Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2013 - 21

courses, the dinners and the entertainment
were all great. "
" I can't recall a dinner I didn't like, "
adds Rusler, 46, a fi nancial planner and
self-described foodie.
Michel thought the food was just shy
of excellent, surpassing his expectations.
" If you're smart about what is ordered-
I always order fi sh or seafood-the local
dishes are excellent. "
In addition, the meat pies in Belfast
left a lasting impression on Michel and
Wagner, as did the cup of hot mushroom
soup served between nines at Castle Stuart
for this golfer.
It's important to be a little adventurous
and sample the traditional fair, says
Wagner. Haggis is a traditional Scottish
dish made out of a savory pudding
containing sheep heart, liver and lungs,
minced with onion, oatmeal and spices,
and wrapped in a sausage casing. " We
had haggis; I ate it quickly, " says Wagner.
The Blood Sausage (Black Pudding),
made with cooked or dried pig's blood,
bread, cornmeal and oatmeal, and served
on a potato bun with an egg on top, " was
fantastic, " claims Nikituk. " It was really
fl avorful... it tasted like a real hearty oatmeal
with a very nutty taste. "
Wagner read Tom Coyne's book, A
Course Called Ireland, just before making
the trip. Coyne describes a " claustrophobic
culture " among the Irish that is both
comforting and confi ning. On the one
hand, the Irish are content to be themselves;
on the other, they cannot easily
escape their social or economic station.
" If you were born a butcher's son...
you would be known for all eternity as
the butcher's son, " Coyne wrote.
The condition might explain the
slightly crabby vibe in Belfast, especially
compared to Scotland. Of course,
it could have been the fact that we were
golfers. In any case, it wasn't so long ago
that Belfast was a city divided by walls
and barbed wire. MG
Tom Kozlak and Remarkable Travel's Golf
Group are our links golf experts. For more
information, call (952) 224-9902 or visit
remarkabletravelgroup.com/golf.
Royal Aberdeen
The average cost of a caddie at one of the United Kingdom's
fi ner seaside links is about £45, plus tip, £60 ($70-$95
U.S. dollars). One way to save money, though not necessarily
strokes, is to pack your own range fi nder, or distance measuring
device. Several players on our trip sported a Garmin wristwatch capable
of displaying yardages to the front, middle and back of greens.
The Garmin S2 also measures layup and doglegs, features an odometer,
keeps a digital scorecard and comes preloaded with 30,000 courses from
around the world (the Approach S2 retails for $250).
The caddies didn't seem to mind, either. Knowing the exact yardage is
one thing, knowing what club to hit or how to execute a 120-yard bumpand-run
shot is quite another story.
For Glenn Rusler, course management advice proved
" invaluable, " especially around the greens and negotiating
layups. Rusler credits his caddies with saving
him " a number of strokes. "
If you'll be wanting advice on the
golf course, plus a few jokes and
stories to pleasurably pass the time,
no amount of high-tech gadgetry can
substitute for a local looper's shotmaking
counsel. -W.P.R.
www.mngolf.org
Fall 2013 MINNESOTAGOLFER 19
http://www.remarkabletravelgroup.com/golf http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2013

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