How do you play one of the most famous courses in the world, with an international field, and bear the responsibility of representing your country? Any round that you ever played with your buddies in hit and giggle tournaments, would not prepare you for competing in what feels like the Ryder Cup.
After winning the International Pairs World Finals qualifier in Atlantic City, we were draped in the American flag, excited with tears of joy. The exhillaration of playing for our country and the world title in St. Andrews, quickly faded however, to sheer terror. Oh God, don’t let us come in last. We began our journey into serious contention by learning how to drink Scotch. No golfer worth his spit, would play on the hallowed grounds without knowing the local refreshment and amnesia rendering liquid that could make you forget that you just shot around 100 and lost 4 balls, while repeating, “ God I love this game”. We had the local Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia and neighbors all too willing to teach.
We practiced golf all summer in central New York in the cold and rainy conditions which we were warned would prevail in Scotland during September, only to encounter the best weather of the year when we arrived in St.Andrews. What we were not able to practice, was playing out of the gnarly grass and as so often happens, we had far too many “almost great shots” that landed there during the competition. We kept our Stableford scores for each round but never matched the magical number that won the qualifier.
The practice round at the Dukes Course was not easy and foretold the tournament. In addition to said gnarly grass from hell, the wind that sent Dorothy to Oz, was constant and unforgiving. The sand traps were steep and we weren’t supposed to curse or drink while playing, adding a new level of frustration to the game. We quickly learned however, from our international partners, there is a certain four letter word beginning with s and ending with t that is universal for certain sad golf shots in any language.
At the first tee we saw the media crews and flags of the many countries. Our nerves took hold as we watched the two competitors from Thailand, dribble off the tee into the grass that acts like a venus fly trap for balls. They just shrugged their shoulders and marched on, relaxing us enough to step up and swing. Kaboom! Our first drives were the best, so anyone watching the telecast might think we were worthy to represent our country. What a day. We were in Scotland, playing in a World Championship golf tournament. How many people can say that? We didn’t score so well though and felt a bit dejected until we returned to our room at the Russack’s hotel on the 18th fairway of the Old Course which provides an extraordinary view of golfers, both as they tee off the first hole with their matched set of the most traditional caddies and also as they approached the immaculate 18th green. Beyond both of those fairways, the waves lapped ashore where years ago the Chariots of Fire was filmed. It was a soothing sight and a reminder of how very lucky we were to be there. We set off to take photos on the famous St. Andrews bridge and tour the town.
The cultural interaction of the International Pairs event was a phenomenal experience from the parking lot to the clubhouse, practice range, putting green, the 19th hole, of course, and especially the parade of flags though the entire town led by the traditional kilted bagpipes with locals cheering us on.
We didn’t bring home the trophy, but we tied for 6th place and had the time of our lives, exploring Edinburgh and St. Andrews with stops along the way. Our brother and sister in law graciously joined us in the capacity of caddies and they were awesome. Everyone in Scotland was friendly and chatty. The history is incredible, the castles enchanting and while we may not have mastered the course, we did master driving on the “wrong side of the road” and created a new motto – “If in doubt, round about”. You may have to drive there to get it and we highly recommend you do just that.
Alice and Danny are the founders of Butthead Covers, Inc., now writing about golf, business and leisure, while coaching others to launch their businesses and live the American Dream.
