Carnoustie: That was the plan for the afternoon. But our morning was available for the missing link, so to speak. “Shall we try to play Kingsbarns?” A breakfast discussion that inspired much debate.
Throughout our days in Scotland we had not heard a negative comment about Kingsbarns, and although we wanted to play it, because of exhaustion and preparation for an afternoon round at “Carnastie,” we decided to take it easy and stroll through the town of St. Andrews. After buying mementos for our loved ones, we relaxed with a cappuccino at Rocca Restaurant and Cafe, which offers a scenic view of the Old Course’s 18th.
While saying our goodbyes to the lovely Elaine and Derek, proprietors of the Kinburn Guest House who graciously tended to our needs, I mentioned that we enjoyed all the weather Scotland has to offer, with the exception of sideways rain.
The 40-minute drive up the coast for a late-afternoon tee time (4:40 p.m.) seemed benign enough, except for the curious dark clouds hanging out over the North Sea. Considered the most difficult course on the Open Rota, Carnoustie is a great layout; probably the best greens we’ve played (a bit better than St. Andrews), and it has a lot of fairway bunkers that always seem to come into play.
We were paired with two gentlemen from Dallas, Brian and Bill, but I’d like to spend the rest of the time writing about my brother Mike. I’ve never witnessed a better round of golf. The sideways rain showed up, and we played in the most miserable weather imaginable. It didn’t help that I was suffering from a sinus infection. I watched how Mike managed his grips, his gloves, the course and most importantly, his head (without a caddie, by the way). Bill’s caddie pulled me to the side on 14th and said, “Your brother is as steady as they come.”
In an attempt to beat the dark, and to make sure Mike could finish his round, we played the last four holes -- arguably the most difficult holes in championship golf -- as quickly as we could. To give you a better idea of how bad it was, after playing the 16th, both Bill’s and Brian’s caddies were ready to call it a day. We got an incredulous look when we said, “Where’s the 17th tee?”
We both hit good shots into 17, but only one ball was on the green. Only 10 feet from the pin, I hoped it was Mike’s ball, not mine. It was Mike’s, but he missed the putt.
With the clock on the Carnoustie clubhouse as our only directional marker off 18th tee, we soldiered on to the end. It was the priest scene in Caddyshack. “I don’t think the heavy stuff’s gonna come down for quite a while.” Scores: Mike 73 (he bogeyed three of the last four holes); Kevin 90+.
And so it was done. We drove over 1000 miles, walked 100 more; we played 20 rounds on 16 courses in 11 days. After 360 holes, we were wiped out. (Here’s an updated map of our travels.)
Obviously, as brothers, spending so much time together on such an epic and exhausting adventure, we had our ups and downs. Playing golf was the easiest part of the trip, and with Mike (left) as my playing partner, it was an amazing experience. I watched him blow-dry clubs, bags, head covers, and scorecards after rounds. I watched him hand out trinkets to playing partners, caddies, club members, starters, B&B hosts/hostesses, bartenders, etc. He gave them logoed stuff from his home club, Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, and a variety of things from this year’s U.S. Open at Congressional. And I watched him keep his cool in an assortment of adverse conditions. Mike is a complete ambassador of the game, and he spread good will for the Daly family, and the avid American golfer.
The late-night two-hour drive to Glasgow was painful, but we made it and managed to get ourselves dry and packed in time for our flights home.
Bottom line: The Carnoustie green fee of $210 was paid in January. I filled the gas tank for $125.
Lodging: Overnight at Ramada Glasgow Airport Hotel in Glasgow for $80.
Total cost of day: $415
Eleven-day total: $4,004
--Kevin Daly.
Editor’s note: On Thursday I will be posting a Q&A with Kevin. Among other questions, I’ll ask him for his five favorite courses, the best value golf, if he has any regrets, and would he ever do a trip like this again.
--Matty G.
(You can follow me on Twitter @Matt_Ginella.)
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