Interim Scottish report

Dear all,

It has been my ambition to post my writings no later than a day after playing a course. But sorry, that ambition have been shot down by the very friendly Scottish golfers we have met and shared pints, whisky and stories with.

So here you get a little interim report.

As you know, Thursday we played Muirfield.

Friday we played Royal Musselburgh golf course. Royal Musselburgh is one of the golfing societies that played at the Old Musselburgh Links course. That is the (now) 9 holes inside the horse race track in the city of Musselburgh.

Saturday we played the Old Links Musselburgh course and Sunday – that is yesterday – we played North Berwick.

But you know; after each game there is a pint and a whisky waiting and where there are pints and whisky, there are Scotsmen ready for a chat about golf, women, life and death.   It’s unavoidable

Here Mary Queen of Scots is said to have played on the Old Course in 1567 just prior to her surrendering to the Confederate Lords. If you know your history, she was decapitated.

Yesterday, after having played North Berwick we took the coastal way back to Musselburgh. Entering the town of Gullane, I saw a shop with only old hickory golf clubs for sale. And of course we had to stop.  

Very impressive – and then again – the locals argue that this area was the first place in the world to manufacture golf clubs, not St. Andrew.

On our way back to the car we realized that on the left hand side there was a golf course and a club house. That – we learned – was the old club house for the golf club of Gullane. Now a club with no less than three 18 hole golf courses. The old club house is no longer the club house, but is turned into a restaurant and pub for the public.

But none the less, the terrace – in front of the pub – was full of people. Golfers that is!

After a hello and a little chat we were seated, was served a pint of Guinness and involved in a discussion about life and golf. 3 hours later we had made friendship with 2 golfers, both members of both Gullane, Muirfield and St. Andrews golf clubs.

Eza had to drive the car to our B&B.

Every day have been like that. Our plan was to stay in this area for 5 days. Now we have prolonged the rent with 3 more days.

I promise to do my best keeping up delivering my reports of the courses we play. The next will be from Royal Musselburgh, that we played together with and was invited by the club’s president Mr. Craig Mackay.

How that came about? I mean – how lucky can we be? I will tell you later.

But that gave us a chance to get closer to the history of golf in the town of Musselburgh. And also we learned to pronounce words like Musselburgh and Edinburgh the Scottish way. Musselburgh got its name from the closeness to the bay (the Firth of Forth), in which there were many mussels.  

And the city of Edinburgh is placed in the borough of Edin. Compiled then you get Edin and borough, therefore you don’t say burgh, but boorroough – that is Edin-boorroough.

I will be back – enjoy your Monday.