The West Links at North Berwick In the changing rooms at North Berwick there is a drying unit. This is the sort of thing that I have only ever encountered previously on ski trips. From our experience of the day, however, https://thegolfingpilgrim.com/muirfield/it was money well spent. We had enjoyed a glorious afternoon in the sun
A side-road in Gullane The approach to Muirfield is discrete. There is none of the pomp and circumstance of Turnberry, or even the understated charm of Prestwick. This is a side-road. There is a sign to the Archerfield Estate and one for The Greywalls Hotel, but nothing more. For those who know, however, a golfing
Golf is unlike any other sport. I play cricket, but I cannot play at Lords. Twickenham, Wembley and Wimbledon equally remain out of reach for all except for professionals and top amateurs. It is, however, possible to follow in the footsteps of the professionals and to play competition and major golf courses. In particular, the
A birthday treat I had grand plans to celebrate my 40th birthday. This seemed like a good excuse for a big trip and so I focussed in on Pebble Beach. Great in theory, but it presented numerous challenges in practice. The decision was taken out of my hands, however, when the global pandemic hit in
What will 2021 bring? So, the last few months have been pretty tedious. I completed my recap of 2020 in January and have been thinking about what might be possible in 2021. Planning golf trips is one of my favourite pastimes. Putting the plans in to practice is, however, more complicated. The complications arise from
2020 in review So, 2020 has come and gone. For me it started with great expectations and some carefully laid plans. It is an understatement to say that it did not quite turn out as anticipated. I should start by saying that I am, in no way, looking for sympathy! My golfing issues do not
A flat links on the Wirrall I had heard a lot about the course and not all of it was positive. This was said to be a different style of links course from the other Open courses in England. Birkdale and St. George’s have picturesque holes framed within the dunes and Lytham has unique bunkering
A Classic Seaside Links Rye Golf Club is a classic seaside links course. The routing is natural, the clubhouse is unpretentious and the course is fiendishly difficult! Nominally, the course is a par of 68 but has a standard scratch of 73. The original Colt design (with a few modifications over the years – see
The creation – Fowler and Braid Walton Heath is synonymous with two greats of the golfing world: Herbert Fowler and James Braid. The former was the designer and brought us the two wonderful heathland courses. The latter was the first club professional who not only won The Open 5 times but also created numerous great
An Edwardian masterpiece I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I turned up at Swinley Forest. I have played The Berkshire (which is just across the road) on numerous occasions and think that both courses are terrific. They are, however, not ranked in the World Top 100, whereas Swinley Forest sits at number 55.