May 7, 2011: A Working Day in Scotland

        For Anne and I another day of work in Scotland.  I suppose, though, that means little to most of you.  Let me describe our day on May 5, golfing at Alloa Golf Club, a typical day of work.  [Written while having a latte and sweet at Red Squirrel Cafe on the High Street in Crieff, Perthshire, Central Scotland.]

The wake up alarm rings at 7:00 a.m. so that we can be ready for breakfast served in the main dining room at Merlindale B&B at 8:30.  Breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, porridge, fried bread, mushrooms, and toast is served by John.  We eat while visiting with today’s other guests: Ray, the curator of nearby Drummond Castle’s garden, and an Australian couple, teachers on sabbatical (after 10 years of service in a job a worker in Australia is entitled to two months paid leave).  After breakfast we have a few minutes in our room to organize our gear for the day--clothes, shoes, cameras--which is particularly important today because the forecast is for rain.  

The trip to the Alloa golf course, known locally as Schawpark, is a fifty minute drive past the Gleneagles Golf resort and down Glendevon to the Yetts of Muckhart then through the Pool of Muckhart and the village of Dollar to Alloa.  On the other side of that village we find the course, a club begun in 1891 with the course redesigned by famed Scottish architect James Braid in 1935.  In the golf shop we meet our playing partners for the day, Andy Mcleod (past Captain) and Maureen Mitchell (current Ladies’ Captain).  Even though there is only a light mist falling, a Scottish harr, we don our rain gear because we know what’s coming.

As we go round the course Anne quizzes Maureen and I question Andy about the history of the club and course.  As I play, sometimes good and sometimes rubbish, and Anne putts, we take some photos, make some notes about the holes, and generally analyze the course’s playability.  Schawpark is quite a lovely tree-lined course playing over several rolling hills (some blind shots) with views of the Ochill Hills which because of the rain and clouds come into and out of sight.  With the round over we put our wet gear into the car and head in to the clubhouse lounge for a drink (for me a half lemonade and half orange drink).  We are then taken upstairs to the restaurant where the caterer has stayed longer to serve us sandwiches, salad, and chips.  Delicious.  With good-byes and thanks to Maureen and Andy we start the drive back to our Crieff home.  

In the Merlindale kitchen over a dram of single malt Ardbeg whisky Anne and I write our course notes in our golf journal.  We have to decide which holes characterize the club and make some decisions about how to describe the Schawpark course.  Notes done we help set the table for dinner and spend the rest of evening eating and in conversation with our adopted Scottish family.  It was a great day, but typical for us as we work on revising our first Scotland golf book. 

Photos: Bob putting at Schawpark, Anne eating in the clubhouse.

Sign of the Times: Sign seen at Milngvie GC, “Caution: Slippery Banks.”  With the current world economic situation I thought that would be obvious!