Your Links Golf Primer - Royal Aberdeen

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging...

The next three weeks will feature much of that linksy goodness that I'm wont to ramble on about, though the scheduling is really quite a shamble.  We should have four weeks of the goods, but the geniuses that run our game apparently thought it a good idea to schedule the Scottish Open, the Ladies Open Championship AND the Senior U.S. Open the same week.  

We have a Shackelford threefer on this very subject, so let's dive in.  First, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, played the last couple of years at Castle Stuart, is moving to Royal Aberdeen's wonderful Balgownie Links.  But before we get to the good stuff, let's remember that for eons the powers-that-be held this event at parkland Loch Lomond.  It was only three years ago that they had driven their event into a metaphorical ditch, giving those playing the U.S. Tour absolutely no reason to play in the event.

Not surprisingly, the fields have strengthened since they moved the event to a proper links, but one is left to shake one's head and ask what took so bloody long?

In any event, Aberdeen is a first-rate links, and a splendid choice since it's not on the Open Championship rota.  Here's Shack's take from his own blog:

As for Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie course, it's a sensational links with a brutal outgoing nine and a more reasonable incoming nine that is marred slightly by a modified 12th green (Martin Hawtree) and a bland 17th hole. The penultimate hole is not poor, it's just that the club's shorter Silverburn course's sporty 17th sits next to the Balgownie 17th and easily could be confused as the hole you are supposed to go to after the 16th.

 Shack touches on an important point about links, that typically only one nine can be routed along the water.  In this case it's the outgoing nine, which means that the golf seen on television will undoubtedly be from the incoming, less dramatic nine.  I do hope the folks at Golf Channel and NBC (the latter will air 90 minutes each weekend day) will at least show its viewers some of the front nine, I'd suggest the wild Par-5 second.

To add some personal flavor, this was Theresa's first links experience, and I almost lost her in the wild dunes

Dunottar Castle

to the right of the second hole.  As a further aside, that round was played on 9/11/01, and we heard the news as we were driving down to Dunottar Castle.

Shack has a good slideshow of images from his own visit to Aberdeen, though for some reason the rather bland clubhouse photo above is the only one I can copy for you.  In a post at The Loop, he has this to say about Royal Aberdeen, cleverly using Bernard Darwin quotes about the links:

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open has become a premier event reinvigorated by a top-flight sponsor and an adherence to one simple principle: give the lads a links to prepare their games on prior to the Open. Royal Aberdeen may be the most visually beautiful of the links you'll see this year, especially the stunning front nine playing through a dunes valley. "A noble links!" Darwin declared after having postponed a visit there for many years. Golf Channel and NBC split the coverage duties starting Thursday.

Amen to that, brother.  The last of Geoff's contributions includes this amusing post on the entrance drive to Aberdeen's neighbor Murcar:

As the Scottish Open kicks off this week at Royal Aberdeen, you'll hear mentions of the

abutting Murcar Links. Because minus tournament paraphenalia, an unsuspecting golfer could walk right off of Royal Aberdeen's 9th green, tee off onto Murcar and not have a clue they've left Royal Aberdeen.

The one-lane road features a tiny turnout about midway through the narrowest stretch, but if cars meet at any other point in the nearly 3/4's of a mile stretch that is no wider than a mid-size sedan, someone will be backing up a long way.

On my first trip to Royal Aberdeen I pulled in to the Murcar entrance by mistake, and had no choice but to drive all the way to the end.   I've not played their links, which is admittedly a mistake.  Hope everyone enjoys the local color, though.

One last note about the Scottish Open before moving on the the ladies.  Since the Euro Tour and sponsor have committed to moving the course around, former workmate Mark W. and I have played a guessing game of what venues would be suitable, the point being that there's fewer of them than you'd guess, assuming that Open Championship rota courses are off limits  Now comes Martin Dempster with this news about next year:

WHILE keen not to steal any of Royal Aberdeen’s thunder – it, after all, is hosting a world-class field this week – it seems almost certain that Gullane is about to be unveiled as the venue for next year’s Scottish Open.

I believe an announcement will be made during the Aberdeen Asset Management-sponsored event in the Granite City confirming that Gullane has edged out its near neighbour, The Renaissance Club, as the 2015 venue.

Gullane (typically pronounced Gillan) is another first-class links.  Shack and some other purists may not ne crazy about this, though:

I'm going to look past one disappointing detail (all play is expected to be over the hill portion of a composite No. 1 and No. 2 course...Gullane fans will know what I mean) and explain at another why that's a minor shame.

 I'll let Mr. Dempster explain the thinking:

That course, however, will be alien to Gullane’s huge membership and the thousands of visitors who generate green fee income of around £1 million per year. A composite layout will be used, incorporating holes on the No 1 and No 2 Courses.

Why? Well, for starters the main East Lothian coastal road runs too close to the first tee and 18th green on No 1, although, even if that was not the case, it is debatable whether either of those holes would be strong enough to bookend a challenge for some of the world’s top players.

The opening hole, therefore, is likely to be either the second – not everyone’s favourite due it being both tunnel-like and uphill – or, more probably, the par-5 third.

It sits adjacent to the 15th, which is likely to be used as the last hole for the purposes of a Scottish Open due to the 16th being a par-3 and the 17th being…well, it’s such a poor hole, let’s just move on!

I'll give Shack's forthcoming dissertation due consideration, but that hill is unbelievably steep for linksland and way out of character for the genre.  Though the views don't suck...

And to add one more bit of local color, the Gullane facility, which includes three courses, sits adjacent to stuffy old Muirfield, you know the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest golf club in the world.  The local caddies however,refer to Muirfield simply as Gullane No. 4.

 Well, that certainly went long.  I'll perhaps save the ladies for another post.