Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2013 - 18

cottish independence,
green
energy
or The Donald
suing the
Scottish government-
none
of these
issues were on
the minds of 16 Minnesotans about to
embark on eight rounds of golf on some
of the world's most prestigious links
courses: Scotland's Cruden Bay, Royal
Aberdeen and Royal Dornach, Castle
Stuart and Trump International; and
Northern Ireland's Royal County Down
and Royal Portrush. For the " noobs, " it
would be an unforgettable introduction
to links golf; for the old timers, it would
be discovering historic and great links
courses.
Although it was mid-May,
sleet
greeted us at the covered driving range
at Cruden Bay Golf Club, about an
hour's drive north of Aberdeen. The
sleet-turned-rain soon cleared to stunning
views of the golf course laid out
below the clubhouse, Cruden Bay and
the North Sea. Bram Stoker, scribe of
Dracula, holidayed in Cruden Bay to get
away from the hubbub of Dublin. Some
say Slains Castle, whose ruins are visible
from the golf links, in part inspired his
writing.
Although details are sketchy (we teed
off after a 12-hour, trans-Atlantic trip
from Minneapolis to Aberdeen via a
short layover in Amsterdam), Cruden
Bay teases with several drivable par 4s
(Nos. 3, 8 and 12), and back-to-back
par 3s-including the 15th, Blin´ Dunt,
a 236-yard tee shot struck blindly over a
dune and marker.
Just south of Aberdeen is Royal Aberdeen
Golf Club, home to Richie Ramsay
and a replica of the U.S. Amateur trophy,
a title that Ramsay almost lost in dramatic
fashion at Hazeltine National Golf
Club in 2006. Aberdeen's course (it's the
world's sixth oldest golf club, established
in 1790), the Balgownie Links, hosted
the 2005 British Senior Open, won by
Tom Watson. The Walker Cup Matches
were contested here in 2011, and more
recently, the 2013 British Seniors Open
Amateur, where Rosemount's Pat Vincelli,
67, posted rounds of 79-76-80-235
to fi nish 52nd. Experience with tight lies
and liberal use of one's putter-in short,
links golf-was critical, explained the
Brackett's Crossing Country Club member
after the championship.
Visible from the drive north out of Aberdeen
are 4,000-year-old majestic sand
dunes christened " the Great Dunes of
Scotland " by Donald Trump. The dunes
were planted with thousands of sprigs
of marram grass, around and through
which The Donald and Martin Hawtree,
the R&A's Open Fixer, built Trump International
Scotland. Trump, to no one's
surprise, calls it " the greatest course in
the world; " some in our group agree that
with time and maturity, Trump's course
will rank among Scotland's best (it recently
debuted at 50 in Golf Magazine's
World Ranking).
Dustin Nikituk, 37, a police captain
from Blaine with a 9.7 Handicap Index
who golfs his ball prodigious distances,
called Trump's 18th, a 651-yard par 5,
the toughest hole he's ever played. The
3-shotter starts from one of the highest
points on the course and features 18
bunkers, which are strategically placed to
harass the tee shot, layup and approach,
forcing play up the left side and bringing
two water hazards into play.
An offshore wind farm has been approved
by the Scottish government over
Trump's objections, and the latter has
put additional hotel and course developments
on hold. The government views
green energy as one key to complete independence-paradoxically,
since
rev16
MINNESOTA
GOLFER Fall 2013
www.mngolf.org
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2013

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