On Saturday night, before Sunday’s Solheim Cup finale, we all decided that after such an active and non-stop week, we would watch the final round inside the private lounge they reserved for us at the Rusacks Hotel. Since the singles matches are so thoroughly covered, we would be able to watch every shot from all twelve matches, on their big-screen television, enjoying ideal indoor weather, and having food and drinks delivered!
But the first order of the day was our decision to walk the famed St. Andrews Old Course. Like every Sunday, the course is only open to walking and dog-walking (no golf). Since we were staying right here, we decided to get up, meet downstairs at 6:20, and go for a “walk”. The reason we had not played the course this week, is that no one but members of the R&A (Royal & Ancient) may play the course in September as there are member events and preparation for the following week’s European Tour Dunhill Cup Championship.
There we were, at the HOME OF GOLF – consistently ranked as one of the top 5 golf courses in the world. Even though Erika had played the Old Course on a previous visit, she joined Val and me in walking each and every hole. We enjoyed getting to see the layout – there are 7 double greens and only 4 single greens (#1, #9, #17, and #18), lots of clustered bushes, but no real trees. The two defining traits are the huge, undulating greens, and the deep, perfectly prepared, stacked sod bunkers.
What a great place to be – it has seaside holes, it has the Road Hole #17 that requires tour players to hit their tee shot over the Old Course Hotel, and after the tee shot on #18, it has that BRIDGE crossing the Swilcan burn. Although it is measured as not the longest course, it is certainly not easy. Tell that to Ross Fisher, who in a 2017 Euro Tour event, broke the course record by firing a 61, with a bogey on #16!
We spent all day Sunday – from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. watching the 2019 Solheim Cup final round of matches. We will certainly remember where we were when Suzann Pettersen made the “putt heard ‘round the world”!
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