Well I really have to laugh, 8 months have passed since I gave an update on my health and said I’d get back into posting some blogs. And since then….. nothing!

In fairness I have a whole whack of things I want to talk about and review, but where are we meant to find the time!

I think the first thing I’d like to say is I’m well, I’m healthy and I’m back to work full time and golfing every other day. My cancer remains in remission and I don’t think I can ask for much more than that.

However I haven’t written this blog today to talk about my own personal situation, I went on a bucket list golf trip last month and I want to tell you all about it.

Living on the East coast of Scotland, I’ve always felt blessed by the courses we have on our doorstep. However for some reason, every year without fail we travel abroad to go on a golf trip. Yes we’re all but guaranteed the weather, and a beer always tastes better when it’s 30 degrees outside, but for some proper golf this year we decided to stay at home, pack up our clubs and a tent and go on a bucket list east coast road trip.

Day 1: Spey Bay

Our first stop was at the fantastic Spey Bay.

20 minutes short of our destination, the rain and wind and mist started and we knew this was the start of our trip. Spey Bay is located right on the mouth of the River Spey, not that we could see very much of the views on our arrival.

An incredibly friendly clubhouse greeted us and with an hour to spare we wired into our breakfast. Approaching our tee time, we were informed it was slightly too early to enjoy a pint.

Tee time came and the rain only became heavier and heavier. The fog was thick but there was enough visibility to bash one down the right side of the fairway.

It took us 6 holes before the weather started to lift, however once it did it revealed a fantastic course with incredible views right down the coastline.

The vibes were high, the golf was great and a birdie on the 7th had me sitting at +3 for the day.

And then the 8th.

A par 3 with the tee box right on the edge of the course overlooking the coastline and the beach. The green was elevated, and from the tee box we could see the pin was tucked behind a bunker on the top tier, with a lower tier down the front and a huge false front if you fall short.

Of course I’m +3, I can play golf, so I take on the pin.

Bad mistake.

I land short and come down the false front. I thin one to the back. I thin one back down the front. It takes me 8 whacks eventually to get the ball in the hole and all of a sudden the scorecard is back to normality.

Fortunately, the vibes are still high, the weather is holding out, I can hear cows in the background and I manage to shake this hole off.

We continue on for the rest of our round. I have to say there is no repetition with Spey Bay and each hole has its own unique feel. A very quirky course and a great challenge, one I highly recommend to anyone in the area.

By the time we are back in the clubhouse I have carded an 82 for the day with a result over my playing partner, which means a free pint for me.

Result!

Day 2: Moray Old

Day 2 starts with the opening of my tent and the realisation that perhaps 10 pints of Guinness the night before wasn’t the greatest way to spend an evening.

Rough barely cuts it.

No issues though, we pack up and head back down the coast to visit the historic Moray Old. A traditional Old Tom Morris design with that famous out and back layout.

As we parked the car and walked up to the clubhouse for our breakfast, we caught a glimpse of the 18th green. Wow is the only thing that comes to mind when typing this, what a challenge we were in for.

A hugely elevated green, right in front of the clubhouse, which we knew by the time we were marching down the 18th would be full of lagered up spectators.

The round got off to a flyer, again a massive whack with the driver down the middle and at this point I genuinely thought I had somehow shaken off the hangover.

How naïve of me.

The wedge comes out the bag and I realise any form of soft hands were left in the pub the night before. I clumsily skull it to the back of the green. In the end I take a bogey 5 and stroll thankfully to the next tee.

This is pretty much how the whole round went, great off the tee, solid enough on the dancefloor, miserable with everything in between.

Being a mid handicapper however, I’m not one to let a bad round spoil my day.

What a fantastic course Moray Old is. The first tee looks straight up the coastline towards the lighthouse and you follow this coastline for the first few holes.

When you cross the road to tee off on the 5th you realise how close you are to the RAF base. We had military personnel patrolling 10 yards from us that I’m pretty sure were making sure my snap hook would not be a threat to their operations.

Strategically placed bunkers on this hole caught me out.

Drive. Bunker. Great shot out. Bunker.

A few more holes and we were chatting about how great it would be if the jets started to come in to land. We could hear them within the base but could not see them.

And then two flew right over us. Incredible.

And then two came into land. These jets were so close to us we could see the pilots in the cockpits. This continued for around 15 minutes and was one of the most special things I have ever witnessed on the golf course.

The views continue for the rest of the back 9. I really don’t feel I can do this place justice via a blog.

And then we approach the 18th, the signature hole.

A par 4, straight up. Houses on your right, a bit of space down the left.

Whack, big drive straight down the middle.

My 6 iron comes out and it’s chunky, really not great but we advance nonetheless.

A final wedge up to the elevated green is needed and of course I see it, a full house watching from the clubhouse terrace.

Me with a wedge that has not played ball all day.

Somehow I hit one and it looks good in the air. It looks all over it in fact.

Wrong.

I catch the front of the green and it trickles down in slow motion into the greenside bunker.

Brilliant!

In fairness, I somehow hit one to the back of the green and I feel like a pro strolling to my ball. A full gallery is now watching.

1 putt, 2 putt, 3 putt.

Back into the clubhouse for me, and this time I’m on the pints before we make the 2 hour journey up to the scenic Dornoch Campsite.

Day 3: Golspie

We’re now onto Day 3 and although this is my first real go at camping, I feel great this morning.

Golspie is today’s venue, a course I played last year and would rank quite easily in my top 3. A truly beautiful course, a combination of links, heathland and parkland and a true challenge.

I hadn’t visited the clubhouse last time, however on visiting it this time I have to say it really is one of the friendliest I’ve ever come across.

And the views from the clubhouse, unbelievable.

And the breakfast, best of the trip so far.

We get to the first tee and we actually have a couple of onlookers. My playing partner has the honour of going first and bang, topped 5 yards in front of him.

The first breakfast ball of the week is called into action and he smashes his second down the left side. It is a par 5 and ironically he birdies the first, with a breakfast ball however, and this is a fact I don’t let him forget.

I hit a brilliant one down the middle, however once again my wedges let me down and I come away with a bogey 6.

Hole 2 is a superb par 3, downhill to a green surrounded by bunkers, which then takes us onto Hole 3. For the next few holes we are shooting back down the coast with the sea down our left. The wind is battering us and it is a true links challenge.

We both play very well today, however once again my scoring clubs have evaded me. I’m just happy to be back playing this wonderful course.

Once again we are playing a course where no two holes are the same. Every hole is a challenge and every hole brings something special to the table.

The weather takes a turn on us around the halfway mark, however being Scottish we always have our waterproofs with us and this is no real issue.

We finish up our round with the sun just about poking out, although we’re drenched and the only real respite is in the clubhouse for a couple of pints.

The evening after Golspie got a little out of hand.

Into the local for one or two, and we get chatting to one of the Dornoch caddies and a group of Americans who were also based at Dornoch. We find out they are playing Brora the following day, which just so happens to be our next stop.

One thing leads to another and it’s closing time and we’re all a bit worse for wear.

Day 4: Brora

Day 4 begins, and somehow I’ve avoided the hangover and even more unbelievably actually feel fresh.

We’re at Brora today, 30 minutes up the road and probably the one I’ve been most looking forward to.

We arrive, and there is a piper out on the practice green and we find out Ian Woosnam is a couple of groups ahead of us.

This is the first round where the course is completely booked out, however our playing partners for the day are a wonderful couple from Milan and we have a great round with them.

Brora really is a course you have to see to believe. A typical James Braid design with the front 9 heading up the coastline, and the back 9 coming back inland. It’s truly stunning, and with sheep crossing the course it’s a very special, unique experience.

I play very well this day however just could not score if my life depended on it.

Almost every green has either a steep false front or a steep drop off the back. They are tricky to hit and despite my drives being excellent all day, my approaches were slightly off.

I find it very tricky to pick a few select holes to mention because I genuinely feel like they are all special.

However the first hole is an enjoyable short par 4, with a dogleg right firing right up to an extremely elevated green. The scenery behind the green is second to none.

The par 3s on this course are all extremely fun also, the 13th would be my pick of the bunch. Short, but with a gully between tee and green, a good tee shot is essential.

We had the pleasure of shooting over some sheep trying to get out of the rain and it’s the small things like this that really make the experience.

At this point the heavens truly opened.

A mad scramble for umbrellas and waterproofs ensued and whilst the players behind us took cover, we fired on and played in the torrential weather.

A few holes of this rain followed, however coming onto 17 we had a bit of relief.

Walking onto the 18th tee we knew it was a special hole. There was also only one shot in it between my playing partner and myself.

He is up first and drills one miles left into the starter’s hut on the first tee.

I play the strangest shot I’ll ever play in my life, a little bit thin and a bit of a top. It goes low left and follows the curvature of the fairway, up round the outside of the bunker and rolls out to 15 feet.

An incredible result.

A missed birdie putt but a tap in for par in front of the clubhouse is a nice way to end our Scottish bucket list trip and head back down the road towards Aberdeen.