Yes, it is Masters week, but we’re leading this off with a shout out to 

who really put the phrase “from the parking lot” to the test last week at Buc-ee’s (shout out to the greatest gas/rest stop out there) with his run of form. But the beluga. has. breached. Spieth’s win at +1400 gave Neil a long awaited winning week, and the climb begins to the top...watch out Randy!

 is our new draft king after climbing the rankings with his performance in the LPGA ANA last week. He cashed two top 10s at ANA with Nelly Korda and Sei Young Kim, and rightfully stayed away from the PGA because Sam Ryder never even had it in his two rounds at TPC San Antonio. The victories put him in positive figures for the season, he steals the throne from TC and is feeling locked in for Masters week.

 is taking the frustration of losing his kingdom by placing a Yankee this week (yeah, you’ll have to look that up) because he came up empty last week. He’s 50 nuggies behind 

 at this point in the season, and DJ is gaining. TC spread the nuggie love across LPGA and PGA, but winners were not found in his draft king kingdom. It’s gut check week for TC to right the ship.

 after another 0fer on the LPGA to put him in the pouch again. The pouch of misery was chugging an energy drink, and that looked a lot less enjoyable than rocking the Bryson hat a couple weeks ago. He’s charged up this week. Maybe he can keep Neil off his tail!

 gets his season long Jordan Spieth wins a tournament bet to cash at +200 last week. He stuck with Dahmen after the victory celebration in Mexico and Chris Kirk couldn’t put full rounds together so a mixed bag for him, but he continues to keep himself away from the pouch. He’s lurking.

The Walk It In boys had a mixed week as well. Jeff eked out a positive week hitting his matchup parlay, and Mark is kissing the green grass at Augusta because he was en fuego here in the fall. All the pros are saying it’s going to play much harder this week - is Mark up to the task to repeat his performance? Can Jeff keep his lead on the season and continue his positive trend line?

If you’re going to putt for dough it helps when you’ve given yourself more putts inside the leather than double breakers so where are the guys looking this week on their approach? Mark hits first this week at Augusta National.

: We’ve seen so many errant drivers of the golf ball (Tiger, Phil, etc.) put multiple green jackets on so it’s no secret that the key to scoring at Augusta is iron play and putting. The fairways are huge so don’t shy away from weaker drivers this week. Instead, find the pin seekers and birdie makers. You’ll find that my card has a lot of golfers with past success here and then a couple who are in too good of form to ignore. Buckle up, everyone - it’s our annual trip to heaven!

 It’s hard not to just lock onto course history + approach number here. The interviews this week with guys like Cantaly, Spieth, and Morikawa were talking about it being very different, firm, and fast from the November rendition of The Masters. Firm and fast means you have to be precise with the irons and know where to play through experience here. I’m going to use longer term (36 round) and shorter term (16 round) data on approach coupled with historical showings here to find the right mix of guys. And do not count out the intangibles. There are so many storylines for these 4 rounds. Spieth is back back. Rahm’s baby. DJ go low again? Brooks knee. Finau’s slide. THIS IS A DREAM!

Paul Casey Top Former ASU Player (+225) - 1 unit

You’ll recognize that exact prop from earlier in the season, where I cashed, essentially, a Casey over Rahm matchup bet. The only other Arizona State players in the field are Phil Mickelson and Matt Jones. I don’t know what to expect from Rahm after the birth of his first baby, but I do know that Paul Casey is playing some of the best golf of anyone in the world the last few months. He likely won’t win, but I love him to finish top 20 and beat Jon Rahm.

Niemann has been playing excellent golf since last season and has nine top 25’s in 13 events this season. He doesn’t have the course history here, only having played once and missing the cut, but he’s 10th on TOUR in GIR%, 6th in birdie average and 4th in scoring average. I have high hopes for him this week.

Same exact odds as Niemann above, he’s playing even better than him with a 3rd, 7th and 14th in three of the last four tournaments. Conners is 11th on TOUR in GIR%, 8th in SG: Approach over her last 16 rounds and a very respectable 21st in putting over that same timeframe.

I’m going to ride Kuchar’s hot hand and course history with a very modest top 30 bet. Kuchar missed the cut in November, but overall he has made 12 of 14 Masters cuts with eight top 25’s. Third place in Match Play and a T12 last week, he’s got great form coming in.

Short odds be damned I’m all over Jon Rahm this week. He’s played very well at Augusta historically and has some of the best par 5 scoring ever at this course. Rahm has always been one to run hot, and I think that with the baby being born last weekend he’s going to be a much calmer, cooler Rahm. Even when he hasn’t kept his emotions in check he’s 3 for 4 here with 3 top 10s. This won’t be my only exposure.

This line has gotten shorter since I placed it. I think a lot of people have seen the driving and iron numbers with Viktor. He and Morikawa might not have a lot of experience here (one showing each), but they are such talents. Hovland is one of two players in the field who is top 10 in SG: OTT, top 10 SG: Approach, and top 10 SG:T2G in the last 36 rounds.

The NLU guys might call me a pouch dogger for these short odds this week, but it’s tight at the top for a reason. There are a lot of great golfers playing well, and one of those is Fleetwood. Mark pointed out that he hasn’t won in America yet, but in 4 visits to Augusta Tommy has 2 top 20s. This year seems like he can go 3 for 5 because the irons are top 10 in the field and trending very positively.

Double Spaniard for me this week. Sergio has played so well lately and is bringing one of the best off the tee and iron games to Augusta. He knows how to win here (he did so in ‘17) and has 3 other top 10 finishes. His game seems to be in a very good spot, and even if his putter is an adventure this week you can strap me on the top of the Sergio train.

What’s my card without some Homa exposure?! This is too much value. First, he wins at The Genesis earlier in the year and there is some crossover love between Augusta and Riviera. Second, he brings the best stretch of form in his career to Augusta where he only has one showing, but he’s above average in every major SG category. I’ll take the form beating out the lack of experience.

Jordan Spieth to win (+3300) - 1 unit *PLACED FEB. 6TH*

Jordan Spieth Top 5 After Round 1 (+500) - 1 unit

HE IS BACK, OFFICIALLY! Obviously you can’t get 33/1 on Jordo anymore and his recent back-ness has driven his odds all the way down to 11.5/1. Expectations are sky high for him and I’m here to see more magic. We also have a quick hitter on Thursday, hoping he starts hot and finishes round one at or near the top!

Adam Scott Top Australian (+335) - 1 unit

We’ve got some really good golfers in the field from Australia in Cam Smith, Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones, but Adam Scott and Augusta are like peanut butter and jelly. He’s made 11 straight cuts here and 17 of 19 overall, including a win in 2013. T13 at The Honda Classic was very nice to see after a few pedestrian starts.

I explained why I love Joaquin Niemann already and think he’s worth a shot at 55/1, but Simpson and Berger are two of the game’s elite players whose odds should be lower. Webb missed the cut at The PLAYERS, but he usually shows up big time at the big events, more recently with a T10 in November’s Masters and a T8 at the US Open. He’s 17th in GIR% this season, 6th in scoring average and is always one of the best putters on TOUR. Daniel Berger seems overlooked every week and I’m not going to be on the sidelines anymore with him. He won at Pebble Beach and has four top 10’s in 7 events since January. Hasn’t played in the Masters since 2018, but has made the cut in all three starts here.

Jon Rahm to win (+1250) - 1 unit Rory McIlroy to win (+1900) - 1 unit

My outright bets this year have not been kind to me, and Rahm, McIlory, and Morikawa are not without risk. Rahm might be short, but can he get his first major coming off the birth of his first child? I see no downside to that with his elite game. Stay cool, Jon! Rory continues to search for consistency, but at 19-1 this feels like one where you’re kicking yourself after if you don’t take the value. Collin has the best iron game out there not named Justin Thomas, but can his putting be at least average in the field?

Justin Thomas Top 5 After R1 (+550) - 1 unit

I just mentioned JT’s iron game, and I think that he and his buddy Jordan are going to make Mark and I happy with their first rounds. JT hasn’t been good in round one historically, but in the fall he did shoot an opening 66.

Collin Morikawa top 4 American (+400) - 1 unit

I’m trying to keep the card relatively tight. There’s a lot of talent in this field and I don’t want to stray too far away from guys who have shown they can compete here or at the highest stage. Morikawa was profiled above, and I’m fading DJ this week. I think Bryson, JT, and Morikawa mix it up with Berger and Webb (shout out to my co-host’s picks). Let’s have a week!

Making Picks: The Masters

How awesome is match play, huh?! Golf fans were treated to two great tournaments last week, highlighted by the always unpredictable WGC-Dell Technologies match play, won this year by Billy Horschel. In Punta Cana, Joel Dahmen got his first career TOUR win at a hefty 45/1 score for one of our own! Let’s walk back everyone’s picks before taking a look at the Valero Texas Open.

hit it big with Joel Dahmen at Corales, risking 10 nuggies to win 450 and make a huge climb up the season standings. It’s always nice when you can pick the winner! His four bets in Austin didn’t go as planned, but whatever, right?!

is still looking for answers. He tried one parlay, tried another that completely faded the first one, then tried a third and a fourth parlay. Wouldn’t you know it, they all lost. He stays in the pouch of misery, but will have to pay his debts next week due to travel. Maybe he’ll encounter a psychic during his travels, who knows. He definitely doesn’t!

got his week started nicely with a Rahm/Cantlay day 1 matchup parlay that hit, but faded the rest of the weekend as Westwood, English and Cam Smith all failed to make it out of group play and Cam Smith obviously didn’t win the tournament.

went 0-5 on a mix of PGA and LPGA bets. He took Max Homa over eventual champion Billy Horschel on Wednesday, Jason Kokrak to win his group and Viktor Hovland to win the tournament. On the LPGA Tour, Yealimi Noh failed to finish in the top 5 and Lee6 missed the cut, which is not the top 10 he was hoping for.

is still the Draft King, but his lead seems to be shrinking by the week. His SUPER HEINZ missed and so did two other parlays he tried. At Corales, TC bet on Tyler McCumber to win and he finished T18, which wasn’t quite good enough. He’s starting to feel Soly and DJ breathing down his neck!

Mark is currently ice cold, losing over 7 units last week between group winners, tournament winners and matchups. Patrick Reed, Paul Casey and Jason Kokrak really let him down. Jeff is currently carrying the water for the Walk It In guys, but even he lost half a unit last week. Most of his money was won on the matchups, but he whiffed on his tournament and group winners as well.

Now we collectively lick our wounds and gear up for the Valero Texas Open, the last tune-up before Augusta National. Dustin Johnson was a late WD, but we still have some stars in San Antonio and a lot of value down the board. Good luck!

If you’re going to putt for dough it helps when you’ve given yourself more putts inside the leather than double breakers so where are the guys looking this week on their approach? Mark hits first this week at the TPC San Antonio.

: TPC San Antonio is almost 7,500 yards with narrow fairways so driving accuracy is going to be important, but there aren’t nearly as many hazards as the Florida courses featured. We’ve seen some of the longer hitters on TOUR succeed here so SG: Off The Tee seems like a great stat to hone in this week. As always, success with the irons should lead to scoring and I’ll also be looking at SG: Approach and GIR%. Rickie Fowler hasn’t done any of these things well this season - can he overcome that and sneak into next week’s Masters?

Match play is behind us and so are Pete Dye courses for now. This is the final chance for some guys (cough Rickie cough) to qualify for the Masters next week. Some top names are taking a tune up and some lower guys are fighting to keep the card and find that first win (congrats, Joel!). This week we see a premium on off the tee (distance is 7400+) and approach (as we always see). Uniquely this week is the focus on SG: Around the Green. So I’m going to focus on the best SG: Tee to Green guys. Those previous three combine to build the T2G number (I’m looking at the last 16 rounds) so that will be the main indicator for me in my greens book this week.

One of my top plays of the week, I love Cameron Davis here. Didn’t play so well during the Florida swing, but all the potential hazards on those courses wasn’t ideal for his inconsistencies off the tee. That said, his ball striking is excellent, ranking 7th in this week’s field in SG: Approach over his last 16 rounds and he is 13th in SG: T2G. This course is more his style and I expect him to play well.

It feels like he’s flying a little under the radar, especially in a weaker field like this, but he’s in pretty good form (four top 30’s in his last five starts) and his tee-to-green numbers are great. If he can hold his own on the greens this week, I expect him to contend.

If you listened to the pod, Jeff’s handicap on Steele was an A+ and I’m riding right along with him on this play. In his last 16 rounds, he’s 12th in the field in both SG: OTT and SG: Putting. Finished T3 at the Honda Classic and in 32 rounds played in the calendar year, only two have resulted in a score above 72.

His back is against the wall. Nobody believes in him right now. He’s going to miss the Masters. While I’m rooting for him to win and earn that last-minute spot at Augusta, I don’t think it’s going to happen, but he can still play well enough in this field to get some TV coverage on the weekend and finish in the top 20. Do it for the fans, Rickie!

Palmer has played pretty well all year and has very good course history with four top 10’s at TPC San Antonio. Over his last 24 rounds, he ranks 27th off the tee, 22nd in approach and 19th putting. Finished T17 at The PLAYERS and went 2-0-1 in match play last week before losing to Jon Rahm in a playoff.

Steele has continued to play well this year with 8 straight made cuts and 50% of those have been T21 or better which is basically what they’re saying with these odds. I’ll take this course fit for him and say it’s even more likely than what the odds say. He’s 18th in the field in SG:T2G in the last 16 rounds and has a very accurate driver (49th this season) and 48th in SG: ATG.

Love Ancer this week. He’s another accurate driver of the golf ball (2nd in the PGA Tour this season) and brings the 5th best SG:T2G of the field in the last 16 rounds. He played well at WGC last week, and has been T22 or better in three of the last four. He’s been profiled by us before as being laser-like with the irons. Plus, home game for the San Antonio local.

We’ve seen bad putters figure it out before when they hit a stroke of luck (Morikawa at Concession), and I like the idea that Bradley figures it out. He has a rare blend of accuracy and power with the driver that fits the Conners mold from his win in 2019. Bradley is 8th in this field in SG:T2G so I’ll hope he avoids the Sunday slide he’s seen in two of his last four tournaments.

Two guys I already have top 20 bets on, I think they are pretty undervalued to win as well, especially in this field. Steele’s form and performance has been better overall, but they are both capable of a big payday if it all clicks for them in San Antonio.

Scottie Scheffler to win (+1400) - 1 unit

I profiled Ancer already, and dropped the home game nugget for Abe. I like Scheffler for a lot of those same reasons this week. He’s like Bradley in that he has such a great weapon with his driver that is both deadly accurate (25th in PGA Tour this season) and a bomber (33rd). Yeah it’s a 4 hour drive from his home in Dallas to San Antonio, but he played great last week. I’m a little worried all those rounds wore him out, but he’s a young gun. Go get it Scottie!

All three guys are the “underdogs” in their matchups. Love it. Rickie is such a wild card, but I really think Dahmen, rightfully so, is going to party for that first win. Enjoy it, Joel! You’re in the Masters next week already so I think this is more fading Dahmen. I’ve told you about Ancer, and Chris Kirk checks in as 4th in this field in SG:T2G in the last 16 rounds.

Making Picks: Valero Texas Open

Editor's note: When it came time to roll out our (long overdue) new website we wanted to do something celebrating the people we've met through golf and the places that are still out there for us to explore. We've only scratched the surface on who we need to meet and where we need to go. Jim Hartsell embodies that spirit to the fullest. I met Jim through Sweetens Cove a few years ago and we became fast friends. He's spent the last two-and-a-half decades exploring Scotland and digging deeper than nearly any American I know, non-Tom Coyne division. As an Registered Building Architect, he brings a unique perspective to golf travel, both on and off the course. We're thrilled to roll this series out over the next few months and hope you enjoy. - Tron

War Memorial, Anstruther Golf Course.  Located next to the 2nd green, this monument memorializes the men and women from Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester who died in WWI.  

"Golf is preeminently the game of the Scot: slow, sure, quiet, deliberate, canny even – each man playing for himself.” – Arnold Haultain, The Mystery of Golf, published in 1908

The town of Anstruther, about 20 minutes southeast of St Andrews, has everything you could wish for as a visitor on holiday in Scotland. It’s a beautiful seaside fishing village with pubs, shops, restaurants - all easily walkable – and with the first tee of a brilliant golf course right in the middle of it all. If you don’t have the best fish and chips you’ve ever had in one of the town’s many “chippies”, then you must be a vegetarian. The ubiquitous food staple of Scotland is prepared at a higher level in Anstruther. There is much for the non-golfer to enjoy in “Ainster”or “Anster.” (the local pronunciations). However, golf is our main focus. The game has been played on the links at Anstruther Golf Club, originally known as Billowness, since approximately 1890.

Recently there has been a growing acceptance of golf courses with less than 18 holes and/or a par other than 72, some of which I will examine in detail as this series progresses. Additionally, the idea that a course must have a certain mixture of long and short holes to be a real test of golf has come under welcome scrutiny.  If there was one, Anstruther Golf Club would be a 10 on the Hartsell Scale.  Easily described as – 

“A superlative golf course with unlimited architectural character, just exceptionally fun. Play it all day with your friends and then have fish and chips in the clubhouse, with a pint of Tennents.”

The par of a golf course is more or less irrelevant in Scotland; as the golf is so dependent on the conditions of the day.  It may take two well struck shots to reach a par 3 or a par 4 might be driven with a well struck 4 iron. This is especially true at Anstruther, which is a totally exposed headland links. Additionally, the main objective in golf is to get the ball in the hole in less strokes than your opponent. Given these facts, does it really matter if a course is a par 34, 66 or 73? I believe that it does not. Any golfer would be pleased to go around Anstruther in level fours at 36.  It has one of the most unique mixes of golf holes that I have ever played, with 4 par fours and 5 par threes for a total par of 31.

Anstruther Golf Club. Photograph by Jim Hartsell

Standing on the first tee - with the green located somewhere in the distance on a plateau at least 50 feet higher than the tee - you immediately know a special day is imminent. It is a scene unique in the world of golf.  An imposing granite monument, originally dedicated to the local heroes of World War 1, sits at the top of the hill. It has silently watched over the links since 1920.  Leave it to the Scots to place an important monument on a golf course, where it is sure to be seen and remembered on a daily basis.

Play at Anstruther is, of course, dependent on the wind. On the day of our visit it was steady at 15-20 mph, which I imagine is probably the daily standard.  This gentle breeze completely changed direction between our morning 27 and afternoon 18, resulting in a drastically different golf course in the evening. Before lunch, the first hole played straight downwind.  The steep summit could be reached with a well struck driver, leaving a traditional Scottish run- up shot to the green as the correct play. After lunch, the wind changed direction and the hill could not be carried with the tee shot, thus rendering the 2nd shot completely blind and vastly more difficult. Playing downwind, this 270 yard par 4 is an opportunity for a birdie. It would be wise to take advantage of this hole, because it is one of the few relatively easy chances on the course.  This is one of my favorite opening holes in Scotland.

The 1st tee at Anstruther Golf Club. Photograph by Jim Hartsell

Once the summit of the 1st is reached, the joys of the Old Tom Morris designed links are fully revealed. The golfer can be forgiven for pausing a moment to take it all in – the town of Anstruther sweeping away below, the monument and the rocky shores of the Atlantic.  The 2nd - a 160 yarder aptly named Monument - plays straight out to the ocean in a strong crosswind. The green is sited on the edge of the cliff with the expanse of the ocean as a backdrop; a memorable and testing par 3.  Headland golf of this caliber is a rare and special pleasure.

The 3rd and 4th, both par fours, play on top of the plateau. The 3rd is a longish hole at 402 yards, has fairway bunkers to be avoided, but with a helping wind actually plays much shorter than the 4th at 286 yards. The 4th hole, Magazine, is one of the best par 4’s in Scotland.  It plays along the clifftop, with the ocean on the right, dead into the prevailing wind. There is safety to the left.  However, in taking the cautious route off the tee, the approach must played over an old stone wall and remnants of an old World War 1 arsenal building used for the storage of ammunition that was used for a gun training building on the 5th tee. The correct angle is down the right side of the fairway, but this brings the cliff into the equation. Whether you are bold or hesitant off the tee, the green seems to float above the ocean below. This is the Scottish golf of your dreams.

The 4th green at Anstruther Golf Club, viewed from the safe line off the tee. Photograph by Jim Hartsell

This brings us to the 5th hole, called Rockies.  In my experience, it is a one-off in the world of golf. A blind, dogleg 247 yard par 3 played from the clifftop to well……the sky. It was once voted the toughest par three in the UK by readers of Golf Monthly, as a plaque by the tee proudly reminds us.  I asked a  friendly member in the bar if he thought it was indeed the toughest par 3 in the country, “Oh aye,” he replied matter-of-factly, “because it’s a par 4.”  The majority of members do, in fact, treat the hole as a par 4.  Many of the older men, and a lot of the ladies, play back down the 4th fairway to pitch straight down onto the green from the upper level. I played the hole 5 times and I am still at a loss to see how the green could actually be hit in regulation. There is a smallish strip of fairway on the beach level, where the green sits. There is the potential to lay up there as there, with an iron, and play a wedge in. All that said, a “bogey 4” on this hole feels like a very good score. It is an altogether beautiful, bizarre and laugh-out-loud fun golf hole.

The Rockies.  Bizarre, fun and one of a kind. Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The 6th hole is another brilliant par 3  - with the green sited on the same lower level as the 5th - in the base of the cliffside.  It plays 128 yards from both the lower Members tee, as well as from the much more dramatic Medal tee on top of the hill.  In our ignorance and excitement, we had started our first nine of the morning playing the Medal tees.  Climbing back down from the unbelievably good 6th Medal tee, we were caught red-handed by the Greenskeeper, who had shown up to work on the 5th green. “You shouldn’t be playing the Medal tees,” he said sternly. “Well, I’m sorry, it’s our first time here and there was nobody in the clubhouse when we started,” I said embarrassingly. He smiled and said, “Aye. In that case, I’m glad you got to see the view from up there, but stick to the yellow tees for the rest of the day.”  This is the type of welcoming attitude that prevails at Anstruther.

The Medal Tee on the 6th. Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The tee shot to the 171 yard par three 7th (three consecutive par 3’s!) plays back over the 6th fairway to a green located back on the upper headland.  I hit a full driver on this hole in three of our five rounds. Par is well-earned and will likely be a winner in virtually every match.  At this point, we have climbed back up to the upper plateau level to play the par four 8th, a difficult and longish hole with an out of bounds fence down the left. A par here is also to be respected, for it will be hard-fought. This hole is very difficult when played into a strong wind.  The closing 9th is a 230 yard par 3, playing back into town from the previous heights of the 1st green.  It is a unique and dramatic finishing hole that is perfect for match play. It actually plays much more like a par four, reinforcing one final time that par is irrelevant at Anstruther.

In the welcoming bar, Matt Maclachlan, the friendly Clubhouse Manager for over 10 years at Anstruther Golf Club, came to our table to visit as we had our requisite Tennents and perused the bar menu. (There is a brilliant full service restaurant on the other side of the bar called fittingly, The Rockies.) He was genuinely interested in our feelings about the course and introduced us to a few of the members who were in for a late afternoon pint.  In a wonderful phenomenon that I have only seen in Scotland, everyone we met was genuinely interested in our thoughts about their wee course. We had a lively discussion about how to play the 5th and where to get the best fish and chips in Anstruther. (The clubhouse received a deservedly high recommendation.) I followed up with Matt recently to talk about working at Anstruther:  

“Believe it or not when I first walked in the door I had no interest in golf and I wasn’t even all that keen on golfers. Needless to say, that is not the case today and those feelings were gone after only a few months in the job.”

I asked what he enjoyed the most about his job at the club: 

“I couldn’t narrow it down to just one thing. From the always changing fantastic views up and down the firth and the North Sea, the interactions with the members and visitors each day, the staff team we’ve put together, it all just adds up to a fantastic place to work. Everyone that walks through the door here gets afforded the same welcome, as if we’ve known you all our life. Whether it’s a member, visitor or just someone visiting the Rockies Restaurant, our aim is to have people say to themselves as they leave “well we will definitely come back here” and 99% of the time it works.”

 I can personally attest that it does work, as I plan on returning to Anstruther for a second time as soon as international travel is allowed once more.  A more welcoming golf club cannot be found.

I touched on this in my inaugural piece in this series, 

. We only visited Anstruther by chance that day, because we were shut out of playing The Old Course. Missing out on The Old might seem an impossible blow to recover from on a Scottish golf trip. Instead, Anstruther Golf Club became a highlight of our visit to Scotland. It has now been almost two years and we talk about Anstruther every time my son and I get together.

After playing all morning, we decided to cancel an afternoon round at the historic Lundin Links so we could keep playing Anstruther. We did not want to leave. Walking off the 9th green, after our 45th hole of the day, I could tell that Jake wanted to keep playing. There was still enough daylight left for at least 9 more holes, but my old legs were failing.  As I shook my son’s hand in the never-ending Scottish twilight, he said, “Dad, this is the most fun I’ve ever had playing golf.” I could only smile and say, “yes, me too.”

view from the Anstruther Golf Club bar. Photograp

Anstruther is famous for its fish and chips and deservedly so. You can’t go wrong eating fish and chips in the clubhouse bar at the club or at any of the several of the “chippies” in town. I almost always default to having lunch in the clubhouse, and in this case it was great. If you want something a little more adventurous, The Rockies Restaurant in the Anstruther clubhouse is excellent.  The Dreel Tavern in Anstruther is also a brilliant restaurant that I would love to visit again. You should give yourself a few hours just to walk around the seaside town itself. It is one of my favorites in the world.

St. Andrews is only a 20 minute drive away from Anstruther.  The town is one of the best places on earth, whether you are a golfer or not.  Even if you miss out on playing The Old, as we did, an afternoon and evening walking around St. Andrews is worth the precious time away from the course. You may find a bookstore that you never want to leave. For food and other refreshments, everybody knows The Dunvegan, but it’s reputation is well-earned and is a must visit for a pint and/or a meal. We had a wonderful pub meal at The St. Andrews Brewing Company on a cold, rainy night, trying several of their excellent beers - the Oatmeal Stout and the Pale Ale received high marks from our table.

Hidden Scotland: Anstruther Golf Club

The Honda Classic was a blah, stinker of a week with a watered down field and competing for eyeballs with March Madness, but pace-of-play hero Matt Jones was off to the races on Thursday and never looked back, winning by a whopping five strokes. Our picks were also forgetful so let’s walk those back before turning our attention to the exciting WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.

Another week, another pick from the Pouch of Misery for 

, who went 0-5 AGAIN! Our guy has a two-way miss and he can’t figure it out right now, but when he does, watch out. Sungjae Im did NOT lead after the first round, Joaquin Niemann did NOT finish in the top 5, Keegan Bradley did NOT finish in the top 10, JT Poston did NOT finish in the top 20 and Chez Reavie did NOT finish in the top 30. Maybe this week he’ll just take the opposite of what he’s thinking?

 put two win bets on golfers that Neil bet on (Poston and Bradley) so those obviously didn’t hit and neither did his top 10 for Chris Kirk or top 40 for Frittelli and Furyk, culminating in a forgetful 0-5 week.

, who took five finishing position bets. JT Poston (top 5), Lucas Glover, Matt Wallace and KH Lee (Top 10) and Julian Suri (Top 20) all came up short, but Tron remains the season’s Draft King.

The biggest winner, er, smallest loser this week was 

, who correctly predicted Lee Westwood would run out of gas and miss the cut at the Honda. He missed everything else though, including Adam Scott to win, Chris Kirk top 10, the winner to birdie hole 72 and JT Poston to finish in the top 20. If you’re Poston, do you have a case to file a grievance against No Laying Up for the hexes each guy put on him??

 tried sneaking in a college basketball parlay that missed and he also lost most of his golf bets! Garrick Higgo didn’t finish in the top 5 in Kenya, Shane Lowry didn’t finish in the top 10 in America and Joaquin Niemann didn’t win anywhere. Randy did connect on a Doug Ghim missed cut to finish 1-4 on the week.

As for the Walk It In guys, Jeff hit Steele and Henley top 20’s, but lost everything else to finish down 2.87 units and Mark lost 4 units, only hitting his Steele top 20 play. Now that the Honda is behind us, we buckle up for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas. The tournament starts early Wednesday morning so get your bets in early!

If you’re going to putt for dough it helps when you’ve given yourself more putts inside the leather than double breakers so where are the guys looking this week on their approach? Mark hits first this week at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and our picks will be posted a little differently since the tournament has a unique, more fluid setup. 

Be sure to check us out on Twitter and Instagram @walkitinpod for additional picks beyond day one.

: This tournament is so awesome for so many reasons. It’s relatable because we’ve all likely played against our buddies or our fellow country club members in match play before and gets the competitive juices flowing easily. It can also be unpredictable and you never know what can happen in a single match. We DO know that these types of competitions are often decided on and around the putting green so I’m going to start my handicap there. I will also look heavily into past editions of this event and other match play history for each player.

Match play presents a really unique way to bet on the PGA Tour this week. Just getting out of these groups is going to be a tall task with so many top players in the field of 64. When you’re handicapping something like this you can go in a few different directions. You can find match play specialists (Poulter, Reed), go the strategy route for guys who will outdrive the opponent and have more data going for their second shot (DJ, Bryson), or you can look for guys who can put pressure on people with a hot putter (Cam Smith, Oosty). Another Pete Dye design (THE PLAYERS, AmEx) presents the need for finding the “right spot” off the tee and plenty of chances for things to go awry. I’m going to focus on three numbers this week: SG: Approach (of course), SG: Putting, and birdie or better % for guys who can turn up the heat in match play.

Day 1 Matchup: Jason Kokrak (-107) over Will Zalatoris

Kokrak comes in having three straight top 10 finishes, including a T9 at The PLAYERS. I talked about how important putting is in this format and on this course and he also ranks 6th in the field in SG: putting over his last 16 rounds. Zalatoris, on the other hand, has continued to have an excellent rookie season, but if he has one glaring weakness, it’s his putter.

Day 1 Matchup: Paul Casey (-195) over Mackenzie Hughes

It’s risky to lay this much juice in a matchup, but Paul Casey is in excellent form and excels in match play. He’s got four straight top 10’s with two of those being top 5’s, ranks 1st in SG: T2G, 3rd in SG: Approach and 17th in SG: Putting. Hughes putts well, but really isn’t playing well in any other area. I’ve got Casey going very far this week and it starts here.

Group 9 Winner: Paul Casey (+163) - 1 unit

Group 11 Winner: Cameron Smith (+240) - 1 unit

Group 12 Winner: Jason Kokrak (+280) - 1 unit

Group 13 Winner: Brendon Todd (+335)  - 1 unit

I just told you about what makes Casey so attractive to me and his group includes Webb Simpson, Hughes and Talor Gooch. Webb missed his last cut at The PLAYERS and isn’t playing as well as Casey, but of course he is always to be treated as a threat. In group 11, Cam Smith draws a struggling Rory McIlroy, Lanto Griffin and Ian Poulter. Poulter is quite possibly the best match play golfer of all time and is always a force to be reckoned with, but Smith is coming off 4th, 11th and 17th place finishes and has played well here before. Jason Kokrak is my guy in group 12 as I don’t trust Finau to go head to head three straight days and get it done. Zalatoris (putting) and Frittelli (most things) both have weaknesses that stand in their way too. I’m taking a shot in group 13 with Brendon Todd because I’m unsure of Daniel Berger’s injury status. If he’s healthy then Todd’s chances go down significantly, but he’s missed just one cut since November and is a very good putter. If he can find the greens, I expect him to find the hole shortly thereafter.

3/4 of my final four, I have Reed beating Casey in my bracket so we’ll place win bets on each of them and hope that their form and match play history cashes a nice ticket for me. Kokrak is a longshot to win, but has the game and recent form to do it, in addition to a favorable draw if he gets through the group.

Day 1 Matchup: Jordan Speith over Matthew Fitzpatrick (-107) - 1 unit

Jordan Speith’s last 16 rounds have been pretty impressive with every club in his bag minus the driver. At just over 7,000 yards this week I think he can mitigate the driver issue and stick to safer shots off the tee. He’s excellent with the irons and has always been known for his putting. The roller coaster can have its dips in match play and not penalize him too much.

Day 1 Matchup: Sergio Garcia over Lee Westwood (-137) - 1 unit

Fade England! Sergio is a horrific putter and will give me plenty to complain about on the greens this weekend, but in a matchup with Westwood I think his iron game will shine. Westwood has been hot, but really ran out of gas at the Honda Classic. I suspect he didn’t recharge after just 4 days off. Sticking with Sergio here.

Group 11 winner: Cameron Smith (+240) - 1 unit

Group 16 winner: Russell Henley (+225) - 1 unit

I’m following Mark on Cam Smith this week. His overall game is great, and I like his group. Poulter, Lanto, and Rory all pose threats on paper. Poulter is a singles savant, Lanto is playing well in his own right, and if Rory gets it figured out with his new coach, Cowen, then you know he’s got the weapons to win. I just like steady Cam Smith because I think his ceiling (right now) is higher than Griffin and Poulter and he’s more likely to reach his ceiling than Rory is this week.

Henley is really interesting because Sungjae leads this group, and his short game has been *chef’s kiss* lately. Although, it has masked a few weeks of poor iron play. I don’t like Leishman or Perez due to poor iron play and Sungjae is in the same spot. If you compare those three to Henley in iron play in the last 16 rounds Henley has fared far better. With my number one stat category being approach this week I feel like I have to be on Russell to get it done.

In a better spot than both of those golfers is Max Homa. I break it down further below on why I like Homa in two spots this weekend.

Max Homa goes out and beats just about everyone in this field at a tough test at Riviera, plays 7 weeks in a row dating back to January, then misses a cut at a gimmicky course like Sawgrass and is now 90-1 to win? No. Not having it. He is positive in every SG category amongst the field in the last 16 rounds, has great distance in the driver, and has a hot putter. Check, check, check.

Cam Smith was already highlighted above. I like his group matchup I also like his region on the bracket. Rahm and Cam in the quarterfinals sure looks good, and in an 18 hole match play event, I’ll take Cam to upset Rahm. Best case scenario I get Homa and Cam in the finals on Sunday from their respective sides of the bracket.

Making Picks: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Lakareber Abe is the newest No Laying Up Young Hitter!

Lakareber Abe, our newest Young Hitter, will be teeing it up this week at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic (presented by Her Majesty the Governor) in Mesa, along with fellow squad members Lauren Coghlin and Meghan MacLaren.


Lakareber turned professional in 2018 after a stellar career at the University of Alabama.  Her 2018 and 2019 Symetra results include 50% cuts made and three top 25’s each year, the highlight being a T26 at the 2019 Symetra Tour Championship.

Lakareber had a hot start to the 2020 season with her high finish of T3 at Florida’s Natural Charity Classic in March just prior to the COVID shutdown.  After the restart, she made 4 of 9 cuts, including a T25 and T28.  She finished the year 41st on the Symetra money list.

While attending the University of Alabama, Lakareber’s honors included SEC All-Freshman (2014-15), Second Team All-SEC (2015-16), SEC Academic Honor Roll (2015-16), Third Team EGCA All-American (2015-16), SEC Academic Honor Roll (2016-17), and Second Team All-SEC (2017-18).  She holds the school record for low tournament round after her 63 during the 3rd round of the 2016 Mason Rudolph Championship.  In 2018, Alabama made it to the final match against the University of Arizona at the NCAA National Championship.  The final team match included at least six current professional golfers, including Haley Moore who birdied the 19th hole for the win over Lakareber.


Currently, Lakareber reports her strengths are her irons and wedges, and her driving and putting have improved the last few years.  She continues to work on her game around the greens, which you know…..tell me about it.


A native of the Houston area, Lakareber got introduced to golf through her family.  Her father began bringing her and her older sister Tezira to the First Tee when they were 11 and 9, respectively.  Lakareber first broke 80 about two years later, and first broke par around age 12 in a U.S. Kids event.  Tezira played her college golf at the University of Texas and is now a lawyer.  As the daughter of Ugandan immigrants, Lakareber is an important presence in the women's game and we’re looking forward to following her success.

No Laying Up could not be more excited to support Lakareber in all of her endeavors.  If you want to #getinvolved and check out more of the story, follow these links:

Young Hitters:  Welcoming Lakareber Abe

Another breakdown is on the tee for the Honda Classic this week, but before we do let’s grade the scorecards from this past week at THE PLAYERS. The week before, at Bay Hill, we saw a little good and a little bad from the NLU guys. This past week, however, the scorecard was littered with the kind of trouble you can find at TPC Sawgrass, and it created a number of MIAs on the weekend tee sheet for a lot of the guys on the card.

does remain the Draft King even after his nuggies week made a quick exit stage left. The Morikawa win bet never really got going, and guys like Fleetwood and Simpson (who the Walk It In boys thought had a high floor last weekend) both missed the cut. Niemann never really sniffed Top 10 territory, but we saw zero Mav McNealy club twirls this weekend and zero time in the Top 30 with a +13 in two days.

 remains in green figures, and he picked up a nice win with Paul Casey’s top 10 (had 20 nuggies at +400) which helped soften the blow of Adam Scott, Hovland (damn that ball mark being moved in the wrong direction), Morikawa, and Na doing a whole lot of nothing throughout the week.

 is our next guy on the standings (albeit one in the red figures for the season) who had another sea of red scorecard at THE PLAYERS. DJ never figured it out all week and never flirted with the Top 20 let alone a win bet. Scottie Scheffler (much to Jeff’s win bet dismay as well) didn’t even get a chance at it with a missed cut and NeSmith followed suit. He did have a close encounter with a Keegan Bradley Top 20, but a poor round three sunk the charge on Sunday.

stayed out of the cellar even with a full miss on the scorecard (thanks to 

- more to come on that). All 5 win bets (DJ, Rahm, Morikawa, Berger, and Homa) found very little fortune over the weekend. You can argue Rahm and Berger thought about it, but neither guy had the stuff for four rounds.

 took a page out of DJ’s book, and went for a full on Pacific Life logo breach last week with another five win bets. He spread the nuggies equally and all five crushed him. Not only did they not win...all five failed to make the cut. You can argue that Hovland’s two-shot penalty was less about his form, but he didn’t get it together on Friday. Xander, Rory, Cantlay, and Fleetwood all cratered almost immediately in Jacksonville (image if Finau made this card - woof).

Both Mark and Jeff were slightly in the negative last week (Mark down .9 units and Jeff down 1.5 units), but are looking for some good swing thoughts in the final showdown on the Florida swing. Both guys were all over Corey Conners and Matt Fitzpatrick this past week for their Top 20 bets. While Mark eeked out the better weekend over Jeff by hitting Paul Casey as the Top former ASU player over Rahm. It was a week of what could have been with three of our top 20 picks (Reed, Zalatoris, Ancer) all finishing two shots outside the money.

If you’re going to putt for dough it helps when you’ve given yourself more putts inside the leather than double breakers so where are the guys looking this week on their approach? Jeff goes first for Honda after finishing furthest out after THE PLAYERS.

: Back to back weeks on courses with lots of history, and last week’s talk of the gambling town was find yourself a ball striker (good win, JT). It’s no different this week, but there is a bit of short game flavor here as well because the GIR % is much lower on a very tough course. This week’s card will pull together SG: Approach, GIR % leaders, and SG: Around the Green. As always, course history will be in the conversation given the difficulties of this course, but it won’t deter me from a saucy short game or pin seeking irons.

: PGA National is yet another difficult Florida course with tight fairways, hazards all over the place and small, Bermuda greens! I’m definitely going to favor golfers who have played well the last few weeks on similar courses and history shows you need to have a good week hitting the greens if you want to succeed here. The field is extremely weak and there’s a bunch of value out there if you look in the right places.

Kirk faded on Sunday at the Players with a nasty 78, but he was in red figures Thursday-Saturday. I like his overall game right now and the numbers look good long term and short term with his around the green strokes gained and strokes gained on approach. He’s 13th in the field in the last 24 rounds on approach and 3rd in Tee to Green in the same time span. Two missed cuts here don’t scare me because he’s played this event 9 straight years.

This guy’s driver is a laser and I want to avoid the rough this week off the tee. Yeah maybe he doesn’t have to pull driver as often on a shorter course, but it’s a Par 70 so I still think it’ll get plenty of action. I like that Steele is comfortable on a tough track with four of the last five appearances being top 15 or better (4th last year). He’s in the top half of the field in approach and 13th in SG: Around the Green in the last 24 rounds.

A missed cut last week isn’t too much to worry about with Russell because he enjoys PGA National. He’s got three straight 24th or better and win back in ‘14. He’s a ball striker, so say the stats, coming in at 11th in the field in the last 24 rounds and 3rd in the field in the last year. He’s cooled off after a torrid start to the 2021 season (which started in the fall of 2020), but I think he’ll show off with the irons.

I don’t care how gut wrenching his Sunday must have been. This is a young guy who got a taste of things last week (keep an eye on Brandon Wu this week in a similar spot), and I think he comes out ready to prove something. He’s got a great all around game and is catching more than 2-1 to place Top 20. His OTT game isn’t great (and that’s where the wheels fell off at The Players), but he won’t need it that much this week and can focus on his strong iron game.

Lee Westwood (+105) over Adam Scott - 1 unit

HEAT CHECK! The way Lee Westwood is playing the last few weeks, plus money against Adam Scott seems awfully enticing. Both these guys have very good history here, but Westwood’s is just a bit better and Scott only has one top 10 and two top 30’s this year.

The Irishman finished 8th last week at The PLAYERS with three rounds in the 60’s and has been in good form lately. He ranks 4th in the Honda field in SG: T2G over his last 16 rounds and finished T21 here last year. He’s also known for being a good player in windy conditions if he has to battle that this week.

Steele has been pretty consistent all year, making seven straight cuts and performing well in all areas. He ranks 23rd tee-to-green in his last 16 rounds, 33rd in putting and 16th total. Combine that with his record here at PGA National (8 made cuts in 9 trips, T4 last year) and he’s a good bet to play well.

My money always seems to find him on short courses that reward good iron players and this week is no different. He’s an extremely accurate golfer and ranks 9th in SG: T2G and 18th in SG: Approach in his last 16 rounds. For the entire season he is 17th in GIR%.

Ricky continues to dance around leaderboards this year with three top 25s since end of January at the American Express. He packs a solid approach game with a nice short game (top 30 in the field in both in the last 24 rounds. His GIR% is horrific at 187th in the PGA Tour this year, but did place 17th here last year. It’s a flier and I’m holding on tight.

Another guy in the flier category is two first names, Wesley Bryan. He has been injured for two years in row, but he’s getting back into the swing of things. He’s gone 1 for 2 here with made cuts and was 4th in ‘17. He put a solid four rounds together at Genesis and he put together a really nice stretch during this run on the calendar in ‘17. He’s young at 29 so maybe he’s getting healthy and we can get some nice odds.

Werenski over Huh / Gooch over Tringale / Reavie over Vegas (+675) - 1 unit

I covered Werenski, but Gooch comes in playing very well and is on a nice little heater (he’s 5th in the field in total strokes gained in the last 24 rounds). I like Chez’s irons much more than I like Vegas’ all around game. So what if Vegas made the cut last week at the Players? I’m getting plus money into the mix with Reavie over him, and I like this matchup parlay.

JT last week was 20-1 and that was too high for his caliber. In a weak field like this how is Scott 30-1 (update Tuesday night to 25-1)? I know his game isn’t what it used to be but he’s positive SG in all categories in the last 24 rounds. I won’t miss another disrespectful line situation like we saw with Koepka at WM and JT at THE PLAYERS. Knox is in a similar spot with his approach and around the green game, and he’s coming into a place he’s played well. 70-1 feels like it’s just a little long for the history + form combo with Knox.

The Vegas favorite this week is also my favorite and this nationality prop offered by Draftkings is probably my favorite play this week. Daniel Berger finished 9th last week, won at Pebble Beach last month and this is a home game for him! On top of that, the Honda competition is weak, especially his American counterparts. Russell Henley (60th), Talor Gooch (64th) and Cameron Tringale (92nd) are the next three best Americans in this field according to the odds and none of them are inside the top 60 in the OWGR.

I lost to Jeff in our inaugural bourbon bet with Percy in Puerto Rico (finished T7), but he did play well that week and had a very respectable T29 last week at The PLAYERS. He’s 4th (fourth!) this season in GIR% and 29th T2G in his last 16 rounds. I’m happy to back Cameron Percy again here.

This is purely a “gut” play. The former #1 player in the world and champion of this event in 2006, Donald doesn’t play all that often anymore and has missed his last six cuts. That said, he does have good history here and clearly likes playing PGA National. He finished T11 last year, T27 in 2017 and T7 in 2015. Another shorter player known more for his accuracy, a top 40 yields a nice payout here.

His last two Sunday rounds (81 at API and 79 at The PLAYERS) are concerning, but there’s no denying his talent and how well he’s playing Thursday through Saturday. In his last 16 rounds, he ranks 15 in SG: T2G, 19th in SG: Approach, 35th in putting and 10th overall. If he can keep it together on Sunday, 60/1 is crazy.

We’re back with our bourbon side bet between our cohosts. Another bottle of Breckenridge is on the line after Jeff won the first ever bourbon bet with the outright winner of Branden Grace in Puerto Rico. This time it’s Steve Stricker vs. Jim Furyk at Honda. Mark is a gentleman and is giving Jeff 2.5 strokes with Stricker. The official card is:

Stever Stricker +2.5 vs. Jim Furyk (at least one must make cut for action) - one bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon

Making Picks: Honda Classic

A couple of days before embarking on a dream golf trip to Scotland with my son Jake in May of 2019, I had set the alarm for 4 am to enter the online ballot for a tee time at the Old Course. To my surprise, I found that the course was to be closed for visitor play for the duration of our visit to St Andrews. As it turned out, this was a blessing in disguise. On the day we had devoted to playing the most famous course in golf, we instead drove twenty minutes south to Anstruther Golf Club. We put our green fee in an honesty box and proceeded to spend the day on a wild Old Tom Morris nine hole layout by the ocean. It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing golf.

2nd Green at Anstruther Golf Club.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


Golf is supposed to be fun. This concept has been lost for a long period of time, especially in the United States. For many years, courses were designed and promoted based on their length and difficulty. As part of this trend, courses that did not fit the standard of 7000 plus yards, 18 holes and par 72 were relegated to the semi-derogatory category of “short courses” or “holiday golf.”  With the increasing popularity of nine hole courses like Sweetens Cove Golf Club in South Pittsburg, Tennessee and Winter Park Golf Club in Florida, Americans are slowly starting to realize that the Scots had it right all along.

The somewhat arrogant implication by certain golf experts has often been that these non-standard, “quirky” layouts are not serious golf, or should even be played by serious golfers. If a golfer is going to the trouble of crossing an ocean to play, they must surely test themselves at championship venues like Carnoustie, Troon and Turnberry. The day we played Anstruther, I hit a full driver into the 7th, an uphill 145 yard par 3. This seems like serious golf to me. Each successive hole asked a new and exciting question. We could not wait to go back around.

Fun and challenging courses can come in all formats and lengths. Par really doesn’t matter at Anstruther Golf Club, other than as a vague frame of reference. The concept of playing golf simply  for the sheer enjoyment of it has never been lost in Scotland, a country that has the best collection of fun, “quirky” layouts in the entire world. Seemingly every small town you pass through has a golf course that serves as the social center of the community.

We arrived at Anstruther Golf Club around 8:30 am to find the clubhouse was locked, except for one door leading into a small vestibule outside of the locker rooms. Nobody was around, except for a local member about to go out alone. Perhaps sensing my confusion, he said, “Normally you pay in the bar, but they don’t get here until 10. Just put your money in the wee honesty box and go play.”  What followed was a collection of five par 3’s and four par 4’s (Par 31) that almost defy description. Every hole was memorable and fun. How often can you recall every hole in detail after only playing a course once? Anstruther is that kind of place. We played all day.  When we came in for lunch following our first 18 holes, I asked the helpful bar manager if I should give her additional money for a day ticket. She looked a bit confused and asked, “You want to play all day? Oh I don’t know, just give me 10 pounds to cover the both of you.” When I told her how much we loved the golf course, she immediately handed each of us an Anstruther ball marker. It would be difficult to find more generous and welcoming people than the Scots.

Yardage is also completely irrelevant when you are playing by the ocean in Scotland.  The downhill 238 yard par 3 9th at Anstruther, playing right back into the lovely fishing village, required anything from a 5 iron to driver and full 8 iron during our 45 holes that day. We did not want to leave the place. Matt Maclachlan, the friendly General Manager, met us in the clubhouse bar after we finally decided to stop playing. “I’ve been following your day on twitter, he said. I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed the course.” We discussed strategy on the various holes with Matt and some older members who were in the bar for an evening pint. When I asked one elderly gentleman how to play the tee shot on “The Rockies” -  a blind 238 yard par three 5th played over a cliff and down to the rocky beach located precipitously below -  he shook his head slowly and said, “Hit it and pray.” At Anstruther, there is a sincere appreciation for the game and a genuine interest in how visitors feel about the course. A day playing golf at Anstruther, with the sun out and the sparkling ocean in full view, is a perfect day.

5th Hole at Anstruther Golf Club.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

After visiting the Golf House Club at Elie, we reluctantly left the Kingdom of Fife and headed north.  Following rounds at Cruden Bay and Fraserburgh, we reached Cullen Links. Cullen, which lies about 3 hours north of St. Andrews over the Firth of Tay and up the coast, is 18 holes. That is where the similarities to a standard 18 hole golf course end.  It is a par 63. It is 4800 yards. There is only one par 5.  Several shots are played over and around massive red rock formations that look like a scene from Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Many golfers in the USA were first introduced to Cullen through the popular YouTube travel series Tourist Sauce by the golf merchandise and multi-media group No Laying Up. In the video segment,  the NLU boys are seen playing with two time club champion and lifetime Cullen member, George Clark. We were able to arrange to play Cullen with George and he greeted us warmly in the clubhouse bar upon our arrival.  After a nice lunch - and requisite pint of Tennent’s - we paid the modest green fee at the bar and went out to play.

Cullen Golf Club.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

With a short and efficient Scottish swing, George was a joy to play with. He gave us the grand tour of the ethereal Cullen Links. You could sense his pride in the course and excitement in the fact that it was starting to receive some notice in the golf world due to the visit from NLU. “I had a man stop me on the street in Aberdeen and shake my hand.  He said, “You’re George from Cullen in the No Laying Up video!” It’s all been amazing. Our visitor play is up 30% just now.”  He hopes the time has come for more acceptance in the game for courses like Cullen. “I live in Aberdeen now and I’m a member at Murcar, but I drive up here as much as possible to play.” You cannot play Cullen Links without a smile on your face. You might even shoot around par. You may not lose any golf balls. You will play fast. You will hit shots on the ground and over towering red rock obelisks. These are all good things.

Jim with Mr. George Clark at Cullen.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

After saying goodbye to George in the small Cullen car park, we were off to Covesea Links, about a 45 minute drive up the coast on the A96. Despite having already played 36 holes, we reckoned there was just enough time to get in 9 more holes before dark. We didn’t know much at all about Covesea, save for a few random pictures on Instagram and twitter. Even most of the Scots that I had talked to on our trip were not familiar with it. Despite our growing weariness, the lure and excitement of another 9 relatively unknown holes of Scottish seaside golf was too strong to pass up.

Following a ¾ mile drive down a single lane gravel track off the B9040 just past Lossiemouth, we entered the hidden world of Covesea. Angela Burnett came out of her trailer to greet us - the lone car on site. She and her husband Andy, the course designer and builder, are the owners of Covesea and live on the property. The course is obviously a labor of love for both of them. She told us she was very happy that we had made it to their wee course and mentioned that the American author Tom Coyne had visited previously. Concerned that we might not be able to find a place to eat dinner after our round, she made us reservations at a nearby local restaurant in Lossiemouth. We were treated to these types of small kindnesses time and again at places like Covesea.

The course itself is nine holes, 2,000 yards, with a par of 31. There are five par 3’s and four par 4’s. I got the impression that very little, if any, earth was moved to create these natural golf holes in this almost mystical, secret cove. We played when the sun was low and the course was bathed in a golden hue, accentuating the vibrant yellow blooms on the gorse. The uphill par three 5th and the short downhill par three 9th are brilliant. It is a relatively new course and not that well known, but one of the most beautiful settings for golf that can be imagined. We left feeling that we had experienced something really special and unique in the world of golf.  Our dinner reservation in Lossiemouth ended a perfect day.

2nd Fairway at Covesea Golf Links.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

After a beautiful and leisurely drive through the Scottish Highlands, we based the remainder of our trip in Kintyre and Arran, a veritable treasure trove of hidden and generally unknown (to Americans) golf courses. I had heard of Carradale Golf Club, but had never made the sometimes harrowing drive from Campbeltown up the B842 to this beautiful spot on the headlands overlooking Kilbrannan Sound and the Isle of Arran. We were greeted warmly in the small car park next to the tidy clubhouse by the club secretary Rhona Elder. “We are so pleased you made it to Carradale,” she said formally. “The committee has met and decided that you can play off the medal tees today. We want you to get the full experience of the course. Robert, our Greenskeeper, is out there as well, if you have any questions.” We put our green fee in the honesty box and walked out to the first tee, all alone in the stunningly beautiful landscape of the Kintyre Peninsula. On a clear Tuesday morning, we had the course to ourselves, other than several people walking their dogs.

6th Hole at Carradale.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The blind uphill par three 1st lets you know immediately that this is pure, thrilling Scottish golf. Robert Strang, the Greenskeeper, met us at the top of the hill by the 1st green. I asked him if the course was in good condition at the moment. “Oh aye, aye. It is indeed. Ken Brown was out here last week and was very complimentary.” I can confirm that the former European Ryder Cupper was correct in his positive assessment of the links. The downhill second, with an approach shot played over an old stone wall, was a particular standout.  When we reached the 4th, we understood why Rhona and the Committee had given us the wholly undeserved honor of playing off the medal tees. The 4th tee at Carradale commands a view of Scotland that may be unmatched in the world of golf. We stood in awed silence for 5 minutes, taking in the entire world of this underrated links, before hitting our tee shots. Carradale is a sheer joy to play.

We were based in the lovely town of Campbeltown - home of the legendary Springbank Distillery - for this part of the journey. Machrihanish Golf Club - 10 minutes from town on the B843 - is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest courses in the world, and rightfully so. I first played it in 1994 when it was virtually unknown to American golfers. It has remained the standard by which I judge all other true links courses. However, the ultimate revelation of our journey lay not at legendary Machrihanish, but in the penultimate round of our trip. Located some 15 minutes south of Campbeltown on the B842 in the village of Southend, Dunaverty Golf Club is 4799 yards with a par of 66. There is 1 par 5 on the course. The western side of the course is leased from a local farmer, who has grazing rights. I had played the course on previous trips as a much younger man, including a wonderful day in 1994 with my Dad. Yet somehow Dunaverty had not remained as prominent in my memories as Machrihanish.

Machrihanish Dunes.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The magic of golf twitter had allowed us to join up at Southend with Robbie Wilson, a Machrihanish member and fine local golfer from Lochgilpead who plays the course frequently. Robbie looks after historical monuments in Kintyre and Argyll for Historic Environment Scotland, a job which fascinated me as an Architect. We had much to discuss as we walked this mighty golfing ground with our new friend. Scots play golf with remarkable and admirable speed, but we never felt rushed as Robbie gave us the grand tour of the world of Dunaverty. He pointed out the correct line on every shot and offered advice on strategy that we would have never known to employ. We laughed out loud at the sheer brilliance of hole after hole. Just when we thought we must’ve seen the unfathomable heights of the course, the next hole would somehow top it.

Dunaverty Golf Club.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

I cannot pick a favorite hole at Dunaverty. I love all of them. The punchbowl par three 4th, the thrilling par four 5th, alongside and above Brunerican Beach, the uphill par four 9th over a ridge and down to yet another fantastical punchbowl green. The downhill par four 11th, with all the mighty world of Dunaverty laid out below you. The brilliant par five 13th, with a blind second to a wonderfully sited green, played alongside a 5,000 year old standing stone. The unique 17th with the brilliant 2nd shot over the Coniegien Burn and back onto Machribeg Farm. All of these are great golf holes. The local cows, sensing our approach, joined us in the 18th fairway for a perfect finish on a perfect golf course. The great British golf writer Bernard Darwin wrote about the feeling of “pleasurable excitement” you have when playing a great links course. Dunaverty gives you much more than just that feeling. It is a fantasy world of true links golf.

After one last day in Campbeltown and an incredible tour of the Springbank Distillery, we left the Ardshiel Hotel early to catch the first ferry to Arran, from Claonaig to Lochranza. We were to cross the Kilbrannan Sound, which we had viewed previously from the unforgettable 4th tee at Carradale. Our trip to the fringes of Scottish golf could only end with 2 rounds at the mythical Shiskine Golf Club in Blackwaterfoot. The ferry foreman, seeing our golf caps, asked quickly, “Where are you going to play? Arran has more brilliant wee courses than any place in Scotland.”

When we mentioned the entire day was planned for Shiskine, he said, “Aye, indeed. You cannot go wrong there. Great golf course. If you have time, try to play Corrie on the other side of the island. You must play there too. 9 holes. Absolute stunner of a course.”  Our gears started turning and we called Caledonian MacBrayne to change our ferry reservation to the last one of the day. Maybe we could play Shiskine twice, and somehow get in 9 at Corrie Golf Club, before the 7:20 ferry departed for the mainland.

6th at Shiskine.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

How do you begin to explain heavenly Shiskine? It has 12 holes, a front six and a back six, with a par 21-21-42. There is a single par five, four par fours and seven par threes. It may be the perfect golf course. Every hole is memorable. The par three 3rd and 4th holes are brilliant and unmatched in the game. The par four 6th, the Shore Hole, is a potentially drivable hole to the most perfectly sited green I have ever seen. What you see in front of you almost does not seem real, as if you are in some wild fever dream of golf. The greens are fantastically sited in natural dells or on precarious plateaus. We lost 1 ball between us in 24 holes. Yet to consider this mere “holiday golf” is to do a disservice to the course. You must think about the correct line for your tee shots and the proper way to play your approach shots. The correct shot may be 40 yards off line from what appears before you. As you walk off the 12th hole, you immediately want to go back and start again.

7th at Shiskine.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

We ate lunch in the lovely clubhouse and quickly headed back out to play another round. Checking in with Head Professional Douglas Bell, in his well-stocked golf shop by the first tee, (complete with Isle of Arran ice cream) we began to tell him how much we loved the course. “Aye, it’s a nice spot indeed,” he said simply. Scots are masters of understatement. I told him every hole was great and he nodded his head in agreement, “Aye, they are.”  When Jake informed him of our plan to try to quickly play 12 more at Shiskine and then rush over to Corrie to play before catching the last ferry to Ardrossan, his mood suddenly grew serious.  “Corrie is a fine course and not to be missed, but I urge you to take your time and enjoy your last 12 holes here at Shiskine,” he said while gesturing out to the links. “You don’t want to rush this. Look at what is out there in front of you. Enjoy the walk and remember your time here together.”

Heeding Mr. Bell’s wise advice, we savored each perfect hole that sunny afternoon at Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club. Corrie Golf Club would have to wait for another trip. The true soul of the game of golf resides in places like Anstruther, Cullen, Covesea, Carradale, Dunaverty and Shiskine. To dismiss these courses as mere “holiday golf” is a mistake that should not be made. Show up, put your money in the honesty box, and try to stop smiling for the next 3 hours. You might even take a trip where the green fees are not a major expense. There is a lesson to be learned from the Scottish game. Golf is supposed to be fun.

Hidden Scotland: The Fringes of Scottish Golf


There was a little good and mostly bad coming from the No Laying Up and Walk It In crews at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. Let’s walk that back and then get to our preview of THE PLAYERS!

 the Draft King increased his season lead a bit last week by hitting a juicy top 10 bet on Megan Khang in the LPGA Drive On Championship at +550. That was his only win of the week as he missed on three other plays on the ladies and a Will Zalatoris Top 5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

 hitched his wagon to Matthew Fitzpatrick and although his win bet didn’t pan out, he did squeak out a top 10 winner thanks to a few bogeys on 18 from other golfers down the stretch. Soly was also on Zalatoris with TC, but played more conservative with a top 20 and it paid off for him. Adam Long top 40 and Marc Leishman top 20 bets did NOT pay off for him, however.

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