And the beautiful weather that was bestowed on Manchester, well it was now snowing.
My only thought, PLEASE don't be snowing in Fife.
All throughout the journey to Edinburgh, it seemed I was encased in a blizzard.
It really put a damper on my spirits. It wasn't until Edinburgh that I took a sigh of relief.
No snow anywhere. As the train climbed farther north, the scenery became absolutely stunning.
Big city became small towns along the coast all the way to Dundee & Leuchars.
The gem that resided in Fife: St. Andrews.
The quaint seaside town was all it was said to be; it was a golfer's paradise.
Being the "home of golf", St. Andrews' has a personality that reflects it.
The streets are lined with one golf shop after the next, all promoting a specialized brand.
The town itself is very laid back and friendly, much like you would want a gallery to be!
When I had settled into the St. Andrew's Tourist Hostel, I went out on a self guided tour.
Basically just a map from the hostel pointing out the town's historical points of interest.
My first stop was the harbor and boy was it windy. The winds were just howling!
The Morris family burial site within St. Andrews Cathedral.
It was a pretty solemn moment to stand at the grave of golfing pioneers.
Without Old Tom Morris, St. Andrews wouldn't be at the quality it is today.
There's a lot of respect for what he did for the game.
Ruins of St. Andrews Castle, circa 1200.
The Swilken Burn Bridge as it looks up the 18th fairway.
Now, being as I have no handicap card, I was unable to play the Old Course.
Though that didn't have me too down as anyone is allowed to play all the other courses.
I picked the New Course, which opened for play in 1895.
Although it doesn't have the historical background as the Old Course does, many consider it the best course to play at St. Andrews (cite: the group I played with).
I turned up to the Links Clubhouse around 10am hoping to get out somewhere soon after.
The Links Clubhouse set me up with golf shoes & a full set of Diablo Edge graphite clubs.
Compared to what you may get at another club, St. Andrews REALLY takes care of you.
I headed out to the Starter who would try and get me into a group as soon as he could.
I didn't have to wait long because I didn't even get a warm up!
At 1048am on a sunny morning, my round on the New Course began.
Unfortunately there are no photos of me playing...
I was too caught up in the moment to even think about it!
But I did go thru about 6 weather changes over the course of 18 holes.
I felt heat from the sun, the wind blowing in off the North Sea. Even rain?!
And for some periods, there was an epic calmness to the storm.
The New Course and the weather really revealed themselves in full!
In the end, I shot a 119. I am not too sure if that is actually good or bad.
But to me, that is fantastic. I didn't know what to expect.
I had several great shots-- and of course several bad ones.
And I even ended up in one of the deadly bunkers-- and of course, I couldn't get out of it...
The group I played with were so welcoming and friendly.
I give a big thanks to them for allowing me to join them on their day out on the course.
It is truly an experience I will treasure.
Back in September I set a goal to play golf at St. Andrews and I made sure that happened!
