On the remote high bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in North Truro, Massachusetts is a lovely old links style course dating back to 1892 called Highland Links. It has none of the panache of it’s more fabled cousins in Massachusetts yet it is a quirky place of pure golf fascination for those who appreciate links golf. At Highland Links you are in for a walk through sand dunes covered in tight underbrush and Scottish broom, sweeping hills meandering through rugged terrain, and perches with beach and ocean views that will bedazzle you.

Dune caps, Atlantic, and beyond…….

Modest putting green greets you outside the understated golf shop.

Full practice facility for pre-round preparation.

First green with an eclectic collection of artifacts on the horizon.

Dune walls overlooking the sweeping ramp on the second could be almost anywhere in the Scottish Highlands.

Inter-stellar communications behind the third tee….ET phone home………

With so many blind landing areas they employ the latest in high tech warning systems.

The hilltop green setting on the fifth framed by dune and porpoise play lands.

You have to love an environmental sense of humor.

Needless to say visualization is required for the approach into the sixth green.

Small coffee table green on the par three seventh…not a lot of room to put your feet up…or the ball for that matter.

One of the less docile green side bunkers…Bandon or Royal County Down…you choose.

The postcard finishing hole leaves you with a scrapbook memory for tonight’s dinner conversation.

September, 2013

For more detail click to see the Highland Links Golf Course Review

For tourist information click to see the Highland Lighthouse Brochure

The Keepers of Woodmont Country Club sponsored our third annual mentoring outing today with the refreshing kids of the  First Tee of Montgomery County program.  Close to 25 kids and 20 Keepers and spouses shared a wonderful day of fun and friendship.   Despite the dire predictions of the Doppler weather gurus the 50% chance of dry prevailed and the program went on without a drop of rain.

(photos courtesy of Rita Mhley of Mhley/Davis & Associates)

Kris Tschetter, the quasi-retired LPGA pro, was gracious enough to be with us and run clinics on the range and at the Sidney Harman Short Game area.  Her sparkling smile and enthusiasm brightened the day for all of us and her lessons were equally valuable to the kids and adults who listened with rapt attention.

Vineet did not need much tutoring……..

Saige has sound fundamentals as well…..

Kris makes a little tweak that should help……

Mixed metaphors……

Closest to the pin………..Ana wins!!

Just hanging out…..

Or chillin’……..

Or racing about………

Kris explains to the kids the right way to hit pitch shots…….

And bunker shots……..

And then demos the technique…….

Bobby and Max give it a go on grass……

And then out of the sand……

Madison has it down like an old pro…….

Exactly who is mentoring who here……….

Harriet takes matters into her own hands……

Freaky tells Emily it is just back and through…..

Rusty refines Sabrina’s hand action……

Steve says four within the leather and then we are done……..

Workin’ the hands and wrists as a unit………

Imani, Brandon, Britney, and Saige in a little competition…….

The happy foursome after some on course time…….

After a picnic lunch the afternoon was completed with an hour and a half of course time with the kids. You would be amazed at their ability to play and their comprehension of the etiquette of the game as well.  The First Tee program does a great job in conveying
to these kids the full basket of what this great game is about.

Kommander Keller leads the klean-up…he does windows too!!

August, 2013

Respect-Perseverance-Honesty-Integrity-Courtesy-Responsibility-Sportsmanship-Confidence-Judgment

Appropriately, the final leg of this Scottish Tour brought us to a nostalgic Old Tom Morris course ten miles south of St. Andrews called the Crail Balcomie Links.  The Crail Golfing Society was instituted in 1786 and is the seventh oldest golf club in the world.

In 1895 Old Tom was commissioned to lay out the Balcomie Links on the high bluffs above the beaches of Fife and what he produced was a tightly configured set of wind blown links and vistas that are drop dead gorgeous.

A simple and functional golf shop will facilitate your Crail journey.

As opposed to a much more lavish club house for the members with hallways full of historic memorabilia and an incredible view of the links and shore line below.

The shore vistas from these high promontories show the wedding of sand, grass,rocks, and blue waters as only nature can present them.

Walking over the hill from the teeing ground at seven the fairway flows briskly down to the sea.

The rocky shoreline which appears and disappears with the daily tides must be a laboratory for the local ecosystem.

The sixteenth green, totally exposed to the winds, stands in sharp contrast to a crystal blue horizon created by the North Sea.

The thirteenth at Crail is thing of lore.  There is little doubt that in Michael Murphy mystical book “Golf In The Kingdom” this is the hole on which the master teacher Shivas Irons makes his magical hole in one in the middle of the night.  It can be driver into the wind to traverse this grass covered stone wall to a green sprawling on the high bluff next to the golf shop.

The face of the bluff has huge stone quarry presence which would also provide a home for the cave of Seamus Mcduff seer/mentor to Shivas in the book.

Quite an inspirational view for Seamus from one of the caves overlooking the beach.

How about this view from the high tee on 17…. the hole just seems to flow right into the seaside environment.

Golf was actually contemplated this day….

Holding the pose as the strike was pure and true….at least in the mind of the beholder.

The final three par crosses a hedge of gorse at the foot of the quarry bluff….the stone wall that frames the green is just a perfect accent feature.

The perfect epilogue to our tour of Northern Scotland was a visit to St. Andrews including some fine Scottish-American cuisine at Ziggy’s.

One has to pay respects to the elders……

The R & A headquarters looms over the first tee and last green on the Old Course.

Auchterlonies is one of the most famous club makers at the home of golf… whose presence dates back to the era of Old Tom.

One final set of smirks at the tee box of the Road Hole after a walking review of the Old Course.  Can you tell whether we had a good time or not?

July, 2013

(some images provided by J. Polsky Sportography)

For more detail click to see the Crail Balcomie Links Review

Mention the word Carnoustie and it will strike fear in the heart of any Frenchman within earshot.  Truth is the last five holes course would strike fear in the heart of any person living or dead except for Ben Hogan and Gary Player who both won an Open Championship here in convincing style.

It may seem like self-flagelation but this course is an experience that any player with a sense of British Rota History must experience….if only once.

The majesty of the Carnoustie Golf Hotel and it’s veranda overlook the golf activities.

At last a proper golf shop in Scotland…..your Master Card could be in serious jeopardy here.

Exhausted from shopping the boys are chillin’ awaiting their date with destiny.

The non-alcoholoic national drink of Scotland….tastes to the unsophisticated palate like melted bubble gum.

Not near enough people who are playing pay heed to this warning.

It is suggested that Carnoustie is built on the flattest piece of links land in all of Scotland.  This may be true but Jockie’s Burn and the infinity edge green side bunkers on number three provide real meaning to the term close shaves.

Jockies is a proper Scottish burn.

The ground game……third and one on the eight…..                     (photo: j. polsky)

At 56 yards deep the putting surface on five just goes on and on and on……there is another half acre of green above the bunker!

These tee box units are the height of function…trash bin, ball washer, pin position map, bag stand, and yardage indicator all in one.

Let there be no doubt you have reached at ‘Hogan’s Alley’.

The full story for the uniformed.

Just another chiropractic bunker shot for Heir Rusty on the other end of the ‘Alley’.

Short Par 3’s like number eight are extremely tricky in the winds.  Besides the obvious there is OB left and long which can ka-ching your scorecard.

Here is a better view of the creative Siamese bunker configuration shadowing the right front in the image above.

The beginning of the harrowing fabulous five provides a real eye opener in the Spectacle Bunkers you must traverse on your approach shots.  These two are a high rise sheep condo development if I have ever seen one.

No this image was not Photoshopped for effect….good news is that Heir Rusty managed to clear the wall on the “low” side….bad news is the green is not in that direction.

Half way through the fabulous five you have the 240 yard Par 3 sixteenth.  Beside massive doses of sand, long grass, and gorse this green has serious shoulders that repel even the most delicate approaches.

Alas the end.  All the revelers at Calders Bar taking in the carnage.

Speaking of carnage, here is the green keeper’s memorialization of the site of John V.’s infamous debacle.

And the crazy Fenchman thought he could clear this wall from a half submerged lie in the burn?

All smiles….George, Moe Mish, Billy B, and Trevor…. proves the human capacity for willful suspension of disbelief.

The village of Carnoustie….close proximity of Simpsons Golf Shop to the sixteenth green.

A throw back to Carnoustie of old.

Spiral staircase, relic putting area, prints and memorabilia, and a ceiling full of bag tags from all over the planet.

This collection is up close and personal.

Territorial guard dog, Whiskey will retrieve your wayward putting efforts with the vintage 1920 Simpson Wood Putter.

When the golf is done the Corner Hotel is a great place to kick back and enjoy a scrumptious meal in Carnoustie.  It is in the center of town and a five minute walk from the golf course and Carnoustie Golf Hotel.  All the ingredients are fresh and the food is prepared to order by the owner/proprieters. Everything we had was just delightful…..don’t miss the waffle and ice cream dessert if it is on the menu the night you are there.  Here is their website if you want to check out the menu:  http://www.carnoustiecornerhotel.com/

For more detail click to see the Carnoustie Golf Links Review

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 8 at Crail Balcomie Links)

July, 2013

We drove the 30 miles from Cruden Bay to Royal Aberdeen in a driving Scottish mist fearful that the rest of the day would be all wet grips and rain gear.  But to our amazement the skies cleared as we pulled into the parking lot and it would be an afternoon game unfettered by such accommodations.

As one of the oldest golf societies in Scotland, golf at Royal Aberdeen dates to 1780.  Play on this spectacular piece of dunes and links land a drive and a five-iron from downtown Aberdeen began in second half  of the 19th century becoming a Royal venue in 1903.  As we would see, the entire golf experience here is one of unpretentious dignity (no shorts or cargo pants allowed).

This announcement is for an interclub competition in April of 1880 with members of Royal St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Hoylake, Prestwick, Westward Ho, among others.  The prizes for the winners were silver Cups, Flasks, and Quaighs.  No self respecting champion would be caught dead without a silver Quaigh, whatever that is, in his trophy case.

The halls and walls of Royal Aberdeen are full of memorabilia from Open Championships, Amateur Championships, Walker Cups, and other competitions that have been contested by the greatest players of their time on the Balgownie Links of Aberdeen.

After the grueling morning the troops stopped for a proper lunch in the grill room which overlooks the first tee and beyond.

Particular attention was paid by staff and visitors to the Texas A & M Pregame Pilates adjacent to the first tee.

Tripmeister Jim seems satisfied with our comprehension of the therapeutic value of proper preparation for play.

A not so gentle reminder next to the first teeing ground that care and maintenance of a Royal is a community effort we all must embrace.

Alighting one from the high perch on one leaves you with the challenge of negotiating this deep hollow in front of the first green.  Anything timid will get a Matumbo welcome and leave an elevation pitch up the steep grade to try to save a par.

A sneaky way of controlling your wind direction and speed experience on the front side.

The approach to seven green has a typical links symphony of bunkers, furry mounds, bumps, and hollows to bruise your ego.

The eighth has a 43-yard steeply ramped green encircled by ten voracious pits with serious magnetic attraction .  One club elevation adjustment for the downhill is mitigated by the gusts of wind coming over the top of those imposing dunes behind that separate you from the beach.

A confident follow through by the Mish over the furry oblivion to a fairway below that farm house on the hill.  You have to take my word for it about the fairway.

Mish and Michael in serious contemplation as to what is next on the back side.

The remnant of an old dyke impedes your approach to fourteen green-this is even an unusual feature for Scotland.

Five bunkers to hurdle into a face wind on seventeen.   But you must not venture past the flag du jour because the steep tiering of this green is more severe than any digital image can relate.

Sizing up the final approach….seems simple enough….not really….

Pop in that strut…….would indicate some level of success.

(Click here to follow our trail on Day 7 to Carnoustie Golf LInks)

For more detail click to see the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club Review

July, 2013

With two of Scotland’s finest on the dance card for the day, we woke up this morning to dismal forecasts of  heavy rain.  Resigned to our fate we donned the rain gear and headed a half hour north to Aberdeenshire to play the quaint little gem of Cruden Bay.  The good news was the rain clouds held their powder and nar an umbrella was raised all day…the bad news was we were graced with a true Scottish haar, a thick blanket of fog that robbed us of full appreciation of the tall tunes and awe-inspiring stretches of linksland that host this fine layout.

Despite the threatening deluge doors were wide open to welcome us.

The club house sits on a hill and the links unfolds beneath your feet….at least what you can make out of it in the haar.

Ethereal look to the gorse lined fairways strewn along turbulent seaside terrain with some man-sized dunes framing the skyline.

There would be no view of the remains of Slain’s Castle on the horizon behind 13th just the close in rocky bluffs at the sea’s edge.

An early challenge where the approach has to be hit with some grooves to keep it on the table top second green.

There is a climb to a three story walk-up to reach this putting surface.

The majesty of the par three fourth is veiled in secrecy but the challenge of a 200-yard carry to this shelf green in the high dunes is no less harrowing.

The third leg of the five par fifth is a delicate pitch across the burn to another coffee table green complex.

These stone bridges crossing the burns are a beautiful tradition throughout Scotland.

This one is dedicated to Hamish Stephen their long time keeper of the greens.

At least we could read the warning, even if we could not see the golfers crossing in front of eight tee on their way to the seventeenth.  Climbing the dune into the belly of the haar to play the next two we could barely make out our shoe laces much less the flight of the ball.

Back down to the canyon floor as we began the inward nine the visibility steadily improved just in time for the teeth of the challenge beginning with a short pitch across the burn to the eleventh.

Even the smiley face was having trouble seeing out of this prickly lie in the gorse….good news it was playable.

Cruden is famous for the natural green settings that Old Tom Morris staked in 1899.  This one of the five par thirteen is lurking behind a low dune at the foot of it’s big brother.

Heading back for the hills…..and the fog….and the funky part of the course we ascend the fourteenth.

A blind approach over this hill…..just trust the line of the directional pole….if you can make it out.

What awaits is a unique sunken turkish bath green setting…..please no diving in the shallow end.

Back-to-back blind par threes are next…this Scottish engineering marvel is the safety warning system…the bell is about 100 feet above.

Alas we return to the great wide open approaching the eighteenth green.

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 6b at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club)

For more detail click to see the Cruden Bay Golf Club Review

July, 2013

Our next couple of days will be spent exploring the golfing treasures of Aberdeen on the north east coast of Scotland.  The Donald has planned an enormous 3000 acre development in the area for which the centerpiece is a new Martin Hawtree designed links course they opened last summer.   Hawtree is a British designer of repute who has done most of the renovation work to update British Open rota venues over the last decade.  This property has a good 800 acres of some of the most awesome dunes land you will ever see and Mr. Hawtree did not disappoint. Despite having it’s reputation sullied by the boorishness of it’s patron this is a first class links venue that has, in it’s first year, already climbed into the top 100 list of golf architects.

It is Donald Time!

In typical Donald fashion everything you see or read is about him…though he does manage to credit the designer in a back handed Donald way in this dedication plaque on the way to the first tee.

Like everything here the practice facility is first class.  This short game area replicates every links short game exigency…..a must stop before heading to the course.

Well we’re off!

Stepping onto the first tee is a jaw dropping experience.  The scale of the dunes is just startling.  You feel like Dorothy at stepping onto the Yellow Brick Road with a set of Mizunos.

The last 100 yard approach on the Par 5 first…..looks like a Macy’s Christmas window at the flagship store at Herald’s Square.

The green on the Par 3 third blends the rawness of the seaside dunes with the artistic flow of the heaving links terrain.  It is impossible to distinguish where the fairway ends and the green begins.

How about this unique string of pearls bunker arrangement up the face of the approach hill on the Par 5 fourth.

The short Par 4 fifth is an architectural work of art.  The elements of threat are sublimely composed but the palpable fear you feel standing on this tee is very real.
This hide-n-seek mid-iron Par 3 would feel right at home at Pat Ruddy’s European Club in Ireland.

The Donald accessorizes well.  The stone bridges traversing the burns have an indigenous feel.

Even the recycle bins have crests on them.

Another aesthetically pleasing green complex ends the outward half….but you best have the full array of ground based recovery shots to save a par.

The Donald knows how to piss people off.  In a country known for the finest metal forging capabilities, Donald had all of his signs made in the USA and shipped across the pond…way to support the local economy.

The visual from the back tee the Par 4 fourteenth brings to mind the splendor of Ballybunion or Enniscrone in Ireland.  It is like a bungee cord drop from this pulpit tee to the sprawling fairway below.

Navigating the approach to this green up the hill between an office park of dunes is just as mind bending.

Leave it to Donald to finish your day with a 651 yard five par (from the back tee).

The view from the high tee shows you the steeplechase you have to run between the 18 bunkers on the final leg to the house.

How about this Wack-A-Mole look on your approach to the home hole.

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 6a at Cruden Bay Golf Club)

For more detail click to see the Trump International Golf Links Review

July, 2013

Traveling back down to Inverness we went to visit the relatively young Castle Stuart Golf Club home of the Scottish Open Championship.  Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen orchestrated the creation of a wonderful four act golf experience on the hillside shores of Northern Scotland overlooking the Moray Firth.  This is the full golf destination experience-great practice facility, fine links course, and stylish modern clubhouse with full amenities.

This art deco clubhouse looks like the upper decks of an Alaskan cruise ship standing sentinel on the hill top overlooking the entire property.

The view clinging to the mast on the captain’s perch gives you the breathtaking view of the Moray Firth, a scene  repeated endlessly through the day.

Locker room is comfy for changin’ or loungin’.

Interior architecture of the ‘medical clinic’ is stunning….use of these support services documented later.

From the top balcony you can appreciate the broad landscape of the course and beyond.

The first act opens by the sea orchestrating all the elements-unfurling fairways, towering dunes, thick gorse, wispy heather, and gnarly sea grasses.

Seaside green complex is accessible but requires proper forethought on how to negotiate an approach.  In layman’s terms, pick your poison.

Ground level view gives a sense of the human scale of the humps n’ bumps and other obstacles.

Act II climbs up to the first balcony with the signature fourth pays tribute to Castle Stuart built in 1625.

Green side bunker on the par five sixth has Alister MacKenzie influence written all over it.

A proper links would not be proper without a couple of dell green settings.  If they put the flag in that back corner and you will need to be wearing a red cape to take it on.

The approach to the ninth composes all of the visual elements.  A frozen snickers and a fizzy sports drink are just around the bend.

Unique bunkering that blends selective landscaping, sleepers, hand revetting, and just a pinch of sand.

The 2011 Scottish Open was racked by a monsoon and damaging flooding.  It has taken a good deal of time to heal the damage from nature’s wrath.

Down to the sea for Act III.  The eleventh would feel right at home at Bandon Dunes….just marvel at the balance of danger and respite against a glorious backdrop.

Tee shots can be both visually and physically challenging.

Act IV takes you back to the top balcony for the rest of the performance.  The climb and the views will take your breath away.

Nothing simple about these green complexes.  Recovery shots require imagination, creativity, and flawless execution.

Just one last treat to behold as you look down the final approach.

The Merry Band-Phillip, Billy B, Tripmeister Jim, Flash, Innes the Seer, Puba Moe, and Ross.

Return to the clinic for triage……sorting out aches, pains, and strokes…. and a few fish stories rendered as well.

As this surreal mural relates, it is all about the traditions of golf at Castle Stuart…

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 5 at Trump International Golf Links)

For more detail click to see the Castle Stuart Golf Links Review

July, 2013

We have now traveled some 50 miles north of Loch Ness some 8 degrees below the Arctic Circle and it was not in search of the monster of the deep but rather to visit and play one of the most mystical golf destinations in the world the Royal Dornoch Golf Club.  It was the birthplace of Donald Ross, one of America’s most distinguished course designers, who learned his trade playing the original version of the course in the 1890’s and then studied under Old Tom Morris at St. Andrews before emigrating to the United States in 1899.  Ross’s body of work is a testimony to the influence of Scottish links courses during the Golden Age of course design in the first 30 years of the 20th century.  His fame in turn drew attention back to this hallowed course that provided the underpinnings of his genius.

This collage of photos includes some of golf’s greats Ben Crenshaw, Herbert Warren Wind, Peter Alliss, and Tom Watson all of whom recognized the significance of this place in the evolution of golf.

They all are on this very distinguished list of Honorary Members of the club.

This quaint village became a summer refuge to English royalty, rich businessmen, and some of the greatest players of the age at the turn of the century.  No one more important than John Sutherland who helped design the original course with Tom Morris and went on to play in important championships throughout Scotland and write extensively about this place drawing further attention and reverence to what was here.

This figurine stands in front of the medieval age Dornoch Cathedral whose clergy are given credit for introducing golf to this region.

Andrew Carnegie built a summer home at Skibo Castle a few miles up the firth and became an important patron serving as Vice President  of the club in 1901.  He presented this ornate shield, which hangs in the clubhouse grill, to the club as the trophy for it’s open competition.

Not what you think…..anymore…..was in the 19th century….just a clever retail marketing ploy.

Full of memorabilia, trophies, and artifacts the clubhouse is nothing short of a museum to the history of this place.

Looking back from the promontory tee on seven you can see the natural parallel routing of the outward holes on the top shelf below the gorse laden dune wall and the returning holes with low dunes and sage grass between them and the sea on the left.

The table top green on the first hole brings to mind the famous Ross crowned greens of Pinehurst #2.

The par three sixth is typical of the natural feature of this design.  The green emanates from the foot of the dune wall creating a precarious ledge over a deep revetted bunker.

The bunkering on the short tenth hole are toll booths for shots without sufficient resolve.

The last ten holes have tight proximity to the beach and dunes which can render shots wayward by the buffeting winds off your left shoulder.

Sometimes the aiming points are dictated well away from your intended target lines as the influence of the topography off the dune wall and the natural tempest of waves in the fairway undulations will bring your ball back to the desired position for the correct approach shot.

The par three thirteenth once again shows the seamless connection of the natural green complex settings to the hazards that bedevil them.

The seventeenth could be at Pine Valley.  From the top shelf of the tee ball landing area it is a precarious carry across gorse laden dunes to a pulpit green complex further protected by deep bunkers and natural furrowing of the seaside topography.

Our eight roadies, Barry, Billy, Mish, Heir Rusty, Michael, Tripmeister Jim, Adds, and Flash, sheepishly posing for the standard pregame tourist photo opp.  It is fair to say it did not go well for most of them but there was still plenty of banter over burgers and fish n’ chips in the clubhouse grill after the game.

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 4 at Castle Stuart Golf Links)

For more detail click to see the Royal Dornoch Golf Club Review

July, 2013