Dundonald #16

I’m on the flight home from my week as a Scotland Golf Road Warrior. Been there, done that and would love to do it all over again. It was a very full week with lots of laughs, not enough sleep and too many triple bogeys. Allow me to share some of the highlights.

GRW James Mason can sleep anywhere

Lure of the Links

For pampered North American golfers, the first encounter with a true links course may come as a bit of a shock. Forget about tree-lined wall-to-wall fairways, copious yardage markers, benches, ball cleaners, and cart girls. Buggies, as they’re called in Scotland are few and far between; links courses were meant to be walked. Count on quirky bounces. Expect to lose plenty of balls in the rough and taste the salt in the invigorating air. Links courses are created in the main by Mother Nature, carved through dunes linking land and sea. This is golf at its purest. Golf as it was meant to be played. And it doesn’t get any better or purer than in Scotland, where the game was born.

The Full Monty

If you’ve never played a true links course, you might want to plan your itinerary by starting at Turnberryand booking a session at the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, the world’s first school specializing in links logistics. My abbreviated session with Senior Teaching Professional, Michael Sweenie, taught me the punch shot, handy in a howling wind. Sweenie also had a few tips up his sleeve for digging out of treacherous grass-sodded bunkers. The Academy also offers a more intensive full-day session including nine holes in the morning with your instructor on the Arran Course, lunch and a three-hour afternoon lesson at the Academy. To make the most of your UK links experience, my advice is to start at Turnberry and sign yourself up for this Full Monty.

GRW Jim Frank gets a links lesson

A to B Logistics

Do yourself a big favour and let someone else do the driving. PerryGolf’s comfortable Mercedes Benz VIP coaches and drivers will chauffeur you from course to course and you’ll have no worries about having a few pints at lunch or contemplating driving on the wrong side of a skinny road. I was disappointed that we could not take the Kintyre Express boat from Machrihanish to the Ayrshire Coast (in just over and hour) but the weather was foul so the crossing was cancelled. However, consider the Kintyre Express as a scenic, short and fun way to get around.

Party Hearty

The grand opening of The Royal Hotel began with champagne and bagpipes (played by women) and ended with a dazzling display of fireworks over the harbor. The entire town came out to celebrate. Those Scots know how to party.

Opening party at The Royal Hotel

Packing 101

Read my post about Sun Mountain’s ClubGlider. If you travel a lot with your clubs, it will change your life. I also got to “test drive” Sun Mountain’s rain and wind gear. I especially liked the rain pants that kept me snug and dry in extreme conditions. They have deep, zipped pockets and a clever snap system that lets you adjust the hem.

The Calories

At the Springbank Distillery whisky tasting I learned that Scotch and dark chocolate were made for each other—a great way to double up on your vices.

Cullen Skink, a Scottish chowder chock full of smoked haddock and spuds hits the spot after 18 holes. The recipe at the Ugadale Hotel’s Kintyre Club is a winner.

Guy Redford, Director of Golf at the Dundonald Links, introduced me to the Gunner, a zippy drink made of ginger beer, ginger ale and a dash of Angostura bitters. Very thirst quenching after a round on Dundonald, designed by Kyle Phillips (of Kingsbarns fame.) By the way, when the Dundonald Links opened in 2003 it was strictly for members of the prestigious Loch Lomond Golf Club. Now it’s open to non-members at attractive rates.

Chef Sam Carswell’s multi-course extravaganza, complete with brilliant wine pairings for our last supper at Mar Hall deserves raves.

Who is The Most Interesting Man in Scotland?

I’ve met him; you should too. Please visit The Scotland Golf Road Warriors website. Don’t miss the Video section.

This birthday gal could not have had a better day. I don’t often wake up in a four-poster bed in a Scottish mansion on May 16, but today I did here at Mar Hall. I joined my fellow Warriors for a hearty Scottish breakfast, followed by 18 holes on the Earl of Mar Golf Course that runs along the River Clyde. Every once in a while an old tugboat would cruise by. The azaleas were in bloom and the sun was shining. We Warriors finally had a chance to play all together, as a fivesome no less. Apart from my golf game that sunk to new depths, it was idyllic.

At lunch in the Spike Bar we were advised to eat lightly as chef Sam Carswell was in the kitchen slaving over a grand finale Golf Road Warriors’ multi-course feast. That’s why I nabbed a few of Jim Frank’s chips off his plate. Jim, it was for your own good.

As the sun was setting, and after a few cocktails and a bit of housekeeping (who would write what and how we were getting to the airport), we Warriors paraded into Mar Hall’s elegant Cristal restaurant for the best meal of our trip and one of the finest dining experiences of my life (and I’m fussy).

It would be downright cruel to torture you with a description of every artfully presented, imaginative and scrumptious dish, so let me just have you salivating over your computer screens with a few of the highlights: smoked cauliflower custard with lobster, crab and smoked salmon; truffle leek, langoustines, bisque and sorrel; lamb, Peruvian spuds, sausage roll au jus; chocolate granache with pistachio and cherry.  Not to be outdone, Frankma Canas Romero, the food and beverage manager and savvy sommelier at the Cristal restaurant, paired each course with an outstanding wine. He covered the globe—from South Africa to Napa Valley to Argentina to Spain. We toasted the adventure with an Auckentoshan whisky. And for birthday girl, Romero presented me with a Champagne cocktail he had created specially for his wife called Pilar’s Dream. 

To chef Carswell and the charming Mr. Romero, thanks for making this a very special birthday from “the young lady.” And to my fellow Scotland Golf Road Warriors, thanks for the memories.

Making a grand entrance at Mar Hall

It’s been a full week here as we Golf Road Warriors tackled some of the best courses on the eastern side of Scotland. We’ve been wined, dined and warmly welcomed all along the way, and now for our last two nights, we’re comfortably ensconced here at Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort. The baronial mansion overlooking the River Clyde, originally completed in 1845, has received a £15 million restoration to bring it back to its former Gothic grandeur.

Thankfully, Angus, our cheery PerryGolf driver, deposited us here just in time for me to make my spa appointment. Mar Hall boasts the only Aveda Destination Spa in the entire U.K. with a huge list of therapies using the eco-friendly Aveda product line. Gosia, my Polish masseuse began my treatment with a warm sudsy footbath. I’d like to describe the massage in more detail but I conked out after about ten minutes on the table. I wanted relaxation, so thanks, Gosia, mission accomplished.

We Warriors met up in the Spike Bar with golf director, Jamie Darling, a lovely chap whose wife has just given birth to a baby girl. Tomorrow morning, not so bright an early (my request), he’s arranged for us to tee off on the resort’s Earl of Mar championship course designed by Dave Thomas Jr. for our final round together as Warriors.

Uig scallops at the Cristal dining room, Mar Hall

We then adjourned to the magnificent Cristal dining room (paneled with oak from Canada). As the restaurant’s name implies, Mar Hall prides itself on its impressive selection of Champagne. I must confess that I made a serious dent in their “vitamin C” menu before the main course arrived. Chef Sam Carswell puts imaginative and delicious twists on Scottish classics. Loch Fyne smoked salmon, for example, comes with an avocado emulsion, apple caviar. Beef, aged for 28 days, gets kicked up a notch with braised cheek, escargots and an onion/parsley risotto. Fancy some frog leg bonbons?

Mar, we learned, was one of the seven Kingdoms in ancient Scotland and the “Earl of Mar” is the oldest title in Britain. The place has quite a pedigree. In fact, a couple of past visitors have included Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce. Now the hotel can add the Golf Road Warriors to its illustrious guest list, and in particular, Warrior Whyte. You’ll be seeing much more of David J. Whyte in upcoming Road Warrior videos so I will keep you in suspense. Let’s just say that David has become somewhat of a celebrity in our midst.

Sun Mountain ClubGlider

American President Woodrow Wilson once described golf as “a game in which one endeavors to control a ball with implements ill adapted for the purpose.” Most golf travel bags fit his description to a tee. But Sun Mountain has designed a travel bag, called the ClubGlider that is positively brilliant.

The key is the product’s spring-loaded legs and wheels, which are safely tucked in the undercarriage of the body. When extended, they enable the user to pull along this perfectly balanced travel bag with a mere fingertip. The “four-wheel drive” takes 100% of the load off your back. No more bending or lifting while schlepping through airports.

Although the case is large enough for a tour bag, it’s also easily folded and stored. It’s roomy enough to hold your shoes, rain gear and plenty more. And now, as this Scotland Golf Road Warriors adventure come to an end, it seems that my luggage has expanded. So I’ll use my ClubGlider to transport home some souvenirs. Yes, to the folks back home, that means single malts and oatcakes are coming your way.Sun Mountain, an expert of golf bag design, has ensured that the padding and rugged exterior will be able to stand up to just about anything airport baggage handlers can throw at it. I’ve taken mine around the world and it’s still in good shape.

Buy the ClubGlider and you’ll spend less time at the chiropractor and more on the fairways.

Western Gailes Clubhouse

Most North American golfers who make the pilgrimage to Scotland have the usual bucket list of courses to play before they take up curling. But I’m willing to bet that Western Gailes Golf Club isn’t usually on their radar. Oh, but it should be.

Formed in 1897, Western Gailes has hosted plenty of championships and has been often used for final qualifying rounds when the Open is played at Turnberry or Royal Troon. It’s been rated 35^th in the Top 100 courses of the British Isles.

If you talk to a knowledgeable Scottish golfer, he’ll probably tell you that Western Gailes is one of his favourite courses on the Ayrshire Coast. Take heed.

Who designed it remains a bit of a mystery. The credit goes to four golfers from clubs in Glasgow who discovered this prime piece of links land between  the Glasgow and South-Western railway and the sea. Back in the early days, members arrived from Glasgow by train.

Probably it was the happy collaboration of some of the founding members who laid in out in a racetrack-style pattern around the clubhouse. This means that you usually get to combat the winds from multiple directions. There isn’t a weak or forgettable fairway at Western Gailes which has a wee bit of everything—from undulating greens set  in the folds of the Oceanside dunes to a  meandering burn to a plethora of pot bunkers.

Even though Western Gailes is a traditional style club and members must arrive and depart wearing jackets and ties, it’s by no means stuffy; guests are given a very warm welcome (and they don’t have to adhere to the member’s dress code; so don’t bother packing your blazer and tie).

When we Road Warriors arrived, Jerry Kessell, the club manager and secretary, had arranged for caddies and some members to play with us. On the first tee, with luck, you’ll meet Henry, the starter, who has been with the club for several decades. Rain or shine, the ever-beaming Henry hands out scorecards and tees and wishes you a merry round.

I must say that it was a jolly round indeed, made all the more fun by my caddie, Hamish Gaffney, who has been shouldering the bag at Western Gailes for almost 30 years. Hamish has caddied for Tom Watson, Wayne Gretzky and Bubba Watson, to name a few. He sized me after the first hole and from then I just took the club he handed me and endeavoured to follow his sage strategic advice. He elevated my game. He also kept me smiling with his corny jokes (“That’s a Clark Gable. Why? Because it’s gone with the wind.”) Despite his excellent advice I managed to land in so many bunkers, Hamish offered to sign the rake, “as a souvenir of our time together.”

We finished our round late afternoon and spent a very convivial few hours in the clubhouse bar with Jerry and our new friends. I doubt that there’s a lovelier place to knock back a couple of gin and tonics than here with the sun-drenched view of the 18^th hole, the Atlantic Ocean and windswept dunes beyond the window.

The course plays hard and fast but the clubhouse should be enjoyed at a leisurely pace with good company and a few libations. When you come to Western Gailes, try to book Hamish as your caddie. Please give him my best and wish him well in his next darts competition.

Laura Kennedy, Ugadale Hotel's Serenity Spa

We Road Warriors have a hectic schedule. However, in the interests of research, I managed to squeeze in a session at the Ugadale Hotel’s Serenity Spa in between rounds of grand golf, gourmet meals and vintage whisky tastings.

The Ugadale Hotel in The Village at Machrihanish Dunes reopened in February after being restored to the former glory it enjoyed back in its heyday during the 1900s. Back then the Ugadale welcomed captains of industry and their families from Scotland the U.S. who would descend upon Machrihanish for summer holidays filled with rounds of golf, beach strolls and extravagant parties.

Nowadays visitors to the Village still enjoy the same leisurely pursuits but we also have the Serenity Spa. A treatment here is the ideal way to soothe those aching golf muscles or to detox after a dram too many the night before. So I figured I’d be “killing two birds with one stone.”

Aromatherapy begins as soon as you enter the Spa. Laura Kennedy, the owner has several scented candles aglow at the reception desk filling the air with a fresh fragrance created especially for her called Mull of Kintyre Sea Mist.

Laura’s Spa menu is extensive, offering an array of facials, manicures, pedicures  and body treatments. I opted for the Essential Golfer’s Treatment, a one-hour massage that focuses on the major muscles used in a round, especially the hips, shoulders, lower back, legs and feet. Laura has a wonderful move using her knuckles along your soles called the “cheese grater.” And now, if I can just pry myself off the table, there’s a single malt waiting to be sampled.

The Bonnie Machrihanish Dunes

The new Machrihanish Dunes is the first links to open on the west coast of Scotland in 100 years.  Acclaimed architect David McLay Kidd (who also designed The Castle, the latest at St. Andrews), was Southworth Development’s obvious choice to take on the project. As a child, Kidd spent summer holidays roaming this very links land where he would eventually get to build what’s been dubbed “The World’s Most Natural Golf Course.”

The “field of dreams”  was not without its obstacles. Kidd and his team had to abide by strict environmental rules laid down by Scottish National Heritage. This meant moving minimal dirt, digging no drainage or irrigation, using no pesticides and buying a herd of feisty black sheep to “mow” the rough.  The happy triumph, as the course slogan goes, is “the way golf began.”

We played it today under a brilliant blue sky. Along with we Warriors, there are quite a few other golf journalists and personalities gathered in Machrihanish this weekend. We’re all here to play the courses and also to celebrate the grand opening of the restored Royal Hotel overlooking the Campbeltown Harbour. (More on that later.)

As if playing the Dunes wasn’t thrill enough for the day, I also had the honour of meeting golf scribe, James Finegan, author of several award-winning books and articles. His weighty tome, Where Golf is Great: The Finest Courses of Scotland and Ireland sits on my desk and whenever I need a bit of inspiration, I refer to Finnegan’s elegant and passionate prose. Another golf writer for whom I have a great deal of respect is Malcolm Campbell aka the Silver Fox. Campbell and George Peper co-authored the authoritative book on links courses worldwide titled True Links.

We managed to get golf gurus Finegan and Campbell to chat about their impressions of Machrihanish Dunes for a wee video that David Whyte will be posting shortly. (Note: I may not have their quotes verbatim but I think I’ve got the gist.)

James Finegan & Malcolm Campbell

“The great thing about Machrihanish Dunes is that it links with Old Tom’ s philosophy,” remarked Finegan. “Both are built by hand so you’ll get blind shots, strange routings and the unpredictable. It’s classic and real. Anyone who hasn’t come here is missing an important link to the past. You’ll see golf holes the likes of which you’ve never seen before.”

Campbell added these words of wisdom: “I think this is an important course for the future of the game. Most of the courses being built today are too expensive to construct and maintain. Only the links model makes sense. Machrihanish Dunes is a remarkable model and anyone in the business should, as part of their education, be required to come out here and see it.”

You’ve heard it from the experts. So take that long and winding road to the place where golf began—and should be going.

Even Ken Campbell, the PGA Golf Professional at the Machrihanish Golf Club, admitted that there was quite a strong “breeze” blowing this morning on the old course. “But we really only call in windy when the seagulls walk instead of fly,” he added with a wry smile.

Although I didn’t see any gulls, I’m pretty sure they were hoofing it today. I won’t waste your time with a description of my performance on the venerable links, designed by Old Tom Morris in 1876. Let’s just say that my smartest move was to wear my new Sun Mountain rain pants that performed admirably as wind protectors. I could have severely injured fellow Warrior, James Mason, with one of my sideways shanks, but thanks to a worm-burning trajectory, I think I just bruised his heel. I need a lesson in wind management, or perhaps a lobotomy.

Anyway, nicely fortified with a steaming bowl of Cullen Skink, a hearty chowder brimming with potatoes and smoked haddock at the Ugadale Hotel, we Road Warriors headed into Campbeltown, ten minutes down the road. Our destination was the tasting room of Springbank Distillery. Founded in 1828, on the site of Archibald Mitchell’s illicit still, Springbank, the oldest independent family-owned Scottish distillery, is now in the proud hands of Hedley G. Wright, Mitchell’s great, great, great grandson. Springbank is also the only Scottish distillery to carry out all of its production processes—malting, aging and bottling—on its premises using traditional methods.

Once known as the whisky capital of the world, Campbeltown was home to 37 legal distilleries in the 19th century and who knows how many illicit ones. Only Springbank, its newer sister, Glengyle, and a small Glen Scotia distillery survived.

In Springbank’s cozy tasting room, we had an informal sampling of four very different whiskies: 12-year-old Hazelburn; six year-old Kilkerran; 15 year-old Springbank; 18 year-old Longrow. This little elbow-bending exercise proved that no two whiskies are alike, that everyone has different favourites and that dark chocolate and any whisky is a marriage made in heaven.

I’ve only been in Scotland for a day but I ‘ve also discovered that a wee dram poured on porridge is a stellar way to kick start breakfast.

I’ll probably take home a bottle of the Springbank 15-year old, because compared to the bottle of 1919 Springbank with the price tag of €50,000, it’s a bargain. The distillery also makes a blend, The Machrihanish Niblick, which makes a decent souvenir peace offering for my envious golf buddies back home.

www.springbankdistillery.com

In March 2010, thanks to VisitScotland and the folks at the Village at Machrihanish Dunes, I had a sneak preview of the new Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club at the southern end of the Kintyre Peninsula. I’d like to think I was one of the first to tread on those supernatural fairways.

Now as one of the Scottish Golf Road Warriors, I’m on my way back, courtesy of the same hosts. I hesitate to say that Machrihanish Dunes was “built” by course architect David McLay Kidd because Kidd’s philosophy was to reveal what Mother Nature and Father Time had created. Hence he moved as little earth as possible.  The course sits on approximately 275 acres and Kidd disturbed only seven acres during the construction of the Dunes.

Coincidentally, back in 1876 when Old Tom Morris journeyed from his home in St. Andrews to help the folks at the much older neighbouring Machrihanish Golf Club expand from 12 to 18 holes, he declared the links “had been specially designed by The Almighty for playing golf.”

I’m looking forward to having another whack at Old Tom’s first fairway, arguably the finest opening hole in the world, requiring a crossing over a slice of the frothing Atlantic Ocean.

Since my last visit, the project’s Southworth Developers have been busy. The Ugadale Hotel was deserted except for rumours of a ghost or two when I was there. Now it’s been restored to former glory, complete with a Serenity Spa, which I fully intend to investigate.

Once we Warriors have played the new and old Machrihanish courses, we’ll tackle Dunaverty, a local gem, circa 1889, that sits on a fortification site that once sheltered Robert the Bruce.

Happily our trip coincides with grand opening of the Royal Hotel just eight km down the road in Campbeltown, once the whisky capital of the world. It would be criminal not to toast the occasion with a few drams from the Springbank Distillery.

Then thanks to PerryGolf, we Warriors will board the Kintyre Express, an ocean taxi that will deposit us at Troon, smack dab in the middle of plenty more fabled links courses on the Ayrshire Coast: Dundonald, Western Gailes and Turnberry…to namedrop a few.

We’ll spend our last couple of nights pretending to be “to the manor born” at Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort.

Digging through notes from my previous visit I came across this quote from the editor of The Campbeltown Courier, written in 1876.

“The game of golf is peculiar to the east of Scotland, but it never succeeded in getting a footing in the west. It is consequently quite a novel game in Campbeltown and it remains to be seen whether it can be successfully carried on.”

I think we have our answer, dear editor. Stay tuned.

Eat, drink, play

For this self-confessed golf fanatic and hedonist it doesn’t get much better than my stay here at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort (about 40 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport).

Let’s start with the golf. I’ve just played two of the most magnificent courses on the Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. The Punta Mita Golf Club now boasts two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses. In June 2008, Pacifico was named the number one golf course in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. Pacifico boasts 19 fairways and the world’s only natural island green. To play this signature Tail of the Whale third hole you must carry your drive about 180 yards across the Pacific Ocean. In low tide, if you haven’t made an offering to Neptune, walk over a rocky ocean-floor pathway to putt. Designer Jack Nicklaus describes 3B as “probably the best par-three I’ve ever designed.” Less adventuresome swingers can opt to play the alternate landlocked 3A.

Jack’s new Bahia Course, named Best New Course in Mexico last year, may be less of a beauty drama queen but the severely contoured greens will challenge your putting acumen. The grand finale 17^th and 18^th fairways take golfers within steps of Punta Mita’s famed El Faro surfing beach.

On both courses the Jack Nicklaus Signature design takes full advantage of vistas of the surrounding Sierra Madre Mountains, white coral sand beaches and a tropical landscape of palms and bougainvillea.

Both of these tracts are in such impeccable condition, I’d swear they trim the fairways with manicure scissors and sift the sand. And just when you’re feeling a bit parched, cart gals or guys appear with iced towels and papaya/banana smoothies.

This fine morning I played Pacifico with St. Regis’ gregarious and dynamic general manager, Carl Emberson and his charming wife, Sabine. After our round, over an alfresco lunch of stellar tuna sushi at the resort’s Sea Breeze Beach Club, Emberson talked enthusiastically about the upcoming Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic (April 12 to 15). Emberson’s brainchild promises to be a delicious orgy of gourmet golf on both of Punta Mita’s courses with “putt stops” on various holes to sample food and drink. Before and after the rounds, guests will indulge in dinners, beach bashes, wine and tequila tastings prepared by celebrity guests, sommeliers and tequileros from around the world.

It may be too late to book for this April but put in on the calendar for April 15 to 28, 2013, as this will be an annual event. Note: early bird rates for 2013 beginning at $1390 U.S. per person, plus tax and service charges, include three nights accommodations, two rounds of golf or two massages, tons of prizes, all F&B events and airport transfers. It may be the deal of the century for golf gourmands! If this sounds like your’ “cup of tee and tequila,” check out details on the website:

Another unique attraction for golfers at the St. Regis (and this is available every day of the year) is the QuiroGolf Massage offered at the Remède Spa. Prepare yourself for 90 minutes of sheer bliss. Veronica, my talented therapist used a variety of techniques including friction to warm the muscles, deep tissue massage using a pair of specially designed golf balls and some sublime stretches for my hips, shoulders and arms to promote better flexibility. The grand finale is a scalp massage and the application of a hair-hydrating mask. I toddled off to my room in my bathrobe feeling about ten years younger and definitely more pliable.

As you have probably surmised, I’m feeling seriously smug here at Punta Mita. By the way, did I mention that I have a butler? Everyone at the St. Regis has 24-hour hot and cold running butlers. Mine, a handsome fellow named Miguel, just returned with my freshly pressed linen blouse. He’ll be back shortly as I’ve decided to toast this remarkable day with the resort’s signature cocktail, The Red Snapper (that’s the St. Regis version of a Bloody Mary) and a chilled lobster salad. I’ve left my door open so Miguel can let himself in and deliver dinner out to my patio where the sound of waves crashing on the beach and a Technicolour sunset is signaling the end of a darn-near perfect day here in Punta Mita paradise. Absolutely perfect would have had me nailing that island green, sinking a few more putts and breaking 90!