Scotland 2014 Part 3- Golf, what else?

My husband will tell you it is magical.
Here is photographic evidence.

The Grounds Crew
(Charming, right?)

It would be absurd to do a series about Scotland without dedicating an entire entry on golf, and golf alone since that is the reason we venture to Scotland each summer.  I often get asked if I play golf, and the answer is no, not yet.  I have been to the range, and have had one or two lessons, but I really need to take more lessons to go out and play.  I will admit that golf is not my favorite sport.  I do, however, have a tremendous amount of respect for golfers who play well though, because it is a very hard game.  Just making contact with the ball is a miracle sometimes, and to get it to go where you want it to...that's another story entirely.

I do tag along sometimes to watch, and to take photos of Nicholas playing, but to be able to describe it to you here in any meaningful way?  No.

So, I will pass the mike (so to speak) to our resident golf expert for full analysis and commentary on golfing with a five year old in the birth place of golf.  I did insert shots I took on the camera that (I hope) illustrate some of what is described below for those of you (you know who you are) who are interested in the stance, swing plane, moment of impact, etc. (I sound very knowledgeable) of a certain 5 year old-  ha, ha.

Nicholas on the par 3 course at age 3

Nick enjoys golfing, the gear, the process, the accoutrements.  He is not yet a disciplined, patient golfer.  He swings for the fences, never takes the same stance twice, and forgets to line himself up far too frequently.  But he makes up for these problems with enthusiasm and eagerness to play.

 He willingly goes to the net in Brora to practice his stroke and warm up prior to heading out to the par three course.  He has developed some unconventional habits there.  One of his preferred practice swings involves a real looking swing where he swings over a teed up ball, rather than the traditional behind the ball.  He also has a tendency to hit the ball off the end of the club, squirting shots to the right because he stands too far from the ball or adjusts his stance mid swing.






Practice swing



Enthusiastically hitting at the driving range.
Yep, this is the driving range there.

However, when he does make solid contact with the ball, the results are quite impressive.   During the trip he reached all of the par three greens off the tee on multiple occasions, and most days he played the par three course two or even three times.  The first par three is short and flat, so he can actually reach it with his 6/7 iron.






However, it is more fun to hit it over that green, since a deep bunker secretly lurks behind.  One particularly memorable round Nick hit it into the bunker on one hop.  He went skipping down the fairway but paused on the edge of the bunker.  A cow had sought refuge from the wind in this spot, and we left the ball and the cow alone.  When that bunker was unoccupied, Nick tirelessly practiced bunker shots with his sand wedge, eventually discovering that hitting backwards would at least allow him to escape the trap and finish the hole (after properly raking and dumping excess sand out of his "trainers").  One of the last rounds I caddied for him on the par three course included a beautiful shot off the second par three to within five feet of the pin.  He also crushed a shot off the third par three that bounced on the green and carried all the way to the putting green fence behind (a total distance of at least 90 yards uphill).


Yet the thrill of the trip for both of us involved the rare trip to the big course when I was sure we would not hold anyone up.  He played the first hole on the real course three different times.  The first time he hit a perfect 6/7 iron that attacked the hill in front of the green and climbed far enough onto the green to remain on the putting surface.  Unless you have had the joy of playing the course, it is difficult to explain what an achievement that is for a five year old, but my effusive excitement seemed to get through to Nick at the moment.  The second time, he sank a downhill 11 foot putt to one putt that green (currently, Nick does not gauge distance and force particularly well, so he often four or more putted the greens on the par three course which were longer and easier).  And the last time we wandered onto the big course, the opening was wider, so we also played the second hole.  Nick asked, "Daddy, can I be in a bunker?"  I said that if no one came along, he could throw one in the bunker after he finished the hole.  Skipping down the second fairway, he volunteered, "Daddy, I am so excited to be playing this hole with you."  He eventually finished the hole (with a six putt), dropped one in the bunker to the left of the green, took a tremendous cut at the ball, and hit it so hard that it climbed the face of the pot bunker and scurried out onto the front of the green.  Nick's response: "See, it's easy."  May he always find it so.




Age 3



Age 5

British Baking Part 12: All Roads Lead Back to...

Golf

When the view from your flat looks something like this

or magical, like this. It is hard not to be inspired to golf.

One can practice out front traditionally, that is with a golf ball and driver.

No club? No problem. Got a rake.

Practice swings with rake and mini-beach ball.Follow through looks good.

It can be a family affair with Mom even joining in.

If you're not a golfer (or if you are and aren't paying close enough attention), this and the following picture are pretty endearing. Nick had been watching some of the Scottish and British Open on TV, and was imitating what the golfers' legs look like on the follow through... but before he even hit the ball.

again...silly guy

One just might make this broom and car work on a rainy day

Yeah, I got this.

Adorable golfing cupcake.

Want to know how to create this baby? See below.

My husband salutes Thee

Proud Dad

And he should be

If you'd like to see how to create an awesome golfing cupcake for your dad or hubby, here's the how-to:

Take your cupcake. This one is pretty flat, goes up in the middle slightly, so I will use that for the "hill."

Place a small blob of buttercream in the middle and spread in a circular motion outwards.

Cupcake should have a thin layer of smooth buttercream on top.Then take your graham crackers, put them in a plastic freezer bag, and break them with your hands.

The majority of it should be pretty fine, but I left a few small chunks for the bunker.

Carefully make a little pile with your graham crackers on one side.

You will need an icing bag of some sort to pipe the grass and it will need a tiny hole.

After coloring some of your buttercream green, place it in the piping bag and start.I began at the sand line, and did row after row of grass, the closer the better to make nice thick grass, and so the white buttercream can't be seen under the grass.

There you go.

Take a tooth pick and cut a piece of rolled fruit to make the flag. Just wrap it around the toothpick, it is sticky so it will hold itself up there. Add a gumball or other white round candy for the golf ball. This is fondant, but it is not necessary.And there you have it.

 

British Baking, Part 1: Background- Why here?

British Baking

Part 1: Background story- Why here?

Here we are in the Northern Highlands of Scotland, in a small village called Brora. It is a wee place, with a mere population of about 1,550. It is a remote place, to say the least. To get here from Washington, DC requires a flight to Heathrow (London, England) followed by an hour taxi ride to Gatwick (which they claim is a suburb of London, but only is in the same way that Baltimore is a suburb of Washington, DC. Which is to say it isn't really). You then embark on another flight, duration 1hr., to Inverness, Scotland. In Inverness you must rent a car and proceed to drive north another hour and a half. And presto, you're there (!) I know what you are thinking: why God why? Read on.

It is taxing, especially with a young child in tow, but it is rewarding nevertheless. My husband and his family have been coming here, that's right, to Brora for some 13 years. They have been to St. Andrew's, Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc. and they elect to return to Brora every time, every year. I, myself, have been here 7 years (yes, I madly love my husband), and my son, all of two years old, has been here twice. To say that this place is close to our hearts is an understatement. And, to answer your question, no, they don't have family here. Please, they come to golf.

They discovered it by accident. The hotels in the near-by town, Dornoch, with its famous golf course (ranked as one of the world's top 20) , were completely booked so they were forced to reluctantly stay in the northern village of Brora. That set off a chain of events that couldn't be reversed. Hyperbole, I think not. My husband wants his ashes scattered into the wind from the 17th tee.

I rest my case.

The place in which we stay used to be a Best Western (yikes!) Years ago, it was razed and a row of five town-houses and a remarkably modern, two-story apartment building were erected in its stead. They are what we would call condos, but the locals call both the town-houses and the condos apartments. My in-laws stay in a townhouse and we in a condo. The two are situated atop a small hill, under which lies my husband's Paradise: Brora Golf Club, and the North Sea.

The day we arrived, I caught my husband gazing wistfully out of our living room window at the 17th green and I swear I saw his eyes well up.

My father-in-law and sweet little one are just as giddy to be here. My son's first words to me this morning when I plucked him from his crib were "More golfing, please. Mommy carry Nick downstairs."

There is reason to be excited to be here. First off, the weather, it's in the 60's and not a bug in sight 'til dusk. The beach, golf course, putting green, 3 hole par 3 course (tiny: think 40-60 yard holes) are a two minute walk from our place, as is a pool, gym, and spa (Whoot! Mom's happy. Put it this way, the spa owner, Kendra, is now a dear friend. It's true.)

We have been here for only a few days and the young one has played his first "round" of golf on said Par 3 with his grandfather using only his iron, even on the greens, thrilled about being able to launch the ball into the air. We have ventured to the toy store (twice), book store (twice), putting green (6 times!), to the beach, and to an open field in search of bunnies. We have seen two rainbows already, three actually, if you count the double rainbow as two different ones. The Little Prince dubbed them all "Nick's rainbows."

So, now you can clearly see why here. Year after year, we return to the land of rainbows, tartans, fairies, argyle, gnomes, black pudding, castles, and GOLF. Where husbands and little boys are alive again and where little American bakers become very confused and angry at times: Why do mincemeat pies contain not a scrap of meat? Are there really these many different types of sugar: caster, demerara, icing, fondant, muscovado, pickling, and a special kind for preserves, etc.? Golden syrup and treacle? Just different forms of sugar. Don't get me started on milk, creams, and cheese and the very blurry line between them. Sultanas vs. raisins, please explain the difference. And,...Oh, I'd better stop for now... you know our history here. We'll begin with the puddings soon.