker 2: of courses clustered in The East lothian. Area and Then
Speaker 2: fife is not not far.
Speaker 3: Away, well it's two, hours it's a two.
Speaker 2: Hours But it's it's, manageable is What i'm. Saying it's
Speaker 2: not like you have to you, know pick up and
Speaker 2: go on a huge track or take another flight to
Speaker 2: get to the area Of Saint andrew's and and.
Speaker 3: Well let me just say this, way like one of
Speaker 3: the cool things we weren't planning on playing The Old.
Speaker 1: Course we got lucky.
Speaker 3: And we got to play It tuesday after The, open
Speaker 3: and that day we had planned to just Play North,
Speaker 3: barrick maybe Play North barrick, twice but you, know and
Speaker 3: one of the THINGS i was really looking forward to was,
Speaker 3: like you, know you go there and you want to
Speaker 3: play as much, golf was like having a little bit
Speaker 3: of downtime to explore the. Area so we get This
Speaker 3: tuesday afternoon tea time at The Old.
Speaker 1: Course we can't pass that.
Speaker 3: Up and the worst, day the worst part of this entire,
Speaker 3: trip outside of food, poisoning was the four hours in
Speaker 3: the car to go From North barrick to The Old
Speaker 3: course and back to go in. Back, okay so we
Speaker 3: had to go there and back and in that time
Speaker 3: was just it was you, know that was the worst
Speaker 3: part of the whole, trip was spending time in the
Speaker 3: car And that's WHERE i would urge. People there is
Speaker 3: plenty of golf In golan In East lothian for a, Week,
Speaker 3: like there were a couple places THAT i didn't see
Speaker 3: THAT i really wanted to. SEE i wanted to See Loughness,
Speaker 3: NEW i wanted to see the third course At. Glan
Speaker 3: so like those would be things like we we played
Speaker 3: a ton of golf there and in some of these
Speaker 3: courses you want to see. AGAIN i would recommend Playing
Speaker 3: North barrick twice if you can like, that that would
Speaker 3: be SOMETHING i would. Do dunbar was really really a
Speaker 3: neat spot and we'll talk about it. More but like
Speaker 3: these are places you should see in what you're going
Speaker 3: to do is you're going to have a more enjoyable
Speaker 3: trip because there's gonna be way less time in a,
Speaker 3: car WHICH i think is the worst. Part just like
Speaker 3: looking for golf balls is the worst part about. Golf
Speaker 3: the worst part about a golf trip is spending extensive
Speaker 3: time in a, car.
Speaker 2: Right that is what's tough about, it by the, way
Speaker 2: is that a lot of people will go To scotland
Speaker 2: and say to, themselves, well this might be the last
Speaker 2: time THAT i, go and so CAN i really not
Speaker 2: go To Royal. DORNIC i have to go To Royal.
Speaker 2: DORNICK i have to see, that and that obviously adds
Speaker 2: on a big piece of driving to your. Trip but
Speaker 2: in any, case the ideal would be to locate yourself
Speaker 2: in one place and really explore it. Deeply and we
Speaker 2: haven't mentioned Like golan in terms of its affordability and
Speaker 2: its character as a place for a golf is very
Speaker 2: different From, meerfield you, know, yes and they're right near each,
Speaker 2: other so you're getting kind of both the.
Speaker 3: Spectrum, yeah And beerfield has a guest play On tuesdays And,
Speaker 3: thursdays so those are the days that they're open for guest.
Speaker 1: Play so like that's another.
Speaker 3: Thing like if you're doing, it and you do the
Speaker 3: full day At, meerfield so you have thirty six holes,
Speaker 3: there so it's, like you, know you start to think about.
Speaker 3: It it's like if you want to do a full
Speaker 3: day At North, barrick you want to go around that place.
Speaker 3: Twice In beerfield is a full day that that occupies
Speaker 3: two days of a seven day, trip and then you
Speaker 3: have all these other courses that are very. Good golan
Speaker 3: number one would fit into that. Book DO i Think
Speaker 3: golan one is discernibly better Than gold. Too, NO i
Speaker 3: THINK i would put them in the same. Bucket but
Speaker 3: goal number one is sixty five or sixty dollars or
Speaker 3: pounds more to play than goal and number Two golan
Speaker 3: in both of them like this is not a discredit
Speaker 3: To colon number. One both of them are one hundred
Speaker 3: percent places that when you see, them you will have
Speaker 3: you see something, unique something you can't really see anywhere
Speaker 3: else because of This Gullan hill Now goland. One WHY
Speaker 3: i think it's a little bit more highly regarded is
Speaker 3: that it has more majestic views throughout because it plays
Speaker 3: higher on the. Hill so if you get to the
Speaker 3: seventh t At golan number, one it's maybe arguably you
Speaker 3: could make probably a CASE i haven't been all over In,
Speaker 3: scotland but it's probably one of the best views in
Speaker 3: all Of. Scotland from, there you can see Beer, field
Speaker 3: you can See Renaissance, club you can see you can
Speaker 3: see The Edinburgh, castle you can see all the way
Speaker 3: across To. Fife on a clear. Day it is majestic
Speaker 3: and you play down along you know the cliffs of
Speaker 3: there and in you're right on The firth and fourth
Speaker 3: it is a gorgeous golf. Course it's a little bit,
Speaker 3: longer a little bit more of a championship test Than
Speaker 3: gold number. Two it's got some really great. Holes it
Speaker 3: is you know you, AGAIN i think like the thing
Speaker 3: THAT i.
Speaker 1: Notice about the advantage of.
Speaker 3: The routing that doesn't come back to the. Clubhouse you,
Speaker 3: know so many times like you get the courses that
Speaker 3: come back and go, out and this isn't the case
Speaker 3: for all of, them but like the weak holes or
Speaker 3: the holes that have to come back to a predetermined
Speaker 3: place and the holes that have to leave a predetermined.
Speaker 3: Place so when you have that out that out of
Speaker 3: the returning, nines you, know, one, eighteen nine and ten
Speaker 3: are kind of they have to be certain places and
Speaker 3: that's not always the best places for.
Speaker 1: Golf the strength.
Speaker 3: Of Both goal and one And goal and two to
Speaker 3: me are the stretches of really like you, know well
Speaker 3: you could extend this back to like you, know all
Speaker 3: of them are really strong once they get over the,
Speaker 3: hill but that middle part of the, round and like
Speaker 3: the holes that stick with me At goal and one
Speaker 3: And goal and, two the most are the stretch of
Speaker 3: like really like nine through through, thirteen and that's where
Speaker 3: they get really on the outer parts of the of
Speaker 3: the property and they get down in those low, holes
Speaker 3: the more dramatic dunescape of close to the. Sea so
Speaker 3: those holes down there are are. Extraordinary and it's a
Speaker 3: wonderful golf, course wonderful golf club AND i you, know
Speaker 3: in talking To Jeff, shackelford his favorite course Is goal and,
Speaker 3: three which he would recommend a there's a shop in
Speaker 3: town we could talk more, About boris in part two
Speaker 3: that's run by a man Named, boris a hickory. Shop
Speaker 3: he recommends get renting a set of hickories and playing
Speaker 3: that as a hickory golf course because it's much. Shorter
Speaker 3: but his favorite golf course At golan Is goal and,
Speaker 3: three which is the cheapest. One so you, know that's
Speaker 3: the THING i think with golf In, scotland if you're
Speaker 3: open to experimenting and doing like sometimes the, best the
Speaker 3: most fun golf courses are the ones that you've heard
Speaker 3: of the least. About don't be afraid to stop and
Speaker 3: just see a course even though you've never heard of,
Speaker 3: it or you know your favorite influencers never talked about.
Speaker 3: It it's never a bad idea to just get off
Speaker 3: the road and stop and play, somewhere because a lot
Speaker 3: of the you, know the thing you'll notice out there
Speaker 3: is pace the. Play like you, know we played fours
Speaker 3: at Kill. Spindy it was two hours and forty five.
Speaker 3: Minutes it was, wonderful like you can. Stop you if
Speaker 3: you got three hours between two, times you could stop
Speaker 3: and play nine holes in an.
Speaker 1: Hour you.
Speaker 3: Know, there it's not an unrealistic, expectation all.
Speaker 2: Right so just to cap that off, quick facts that
Speaker 2: we didn't give up front For gallin is that the
Speaker 2: number two course was built in eighteen ninety. Eight you
Speaker 2: Mentioned Willie Park, junior and the number one course was
Speaker 2: designed somewhere around eighteen eighty, FOUR i, believe and the
Speaker 2: designer is. Unknown and so it's one of those courses
Speaker 2: that probably a number of people collaborated on and had
Speaker 2: a very kind of natural evolution into what it is,
Speaker 2: now which is a course that can continue to host
Speaker 2: high level championships and you can play. It you, know
Speaker 2: you just can go out there and get a tea,
Speaker 2: time which is pretty. Awesome so in the interest of,
Speaker 2: time we should jump over To ely, NOW i, think
Speaker 2: which is in a different. Region this is over In.
Speaker 2: Fife but it is the next course that you played
Speaker 2: on your itinerary over In. Scotland this club was founded
Speaker 2: way back eighteen thirty two is the date That i've.
Speaker 2: Seen it's one of the oldest extant clubs In. Scotland
Speaker 2: clubhouse was built in eighteen seventy. Five the course was
Speaker 2: expanded to eighteen holes by Old Tom morris in eighteen ninety.
Speaker 2: Five this was the boyhood CLUB i believe Of James,
Speaker 2: braid who went on to become one of the great
Speaker 2: players of the era and one of the great architects
Speaker 2: of the. Era so this is A this is the
Speaker 2: definition of a Historic scottish club and the course from
Speaker 2: what you've told me so, far the little bits that
Speaker 2: you've told me is. Delightful you mentioned that after you played,
Speaker 2: it you, SAID i think this is one of my
Speaker 2: favorite courses. Ever and so tell me about why you
Speaker 2: had that.
Speaker 3: Reaction, Yeah, WELL i think circumstance obviously plays a role
Speaker 3: in all of these. Things LIKE i was coming off
Speaker 3: of a food poisoning. INCIDENT i got it right WHAT
Speaker 3: i got to The fife area right. Before what was
Speaker 3: the culprit who knows could be bad RIBS i don't.
Speaker 1: Know we'll.
Speaker 3: See i'm not. POSITIVE i. CAN'T i can't draw any firm.
Speaker 3: Conclusions it could have been bad fish and, chips it
Speaker 3: could have been bad.
Speaker 1: Ribs who. Knows but SO i got really.
Speaker 3: Sick and it was right at the beginning of a major,
Speaker 3: week which is always like a tricky a week where
Speaker 3: like the beginning of a week at a major is
Speaker 3: our busiest, time you, know. Possible it's also when all
Speaker 3: your friends text you about who they should, pick which
Speaker 3: is you, KNOW i always, say you, know there's a
Speaker 3: website THAT i run that has has picks all over.
Speaker 3: It but, anyways so you, know it led to like
Speaker 3: kind of catch. Up On, TUESDAY i was just trying
Speaker 3: to like be a human and be able to like
Speaker 3: walk around and do some semblance of.
Speaker 1: Work and Then.
Speaker 3: Wednesday by After wednesday, AFTERNOON i started to feel. BETTER
Speaker 3: i got we got all the preview stuff done that
Speaker 3: we wanted to get done to an, extent and you,
Speaker 3: Know Shane bacon was, like let's go play. Golf and
Speaker 3: what a Friend Colin shean whose OPINION i really. Trust
Speaker 3: Uh he's one of the founders of The Outpost club
Speaker 3: And yale's head, coach golf, coach a great golf course.
Speaker 1: Architecture.
Speaker 3: Mind he told Me, andy if you see one course In,
Speaker 3: fife you have to See. Eely and it's one of
Speaker 3: those people like you know in your life if If
Speaker 3: colin tells ME i need to go see a, COURSE
Speaker 3: i go see a, course like you, know that's like
Speaker 3: A it's one of those things like everybody has those
Speaker 3: people in their. Life Uh SO i Told, Shane i'm,
Speaker 3: like we're going To ely and Thankfully rub McDonald scottish
Speaker 3: golf podcast host and he's a he works for The European.
Speaker 1: Tour he's got.
Speaker 3: Connection he called over got to set up for like
Speaker 3: the basically the last time of the. Day so we
Speaker 3: were chasing the sun At. Ely i'm feeling better for
Speaker 3: my food poisoning and we get in a cab like you, know,
Speaker 3: yeah at this point you're kind of drowned down by
Speaker 3: a major and it's been a few days since we
Speaker 3: played golf and one of the big things about going
Speaker 3: over there was to cover a, major but also to see.
Speaker 1: Courses SO i was really.
Speaker 3: EXCITED i was like invigorated to go play golf and
Speaker 3: you're playing with your, friends which is a other huge
Speaker 3: aspect so that the clubhouse has a periscope in, It
Speaker 3: and that's the famous thing that everybody talks about With
Speaker 3: eely and the periscopes to see the first green when
Speaker 3: you can hit off the first tea and there's a
Speaker 3: Course Eagle, springs the nine holder In wisconsin has a
Speaker 3: FIRST t shot this similar to, this and and to,
Speaker 3: me when when a golf course has a FIRST t,
Speaker 3: shot that's outrageous as as like it sets this tone
Speaker 3: at At ely you're teeing off over like a seemingly a.
Speaker 3: Mountain you can't see, Anything you're just hitting it and
Speaker 3: you don't know what's over the, hill and it's like
Speaker 3: one of the greatest starts you could have to a golf.
Speaker 3: Course and to, me like it just set the tone
Speaker 3: is like you're in for something epic. Today so you
Speaker 3: tee off over this. Thing the periscopes in the pro
Speaker 3: shop to let you know when you can tee off
Speaker 3: you don't know what's really over the.
Speaker 1: Hill you just hit.
Speaker 3: It you get over the, hill and it's just this
Speaker 3: like brawny par four like you think getting over the,
Speaker 3: hill you're probably just gonna have like a little wedgend
Speaker 3: it's like, no, no, No LIKE i THINK i hit
Speaker 3: three iron because it was into a strong.
Speaker 1: Wind we had a strong.
Speaker 3: Wind it's just like holy, cow Like eddie golf course
Speaker 3: that starts, this the audacity to start a golf course this,
Speaker 3: way it's just. Unbelievable so you, again it's this in
Speaker 3: town out of town. Routing and to, me the thing
Speaker 3: that sticks with me with WITH eee is the way
Speaker 3: the golf course. Flows so it's got this like it's
Speaker 3: this traditional you, know out of town back into town.
Speaker 3: Routing but like you go out to the, sea and
Speaker 3: WHAT i love about it is you play out and
Speaker 3: there's some really great, holes like something like the fourth.
Speaker 3: Hole to, me nobody will ever talk about the fourth
Speaker 3: hole At ely because it's not on the. Sea but
Speaker 3: it's got this unbelievable. Feature it could be like an
Speaker 3: old wall that's. BURIED i don't know what it, is
Speaker 3: but it. Goes it runs through the. Fairway if you're
Speaker 3: on the right side of, it you have an obscured
Speaker 3: look to the. Green if you're on the left side of,
Speaker 3: it you have a look at the. Green but you
Speaker 3: the out of. Bounds you're playing along houses of the.
Speaker 3: Town so you don't really want to hit it left because,
Speaker 3: that's you, know the one, spot so everybody bails. Right
Speaker 3: you have this obscured. Look but this, WALL i think
Speaker 3: it probably is a buried. Wall i'm not. Sure it
Speaker 3: runs per like diagonal across the hole all the way
Speaker 3: through the, green like the feature of something that cuts
Speaker 3: through the green all the way back through the golf
Speaker 3: hole and plays a part in every aspect of the.
Speaker 3: Hole to, me that like simple feature is just a brilliant.
Speaker 3: Design but, anyways you go out and you're going out
Speaker 3: to the. Sea you know you're going out to the,
Speaker 3: sea and they kind of like have these, Epicals like
Speaker 3: the first five holes there are, extraordinary extraordinary golf. Holes
Speaker 3: the fifth hole traversus probably the best ground on the whole.
Speaker 3: Property it's like this rollicking dune dune's. Land and then
Speaker 3: you get to the sixth hole and it's a semi blind.
Speaker 3: Shot AND i think this is one of the big
Speaker 3: things With ely is that if you don't like, blindness
Speaker 3: you're probably not gonna like this, place because there's a
Speaker 3: lot of. It but to, me it's this. Exhilaration you
Speaker 3: just can't wait to see where your ball.
Speaker 1: Ended, up you.
Speaker 3: Can't LIKE i felt like a kid running over these.
Speaker 3: HILLS i couldn't wait to see what was. Next and
Speaker 3: the sixth hole has this great, reveal like you're hitting
Speaker 3: right to the to. Sea you crest this hill and
Speaker 3: it's just this panoramic of all the golf. Ahead And Dan,
Speaker 3: rappaport he's playing ahead of. Us he yells back to the,
Speaker 3: GROUP i want to go back over, there which is
Speaker 3: where all these other golf holes, lay you, know as
Speaker 3: he's playing back away because it takes you there and
Speaker 3: then it takes you away and it brings you, back
Speaker 3: and then you think you're. Done you, know you play
Speaker 3: really the, tenth the, eleventh the twelfth, again the, tenth,
Speaker 3: eleventh the, twelfth like the meat of the golf, course
Speaker 3: just Like gullin is right in the in the the
Speaker 3: prime spot of your, round right and because you're not
Speaker 3: having to return to the, clubhouse you know you have
Speaker 3: you're playing your best golf holes right in the middle
Speaker 3: of your. Round but like you, know so he's, YELLING
Speaker 3: i want to go back, there which is one of
Speaker 3: the great you, know it's the great, teas, right it
Speaker 3: shows you what's coming, up but it takes you back.
Speaker 3: Away it makes you wait a little bit longer in
Speaker 3: The in the, meantime there are great holes in, there you,
Speaker 3: know the they're wonderful golf holes in. There but then
Speaker 3: you come back and and tends this dramatic short part
Speaker 3: four that you are completely. Blind you're hitting over this
Speaker 3: like rock, cliff and the ball just trundles down to the.
Speaker 3: Hole eleven's a great short par three that's right on the.
Speaker 3: Water twelve is an epic par four that bends. Along
Speaker 3: thirteen's the hole That James braid, SAID i THINK i
Speaker 3: believe That James braid says the best hole in The British.
Speaker 3: Isles it's a great green site again playing along the.
Speaker 3: Sea and then fourteen you head away and you think
Speaker 3: at that, point like you, know it's starting to get
Speaker 3: dark for, us you, know We're I'M i was, LIKE
Speaker 3: i you, KNOW i experienced sadness at places when when
Speaker 3: you know that the round's starting to be. Over AND
Speaker 3: i thought we were. DONE i thought we were heading.
Speaker 3: Home and the brilliance of this routing is that immediately
Speaker 3: when you think it's, over fifteen is this great short par.
Speaker 3: Four it's got this huge mound in the fairway that
Speaker 3: you're trying to hit. It and if you carry it.
Speaker 3: OVER i was playing Per simmon all. WEEK i didn't
Speaker 3: carry it, over and it rolled backwards actually like forty.
Speaker 3: Yards but if you carry it, over it cascades right
Speaker 3: down to the. Hole if you're a little bit it
Speaker 3: right of the, mound you're going to run into the rough,
Speaker 3: right like if you go a little bit left of,
Speaker 3: it you're gonna end up in the rough. Left but
Speaker 3: if you hit it just, right it'll funnel it all
Speaker 3: the way down to the green and this hole kind
Speaker 3: of you come over this hill and again you get
Speaker 3: one last look at like the epic holes in the
Speaker 3: in the in the. Sea, right you just get this
Speaker 3: one last look at, it and then right when you
Speaker 3: thought it was, over you get this last reveal and
Speaker 3: then you head to back, home head back into.
Speaker 2: Town this description makes me feel like golf architecture has
Speaker 2: taken us in the wrong. Direction we talked earlier about
Speaker 2: the era pre golf architecture and post golf, architecture And
Speaker 2: i'm just convinced that if an architect came in in
Speaker 2: the nineteen twenties and performed golf architecture on The eleae
Speaker 2: site that it wouldn't have a lot of the features
Speaker 2: that you were reacting to out, there the kind of,
Speaker 2: playfulness the, blindness that sense of. Adventure.
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, well the other thing it has it has
Speaker 3: a ton of like a ton of blind shots into
Speaker 3: fall away, greens which nobody would do today because people would, say,
Speaker 3: oh that's so. Unfair but LIKE i think about, IT
Speaker 3: i was thinking about it as, Like, GOD i WISH
Speaker 3: i could hit that shot, again and it's just, YEAH i,
Speaker 3: Agree like it was is around that it will stick
Speaker 3: with me for a long.
Speaker 1: Time not because of the. Course it was like.
Speaker 3: Extraordinary i've NEVER i was so excited to play golf that,
Speaker 3: afternoon and AND i was, like you, know, finally like
Speaker 3: after you feel like crap for a couple of, days
Speaker 3: like you get that burst of energy and and you,
Speaker 3: KNOW i was so excited to play golf that. DAY
Speaker 3: i was with PEOPLE i really enjoys, company AND i
Speaker 3: think that was, like you, know combined with the way
Speaker 3: the golf course in the time of day we were,
Speaker 3: playing it was just a magical, day magical.
Speaker 1: ROUND i cannot wait to see ee.
Speaker 3: Again like that's like one of the things is LIKE
Speaker 3: i all the rest of the. TRIP i just wanted
Speaker 3: to go back To ely and you know it is
Speaker 3: probably my. Favorite it's hard Like North. BARRICK i Loved North,
Speaker 3: barrick you, know it's one of my favorite courses in the.
Speaker 3: World BUT i think all the circumstances made E lee
Speaker 3: the most. Memory you, know playing the old course two
Speaker 3: days after The open is Something i'll never, forget ever,
Speaker 3: forget you. Know but something About ely was. This it
Speaker 3: just had this magical aspect of the.
Speaker 1: Round all.
Speaker 2: RIGHT i think that's a good place to wrap. Up
Speaker 2: Next scottish golf podcast that we do not The Scottish
Speaker 2: Golf podcast hosted By ruy, MacDonald which everybody should check
Speaker 2: out by the, way it's a great. Show but the
Speaker 2: next of Our scottish golf podcasts will Cover North barrick
Speaker 2: a little bit on The old. Course we might not
Speaker 2: go super in depth there because we've covered the old
Speaker 2: course before and we'll do, SO i believe in some
Speaker 2: other podcasts in the. Future but what we'll touch on
Speaker 2: a few things. There we'll also talk about, Kill spindy And.
Speaker 2: Dunbar to wrap things up for your first trip To.
Speaker 2: Scotland all, right thank You. Eddie this episode of The
Speaker 2: Friday podcast was edited By Meg. Atkins if you've been
Speaker 2: enjoying the pod, lately please consider leading a rating and
Speaker 2: review in. iTunes LAST i, checked we have nine hundred
Speaker 2: and ninety nine ratings, there so if you'd like to
Speaker 2: push us over one, thousand we'd really appreciate, it and
Speaker 2: we always read the, reviews so make sure to do
Speaker 2: one of those. Two we'll be back This, friday and
Speaker 2: thanks for. Listening