Saturday the 7th of August is nearly a week ago but amidst the hectic nature of the last week there has been little time to blog. Here we go with part one of what was a long day of golf and travel. It all began in the house of Asher in Nairn where weâ??d caught some much needed rest before our drive south to the Boat of Garton Golf Course. This is an inland course with plenty of heather and tree lined fairways that was designed by James Braid and is spoken of fondly and seems to regularly appear in lists of â??hidden gemsâ?? to be played in Scotland.
Despite having a strict schedule of drive, golf, drive, golf and then find somewhere to sleep, we started our day running late as certain blogs were taking longer than normal to write / upload.  And so it was not the ideal preparation as we got straight out of the car, said gâ??day to the assistant professional and went straight to the tee. Then our day took a turn for the better as we asked a two ball who were about to tee off if they would like to join us for the round. Nualko and Eric obliged and moments later we were walking down the par three opening hole getting to know these two friendly Spaniards currently on a two week golfing holiday through Scotland.
This wasnâ??t your ordinary golfing holiday â?? it was entirely spontaneous. Nualko and Eric hadnâ??t got around to booking flights or arranging holiday plans so last Sunday they packed their car â?? golf clubs included and started driving from Barcelona to Scotland, stopping on the way for a hit in France, England and now were picking our brains about where we recommended they travel to next in Scotland. A carefree way to travel. Eric started his golf like he hadnâ??t a care in the world and through 5 holes was 1 under par (probably net 8 under par). We were trying to navigate our balls through the heather with mixed results. This Scottish heather can be gnarly stuff. The course, despite being short, was tight and the greens small and undulating. It reminded me of a course I used to play a lot called Hanmer Springs. If you hit the greens youâ??re going to be successful â?? if not you better have your chipping shoes on.  Although heather (thankfully) hasnâ??t made it to NZ so it doesnâ??t terrify you when youâ??re standing on the tee. Â
As we walked around we heard about life in Barcelona and the celebrations of the Spanish after their win at the World Cup. Nualko also shared with us about her career working with Sony and about her diverse background (she is Japanese and has immigrated to Barcelona after living there as a child and so speaks at least a few languages fluently).
There were opportunities for fundraising in a big way as a number of par fours were drivable. Probably about 4 to be precise. And having the Scotland birdie challenge set for us itâ??d be rude not to try and hit driver on all of them and go for the occasional (but so far unforthcoming) eagle. Sometimes this strategy worked, sometimes less so.  I would always encourage it on the quirky 15th - a green played over two huge mounds to a blind green which is shaped in a huge bowl - a good shot could be rewarded in a big way - I'm sure there has been the odd albatross here - but it can equally play havoc with your score - particularly for higher handicappers who get caught out in the gullies between the mounds.  But all in all this course is about the atmosphere and the laid back vibe as you walk around in the Highlands, on a perfect summers day with panoramic views of the countryside all around.  This is a different kind of golf to what weâ??ve been used to on the links courses of Scotland.  As far as being a hidden gem? I don't know if it's that hidden as it seems to be widely reverred - but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to anyone who is keen for a hit of parkland golf here in Scotland.  It's not jumped up, perfectly manicured resort style golf but it's a good fun and picturesque track that'll leave you smiling and,  like Nualko and Eric, looking forward to your next round of golf.
As the round drew to a close I looked at the card as found myself well under par. And then the hands got a bit sweaty, the swing shortened and the putting stroke went awry. Staggering in to shoot par was a little disappointing but Eric made up for it by holing out from 50 yards on the last for a birdie!  I think he still managed to come second in his private match with Nualko (who can really play) which means dinner would probably have been on him Sat night! The birdie barrage for day 220 of puregolf2010 had begun with 5 clocked up and with one more full round to follow in the afternoon at Balmoral it loomed to be a successful day on this front.Â
We shook hands and swapped details and headed into the clubhouse for a drink and a quick bite of lunch before we bid adeu to our friends and jumped in the car, on route to the Balmoral Estateâ?¦.
M
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Chisholm Park
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