St. Andrews

Although it is widely known as the birthplace of golf, religion came before golf in the town of St. Andrews, Scotland. The cathedral of St. Andrews dates back to the 12^th century and was the first Church of Scotland. All that is left are ruins. As you are looking through the bones of those ancient ruins out to the sea, one can only imagine the history that took place on that very spot where you are standing.

The town also boasts over 500 years of learning. The University of St. Andrews is famous as the school where William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, met as students. The campus is made up of several building dotted throughout the winding, narrow lanes of the historic old town.
But who am I kidding? We drove to the town of St. Andrews for one reason… to see the Old Course. It was a beautiful sunny day as we drove from our cottage in Elie up the coast into the town of St. Andrews. The temperature was somewhat warm that day, particularly inland, so I wasn't wearing the normal layers. We walked out past the Royal & Ancient clubhouse for our first glimpse of the course and my husband had Goosebumps from the sheer sight of the place. (My Goosebumps no doubt came from the brisk wind whipping across the links.)

Golf began here in the 15^th century and is as popular now as ever. On Sundays, the course is closed for golf but you are free to walk over the course. We were in town on a Friday, but even then we were allowed to walk along the footpaths at the edge of the putting green and out to the Links Clubhouse. As we watched a foursome tee off, my husband assured me he could hit the ball as well as any of them.
We were staying in the Kingdom of Fife in the village of Elie. 

 The village was centrally located between St. Andrews and our park-and-ride for the Ryder Cup. Elie is a resort town with beaches, golf courses and the Scottish coastal path which stretches 117 miles along the coast and through the town. We rented a cottage on the beach with the most amazing views. Our back windows looked out to the North Sea and the front windows looked out to the seventh tee of the local golf course.

The guys had the opportunity to play golf at a local course, Lunden Links. Their tee time was arranged through a connection my husband made with a young man from Scotland who participated in an exchange program that led him to Washington & Jefferson College where he attended classes and pledged Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Chris Cunningham's parents run the clubhouse and not only booked the tee times, but also displayed an amazing amount of Scottish Hospitality by treating us all to a fabulous meal after the guys finished their round of golf. After a fabulous meal, sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and a couple of bottles of wine, we sat around with our hosts for some great conversation and assured them they had a place to stay if they ever made it to Washington, PA.