FedEx Cup Predictions

For years, the PGA Tour and players alike have conceded that the FedEx Cup and the season ending playoffs are not perfect.  However, it is an honest attempt to make the end of the season compelling and interesting.  Here are my projections for the 2017 version.

• Jason Dufner will not win the FedEx Cup.  With 50 billion to 1 odds, don't empty your bank account banking on Duf man going from #30 to #1.  If you decide to bet anyways, here are Dufner's 9 simple check marks to victory.
  • Jordan Spieth must finish 29th or worse
  • Justin Thomas must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse
  • Dustin Johnson must finish T4 or worse and wear blue shoes
  • Marc Leishman must finish T3 or worse
  • No more than 32% of the field can birdie the 3rd hole
  • Jon Ram must finish in a 3-way tie for second or worse
  • Rickie Fowler must finish T2 or worse
  • Pat Perez must not have bacon for breakfast
  • Jason Dufner must win the Tour Championship
• "How does the FedEx Cup points thing work?"  will set a new record for number of times googled.
• The Golf Club at East Lake was an amusement park in the 1890's. Tony Finau will make East Lake his own personal amusement park in 2017 and cruise to a 4 shot Tour Championship victory.
• With 24th ranked Finau pulling out the Tour Championship victory, 176 individual alternate victory scenarios will emerge for the FedEx Cup.
• The top 5 (Spieth, DJ, JT, Leishman, and Rahm) will all finish outside of the top 5 for for the Tour Championship, putting their chances of FedEx Cup victory into question and plunging the tournament into chaos.
• Math difficulties and confusion will overtake the scoring booth.  

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... Mass hysteria!!”

— Bill Murray - Ghostbusters

• The following flowcharts will serve as the scoreboard during the entire back nine.

Brooks Koepka!?!?!

• World renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will be called in to provide live scoring projections and updates.
• Neil crushes the call and kills it in the scoring booth.

Neil Calls the live FedEx Cup action.

“In 5-billion yrs the Sun will expand & engulf our orbit as the charred ember that was once Earth vaporizes.”

— Neil deGrasse Tyson on Spieth's birdie attempt on the 17th hole

• With Rickie Fowler facing a 5 footer to finish in a 3 way tie for fourth place, Webb Simpson eagerly looks on.  Webb is not sure if a two way tie or 3 way tie from Rickie coupled with his 3rd place finish will be good enough for a first place finish.  If Fowler 3 putts and finishes in solo 5th, would he need a bogie from DJ on 18, or would the 3 way tie from Hoffman give him 2nd place??
• After holing his put for a fourth place finish, Rickie reluctantly fist pumps.  Did he just win $10M or did he just win $1.5M.  Nobody knows!! The excitement and tension is unbearable.
• On his way to the airport, Justin Rose receives a call from tournament organizers letting him know that he has indeed won the 2017 FedEx Cup!!
• The bad news for Justin Rose is that he will get stuck in traffic as he turns his car around and heads back for the trophy presentation.

The Canadian Rockies

When you think of the top 5 public golf destinations in North America, do the Canadian Rockies come to mind?  Probably not... but it should.  For most of the US, it's a relatively short flight to Calgary and an hour or so drive into the heart of the action.  Between Jasper, Banff, Kananaskis, and Canmore there are 6 courses on the trail.  Let's dig into the details of my recent adventure into the Canadian Rockies and sort out the details.

My partner in golf crime for the trip would be McKenzie O'Connell, most people call her Kenzie or Kenz, I decided to call her K Dawg.  Now, K Dawg is a 5 handicap and certainly a valuable addition to any golf trip.  She also jumped right in and showed off her impressive golf modeling chops.  Things were starting off nicely. 

The view looking back on the restaurant atop the Banff Gondola.

Golf hard, model hard.

After getting into Banff, we took the Gondola up for a view of the local scene and had a fantastic meal at the top, courtesy of Brewster Travel.  In terms of easy things to do in Banff, I would highly recommend the gondola ride.  With views of downtown Banff and the surrounding mountain ranges, it was an excellent preview of what was to come.  

Afterwards, we headed back to our first class accommodations at the Delta Hotels Kananaskis Lodge.  The hotel was centrally located in Alberta and has easy access to local hiking and biking trails with outstanding views of the Rocky Mountains.  A world class spa will be opening in 2018.

In the morning we were headed out to Kananaskis Country Golf Course for our first round of golf in the Canadian Rockies.  Designed by Robert Trent Jones and opening in 1983, the 36 hole layout is a favorite of local Albertan golfers.  In 2013, floods seriously damaged the course and it has been shut down for the past 4 years with funding and rebuilding underway.  In a sneak peak event, I was able to get some of the first photos of the new course, as 27 holes will officially open to the public for the 2018 season.  You can click on any of the images throughout the post to get the full course gallery.

Image courtesy of Robert Trent Drones.

The dual green on the Mt Lorette 18.  You can see the 9th hole on the Mt Kidd 18 still under construction below the mountains.

The Mt Kidd 18 will open with 9 holes available in the beginning of 2018

The best part about the event at Kananaskis was the emotion demonstrated by the participants and the staff as they returned to their course after a 4 year hiatus.  I watched as head professional, Bob Paley, high fived and hugged a couple of familiar faces, afterwards he would turn to our group with a huge satisfied smile on his face... "See, this is the stuff that I miss the most, the people, the camaraderie... it's just the best."  Bob was immediately one of our favorite people we would meet on the trip.  The only downside was that smoke from nearby wildfires would cloud the view of the normally spectacular mountains.  

Next up was paddle boarding courtesy of Rebound Cycle, we would change that to golf paddle boarding as K Dawg would pull off a pretty sweet trick shot effort! 

Be sure to pump up the volume for @kenzie.oconnell and this paddleboard #trickshot @canrockiesgolf @reboundcycle #golfthatinspires 🏄‍♀️⛳️

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Sep 9, 2017 at 11:47am PDT

When traveling with a golf model, it is necessary to note that just about every location is a modeling location.  Here are some of those shots from early on in the action.  As a published Golf Digest model, I would push Kenzie to be the best model she could be, while providing her with the experience and modeling guidance that she needed.

Golf stairway modeling

Model off standings: PJKoenig: 1.  K Dawg: 0

Next up on the Canadian Rockies agenda was Silvertip Golf Club.  With 600 feet of elevation change, Silvertip offers some outstanding views of the Three Sisters and nearby mountain ranges.  Unfortunately, the normally amazing views would be partially clouded by smoke.

“As a professional, I’ve played all over the world and I find the Silvertip Golf Course to be one of the most spectacular I’ve ever played. Between Les Furber’s incredible layout and the scenery, it is easy to see why.”

— Stephen Ames - 4 time PGA Tour winner & Member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

I would come out of the gates firing with birdies on the 1st 2 holes,  The flames would fizzle.

With several rounds under our belt, we were ready to put the pedal down on the EZ-GO and turn up the golf action.  With an early start on the Stewart Creek Golf Course, we would find our golf groove for a day of 36.  

Stewart creek is one of the more unique locations for a golf course as it is actually built on top of an old coal mining operation.  The shafts and tunnels run beneath the golf course and several of the mine entrances are still visible on the course.  We were told it was safe, but I took it easy on the divots to avoid plummeting through the fairway and into any abandoned mine shafts.  A big thanks to our host Greg for helping us avoid the pitfalls!

This coal mining shaft would cease operation in 1978.  

With several mine shafts and several models on the property, this was naturally the perfect time to start production on our 3 part series: "An Introduction to Male and Female Amateur Mine Shaft Modeling"  As you can clearly see in the video, I have increased my lead in the model off competition with a score of 2-0.

A quick "how to" guide for male and female amateur mine shaft models.

The stunning downhill 9th hole:  I would get nasty and make a 2!

From time to time, I would find a slight gap in the smoke coverage and get a shot of the mountains.  These views are commonplace on all of the courses we would play in the Rockies.

Next up on the tour of the Canadian Rockies was the highly anticipated Fairmont Springs Banff Golf Course.  We were in for a treat as veteran Golf Broadcaster, Luke Elvy, would join us for the round.  Luke is one of the best dudes you can play golf with and he was happy to lend advice, share stories, and even call the action as we golfed our balls.  He also has an Australian accent.

Exhausted from the mine shaft modeling, I would take the day off from the competition.  Surprisingly, K Dawg would still only manage a narrow victory..  Update; PJKoenig 2  K Dawg: 1

Professional Golf Broadcaster @lukeelvy13 has little patience for amateurs like myself. Listen in! For those man enough to wear the shirt, free shipping!! code: pjkoenig at @badbirdiegolf #stringbeany @canrockiesgolf #golfthatinspires @fairmontbanff #stringbeany #inthepiss

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Sep 11, 2017 at 8:20am PDT

Kenzie would nearly make an all world 2 on the "Devil's Cauldron"  Check out the video here.

Even with a heavy dose of smoke covering the mountains, the Stanley Thompson course was a highlight of the trip.  The course is strategic, scenic, challenging, and fun to play.

A shot from behind what was originally the 18th hole.  The routing has been changed due to clubhouse and capacity demands.  

For the final round of the trip we headed out to Canmore Golf & Curling Club.  In 1926, the original course was only 9 holes with sand greens and coffee cans for holes.  In the 1960's a curling rink would be added, and today, Canmore offers a full test of golf with stunning views of the surrounding mountain ranges.  Thanks to our host Darren Cooke for showing us around.

Even during a historically dry season, The short par 3 11th at Canmore Golf & Curling Club is still a stunner.

Local golfing stud, Jack Stoliker would come out of the gates hot and birdie the 1st two holes.

The view from above the 10th hole at Canmore.  

One of the most compelling parts about the Canadian Rockies is that there is a lot more than golf in the area.  Even though our trip was compromised mostly of golf, the opportunities for hiking, helicoptering, kayaking, shopping, and of course, modeling, are endless.

With only one day left in the model-off competition, I decided to give Kenzie a chance to even the score on the downtown streets of Banff.  Naturally, K-Dawg rose to the challenge and pulled off some sort of movie shopping montage.  It is important to note that the original score called for Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself.  However, Billy Idol did not return our requests for copyright approval.  With the score even at 2-2, a return trip is in order.

Sunday Fund-'eh' 🇨🇦 When girls just wanna have fun 😜 & by girls I mean (P) @pjkoenig @tara.kabatoff & I ❤️. . . . #dance #goofs #love #live #laugh #bestimes #banff #canada #travel #travellife #traveling #salt #salty #spinmoves #model #modeling #golf #golfer #canadianrockies #blessed #boom #k🍀 #KO #keeponkeepinon @tara.kabatoff @pjkoenig @banff_lakelouise @fairmontbanff @canrockiesgolf 🎥

A post shared by McKenzie O'Connell 🍀 (@kenzie.oconnell) on Sep 10, 2017 at 4:06pm PDT

Thanks for tuning in to watch these two heavyweights golf hard and model hard. #GolfHardModelHard

Sand Valley

On May 2nd 1999, Mike Keiser opened a little golf resort called Bandon Dunes.  It was located in a remote coastal area of Oregon that was hard to get to.  Most golf experts told Mike that he was crazy for building a course in such a remote location.  But golfers came in droves to play the highly regarded David Mclay Kidd layout.  Two years later, Pacific Dunes joined the original course and then came Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald, and finally Bandon Preserve.  It is easily one of the greatest golf success stories of this generation.

After adding Cabot Cliffs to his portfolio of courses in 2016, Mike Keiser decided to open another golf resort in a remote location.  This time it's in the middle of Wisconsin, it's a little easier to get to, and its called Sand Valley.  With preview play already open on the resort's second course, Mammoth Dunes, and a par 3 course in the works, the Bandon Dunes formula that worked so well is looking to repeat itself.

The view from "Craig's Porch"  which is named after Craig Haltom, the landowner who originally brought the land to Mike Keiser's attention.

The view of the clubhouse as you drive into the property.

Sand Valley Facts

• The course opened to the public on May 2nd 2017, exactly 18 years to the day after Bandon Dunes opened.
• Sand Valley is 4 hours from Chicago, 3 hours from Milwaukee, 2.5 hours from Whistling Straits, and 2.5 hours from Erin Hills
• I drained a 40 footer on #5 for birdie and fell over attempting an overly unnecessary fist pump.
• The course is designed for walkers only. 
• The brisket tacos at "Craig's Porch" for $1.50 will knock your socks off
• Ashley Mayo hit the opening tee shot at Sand Valley.  She found the fairway... she always finds the fairway.
• Sand Valley has 53 rooms with 107 beds on property
• The team of Coore & Crenshaw built Sand Valley and David McLay Kidd is the course architect for Mammoth Dunes.
• Because of the name's negative connotation, the name for the par 3 course, "Quicksand" is up for review.
• I disagree with the up for review thing.  Quicksand is an awesome name.

Even the parking lot at Sand Valley is filled with sand.  You can see the resort's par 3 course in the top left and the 1st tee and 18th green on Mammoth Dunes on the right.

Sand Valley was built on top of a sand bed left behind from a glacier.

The green on the par 5 4th hole

It's tough to make an uphill par 3 look this good.  Coore & Crenshaw  have figured things out at Sand Valley

During my visit to Sand Valley Resort, I was able to play 6 holes at Mammoth Dunes and I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the other 12 while they were under construction.  For those of us outside the world of golf course construction, It's a unique experience to view a course in it's various stages of development.  I much prefer them with grass.

The sand dune I am standing on here partially obstructs the view of the green from the tee on the par 3 16th.  Given my experience with golfer's and their reactions to blind shots, this one should spark some debate.

Basketball soon to be replaced by golf ball.  Kidd uses these basketballs to get an idea of how the green will break when finished.

Fresh seed at Mammoth Dunes is coming in nicely.

While creating Mammoth Dunes, Kidd and his team uncovered an old housing foundation.  Instead of removing it, they made a bunker out of it.  It's gnarly and awesome.

With Sand Valley Resort off and running, Wisconsin is quickly turning into one of America's go to destinations for amazing public golf.  With Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Sentry World, and Erin Hills all a reasonable drive away from one another, the area is poised to see a dramatic spike in buddy trips and birdies.  I know I added a couple to the tally.

To get an idea of the courses you would like to visit, you can view all of my course photos from Wisconsin here.

Go Goleta

Recently, the Goleta Department of Tourism invited me to help create the greatest promotional video that the world has ever seen.  While the world's greatest tag may be a bit of an exaggeration, Goleta is certainly an excellent place to spend a weekend.  

If you are like me, you are probably not familiar with the city of Goleta.  Located just 15 minutes outside of Santa Barbara, CA, Goleta resides right on the Pacific Ocean.  The best part about traveling to Goleta is the airport.  Since the airport is the size of a Spanish villa, it only took me 15 minutes from landing to arrival at the Pacifica Suites hotel.

My buddies for the trip were members of our San Francisco Skeeball team, Adam and Trevor.  That's right Ron Burganskee, Bill Braskee, and Gary Buskee (skeeball aliases) were getting back together.  The trip would start off in Goleta Style with the arrival of an all world gift basket comprised of local Goleta offerings.  Our group would dive into this gem with enthusiasm

The Sandpiper Selfie is a cut above other selfies. #GoGoleta #GoletaStyle pic.twitter.com/pZPDrj2liv

— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) August 1, 2017

When your Instagram handle shows up on large bags of food, drinks, and golfballs. 👍💪@PacificaSuites #GoGoleta pic.twitter.com/YlQDgY1tRF

— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) July 31, 2017

First up on the agenda was a visit to the popular Sandpiper Golf Course.  With camera crews present, the pressure was on to deliver high quality golf shots combined with superior modeling skills.  Amidst the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, we delivered in style... Goleta style.  The back nine at Sandpiper Golf Course is exceptionally good and a couple of those birdies should definitely make the highlight reel.

The par 3 11th at Sandpiper sits right on the beach.  View the rest of my photos here.

After golfing up an appetite at Sandpiper, our group headed to M.Special, a local brewery that has cornhole, giant Jenga, and several standout ales.  We even brought in a Mexican fare lunch as the cameras descended on our dining experience.  If you have never eaten tacos while being filmed at close range, I can assure you it's a pressure packed experience.  We would rise to meet the challenge and consume our chips and salsa like seasoned models/actors.

Trevor displays his newly found skill at field goal beer golf, an impromptu skills challenge that probably won't become popular any time soon.

Maintaining your food model face is difficult work

After lunch, it was time to return to the Pacifica Suites and proceed to pool party like only Burganskee, Braskee, and Buskee can.  The video and picture below should give you an idea of the top notch pool action that happened.

Our final round of the buddies trip was at Glen Annie Golf Club.   With views of the pacific and the rolling foothills of Goleta, it's a fitting end to a fantastic weekend.  Be sure to check out the rest of my photos here. If you are interested in making your own Goleta style experience, you can get started here.

A view of the 10th hole at Glen Annie with lemon trees in the backdrop.

Good times yesterday with @PatrickjKoenig and his crew. #gogoleta @gogoletaca pic.twitter.com/dEM9ptF5e8

— Glen Annie Golf Club (@GlenAnnie) August 2, 2017

The sun sets on an excellent Goleta weekend over Glen Annie Golf Club

Colorado

If you are looking for some distance gains with the driver, you may want to consider a trip to Colorado instead of forking over $500 for the latest and greatest.  With the entire state resting at least 1000 meters above sea level, you will gain at least half a club, no questions asked.

This was my first golf visit to the "Centennial State" and Colorado has some serious golf options located just outside of Denver.  First up on the agenda was Jack Nicklaus' Castle Pines.  The course opened in 1981 and from 1986 to 2006 hosted the International, a PGA Tour event.  In certain circles, Castle Pines may be even more well known for it's milkshakes.  I finally would know the feeling John Travolta expresses in the clip below from Pulp Fiction.  They are seriously that good.  After a glorious introduction to golf in Colorado at Castle Pines, a day of 36 at Cherry Hills and Colorado Golf Club was on the calendar.

It's quite possible that Travolta prepared for his role as Vincent Vega by visiting the Castle Pines shake shack.

Click on any of the images to view all of my photos from that course.

The view of 18 from the clubhouse at Castle Pines

 Cherry Hills is most well know for the 1960 US Open in which Arnold Palmer erased a 7 shot deficit to claim victory.  Being a part of Arnie's Army for as long as I can remember, I couldn't have been more excited for my visit.  If there was a single swing that earned Arnie the tile of "The King" his drive on the first hole at Cherry Hills was it.  Palmer would find the green with a persimmon driver and balata ball on the 346 yard par 4.

Would I be able to drive the green and duplicate the feat?  Would I birdie 6 of the first 7 to shoot 65?  Could I live up to the legend?  The answer would be a resounding no.  Even with superior technology, I would come up 30 yards short on #1 and only manage two birdies in the first seven holes.  I was pretty stoked about those 2 birdies with one coming on a holed out bunker shot.

A view from Arnie's tee box on #1 at Cherry Hills.

A look down at Cherry Hills

After a fantastic morning round at Cherry Hills, I headed down the road to Colorado Golf Club.  CGC was created by the architectural duo of Coore & Crenshaw.  Having enjoyed several of their creations, I was excited for the afternoon round.  Adding some more flames to the fire was Instagram sensation Karin Hart.  Karin is a newcomer to the game, but she has picked things up nicely.  

Karin recovers from the rough looking stylish

The short 2nd hole kicks off the par 3 fun at Colorado Golf Club.

Aside from the course, one of the highlights from our round at Colorado Golf Club was our forecaddie, Sadie LeCheminant.  Usually, I struggle to find serious value in a forecaddie, but Sadie brought the heat to our foursome.  A former professional snow boarder, Sadie was easily the best forecaddie I had experienced.  Book her today if you are serious about having a well informed and joyous time on the golf course.  

Sadie dials in the yardage, she would later dial in a well timed golf quip.

Next up was the 3 hour drive to Holyoke, CO and Ballyneal Golf Club.  With a population of 2,313 people, you probably have not heard of Holyoke.  However, Ballyneal is doing a great job of putting Holyoke on the map.  Even though it's in the middle of nowhere, Ballyneal has a small cozy resort feel to it.  Everything a golfer could want is right on the property.  With a large putting green course, a par 3 course, and a championship layout, you won't run out of golf to enjoy.  Left to myself, I would play until darkness covered the course, then I would play 3 more holes.

The wildly fun 6th hole is a drive-able par 4 with a uniquely shaped green.

The 6th hole at Ballyneal

After a drive back to civilization, I would find myself in Colorado Springs looking at The Broadmoor Hotel.  The Broadmoor is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and it's visitors have included heads of state, celebrities, athletes, and business tycoons.  In 1986, George Bush woke up with a hangover in the Broadmoor and decided "he would drink no more."  The Broadmoor parties hard.

There are also 3 golf courses at The Broadmoor and I was scheduled to take on the East Course.  The East course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr and Donald Ross.  The course has hosted a number of USGA events over the years and will host the 2018 US Senior Open.

In an attempt to save up some golf karma, I would go birdie free during my round at The Broadmoor.  However, I would score with my pairing and join up with two fantastic gentlemen.  After the round, we would tour the hotel.  It's worth a visit even if you are not staying on the property.

Originally established in 1918, The Broadmoor Hotel has 779 rooms.

The short 17th at Bear Dance

For the final leg of my Colorado tour, I would take in a recommended local course called Bear Dance.  Despite it's name, the course was not designed by Jack Nicklaus and I would not dance with any bears.  However, I would resume my dances with birdies and get my fist pump on 4 times.

In a very anti climatic end to the trip, I would par the final hole of the trip and stop at a Taco Bell on my way out of town.  I usually prefer the birdie and Arby's exit strategy.

The astoundingly large bear paw bunker at Bear Dance was not actually left by a 15,000 pound bear.

Scotland

After an inspiring trip to Ireland that included 13 rounds of golf in 8 days, I wanted more.  With Scotland just a short plane ride away, I decided to board that plane and meet up with a serious crew of golf nuts.

• Ashley Mayo - Trip planner and ring leader of the golf circus.  This critically acclaimed Golf Digest Editor was also celebrating a birthday.
• Jeff Blind - As the boyfriend of Ashley, Jeff is often referred to as Mr Mayo on hotel reservations.  However, standing at 6'6" Jeff holds his own on the golf course.
• Jeff Filer - A second Jeff, standing at what feels like 7'2".  Thats over 13' feet of Jeff to deal with.
• Shane Bacon - Fresh off his broadcast at the US Open, Shane brought his handsome face and swing speeds exceeding 115 mph.
• Tom Murray - A master of the quip and pee your pants one liners, Tom brings the comedic heat. As a special treat, Tom will host the Paper Plate Awards at the end of this post.
• Hally Leadbetter - Hally is a recovering tour pro on staff with Golf Digest.  This girl can golf her ball.
• Chris Solomon - Chris is the driving force behind the No Laying Up podcast.  True to his game, Chris would not lay up once during the trip.

It is claimed that golf was first played in the village of Cruden Bay in 1791.  100 years later, Old Tom Morris of St Andrews and Archie Simpson would design Cruden Bay Golf Club in 1899. The course was then redesigned by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler in the 1920's.  Our group would hit our golf balls 226 years after the 1st golf ball was struck on this land.

Chris Solomon pounds one deep at Cruden Bay's 6th hole.

After a rousing start to the golf trip, things were about to get nasty.  Carnasty at Carnoustie that is.  With winds gusting into the 40mph range on one of the toughest tests in golf, the golf battle was on.

Since The Open is coming to Carnoustie in 2018, it was important for our team to test the merits of the layout.  Even though they have been golfing here since 1850 and our opinions don't "officially" matter, we approved this course for Open play.

I always remember to pose as hard as I golf.

Photo bombed my way through Cruden Bay today. Hey, hey.

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Jun 22, 2017 at 2:32pm PDT

Tom would smoke his the 3 wood into the wind on the difficult 17th "Island" hole at Carnoustie.  You can sense the amazement in the face of the caddie as Tom finds the green.

Hally would find the sand often at Carnoustie, this one would also find the bottom of the cup for birdie.

After a long and tumultuous internet romance between Shane and Chris, this would be the first time that they would actually meet in person.  With expectations high for a life altering introduction, things were surprisingly normal and there were no uncomfortable Butler Cabin moments or sloppy make out sessions.  

Meeting your internet friends is always awkward @shanebacon pic.twitter.com/EV2jv684IY

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) June 23, 2017

With it often being difficult to obtain a tee time to play the Old Course, Crail is a fantastic option just down the road.  With most of the holes offering fantastic views of the North Sea, Crail will satisfy your golfing soul.

The par 3 14th hole at Crail greets you on your arrival to the Balcomie Course.

After a successful morning round at Carnoustie, half of our group would tackle the Old Course at St Andrews.  The other half would head to the Golfing Society of Crail. 

Here we have Jeff Blind finding the green, Jeff Filer looking on, and Tom Murphy looking on in sheer amazement.

The view from the 1st hole at Crail's Balcomie Course.

Since only half of our group had played The Old Course, the other half needed to get up early and wait in line to get a tee time for that day.  After chatting with the starter, we were advised that getting in line between 3am and 4am should put us in a good position to be sprinkled into the tee sheet as singles throughout the morning.

After a good 2 hours of sleep, we walked through the darkness and got into line at 3:15am.  The first person in line had arrived at 2:18 am and we were in positions 5-8.  We were confident as we waited for the starter to open at 6am.  As we watched the sunrise over St Andrews, it was clear that there are far worse lines to wait in.  I'd take a 3 hour wait at the Old Course over a 30 minute wait at the DMV all day long.

At 6am, the starter opened up to a round of applause.  Moments later, we would learn that a foursome had cancelled their 7am foursome and our group was next in line to claim the coveted tee time.  After some high fiving and coffee drinking, The Old Course was ours.

The view from the early morning line at the Old Course.

Excitement level at 10 as we nab the 7am slot.

Classic classicness.

Par saver from the knees!

Jeff Blind finds the green on 18!  "I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life."

Having heard much about the Old Course before actually visiting, my expectations were for a flat and rather pedestrian golf course.  I was told that it takes years and a minimum of 10 rounds to appreciate the subtleties of the Old Course.  

What I did not expect was just how much fun the course is to play.  The course is anything but flat and has incredible undulations that add a great deal of interest to any shot played along the ground.  Each hole feels like a walk through history and the ambiance of the course is unlike anything else.

I was surprised how far right you really have to go with your tee shot on 17 and I also can't describe just how awesome that tee shot into 18 is.  I remember smiling as I pounded one towards the village of St Andrews.  When was the last time you hit a tee shot with a big ass grin on your face?   

“I feel sorry for people that don’t play golf.”

— Shane Bacon

After a round of golf at The Old Course, The Dunvegan Motel is the place to get your golf party on.  It's where quotes like this make sense.

Up next was an afternoon round at Elie Golf Links.  It was a unanimous decision that this was the windiest round of golf that any of us had ever played.  Balls were not staying on the tees and flushed 6 irons were only going 80 yards.  You could literally fall into the wind and it would just push you right back up again.

After a 380 yard 3 wood, Jeff plays his 2nd from the parking lot at Elie Golf Links.

St Andrews sunset selfie action. Kingsbarns and North Berwick today #golfparty. pic.twitter.com/ro59eaH26g

— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) June 25, 2017

Ashley checks out the periscope clubhouse at Elie Golf Links.  This is an actual periscope from the HMS Excalibur submarine that allows the starter's office to alert golfers when the 1st fairway is clear.

After 2 hours of sleep, 18 at the Old Course, 18 at Elie in 45 mph winds, it was time to play a sunset round on St Andrews' Jubilee course.  To cap things off, we ordered Domino's pizza and smoked cigars from the Jigger Inn as we watched the sunset over 17 and 18 on the Old Course.  In terms of golf days, this was a good one.

Today was one of those days Ice Cube talked about pic.twitter.com/YkM7Kb5vGW

— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) June 24, 2017

A nice little compilation of when it takes 4 tries to escape and I am in the group with my camera, 

In a heated golf bus discussion, our group debated the captioning options for Hally's Instagram post.  "Feel the 'burn' between your legs at Kingsbarns." was deemed too racy and was unfortunately scrapped.

With only one day left in Scotland, it was a day of 36 holes at Kingsbarns and North Berwick.  With Kingsbarns opening for play in 2000 and North Berwick being established in 1832, this was a good mix of the old and new.

The 18th at Kingsbarns

At around 200 yards, the 15th at Kingsbarns is a real ball buster of a par 3.

The 12th hole at Kingsbarns was recently voted the best par 5 in Scotland based on a poll conducted by VisitScotland.com

North Berwick was one of the courses that I had earmarked on the agenda as I was looking forward to many of the holes and the original architecture.   North Berwick did not let us down that day as it has been satisfying golfers since 1832.  It knows what it's doing.

"The Pit" hole at North Berwick is as fun as any other golf hole in the world.

The biarritz green on the 16th at North Berwick is outstanding.

With the trip nearing completion as we headed down the 18th fairway, Ashley Mayo decided to knock one in for eagle and earn shot of the trip awards.  What a legend, that Mayo.  

With Ashley's walk off eagle, the trip was complete and it was time to take some selfies and hand out some awards.  I know you have been eagerly awaiting the Paper Plate Awards hosted by Tom Murray.  

Paper Plate Awards Hosted by Tom Murray

• Most likely to play 36 while we're sleeping Award- Patrick Koenig *It's true, I played Muirfield twice while every was in bed on Tuesday.
• Steal my chips and look like Jason Whitten Award - Jeff Filer *Jeff had 2 touchdowns and 3 birdies on The Old Course.
• Most likely to pound the most D's on the same hole Award - Jeff Blind *D stands for driver people, jeez.
• Expedia.com travel insurance Award - Shane Bacon *Shane booked the wrong flight and showed up a day late.
• Hit every fairway Award - Ashley Mayo *Ashley has hit every fairway since mid 2005.
• Least likely to lay up Award - Chris Solomon *not even once.
• Feel the burn Award - Hally Leadbetter *While the caption may have been scrapped, the burn lives on.

See ya later, Scotland!