The Masters - What Makes the Week So Special?

Masters week is unquestionably my favorite week of the year. Many obvious factors make the week special, but it was not until I came over to St Andrews that I fully realized the value one of the specific feature - the CBS television coverage.

The CBS coverage of the Masters began in 1956, and has run a consecutive 58 years. It is all of the little things about this coverage that make the Masters so much more enjoyable to watch than any other golf tournament or sporting event. The most obvious benefit is the knowledgeable and unobtrusive commentary (unlike the Sky Sports commentary with which I have been stuck). Spectators are referred to as “patrons” and the rough is called the “second cut.” Inadherence to these rules is not tolerated, just take the examples of Gary McCord and Jack Whitaker. Despite all of these restrictions and rules, the commentary rarely feels scripted.

Augusta National mandates the number of commercials running during the broadcast. Commercial play is currently limited to four minutes per hour. There were no commercials during the 2003 and 2004 broadcasts. This makes watching the tournament endlessly more enjoyable. It isn't the Super Bowl; I don't want to see any commercials. The three tournament sponsors - Exxon Mobile, AT&T, and IBM - make this amazing commercial-less coverage possible. Augusta National also didn’t allow CBS to show all 18 holes of the course on television until 2002 in order to preserve some of the course’s mystique. It is all of these factors that add up to a great viewing experience.

Interestingly, CBS signs one-year contracts with Augusta National to continue its coverage of the Masters. This is one surefire way for the club to dictate coverage and maintain its rule over the coverage. I would venture to say that CBS would bend over backwards to meet Augusta National’s requests. It would be safe to say that things will not be changing in the Masters coverage any time soon.

I went to the 2012 Masters (view post here), and the course and experience held up to all of the myths and legends. I walked the course and made an effort to study each hole. I wanted to see Augusta National Golf Club more than any golf course in the World. I would never turn down another chance to go back to watch the tournament and would sacrifice nearly anything to play it, but right now, if I wanted to watch the golf, I would choose the comfort of my couch and the CBS coverage.

Golf Plans Update & Request for Help (March 2013)

After a teaser two weeks of good weather in St Andrews, the cold returned to present a "Siberian Spring." During those two weeks I was able to get in rounds on nearly all of the St Andrews courses as well as rounds at Crail Golfing Society and Dunbar Golf Links. Hopefully the good weather will return soon and more great golf will continue.

Two very exciting things have happened recently:

I received word early last week that I will be working as an intern at GOLF.com / GOLF Magazine in NewYork City this summer. I am incredibly excited for the opportunity and am eager to get a unique insight into the golf media industry.

During my time in New York, I am hoping to get in as much good golf as possible. The goal of playing the top 100 courses in the World is always looming in the back of my mind, and this summer will hopefully be an opportunity to knock some great courses off the list. I am hoping to reach out to as many people as possible for help and connections to the courses of the Northeast. If anyone is willing to help put me in touch with members or host me for a round, please get in touch! (livingasalinksgolfer@gmail.com)

The second bit of good news is that, after three years of trying, I will finally be playing a round in a few months at Loch Lomond Golf Club. The course is the former host of the Scottish Open, and I couldn't be more excited to play there. A blog post with lots of good pictures will certainly be following the round.

Loch Lomond Clubhouse - http://top100golf.blogspot.com/2009/07/loch-lomond-golf-club.html

As for the next golf trip, I am hoping to make it up towards Aberdeenshire with my ever-present golf buddy Matt to play a round or two... More to come on that!

Best,
Graylyn

Dunbar Golf Club

East Lothian is one of my favorite golfing areas in the world. Ever since I played my first round on "Scotland's Golf Coast," I have made it my goal to knock off every note-worthy course in East Lothian. I have been lucky enough at this point to have played North Berwick, Archerfield (Fidra), Renaissance Club, Muirfield, and Gullane (1, 2 & 3). The next course to knock off the list was Dunbar Golf Club.

I had heard great things about the course and was eager to make the train journey with my ever-present golfing buddy Matt to play a round. We made the walk from the train station to the golf course, had a pair of “36 Hole Burgers,” and proceeded to tee off on a cold Tuesday afternoon.

One of the most interesting features of Dunbar Golf Club is the routing. There is a large stone wall separating the course from Broxmouth Park that runs parallel to the beach through the entire course. All but four holes are wedged between the beach and the wall in a traditional "out and back" layout. The first three holes and the last hole are on the inland side of the wall.

The opening hole (seen above) is a par 5 working away from the clubhouse. The tee shot looks challenging visually with a line of bunkers seemingly dissecting the fairway. A winding burn in front of the green is very reminiscent of the first hole on the Old Course here in St Andrews. 

The third hole could be considered the course's signature hole. It is a downhill 173 yard par three with a very interesting green complex. The view is stunning with the sea, clubhouse, and coastline all being visible from the elevated tee. 

The fourth is the first hole on the course to be on the left side of the Broxmouth Park wall. The tee shot is deceptive due to the fairway running out abruptly on the left. There is plenty of room right, and my slight pull off the tee ended up settling onto the beach (right from where the picture was taken). 

I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay of the wall with the course, but it presented problems at points for the routing. The fifth hole was a weak, short par 3 that seemed out of place, jammed between two holes due to lack of space. It was one of the few weak holes on the course.

Both the 6th (pictured above) and the 7th holes incorporate the wall along the entire right side of the fairway and green. If you have a problem losing the ball right, you're going to struggle at Dunbar.

The 8th hole breaks away from the wall and presents a different style of par 4 from what had been previously seen in the round. The bunkers lining the fairway and surrounding the green penalize any errant shots and reward accuracy.  

 The 9th hole requires a blind tee shot, but once the hill is crested, there is a gorgeous view to be seen. A good drive on the 532 yard hole still leaves a long shot into the green.

The view down to the well-bunkered 9th green is only tarnished by the massive mining and industrial structures in the near distance... 

After the 11th hole, the direction of play turns around to swing back towards the clubhouse. The sea is now on the player's right, and the views get better and better. The 12th hole, seen above, is another tricky tee shot, with the fairway running out on the right side. Aim very far left for this tee shot. My never having seen the course resulted in a number of lost balls during the round, this hole included. 

The 13th hole on the course has a blind shot to a very unique green. The green is sunk nearly fifteen feet below ground level and slopes severely from back to front. The green complex (minus the bunkers) reminded me of the famous coffin green of the 14th hole at Cruden Bay.

The elevated 14th tee box provides a beautiful view of the hole with the "Mill Stone Den" and the famous Bass Rock in the background.

The fifteenth hole only required a 3 wood off the tee, but made for a challenging approach shot to yet another interesting green complex. The sea off the right hand side of the green doesn't really come into play, but it is still visually intimidating and, as with many of the holes coming down the stretch, it subconsciously creates a desire to err left.

The 18th hole on the course jumps back to the inland side of the Broxmouth Park Wall. It is a challenging 435 yard par 4. Tee shots played close to the wall are rewarded with a superior angle into the difficult, raised green.

Dunbar Golf Club was yet another very fun East Lothian golf course. There was a mixture of strong and weak holes, but the round was extremely enjoyable. I will definitely be looking forward to playing another round at Dunbar at some point. Are there any recommendations for the next East Lothian course to knock off the list?

Crail Golfing Society - Balcomie Links

For the past two years I’ve been saying to myself, “I’ll go play Crail soon. Not today, but soon.” It was a very spontaneous decision to hop on the bus to Crail yesterday with my good buddy Matt, and I only wish we had made the short journey sooner.

After taking the bus along the coast to the village of Crail, we sat down in The Golf Inn for a hearty lunch before walking the two miles out to the course. Little did we know at the time, it was in the Golf Inn in 1786, 227 years ago, that the Crail Golfing Society was born. This establishes Crail as the 7^th oldest golf club in the world.

The walk out to the golf course was short lived as local farmer and Crail member Allan Steven offered us a ride in the back of his truck. Allan turned out to be invaluable during the day as he signed us in as his guests (drastically slashing our rates), offered his local course knowledge, and then showed up at the end of our round to drive us back into Crail. Ellen had been living in the East Neuk of Fife since 1937 and an entire blog post could be written solely on the stories he had to offer.

The Balcomie Course at Crail was laid out by the old Tom Morris and was opened in 1895. The course serves as a textbook for utilizing the natural shape of the land to dictate the design. The Balcomie links is fairly short with a par of 69, and as with any classic links course, the true defense lies with the wind. During our round we had nothing but a nice breeze, and low scores were to be had. 

Nearly the entire front 9 can be seen from the first tee. It is a breathtaking view and it instills an anxiousness to play the round and explore the course. The first hole is a downhill par 4, easing the golfer into the round. 

The second hole is seen hugging the coast line past the lifeboat shed on the right in the above picture. The medal tee is just to the right of the shed. The fairway follows the natural contour of the coast, leading to the green 493 yards away in the back right corner of the picture. 

The 5th, "Hell's Hole," requires a forced carry over a section of peninsula to reach the fairway, something seen on the 4th hole as well. It is the number one handicap hole and was one of my favorites. The first five holes all have the sea on the right and work very naturally along the coast line. 

The 9th hole is a short 309 yards, but the approach can be deviously difficult with the bunker on the left and wall hugging the green on the right. One has to wonder if Old Tom Morris had Prestwick's first hole in mind when he incorporated the wall as a hazard right of the green. I loved this green complex.

The 13th hole was one of the most difficult holes, and certainly the most difficult par 3 on the course. It was 215 yards uphill and into the wind during our round. The green is very undulating, making the blind tee shot even more difficult. The pin can be made out just to the left of the dark stone building in the picture. 

The 147 yard fourteenth hole could be considered the "signature" hole with its stunning tee box view. It is reminiscent of the 7th hole at Pebble Beach. The hole can be seen from the first tee and both Matt and I were very eager to play it from the onset of the round.

The 16th hole is one of four par 3s on the back nine on the Balcomie Links. It is another uphill, blind hole measuring 162 yards from the medal tees. The green is much less severe than the 13th, making it a good, but unquestionably easier, par 3.

The closing hole is a long 205 yard par 3 in direct view of the clubhouse. You can almost feel the members watching, and after our round during a conversation with some members, our suspicions were confirmed. It simply takes a very solid shot to hit this small green. End with a par and you'll be very happy.

I look forward to more rounds at Crail, including a round at their Gil Hans designed Craighead Links. I would strongly encourage anyone on a St Andrews golf trip to make the short journey out to Crail. It is a taste of traditional Scottish links and the traditional Scottish golf club. It requires "linksy" shots and creativity to play well. I'll be making sure my next round is with Ellen Steven!

What is a Links Golf Course?

 The question of “What is a links golf course?” has been posed to me countless times during my time in St Andrews. After a round on the St Andrews Old Course yesterday in 45MPH+ winds, I felt inspired to write a definitive answer to this repeated question. In addition to answering the question of what technically makes a links course, I also aim to explain the mindset that accompanies a pure links experience.

North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

In the most basic sense, the land upon which it is built defines a links golf course. Robert Price wrote in his book Scotland’s Golf Courses, “Scottish links land occupies a relatively narrow zone (often less than one mile wide) along the coast. Since the source of the sand is the adjoining beach and the mode of transport is on-shore winds, the distance the sand extends inland is not great. It tends to accumulate in dune ridges, which are usually ten to thirty feet high, and, on average, rarely occur higher than seventy-five feet above the present sea level... The fairways are found on the short grass of the inter-dune system while the dune ridges and their tough marram grass form areas of “rough.”

Askernish Golf Club, South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Simply put, a links course is built at sea level, in the sandy dunes (or linksland) that run parallel to the beach at sea level. The sandy soil conditions lend to very firm, fast conditions requiring a plethora of shots not found anywhere else. After reading this definition, a number of links course imposters will immediately come to mind. “Links style” is completely different from a true links course.

Royal Aberdeen Balgownie Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Additionally, there are a number of other factors that accompany a links golf experience. Lorne Rubenstein wrote in A Season in Dornoch, “Golf on a Scottish links consists of enduring and even welcoming the conditions, allowing them to influence the shots one plays. To play links golf is to acknowledge that nature, not the golfer, dictates play.” Wind and rain are the true defenses of a links golf course. As the Scots say, “Ney wind, ney rain, ney golf.”

Machrihanish Links, Mull of Kintyre, Scotland

Playing a true old Scottish links encompasses so much more than merely the style of the design and the proximity to the sea. It is the respect for the game in its simplest form, the abandonment of scorecards, walking with no carts, and the lack of commercialism, which among many factors, make it so special.

Cruden Bay Golf Club, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Many of Scotland’s great links are succumbing to decisions made in the corporate boardroom. Such decisions may not affect the quality of the courses, but they can have significant impact on the aforementioned factors that make these links courses unique. On a golf trip to Scotland, play the great resort courses, but do your best to play at least one hidden course. Get the true taste of Scottish links. Go find a course with an honesty box – a box on the first tee in which you are to deposit your small green fee due to the absence of staff or clubhouse.

"Honesty slot" at the trailer clubhouse of Askernish Golf Club, South Uist, Scotland

Famous golf writer George Peper sums up this idea so well in his quote spoken to the Fife Golf Association; “Someday I hope to bring my grandchildren here to Scotland – not to show them what golf is but what golf isn’t – that it isn’t $200 million resorts and $200,000 membership fees, that it isn’t six hour rounds and three day member-guests, that it isn’t motorized buggies, Cuban cigars, and cashmere headcovers. It’s a game you play simply and honorably, without delay or complaint – where you respect your companions, respect the rules, and respect the ground you walk on. Where on the 18^th green you remove your cap and shake hands, maybe just a little humbler and a little wiser than when you began.”