Wishing you a perfect Fourth of July. I'm back in Hawaii visiting my brother and his family on the North Shore of Oahu before I jump to Kauai on Wednesday and report an upcoming Away Game. The waves are small in the summer, the water is warm, the white sandy beaches are bright on the eyes and the scenery, well, you'd have to see it for yourself to believe it. It's Brazil meets the best of beverage carts. God bless America.

I'm passing on a trip report from Frank Olive, a reader based in Texas, who, like most of us, met a fellow golf enthusiast while trapped on a plane one day. Their common bond went beyond, "Nice talking to you, maybe we'll play someday." These guys actually made it happen.

This is Frank and Nick's trip to Dornoch:

Matt,
 
I would like to share a wonderful experience given to me by my dear friend Nick from Scotland. We met on a flight five years ago while Nick was making his annual pilgrimage to Pinehurst. Since then we’ve shared several rounds of golf (and countless pints) in various places.
 
While playing in the annual Bill McGhee Cup last October in Houston, Nick invited me to his member-guest in Northern Scotland. I had never ventured that far north, but I’ve played several times with Nick in Southwestern Scotland where the locals say, “You can hit a golf ball from Irvine to Turnberry (roughly 20 miles) without leaving a golf course." And so I accepted his invitation.
 
The actual road trip to Northern Scotland was interesting. Castles and colorful countryside entertained us for our first hour. We stopped for coffee and a peek at Glen Eagles Golf Club, the home of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Then it was off through the Scottish Highlands where snow capped mountains and tall evergreens bordered the roadside. If we weren’t on the left side of the road, I would have sworn we were in Colorado. After a quick stop in Inverness, we continued to an area of Scotland called the Sutherland's, where farming, hunting, fishing, and small quaint towns fill the long fingered rolling hills bordered by the North Sea.

Dornoch, our final destination, which sits on the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska, was well worth the four and a half hour drive. This small three-street town where Donald Ross was born and raised was littered with B&Bs, restaurants, quaint shops, two small hotels (one looks like a mini castle), a bookstore for the non-golfers, and a historical cathedral. Up on the hill, just beyond one of the local cemeteries and the main entrance to the beach, is the Royal Dornoch Golf Course--our playground for a few days.

Once settled in our accommodations and after a quick lunch at the clubhouse, we played a practice round at a local course in the town of Tain. The Tain Golf Club is a traditional heathland course with heather-bordered rolling fairways and undulating greens, which made for a great challenge to start our five-day golf getaway.
 
Our 36-hole second day started at a town to the north called Brora. The Brora Golf Club (established in 1891) was a typical Scottish "out and in" 18-hole course (nine holes go out from the club house and the remaining nine bring you back). Being bordered by the North Sea to the west and beautiful hillside farmland to the east wasn’t the most unique quality of this course. That would be the sheep and cattle we played through. Low-voltage single-wired fences surround the perimeter of the greens to protect them from the grazing animals. (The hot fences were NOT there for decoration.)

The afternoon brought us back to Royal Dornoch’s elevated tee boxes, rolling fairways, bunker riddled elevated greens and breathtaking views. We were reminded we were in Scotland. There was some rain and we finished the day wet (and thirsty).

The next two days was the member-guest. Our afternoon tee times gave us an opportunity for sightseeing: a tour of the town and a trip to the Glenmorangie Scotch factory. Overall, Nick and I played good golf, but not great. It was the best we could do.
 
On our way back to Glasgow, we would finished our trip in the heart of the highlands. Boat of Garten Golf Club (the “Boat” as the locals say) is nestled in the middle of the Scottish mainland mountains. Tree-lined fairways, elevation changes, snow-capped mountains, and an occasional train whistle defined the day.

I hope you enjoyed a few of my great memories.  It was quite a golf experience that I thought was worth sharing.
 
Frank Olive
 
PS--In October join us for the 19th Annual Bill McGhee Cup in Houston. We should have up to 28 golfers from the ages of 40 to 83 from all over the country. Nick from Scotland may join us again this year. We play Tour 18 for Monday's practice round, Bay Oaks for the first day of the tournament, Timber Creek for day two, followed by our awards banquet that evening.


Thank you for the report, Frank. If you haven't done so already, fill out an Ambush entry form. You never know, you and your group (and your foreign friend Nick) might be next.

--Matty G.