August 2, 2016 marked the beginning of a ten-day trip 11 students to Scotland, UK. We officially started the trip in Chicago in the international terminal of the O’Hare airport preparing for an overnight flight to Dublin, Ireland and then after what turned out to be a very quick layover in Dublin, we moved on to Edinburg. We got our luggage stored in an available room at our Edinburgh accommodation and decided that the best way to cope with the exhaustion was to grab some breakfast and walk around the city. Students were introduced to downtown Edinburgh and most were able to get some sense of how to navigate the city.
The following day included touring the Edinburg Castle and grounds and the Royal Mile where countless street performers and shows could be taken in as part of the Fringe Festival kicking off at that time. The annual Fringe Festival in Edinburgh is the world’s largest arts festival, spanning the majority of the month of August and featuring thousands of shows!
On the 5th of August in the morning we packed our bags back up and hopped on a luxury motor coach destined for St. Andrews. Upon arrival in St. Andrews we once again walked the relatively small town, grabbed some food (not haggis) and started making our way back to the St. Andrews practice facility for a tour. On the way, students were led, unknowingly, to the 18th green at the Old Course. For any first-time visitor to the Old Course, this has to be a highlight of the trip. The first time you just stand there, looking down the 18th and 1st fairways and soaking up the history, and it’s hard to believe that you’re really there. After a few minutes and tons of photos, we moved on toward the practice facility where we were greeted by Director of Instruction, Steve North, who talked about the facility in terms of past, present and future. Steve played a vital role in developing the St. Andrews Links Golf Academy into what it is today. Complete with indoor and outdoor facilities and extremely sophisticated technology, the facility and staff are among the best in the world. At the end of the tour, Steve entertained us in a wonderful Q&A session that the students really enjoyed. The day wrapped up with our introduction to Scottish Links golf on the Balgove course at St. Andrews, a short 9-hole course that proved to be fun and challenging.
The next day was our first free day where all students were placed on the Old Course Ballot but were not successful. Two students elected to rise early and attempt to walk on the Old Course as single players-both were successful. Most of the remainder of the group played either the Jubilee Course or the New Course.
The morning of the 7th was reserved for our group photo on the Swilcan Bridge and a walking tour of the town including the Castle Ruins and the Cathedral Ruins. Students were allowed to enter and explore the original campus of St. Andrews University, which is still in operation more than 600 years after its founding in 1413! The tours wrapped up with a visit to the British Golf Museum near the first tee of the Old Course, and then a tour and round of golf on the Jubilee Course in 40+ MPH wind. Students also toured and played: The Duke’s Course (an Old Course Hotel property), The Balcomie Links (Part of the Crail Golfing Society, the 7th oldest such society in the world), Lundin Golf Club (a great layout on the Firth of Fourth) and, of course, the Old Course. With a complete lack of success on the Old Course Ballot, all 12 of us got the opportunity to experience the drama of rising very early to get in line as singles (the first of us was there around 1:00 am on Tuesday the 9th, and the last wandered up around 4:30 am). All 10 of us who elected not to get up early on Saturday were able to get on as singles on Tuesday!
On days and at times not consumed by exploring the golf industry from the prospective of a player, a lot of time (and in some cases, money) was spent exploring the merchandising side of the Scottish Golf Industry. There are countless shops, some of which are associated with the Links Trust and others are not. Golf merchandising is a huge part of the economy in the town of St. Andrews, so much so that the shops are allowed to come up with and sell their own St. Andrews (including the Old Course) Logos. The Links Trust (through the Golf Academy) also refrains from selling equipment, as the practice would likely suffocate several of the equipment shops in the town (they are the places to go for a fitting, though).
On the morning of the 12th, very early, we boarded a bus destined for the Edinburg Airport set to fly back through Dublin and then on to Chicago. We all made it back that day (along with roughly half our luggage) ready to be home and rest up.
We’re looking forward to the next trip set to take place in the Summer of 2018!
More details at: http://pgm.unl.edu/