The Frequent Flier

A Golfer's Pilgrimage
By: Christine O. Cunanan

What’s the perfect present for a husband? A game on the Old
Course in Scotland, where Mary Queen of Scots once played

For my husband's birthday one year, I arranged a week's holiday in St. Andrew's, Scotland, the mecca of golf; and a chance to play in the venerable 600-year-old Old Course. To ensure a complete golf experience, I even booked rooms at the Old Course Hotel directly along the 17th hole and in full view of the 18th hole and clubhouse. This enabled us to watch golfers from all over the world try their hand on the same set of greens that Mary Queen of Scots reportedly played in over 400 years ago.

Getting to St. Andrew's from our home in Tokyo was easy enough. Booking play time for my husband was much harder- especially since this was before the Old Course actually went online. It was April, and we wanted to visit Scotland in September, as autumn arrived. However, when I called I was told that all tee times were booked for the rest of the year and for early next! They offered to look for an available slot after spring.

It took some months to coordinate this tee-off opportunity. Finally in October, we were given a slot at 11:23am on the following July 28 with three strangers-90 pounds payable in advance and non-refundable, please.

Thankfully, all went as planned. Eleven months later, we found ourselves driving up from Edinburgh along the coast of Fife that allowed us a sparkling initial glimpse of the course set off by a cloudless sky. I am not a golfer, but even I experienced that rush of excitement that all players must feel when they first set foot in St. Andrew's.

Although my husband was not scheduled to play on the Old Course until the fourth day, we excitedly visited the clubhouse upon arrival to reconfirm arrangements.

"You'll be wanting a caddy, I expect, sir," said the man at the links office.

“I was actually thinking of going alone,” my husband replied.

“Oh, not on this course, you wouldn’t, sir,” the man advised. “This is a tricky set of greens and many a fine player has been thrown off by the unpredictability of the course and the winds. You’ll be wanting someone who knows the course by heart, and who can tell you how to avoid those bunkers and hazards.”

We took his advice, and a friendly caddie named Darren was assigned to navigate my husband through the Old Course's minefields. On the big day itself, we walked past the sightseeing crowds gathered around the starting point to join my husband's flight, rather pleased to finally be on the ancient greens on official business. Interestingly, two players-a jolly

Scot from Aberdeen and a rather serious-looking IT engineer from Denmark-were also on tee times arranged as birthday presents by their wives! The fourth player, a financier from Boston, scrambled to the rear at the last minute, breathless and eager to play.

I watched the group tee off and then spent the next few hours walking around town, intending to rejoin the group as they approached the 17th hole.

"I've been playing badly all the way," my husband said by way of greeting, when they arrived at the 17th tee-off.

"This course has humbled its fair share of players, sir," Darren remarked.

Fortunately, and rather to Darren's amazement, my husband's game suddenly picked up. He deftly managed the notoriously difficult 17th hole, with its Road Hole Bunker, earning applause from other players watching. Then he actually birdied the final, all-important and highly visible 18th hole-prompting the entire rim of spectators to clap loudly just like in international tournaments!

To cap a triumphant day, we returned to our hotel and spied golfing legend Gary Player sitting in an adjacent function room. We introduced ourselves, and Mr. Player told us he was at St. Andrew's for the start of a 72-hole charity tournament that involved playing at four of Scotland's most famous golf courses in one long summer day. We marveled at his strength and dedication to a good cause.

The next morning at just past 5am, I went out on the balcony to watch the sunrise. Some golfers were already on the 2nd tee followed by television crews. It was Mr. Player embarking on his noble golf adventure, on what looked like another beautiful Scottish summer day. n