It has been exactly a year since my first golf trip to Scotland, my one and only round at the Old Course at St. Andrews, and one memorably played hole. I am feeling a bit nostalgic, not just because I would love to be back on the Old Sod right about now, but also because the 17th at the Old Course may be the last golf hole where I made three excellent swings in succession.
I birdied The Road Hole at St. Andrews, my only birdie on a day that saw me almost miss the widest fairway in golf -- heck, it's two fairways wide -- at the first hole and struggle to break 90 on a
course that, for all the celebration, is not that difficult. Even though my drive off the tee at #17 needed to skirt the edge of the Old Course Hotel, rather than clear it, nevertheless the possibility of pushing one onto the roof was staring me in the face. I aimed well left, actually hit a slight fade, and wound up on the left side of the fairway, about 175 yards from the pin. From there I punched a five-iron, aiming about 10 yards or so in front of the green (I was finally getting the hang of that type of shot after 16 holes), and the ball bounded to about eight feet from the cup. I was happy to have a pretty sure par in the bag, and I stroked my putt confidently and into the hole for the 3.
I didn't play very well on my one and only tour around The Old Course. But I will always have The Road Hole.
Just maneuvering the ball around the Old Course Hotel and to a piece of fairway (top photo) was triumph enough at #17 on the Old Course. But when my approach wound up just eight feet right of the pin at the famous Road Hole, I was set for life with a great memory.