Nothing beats a good golf outing — especially when it’s a mother and her son.
Getty Images
Nothing beats a good golf outing — and summer is a great time to visit a new destination.
Whether you’re planning an annual trip with friends to a favorite golfing spot, or traveling to a new place to socialize, learning about the culture, sights, and sounds of a different place always brings back great memories.
And, of course, playing new golf courses that you rarely see when home is a big kicker.
True Spec Fitting
With over 50,000 clubhead and shaft combinations, True Spec Golf will custom fit and hand build you the most finely crafted, most accurate set of golf clubs you’ve ever played.
Book Now
A golf trip unlike any other
I recently went to the east coast of Scotland for 10 days of golf with my 15-year-old son, Matthew. To say we had a great time would be an understatement – and the golf trip gave me some great memories that I will cherish forever.
1. Lessons
The courses were amazing, as we played some of the highlights, including Royal Dornoch, West Berwick, and Cruden Bay. We also played some great less famous courses, including Durness – a stunning 9-hole course with a spectacular (and sometimes scary) drive – and Montrose.
2. The challenge of travel
Learning to go overseas requires patience and teamwork, but we did very well at this. Carrying heavy suitcases and golf bags for a trip takes a good attitude, so when we had to publish the weight of our suitcase at the first airport, I had to laugh like I had never felt before. The goal was to make the load as light as possible – which we did by losing many golf balls on such difficult courses.
3. Driving on the other side of the road
Embrace the left was our motto. The challenge was fun, and a little scary, but we did it – and I hope we didn’t offend too many Scotsmen along the way. My co-pilot was very helpful with directions, and when I arrived very close in the trees on the left side of the road. The roads are narrow and the parking lots are small… but we survived it all.
4. Hard ground
There were many learning opportunities for my son during this golf trip. The ground is like that a lot hard compared to the golf courses in the States, so learning to play the ball short and not expect the green to hold was new to him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard him ask me “How?” when the ball does something he is not used to.
5. Fescue and gorse
Off the fairways it can be a Scottish tour, with fescue, gorse, super rough, and uneven hills all making life difficult for golfers. Learning to find your ball can be a frustrating process, and taking your medicine by simply putting it back in a safe place is a difficult pill to swallow.
In most cases, trying to be aggressive by moving the ball down the fairway doesn’t work very well, as the club tends to get caught and twist the face – causing the ball to travel too short. Over time, you learn to take a higher club, lean the weight and shaft forward, and just cut the ball out and back into play.
6. The wind
The atmosphere was unbelievable! Cabot Highlands was beautiful and a great course, but the headwinds gave us both a tough challenge, to say the least.
Winding down was nice, but still hard. When we hit the air, it felt like we were going to make it never you got it green. I hit more 3-woods than I have in a long time, and Matt hit more 3-irons than usual. It’s been fun watching his game improve as he learns to better handle crazy situations.
7. Bird challenge
Matt and I don’t really compete, as we usually just play for fun and try our best. But on this golf outing, we changed things up and had a birdie-eagle challenge – Matt narrowly won it.
It was fun to compete with him, to see him take it seriously, and to go on to find another – while dealing directly on a friendship level. Matt had a few eagles, even driving the par-4s, which was great to see.
8. Time to talk
The bottom line of this whole golf trip was spending time with my son, which gave us lots of opportunities to walk and talk together. We talked about everything, from golf to life to having silly moments, too.
9. North Berwick
We were able to play North Berwick with a friend of mine, who is a travel expert and is a lot he knows golf courses well. It was nice to play with someone who knows the course well, and who can talk about the history of the grounds. It was also nice to have a friendly face to start our journey with.
10. St. Andrews: It’s a great ending
We entered the lottery to play St. Andrews twice, but we didn’t make it the first two times. Since we lived in St. Andrews, we both checked in for the last time on the last day of our golf trip, agreeing that if I checked in, he would drive me, and if he checked in, I would play. he. Guess who got it? Not me, but my son. Perfect!
I ended up caddying for him, and it was amazing. Watching him enjoy himself and apply some of the lessons from previous rounds was really fun, as he put together his best round of the entire golf trip.
Any parent/child trip is amazing, and this latest one with my son was a reminder to never wait or put it off: just plan it and go! The memories are what will stay with me every day, so I cherish the time together.
For more tips on my Scottish golf trip (and all things golf) head over to my Instagram.
Ping G430 Custom Hybrid
$299.99
The PING G430 Hybrid is loaded with new features such as the Carbonfly Wrap, PING’s new technology and a key for added distance and stopping power that grips the green. Combined with proven Facewrap Technology and Spinsistency, it delivers the speed and performance golfers need to take any shot. With six loft options (2H/17°, 3H/19°, 4H/22°, 5H/26°, 6H/30°, 7/34°) they are perfect for mid-to-long iron replacement to help fill range gaps. in the player’s game. CARBONFLY WRAP A lightweight composite crown wraps around the heel and toe sections of the skirt, creating a weight saving of 10 grams that can be repositioned to achieve a lower CG and increase ball speed. The combination also plays a role in the pleasing sound. FACE WRAP TECHNOLOGY FaceWrap Technology, variable stiffness, high strength steel face wraps in one place and stainless steel head crown, producing more flex for faster ball speed and higher launch distance. SPINSISTENCY Spinsistency’s variable roll radius improves performance across the face (especially on short shots) by reducing spin to increase ball speed from the face of the maraging iron. TUNGSTEN BACK WEIGHT The tungsten backweight extends the perimeter weight to ensure maximum forgiveness. TRAJECTORY TUNING The lightweight, 8-position hosel enables top (±1.5°) and lie (3° flatter than std.) adjustments to further dial in ball flight for optimal results.
buy now
View Product
Source link
