AMERICAN businessman Doug Pendleton enjoys a passion for links golf, the history of the game and its roots in Scotland.
Along with his wife Debbie, the Mergers and Acquisitions advisor based near Boston – and a five-handicap member at the Worcester County Club where the inaugural Ryder Cup teed-up in 1927 and a keen hickory golfer – Doug has embarked on a quest to play the world’s Top 50 rated nine-hole golf courses and sample some hidden gems along the way.
While they have begun working their way through the best nine-hole coastal courses in New England, the Pendletons’ latest adventure took them to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Here, in a fascinating blog penned for “Golf Highland,” Doug reflects on a memorable Scottish odyssey and offers tips to fellow countrymen inspired to venture beyond the traditional bucket list lures.
OUR GOLFING ADVENTURE IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
MY wife, Debbie, and I, along with another couple, decided to embark on a little golfing adventure to Scotland.
It was an adventure in the sense that neither my wife nor her childhood friend played much golf. Also, we planned to play links courses in remote locations, potentially plagued by challenging weather conditions.
Taking beginner golfers (ie our wives) to links golf courses whipped by 40 mph winds might not be a great idea, close friends advised us.
Darice’s husband Kevin and I are single-digit golfers. We’ve been to Scotland before, so we knew what to expect. Although it can rain almost every day in parts of the country, the good news is that it rarely rains all day. How badly could it go?
Additionally, our wives envisioned Michelin-star restaurants and luxurious four-star hotels, romantic excursions to “Outlander” castles… and some golf thrown into the mix.
They didn’t appreciate how sparsely populated it could be in this part of the world.
Not only would fine dining options, and even lodgings, be scant, but gas stations are non-existent in some areas.
I was responsible for planning the trip. I was worried.
Pulling this off successfully would require planning, luck, and setting expectations. The route we picked started in Edinburgh; ventured to the Isle of Skye in the west; north to Durness; clockwise round to Dornoch; down to Inverness; then St Andrews and back to Edinburgh.
So, how did it go? We went on the trip, and I can report it was a monumental success. I’m also pleased to report our marriages are still intact. If anything, the adventure helped bring us even closer together.
We enjoyed it so much that we have identified even more spectacular golf courses in even more remote locations that we cannot wait to see. The plan is already in place for our return to the Highlands of Scotland next summer!
TRAVEL TIPS
If you’re inspired to venture on a trip like this, here are a few tricks that worked for us.
LODGINGS: Since these, and dining choices, in the Highlands can be limited, best plan early and book eight to 12 months in advance.
GOLF: Plan to play only nine-hole golf courses with your aspiring golfers. A gentle two-hour stroll alongside the beach on a links course will provide a little adventure and leave plenty of time for planning other activities.
Picking the two-hour window to play your round when the rain Gods are taking a break is also a good call.
HAVE A GOAL: Eight of the top 50 best nine-hole courses in the world are in Scotland. Seven are in the Highlands. Our goal for this trip was to play just five of them; we missed out on only one.
In doing so, we drove hundreds of miles over incredibly lonely, beautiful roads and chased golf balls on landscapes fit for movies. The average cost was just £20-30 per round.
We mostly had the golf courses all to ourselves, which was ideal for our wives and us. With our wives, we played courses like Old Musselburgh in Edinburgh, Woodlands/Dragon Tooth in Glencoe, Gairloch, the Durness Golf Club, Isle of Skye and the Lundin Ladies Club near “The Home of Golf” itself.
Next year’s trip, to the Western Isles, will require numerous ferries in our quest to play Tobermory, Iona, Craignure, Traigh, Barra, Askernish, the Isle of Harris, Ullapool and perhaps some others along the way.
OTHER ACTIVITIES: We reserved boat, distillery and castle tours in advance. On several days, we split up with the girls going on separate tours and Kevin and I golfing at world famous Royal Dornoch and the New Course at St Andrews.
DINING: We tried to pick lodgings offering in-house meals so that we could relax and not fear driving after one or two wee drams. Some nights, we hired a driver to shuttle us to dinner.
DRIVING: It is critical to bring someone on the trip who enjoys learning to drive on single-lane roads and the left side of the highway. Kevin is an excellent driver.
EXPECTATIONS: Assume that the weather will be good and then bad; that you will miss ferries and turns (we did); that you will see and experience amazing things and meet lovely people on your journey; that you will see fish and chips listed at the top of every menu; and that you will find incredible food everywhere you go.
LASTLY: Get off the beaten path, eat where locals eat, and play golf where they play. If you find everyone on the courses you play has an American accent, you are playing the wrong courses. Almost every village in Scotland has a golf course nearby. The golf club is where the community eats, plays cards, golfs and connects.
The Scottish people are warm and friendly, and they will be glad you have found your way to visit and play their lovely home course.
When you get home, and people ask where you played golf, you can proudly say you enjoyed the finest wee links courses in Scotland, but they have never heard of them.
Follow Doug on Instagram @journeytoscratch
