Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Greetings From Scotland!

What? A two-pound tip isn't proper? Geez. Sorry!
Been a simply SMASHING trip so far, glad you asked! So many stories already, so many insanely lovely, and insanely punishing golf holes.

Weather has been - as the saying goes - "brilliant" for our trip. We have yet to pop an umbrella. What are the chances we tip toe through the week without breaking our streak?

Not likely, I know. I best shut the bleep up over here before the biblical deluge.

The best part of the entire experience has been the caddies. Authentic, hilarious, gruff, profane, wager-on-you-behind-your-back Scottish caddies. Absolutely hilarious men, with thousands of stories and jokes I can't  begin to print here.

Quick Summary So Far

Prestwick
Home of The Open Championship
Old school. Tons of blind shots. Neat. Almost looks like a muni in the heart of town.

Turnberry
Epic. Better than Pebble Beach, by a mile. Brutally tough in the wind. Tore my swing to tatters with 25 MPH steady. Kintyre course is no slouch as well. Resort is fabulous. They also have a miniature 12 hole pitching course, complete with pot bunkers, heather, gorse, fescue. Holes are about 60 yards in length. Greens are perfect. We played til dark last night as the sun set over the Ailsa Craig.

Royal Troon
Wow. Just, wow. Setting is tremendous and the club is a pretty buttoned up, don't F-around-here private club. First few holes and last few holes are flat and un-inspiring, but course is incredible from holes 5-15, winding through dunes, hillocks and a sea of gorse.

Coming the rest of the week....

Old Course - Today
Muirfield & North Berwick - Thursday
Kingsbarns - Friday
Carnoustie - Saturday

Now... some pics

Bus full of knuckleheads rollin' around with a few "tinnies" of beer. Thank god we don't have to drive!

Turnberry - Kintyre Course - Hole #7. Par 4.

Dave Adams tries to recover from a mess at Troon.

Luke Sheehan reflects before birdie putt on #18 at Royal Troon. Weather that day was awesome.

PGA Professional Jeff Sheehan poses with his son Luke, who will be playing for S.F. Austin this fall.

Jack Mateosky has to blast out sideways from the "Spectacles" bunker at Turnberry.

Lots of this happens. Lots.

Getting the welcome, and lecture, from the club master at Royal Troon.

Jeff Sheehan escapes a bunker at Turnberry. 
Ron Thomas with has patented Scottish bump-n-run at Turnberry.

Dr. Brad Bauer laces one down the middle deep into the gorse 40 yards left, at the infamous railway hole at Royal Troon.


6 comments:

  1. All I can say is good for you Czabe....my golf buddies and I have always talked about going to Ireland or Scotland to play, but its hard to make it work.

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  2. So Czabe is posting pictures of Scotland while still on vacation? Technology is aweeeeeesome!! (Um, being serious - not a wise-ass.)

    This feeling came to a head last month, while watching the Tour de France. Regardless of if you like the race or not - I'm able to get a live HD feed from a camera on the back of a motorcycle winding through remote roads on a mountain half the globe away? How awesome is that? VERY awesome my friends, very awesome indeed.

    (Just hoping there's no trampolines next to any of the Scottish courses - wouldn't want Czabe to cause an international incident.)

    Regards,

    Richard - Milwaukee, WI

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  3. Czabe plowing up fields for no pay...it looks they're treating our boy like a prisoner on a work furlough!

    and Richard, i remember as a kid of the early '60s being fascinated seeing a tv program (probably news) with the graphic "Via Telstar"

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  4. Yah more rich man vacation trips - just what we all want to see.

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  5. Didn't know Alex Trebek was the club master at Royal Troon

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  6. So that's where Travis Hafner has been!

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