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The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse overlooks the first tee and the eighteenth green of the Old Course, St Andrews. (Photo by Russell Kirk)
By George Fuller
Veteran golf writer and photographer George Fuller visited Scotland for twelve nights in July 2009 on assignment for Virtuoso Life Magazine. This story of his journey, which began in St Andrews and concluded in Turnberry by way of the Scottish Highlands, was published in the January / February 2010 issue.
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As the lucky owner of a black Labrador myself, I couldn’t wait to visit the Gundog School at the hotel. There was already a group of children at the kennels and they were playing with the latest puppy recruits – absolutely adorable! That was all I needed to sign up for a basic training session the next day and I had a great time with my doggie partner, Skye; she knew exactly what to do but waited for my commands so I could ‘pretend’ I was in charge!
Gleneagles - Gundog school, dog in training
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I was recently made aware of a new development being proposed for central Scotland which has some very interesting story lines. The proposed development is in the same area as Gleneagles Hotel which has long been regarded as one of the finest country hotels in the world. Funded by money from Dubai, given the current economic climate it is filled with grand plans. The full article is available here. From a golfers perspective, one of the interesting stories is the possible inclusion of David McLay Kidd, who grew up as son of the Greenskeeper at nearby Gleneagles…something of a coming home. Stay tuned
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Often overlooked in favor of the many great links courses Scotland has to offer, a recent round over the King’s Course at Gleneagles on a crisp fall day was a gentle reminder that not all the best courses in Scotland are to be found by the ocean. The King’s was the first course to open at the hotel in the 1920’s and was laid out by Scotland’s legendary James Braid. There are a few blind shots to handle which make it a standout from modern design but I strongly believe they add to the overall experience. Hiring a caddie is a wise move, with very large greens that have deceptive contours and some lines from the tee offering the chance to “steal a few yards” their local knowledge is well worth the caddie fee. Playing in a 3 ball under competition conditions the round was completed comfortably under 4 hours, the caddies certainly help with pace of play, if only all rounds could be completed in that time the game would be more enjoyable for all. While the PGA Course will host the Ryder Cup in 2014 (it is longer and designed to cope with the world’s best) the King’s provides a unique challenge for all, in truly magnificent surroundings. One more point single figure players should play from the white tees, a greater challenge on the par 3’s and some of the longer 4’s become two good hits to get home.
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