In the summer of 2017, my dad and I got to finally take our dream vacation – a 2 week long golf trip to Scotland. It was a trip a long time in the making and we visited 4 towns, played 10 rounds of golf, and even got to attend the British Open golf tournament. Whil I will never forget most parts of the trip as it was extremely memorable, there are a few experiences that ceratinly stood out above the rest.
The first unforgettable experience was getting to attend the Open Championship (British Open) golf tournament, held at the Royal Birkdale golf course outside of Liverpool. I had been to major golf tournaments here in the US, but there was nothing like getting to experience golf at the highest level among a different culture and perspective. It was a really cool first couple days of the trip at the golf course.
Second, we got to play golf at some of the most historic golf courses in the world. We played at Royal Troon on the western coast of Scotland, Carnoustie in the northeast -one of the toughest courses in the world,and Royal Dornoch in the far northern part of the country (it is a championship course in its own right and is often frequented by celebrities, but it is in a small town so far north that the Open never travels there). However, the highlight of these courses was obviously getting to play the New Course at St. Andrews, which is the home of golf. Just getting to be in the town and take in the history and timeless surroundings, was an incredible experience.
Admittedly, the best part about the trip may have actually been the food! We might have had the best fish and chips on planet Earth at this small shack near the end of the dock in Troon, located feet away from the ships that brought in the fresh catch. We also had world-class Indian food in the town of Carnoustie, England is known for its great Indian food thanks to the many people from India who have ended up there. Overall, I’m a huge fan of fish and chips so I got that at every opportunity possible while I was over there.