CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Scotland: The Lay of the Land: Playing the Courses Where Golf Began

Scotland: The Lay of the Land: Playing the Courses Where Golf Began

October 10-18, 2009

The registration period for this program has passed.
Please contact us if you have any questions.

G is for Green, that's constructed to roll
In every direction away from the hole.
-- Richard Amour, Golf is a Four-Letter Word

Overview

Six centuries ago, give or take a few years, the Scots gave birth to the confounding game of golf, developing linksland courses that followed the rugged outline of the seashore. If you are among the legion of those for whom golf is "a thrill, . . .an uplift, a brooding, a melancholy, a dream of yesterday, and a hope for tomorrow" (New York Tribune, 1916), do consider joining this study tour. We will not only play six of Scotland's fabled courses, but also be treated to an insider's view of the design of golf courses from the turf up. We will consider the ways in which the construction and maintenance of every feature of every hole influence the outcome of your game. From the heart of Glasgow to Edinburgh and Stirling Castles to Glenturret Whiskey Distillery, this trip also provides a delightful itinerary at somewhat lower cost for non-golfers who accompany golfers.

Faculty

Paul Albanese and Frank Rossi, both highly knowledgeable and lively teachers, will lead the class. Paul, who captained Cornell's 1990 golf team, is a principal for Albanese and Lutzke, a company that designs courses around the world, as well as director of golf architecture for the Edinburgh College of Art, affiliated with the University of Edinburgh.

Paul will talk to us about the history, philosophy, and theory of golf course architecture. Frank Rossi, associate professor of horticulture at Cornell, is an international expert on the turf, culture, and maintenance of golf course greens. He will speak of high-performance course management and about water and golf and the environment, comparing and contrasting parkland and linksland courses.

Itinerary

We will settle in two hubs, from which we will drive by well-stocked coach each day to a different course. First, we will spend three nights in Troon at the Marine Highland Hotel, which overlooks the Royal Troon Golf Course on one side and the Isle of Arran on the other. From there we will play both Troon and Preswick, and then drive to the east coast to play Crail. Then we'll settle into the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews for four nights, from which we will play the challenging Carnoustie Course and both the New and the Old Course in St. Andrews, the latter of which both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have called their favorite in the world. True to its democratic origins, the course remains public and is closed to golf on Sundays so that local families may stroll its beautiful grounds. After a hearty Scottish breakfast, we will begin most days with a talk before golfers board a coach to the course du jour. On the way, we'll enjoy discussing the features of the dreamy and devilish holes of the day before, debating whether they were strategic--inviting thoughtful choices of play--or penal--exacting a toll for any failure not to answer their singular demands. And then, in Paul and Frank's company, we'll spend much of each day playing some of the world's most extraordinary courses. Other than our opening and closing receptions and dinners (the latter of which will feature the Presentation of the Haggis), dinners and evenings are on your own, so that you can take in the sights, enjoy restaurants of your choice, and/or drop early into a good night's sleep.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The program fee of $7,820 (per person, double occupancy) for golfers or $6,370 for non-golfers includes all lodging, some meals, all ground transportation, greens fees, trip management services, taxes, gratuities, emergency medical-evacuation insurance, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy (limited availability) is $1,468. You may make your own air arrangements.

Program Notes

This will be a moderately strenuous program. If you choose, you may secure a pull-cart or the services of a caddy at your own cost (no golf carts are available). In Scotland, we can anticipate two or three days of rain a week, so do pack some lightweight protection against the wet. But what fails to stop the Scots should not prove daunting to CAUers who love to golf.

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