de parath
As a kid, it was always something I said I would do – One day I will get to St Andrews and play the old course – But year after year the pledge remained like this: Only what I said I would do.
Then came April 2023.
After more than a decade of broken promises to myself, I finally made the 3,300-mile journey from my home in Toronto to the home of golf, and yes, I lived up to the hype.
How did it start?
These types of trips are usually planned years in advance, but my wife, Dana, and I aren’t big on long-term planning. As another Canadian winter drew to a close and we were looking forward to eloping to a place we had never been together before, I suggested Ireland. Not for golf, but for all its other delights.
Dana, without missing a beat, said, “If we go this far, do you want to go to Scotland? And if we go to Scotland, don’t you want to play golf?”
Reason 2729 Why I Married Her.
The plan was in progress.
It didn’t take them long to organize the trip and after about a week we were all set for an eight day trip to Ireland and Scotland, which we hope will include playing the old track along with enjoying the surrounding town of St Andrews. .
What do you mean or not?
Like I said, this trip met last minute and without a reservation, getting to the old track was still just a hope.
On such short notice, the only option I had for a long time I’d craved my entire adult life was to get up at the crack of dawn, or spend a sleepless night waiting in line at the Old Course Starter Building, like so many. Others did before me. I must note here that thanks to a lovely friend who lives and works in the St Andrews area literally Down the street from one of the world’s most famous premiere tees, I had an inside track to what a tee paper looked like a few weeks before my trip. The good news was: since it wasn’t peak tourist season yet, there were single play times available for the duration of our stay, provided I made the time to get one. With that in mind, two days after we arrived, I was ready to take my place in line late Sunday evening for a — fingers crossed — spot on Monday.
touches
We left Canada on Friday evening. After an overnight flight across the Atlantic, our 6am run through Dublin airport on one tram line, one train and one taxi ride, we arrived in St Andrews. By 10 a.m. on a Saturday, I was standing—emotionally disoriented—behind the 18th green with Dana, just feet from where the Open Championship was contested nine months earlier, and many times before that.
Not overly dramatic, but when I say Emotionally overwhelmed, i mean it. I had waited so long to watch The Old Course, and in that moment it was less about the course and more about keeping a promise to myself that I had broken so many times that I doubted it would ever happen. Then, all of a sudden, everything was in front of me: the first tee, the Sulcan Bridge, Hole Road, West Sands Beach. Golf paradise.
There is always hope
Since Saturday afternoon and wind, I figured, I’m here. He might ask as well, right? I walked through the automatic doors of the Junior Building hoping to avoid the possibility of waiting hours in near-freezing temperatures for Monday’s game.
The junior told me that 19 golfers got 19 putts that morning, and based on the paper, there were likely 2 spots left that afternoon before the course closed for club matches at 2pm. Possible Is that locals who have an annual ticket have the right to refuse to play with tourists. So, with a glimmer of hope, I put in my name. After leaving the starter building, we explored some of the surrounding area and, with the aim of staving off jet lag, sought some fresh air and sun. With winds over 25 mph at West Sands Beach, the fresh air part was easy. With thin clouds in the sky, so was the sun part.
As tee time approached, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I went back to our hotel room to organize my clubs, put on my layers, grab a hand warmer (really cold-weather travel essential), and headed back to my first tee full of hope and anticipation.
I have waited a long time for this
As a father of two in my mid-30s, most golf is played in the late afternoon or early morning. Warm-ups at the range aren’t part of my regular routine—so slowing flights and drunken punches from the red eye feel more natural than going to the range to smash a bucket. I also wasn’t keen on the idea of going to the full extent of building nerves and excitement only to be disappointed.
I returned to the first tee about 15 minutes before my scheduled tee time to discover that the St. Andrews native I was likely to pair up with was a younger couple who were more than happy to have me join their group. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen a grown man cry before downing nearly $400 on a round of golf, but there I was, gleefully swiping my credit card.
After pinged opponent machine consentStarter gave me the complete rundown with my first tee kit: yardage book, scorecard, tees and a pitch marker repair tool. I went outside to meet my partners and foals, and spent the next few minutes staring nervously down the first tee toward first tee green and Swilikan Burn.
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The time has finally come
Most mathematical physicists suggest that negative thoughts aren’t the best way to deal with an impending task, but it’s hard not to stand there looking at one of the greatest fairways in all of golf and imagine Ian Baker Finch losing a left, or hitting a whole piece. in front of strangers.
You can only do something for the first time only once and with that in mind – and thinking of everything that led up to this moment – it was finally my chance to do something I had never imagined before. The caddy asked if I wanted to strike my longest iron to ensure I stayed out of the water. But with the crosswind, along with the well eyes and the handshake, I opted instead to use 5 low cuts of wood.
After one last look at my goal, I fired the ball out of my face into the clubhouse and down the fairway. In that moment, nerves turned to joy, jet lag set in and I was just another golfer chasing a little white ball.