Loran Smith - The Open
Loran
Smith
The British Open will be played this week at Royal Birkdale at Southport on the west coast of Great Britian, and I will enjoy golf’s oldest championship through the coverage of the Peacock network. For 37 years, I made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for this wonderful event with an appreciation for the uniqueness of British style golf—but the adjunct travel opportunities to other parts of Europe, including the Eastern European countries, heightened the total experience to the utmost.
Everything from cathedrals to cultural landmarks to classic battlefields, all within arms’ length of extraordinary dining experiences with the best local wines. You never wanted to leave.
There is so much tradition, from the competition to the overall cultural experience, that you appreciate the unparalleled opportunity to soak in an international flavor that elevates your soul.
One of the most fulfilling experiences is to partake of a cooked breakfast to start your day. For most Brits, most of the time, there is a bap— which is akin to a sausage roll—or jam and toast. Then on the weekend you get the full treatment—a cooked breakfast, which may include cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs anyway you like, sausage, fruit, toast, and coffee. If you get that every morning, it will make your day. Every day.
With daylight lasting from 4:40 a.m. to 9:35 p.m., you can experience a fulfilling day. When I first began making trips over for golf’s oldest championship, I planned my day to spend the morning to visit an historical site or perhaps play on a nearby golf course(s): Anstruther, 10 miles from St. Andrews; Crail, which is 12 miles from the home of golf; Kilspindie, near Edinburgh, not very long, is the very essence of a Scottish links course; Musselburgh, a delightful nine-hole course where Mary Queen of Scots played; and my favorite of the courses not on the Open Rota, North Berwick. Located near Edinburgh, its charming layout makes you enjoy the day even if your swing needs some fine tuning.
The small treasures are everywhere in the United Kingdom. Play the Old Course, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Lytham, and St. Annes, but find time to venture into the course off the beaten path. Play the highly regarded courses, but reserve time for the hidden gems that warm your heart and soul and help bring you back to the golfing paradise that is the United Kingdom.
Having played all the Open courses, with the exception of Portrush, I find that the fulfillment of a golfing holiday is anywhere you take the time to play the Open venues and the lesser-known courses, too. continued from page
Get to know the local folk, those in the villages that dot the landscape of the British Isles, and for sure engage a caddy and develop a rapport with him. The first time I played St. Andrews, my caddie, Sydney Rutherford, was 82 years old. I played after lunch, and he had played 18 holes that morning. He knew every detail of the Old Course although he could not see, and he would offer such suggestions as, “Hit it to the third steeple on the church to your right,” or “Hit it directly toward the second fence post on your left.”
Herbert Warren Wind, who was the esteemed golf writer for the New Yorker, after spending a summer in Scotland once wrote that to play golf in Scotland without hiring a caddie “is to deny oneself the wine of the country.”
The concept of a B& B (bed and breakfast) originated in the United Kingdom, and it was part of my summer booking for almost 35 years, which I would not take anything for today. I got to know families and their interests and “inside” stories. The hospitality was as genuine as you might find anywhere on earth—from the golfing experience and the warm hospitality of the people. What I would give to enjoy that enriching experience again! Every day got my vote for a supercalifragilisticexpiali-docious rating.
