by Wes Bolyard
If you never had the opportunity to visit and play golf in the British Isles, a recent book, “GOLFING the BRITISH ISLES, The Weekend Warrior’s Companion”, was written by Peter L. Gray and published with outstanding photos by Gary Lisbon. This book will capture your attention about what golf was really like long ago, and display the beauty of natural, rolling fairways. It will stimulate your imagination where a completely different game is played versus in the United States.
Gray has an abiding passion for golf and golf course architecture. He is a middle handicapper and week-end warrior. He has rated hundreds of courses in the U.S. and overseas. Lisbon is an accomplished Australian-based golf-course photographer for almost two decades.
You must read the book’s introduction; it emphasizes what golf in the British Isles is really about. As you read about each of the courses highlighted, you will find many famous quips and quotes you may have heard before but have not known the origin. The author gives you the four characteristics he prizes most that make a course high on his list: strategic options, beauty, character and fun.
There are six parts to his book, starting with a chapter about Scotland. Of all the courses Gray has played in Scotland, he listed 16 courses based on his ranking system. First of course is St. Andrews. Just being in the town is an exhilarating experience and where golf is said to have begun in the 1400’s. There are seven public courses to enjoy including the Old Course, which becomes a public park on Sundays.
Of the 16 courses listed for Scotland, I have been fortunate enough to have played eight of them (3 at St. Andrews). I still remember the feeling I got the moment I stepped on the 1st tee of the Old Course; the hair on my arms literally rose! I was walking on hallowed ground. One of the cool things about the Old Course is that 14 of the holes share 7 greens, and the number of the two shared greens always adds up to the 18. A little-known fact: Old Tom Morris changed the direction of play from clockwise to counterclockwise in 1870.
I’ve had the pleasure of playing several of Old Tom Morris’s designed courses. At Prestwick, where the first Open Championship was played, there are some remarkably interesting holes. Starting with #1, called Railway, the fairway runs parallel to the railroad which is to the right. The fifth hole called “Himalayas” is a par 3 with a wall guarding a view of the green. This wall is probably about 40 feet high. The only clue to the pin location are 3 markers on the wall and the caddy tells the group where to aim. (The story I heard that when playing this hole, there are more hole-in-ones here because the caddy from the previous group puts the ball in the hole so they can drink all night).
There is a quote in this book by Max Behr that says: “Golf has no other justification for existence than to heighten the joy of living. To diminish this is to defeat the purpose of golf”. Another course by Old Tom is Cruden Bay where golf has been played since 1791. Look for the ruins of a Castle on the property. Cruden Bay to the north and Machrihanish to the south, Old Tom traveled quite a bit considering travel options back then.
What an opening hole #1 is at Machrihanish. Called “Battery”, the drive must go across the cove made by the Atlantic Ocean, and you bite off as much as you dare. Machrihanish is located on the south end of the Kintyre Peninsula and if you look across the water and you can see Ireland. This course follows the natural terrain with plenty of elevation changes, fescue off the fairways and challenging bunkers. Who would have thought that being 4,923 miles from home I would hear someone call my name. That is what happened as I crossed paths with a different group. A friend from back home had a membership at Macrihanish and was out for the day. For those who like Scotch, just up the road is Campbeltown where there is a Scotch distillery.
The next part is about Ireland where there are nine courses listed, with two of them in Northern Ireland: Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. Now, I have never played any of those great courses, but did visit 3 of them: Portmarnock, Waterville and Lahinch. Waterville has a bronze statue of Payne Stewart out front. While at Lahinch, the Secretary of the Club gave me a copy of a book titled “A Century of Golf at Lahinch 1892 to 1992”. There are plenty of great courses in Ireland and at the bottom of the island is Old Head with its towering cliff walls.
Part three is about England with 9 courses listed. One of these, Royal Liverpool, also known as Hoylake. This will be the site of the 2023 Open, which will be its 13th Open.
The fourth part is about Wales with five courses listed. From what I read, Wales is more off the main golf path, but just as challenging and entertaining as any of the above destinations.
The first page of each part shows a map that identifies the location of each course listed. Part five is the author’s ranking of the “Top 10 Courses in the British Isles”. There is also a question-and-answer part (six) which truly will answer most of your questions about playing these courses.
If you have never been to Great Britian or Ireland, this book will entice you to make the journey. You will learn about great golf experiences, see what links golf is all about, and view truly magnificent settings. Many of the courses have blind tee shots, some blind second shots, humps and bumps, fescue lined fairways, gorse and heather, and possible wind and rain. It is all part of the mystic of playing links golf.
If you are contemplating a visit across the Atlantic to try some exciting golf, consider using this book as a guide prior to your adventure. The writer, Peter L. Gray, explains what he feels makes a pure links experience: “In my view a pure links course generally should allow the play to use the ground game on approach shots.” Some of the excellent links courses do not give this opportunity, thus are not considered a pure links course but still an exceptionally fine test of golf.
Purchase on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Golfing-British-Isles-Warriors-Companion/dp/1637271956
