St Andrews to the Colonels House in Gullane

Today is a busy day arrived at the hotel just before 10am to load the luggage, hopefully everyone remembered everything ! First stop was back to Kingsbarns as Paul needed to change something he had bought. Then next stop the Castle Course for an 11.18 tee time. In the picture the guys are milling around the first tee, what they are asking is do we really have to play in this wind ? However as will be revealed later these guys got the best of the day.

The other four guys played the Old Course at 1.40pm. At the time the weather was both sunny an fine, in fact despite my protestations both Kelly and Bill gave me their umbrellas to put in the van, bad mistake. One thing you never do in Scotland is go out on the golf course with no waterproofs and umbrella, never !

By 4pm I had got the appropriate beer stocks and ice so I went back to The Castle Course to collect the first group of four, they were in the clubhouse having some lunch. As we sat there we watched a rain storm travel over the harbour and too much laughter after I explained how the guys had given me their umbrellas. We have some before and after photographs below. As one of the group commented "I hope it's raining sideways" and indeed it was. So after the storm finished we went to collect the drowned rats from the Old Course.

Rain or no rain I believe that a fourball should never take more than four hours to play a round of golf, and after all is said done I know the guys can do it. They played the Old in under four hours last night when they thought it was going to get dark and they might not finish in time. So why did it take five hours and ten minutes ?

A very rare event happened to the four guys playing the Old course and I don't mean the weather. Apparently there was a bit of a hold up on one of the holes and the fourball behind asked if they could play through as they were playing in a competition. No problem said the guys even though their good manners would later cost them their dinner due to our late arrival in Gillane. It turned out that the fourball were members of the R&A and to repay the guys they invited them in for a drink. An opportunity no visitor should turn down. Now the irony of the situation is this, Bill earlier in the week had asked what are the chances of getting in the R&A clubhouse, "nil" I replied as you can only get in there at the invitation of a member. Even if I could have found one of the members I know it still means getting dressed up with a jacket, shirt and tie etc. So here was four guys achieving the impossible in their golf shirts, shorts, golf shoes and soaking wet underwear, amazing !!

So much later than planned we set off on the two hour drive to Gullane. Needless to say by the time we got here every eating establishment was closed, so the last option the good old fish and chip shop was put to the test. Bruce was brave enough to try the traditional delicacy, but the rest wimped out and ordered pizza.

The Colonels House meets with everyone approval but to me it's a drivers nightmare because it is out on the edge of town and guess who will be driving the guys home after dinner ? So no more early nights for me and I can't even drink.