Open Qualifying – Almost

I had my first taste of Links Golf when I was home recently and, being from Scotland, it is a little bit embarrassing to say that it has taken me this long to get onto a Links course.  I was playing Glasgow Gailes (nowhere near Glasgow) and it was a bit special in that it is the only course in Scotland to hold Final Qualifying for The Open.

The day started off very badly because we had a monumental down pour on our way to the course.  I thought I was going to have a real Links experience and that I would probably see all 4 seasons in my backswing on the first.  To our surprise, when we arrived the rain clouds had disappeared and all was dry.  We were met by the caddie master and the club pro in the shop who were the most welcoming people.  We had a chat with the pro as neither if us had any Links experience and he gave us some tips on the course in general.

Following the down pour of Biblical proportions in the morning, I was expecting the course to be soggy and heavy underfoot but the course was in perfect condition.   A few of the fairway bunkers had been staked as GUR (thankfully) due to water retention but other than these bunkers, there was no evidence of any rain on the course whatsoever.  I was delighted with my first tee shot given the first tee nerves were on steroids.  A nice 3 wood up the middle and we were off.

The round itself was largely uneventful for me as I finished just over Handicap, however, my playing partner who shall remain nameless, Craig Couper, kept us entertained the whole way round as he was VERY over his 16 Handicap.  We had to remind him that his Handicap was strokes allowed and not Golf balls lost.

All in all a great day out and if you are ever in Ayrshire and looking for a Links course to play, I would thoroughly recommend this one.  It is definitely the best Links course I have ever played but then again, it’s the only Links course I have ever played

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