Look What's Happened to Golf In Scotland
It has been nearly forty years since my inaugural trip to Scotland. The first in 1978, the last, in the late summer of 2016. All the trips have been memorable. However, on my latest I was struck by the evolution of the experience. It has been interesting to reflect on what has changed, as the latest trip unfolded.
The change starts before travel begins with the use of a golf trip planner. For the first trips I did all the planning, writing letters to courses like Muirfield, Carnoustie and St. Andrews. I wrote hotels, bed and breakfast spots and the car rental company to make reservations. I asked experienced friends, like David Hays, where to stay, eat and how to get around. It was an adventure. It took months of planning and communicating.
Phone calls to Scotland were expensive and difficult, thus all planning was done through the mail. Nothing matched the excitement of receiving a letter from the legendary Captain Hamner, in his perfect cursive penmanship, informing me that I was granted a starting time at Muirfield.
While there have always been travel agents, few were broad based with needed golf information. Today, travel agents focusing on golf trips, knowing all the details, as they have been over several times and taken feedback from trips they have planned. They know the courses, hotels, restaurants, and even the scotch distilleries. The knowledge available is much broader and at the ready. While the internet has made planning much easier, the use of an experienced golf travel guide takes all the apprehension out of the planning process.
Traveling to play in Scotland was a major undertaking forty or fifty years ago. Avid golfers would make only one trip "over the pond" in a lifetime. Today it is not uncommon to go every few years.
With the popularity of playing the big name courses skyrocketing, it is not surprising the cost has increased dramatically. Scotland has figured out foreigners will pay nearly any amount to play when on a "trip of a lifetime". On early trips I found golf to be a bargain, even at the great courses. I paid no more than $35 to play Muirfield, Carnoustie, St. Andrews, and Gleneagles in the 70’s and 80’s. On our latest trip green fees were over $250 to play some courses and over $300 at others. In addition, until recently there was never a charge for playing a second round. Not so today.
The higher fees have translated into improved conditioning and facilities. At Cruden Bay, a great course north of Aberdeen, the higher fees paid for a new practice facility. It’s no secret that the high fees for visitors keep the cost for the locals down.
Golf is an important part of the economy in small towns. Way in the north at Dornoch, golf is the most important industry in town. Restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfast spots, all depend on golf. Every business in town directly or indirectly depends on golf and caters to golf. It has changed from a farming town to a golf town.
This being the case, there are many wonderful courses still unknown to Americans where fees are much lower and there may be more interaction with locals. I look for this to be a big thing in the future, discovering the hidden gems in Scottish golf.
With the ease of setting up golf trips, the tourist count has dramatically increased. It's a big industry. Tour buses are everywhere and the courses are set up for them. The entire country is more accessible. On earlier trips international flights came into London, followed by a drive, train trip or a small commuter plane to Edinburgh, Scotland. From there it was a long, difficult drive into the far north. Today flights go through Amsterdam and then on to Edinburgh or the northern cities of Aberdeen or Inverness. The highlands region and north have been opened up.
Castle Stewart, a new resort course is less than five minutes from the Inverness International Airport. It’s quick to the first tee after a flight over.
Our first stop in 2016 is Royal Aberdeen the fourth oldest course in Scotland. Upon entering the pro shop one of the biggest changes is apparent. On early trips I found the Scottish pro shop was poorly stocked and poorly displayed. It was owned by the local pro, generally a man with weak retail skills. The style of clothing was European and much different than I had seen. Frequently merchandise would be stacked on a table still in the manufacturers faded, rumpled bag.
Today the pro shop is owned by the club and managed by an employee with retail skills. It looks much like you would find in the United States. Generally the same labels are displayed with comparable selection and prices. Peter Millar, Fairway and Green, and Nike are all common labels in today’s Scottish pro shop.
Clothing style is similar to the US. The pro shops have been “westernized”. The Scots figured out what Americans want, mainly logo shirts and hats, and are ready when we arrive. Many pro shops now have an upscale look, catering to the well-to-do American golfers.
The playing conditions have dramatically improved. The sand base of the links land allows the fairways to be firm and fast. In past decades conditions were more "natural" with less apparent concern for overall turf quality. Course maintenance amounted to occasionally cutting the fairways and greens.
The entire course is better today. In the 70’s the speed of the greens would be noticeably slower than in America. Today the speed of the greens is up everywhere. Our stop at Nairn found greens in perfect condition and a speed at 11 or higher on the stimpmeter. Fairways are equally good.
There is a reason for this improvement. As in the US, the job of superintendent has become a highly skilled position, requiring a college education. No longer a position held by a local farmer, today’s superintendents understand grasses and have a staff that does also. The golf experience in Scotland is much better today because of course conditioning.
In 2016 upon arrival at every first tee I discover another evolution, that of the Scottish caddie. A big part of the Scottish golf experience, caddies were historically men with many miles on them, caddying to have cash for a "wee nip" following the round. Sometimes with the fragrance of already having made a stop at the pub, they would have funny comments and stories remembered forever. My wife, Sandy, remembers the comment a caddie made when she was faced with a difficult shot in 1978. In a thick accent the caddie urged her to “say a little prayer,” as she was about to swing. However, the older men, with the hilariously funny lines beating a path to their favorite pub, are a thing of the past.
Today caddies wear bibs, are smart, engaging, knowledgeable and fun to be with. Caddies are the major source of Scottish flavor. At Cruden Bay, Iain, who was working on his masters degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Aberdeen, was on my bag. He was typical of the caddies today in Scotland.
Scotland did not experience the boom in building new courses the US did in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Other than Loch Lomond, near Glasgow, there were no courses built to attract foreign visitors, until the last ten years. With the opening of Trump International, Castle Stewart, The Renaissance Club and Kingsbarns at St. Andrews, this has changed. All the new courses feature a modern design with big drive zones. The older classic courses have fairway widths seldom wider than 35 yards, while the newer courses seldom narrower than 50 yards. Green complexes continue to be large, undulating and challenging, not unlike some of the old courses.
Adding to the enjoyment of today’s trip are the restaurants. Whether it is the improvement in the quality of the restaurant or the fact that the trip planner makes suggestions on places to eat, the food is better.
In the 70’s eating out was hit and miss. Taking suggestions from the owner of a bed and breakfast, the food might not be memorable. Today there are many fine restaurants in all parts of Scotland.
Fortunately some things do not change, like the setting. Standing on the first tee at St. Andrews,Troon or Dornoch is always thrilling. Also, the Scottish people are always welcoming, friendly, helpful and appreciative of your being there.
Times have changed in Scottish Golf and for the better. It’s easy to do, fun to go and great to experience. Every trip to Scotland has been memorable in A Life In Golf.
