Day 3: The Old Course at St Andrew's

I woke up this morning to a cloudy, rainy, chilly day in Edinburgh, about a two hour's drive from St Andrews. Usually, seeing weather like that out the window would bring depression, but for a day at St Andrews, the weather couldnt have been any better. When I think of the Old Course I picture in my head golfers struggling out there in terrible weather conditions. Kind of like if I went to Russia, I would want it to be absolutely miserably cold. Bone-chilling, because that is how I picture Russia.

Along the way to St Andrews we stopped at a few coastal towns where I learned a few more worthless little tid-bits just as yesterday I learned about shit-faced. It's a shame that these are the things I will remember from my travels.

Botched: As in, "You really botched that." It came from a story about the Forth Bridge built here just outside Edinburgh. The engineer, Thomas Bouch, was awarded responsibility for the design and construction of the bridge, just after he completed the Tay Bridge nearby. Well, the Tay Bridge collapsed just before construction was to begin on the Forth Bridge, so obviously he was taken off the project. Thus, creating the phrase locally, "A Bouched job." Which, after some time, somehow, change to botched any time someone in Scotland screwed something up.

But anyway,  the main attraction for me was obviously St Andrews. When we arrived to the course, it wasn't as I expected at all. Not in a bad way necessarily, it was just...different. For one, it was three courses piled right on top of each other, crossing paths and overlapping throughout the entire grounds. I did not play the course, but walked it 1-18 and found myself confused numerous times about what course I was actually even on. What I will remember most is definitely the bunkers. They are insane. Watching pro golfers try to get out of them is funny enough, but watching in-person, average golfers attempt to get out was hilarious.

After spending the afternoon walking the course and getting in everyone's way (I literally walked right down the middle of number 18 and over the bridge during play) our tour headed back to Edinburgh after a couple more stops in small towns. 

It was the best day so far. It is nap time now. Tomorrow it is off to Norway.