Saturday after breakfast, Laurel, Val, and I walked a few blocks around Nairn’s town square before going to the train station. Laurel’s three-day visit had gone too fast, but we loved spending time with her, sharing this experience, and having her get to know Janis and Erika. This was truly a world away from where we had seen Laurel a few months earlier in Las Vegas and seeded the idea for this meetup. Her life had totally transformed since then and here we were in Scotland having made brand-new memories! Big hugs and kisses at the station, and before we knew it, she was off on her way to Edinburgh for the day before flying back to Estonia. We watched until we no longer could see or hear her ScotRail train as it miniaturized from our view down the tracks.
No question, walking down the hill and arriving at the Nairn GC was, other than staying at Dalmahoy, the shortest commute of the entire trip! Ken and Janis met Val, Erika and me as we had walked to the club. Upon our arrival, there was John Warren from last night! We had told him the night before that we were playing his Nairn GC and he had mentioned that he might meet us there. We were so glad to see that he was “okay” although bruised and embarrassed. He was quite grateful and called us his “angels”. John Stuart Warren, we will never forget you.
The Nairn Golf Club is an older club with an entirely modern clubhouse interior, restaurant, and locker rooms. We checked in for golf, got the cart and trolleys, and met our dear caddy, Jane Rhodes. Jane is a fine Scottish Amateur, and not only is a member at Nairn, but she had also grown up and competed with Laura Davies and Catriona Matthews when they were kids. The golf professional was pleasant, the pro shop was nice and the course looked beautiful. Our Nairn GC experience was off to a good start.
As we arrived at the first tee a very rude man blurts out something to the starter about not wanting to follow us. He recognized us from the day before as we had played in front of him at Castle Stuart. Although we had kept our position on the course, he did not want to play behind us again. Our caddy told us he was a member, some Duke, and we were not impressed. The pro came up to the starter and made sure we kept our assigned starting time and did not let this person bully his way in front of us.
So again, we all four hit perfect tee shots right down the middle for the dozen or so players present to see, and off we went.
This course is so pretty, fifteen of the holes are easy to walk, and you are as close to the sea as any beachcomber. It was a fun and interesting layout. Although an 1887 original, they had recently opened a newly designed westward par-5 at water’s edge on the front nine. After the 9th hole, an archaic structure remains, formerly the half-way house, and next to it, an amazing rounded-roofed building covered with live grass and heather.
Our interesting caddy/historian/tour guide Jane made the day one to remember. And we loved the fact we achieved a remarkable 2nd consecutive day of this trip where we got to the golf shirt layer – no jacket required!
Earlier on this day, Janis was remarking on how she was the only one who had not gotten a birdie during this Scottish vacation…
Of course, soon after this discussion, the true pinnacle of the round came on the very steep uphill par-5 #13. Janis’ third shot was a blind 54-yard uphill shot. She hit a utility “U” gap wedge straight up and INTO THE HOLE for her FIRST EAGLE EVER!!! I happened to be up top and was able to witness this amazing feat – we all just screamed and howled – really a wonderful moment! Janis was thrilled and we were excited for her. Although she still didn’t have a birdie, she did achieve THE golf highlight of our week!
We finished the par-5 18th right in front of the club, where folks on the veranda had a great view of golfers’ final putts. We decided to have a drink on the porch to celebrate Janis’ eagle and then decided to stay for the Saturday evening buffet.
Val, Erika and I made a quick trip to get our clubs back to the hotel, while Janis and Jane ordered the next round. For dinner, we sat by the windows overlooking the course and the beautiful Moray Firth – our final sunset in the Scottish Highlands. What a feast! We only wish Laurel could have been with us once more! Cheers to Janis’ eagle – September 21, 2019.
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