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

Elie: The Elegant and Ethereal Home of James Braid

It is believed that golf has been played on the links of Elie in the East Neuk of Fife since the 16th century. Most historians attribute the design of the current layout to Old Tom Morris in 1895.  James Braid, the legendary 5 time Champion Golfer of The Year, and golf course Architect, was born in the adjacent village of Earlsferry in 1870.  He won his first tournament at age 8 on the links at Elie. Some historical accounts mention that Braid himself made revisions to the course in the 1920’s. However, this claim is not substantiated (or even noted) in the essential and definitive “James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses,” by John F. Moreton and Ian Cumming, so I am inclined to believe Braid did not actually work on his childhood course. In spite of this, we only have to look at the understated elegance of just a few of Braid’s fully credited designs - Brora, Panmure, Fraserburgh. Kilspindie, Millport, Stranraer, Boat of Garten, St. Enodoc - to see the massive influence that Elie had on his design philosophy.

The Club House at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The Golf House Club (commonly called Elie) is located a mere 5 miles from Anstruther.  Fife has so many truly great golf courses, in such a concentrated area, that it can be difficult for the visiting golfer to decide where to play. The decisions on which clubs to visit can seem monumental to a visiting golfer, because they are - each day of a Scottish golf trip is precious. If you are fortunate enough to visit Fife, you must make time to play at Elie.

Elie measures 6,233 yards and has 16 par fours and 2 par threes, for a strict par of 70. In my experience, this is a very unique assembly of holes. On the surface, such a seemingly bland assortment might seem to be a recipe for monotonous golf. It is not. The Golf House Club is a sheer delight, from start to finish. The pair of par threes are two of my favorites in Scotland.

We arrived early for our 12:30 tee time and were greeted warmly by the Head Professional Gavin Cook.  Mr. Cook’s well-stocked shop has to be among the most singular in golf.  A Royal Navy submarine periscope, salvaged from the HMS Excalibur in 1966, is mounted in the center - and extends through the roof of the small octagonal shop, which is curiously detached from the beautiful clubhouse. The periscope allows the staff to see if the fairway is clear beyond the hill, over which the blind opening tee shot is played. I can’t think of anything else remotely like this in the world of golf. 

The Periscope at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


The course was not crowded on a Tuesday afternoon and we were told we could go off immediately, “But I’m sure you’ll be wanting some lunch first,” the friendly pro said. We did indeed. When playing golf in Scotland, I always recommend that you have lunch in the clubhouse, whether before or after your round. (Note to Americans: Remove your hat when entering the clubhouse!) The Scots have mastered the art of the perfect lunch: a “toastie” (a small toasted sandwich) and soup. A pint of Tennent’s before assaying the 1st at Elie is never a bad idea either.

We each had the ham and cheese toastie with potato-leek soup. It was - as with most things in Scottish clubhouses – simple, yet perfectly executed and beautifully presented.  I mention all this to relay an incident that occurred as I was paying our bill at the kitchen window. It was a nominal amount, around 20 pounds for the 3 of us. The service had been excellent. As I paid with a 20 pound note, I also offered the steward a 5 pound tip. He quickly said, “Oh no, sir, that is too much. I cannot accept that.” A little confused, I asked, “How much should I give you?” “A pound will be sufficient, sir,” he replied with a smile. Can you imagine this same scene occurring in an American clubhouse?

Lunch at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


With lunch taken care of, and 4 pounds richer for it, we walked back to the Starter’s House / Pro Shop and Gavin told us to play away. It was a somewhat overcast day, but a very pleasant 60 degrees. The blind opening shot at Elie sums up the essence of Scottish golf. You play away over the hill, trusting that the white marker in the distance will lead a well struck drive to the safety of the fairway beyond. One of the great joys of golf is cresting a hill after a blind shot to see where your ball has finished. This singular golf pleasure occurs often at Elie, with blind shots appearing with a wonderful frequency.  The 420 yard par four 1st hole perfectly sets the tone for what will surely be one of the most enjoyable links you will ever play. On this early afternoon, the constant 20 mph breeze was directly behind us as we started.

1st Green at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


There is a feeling of constant movement - of the progression of golfers in the distance as they matriculate around the links - that is prevalent at Elie. The 284 par four 2nd plays back up the hill - and directly back into the wind that assisted us on the 1st - to one of my favorite greens in the world. I have mentioned previously that yardage is irrelevant in Scotland.  The 2nd hole, a full 136 yards shorter than the 1st, played at least two clubs longer than its predecessor on this day. Upon reaching the elevated and exposed green, you can be forgiven for pausing to take in the entire wondrous scene of the links and town that unfolds in front of you. The ocean is in view from the rolling dune land for the next 15 holes. This is one of the great vistas in all of Scottish golf.

2nd Green at Elie with Club House beyond.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell

The par three 3rd hole plays 204 yards downhill to a brilliantly sited green, with deep bunkers guarding the right and left flanks like ancient Scylla and Charybdis. A word about the bunkers at Elie – they are deadly. The village, with all its charming Victorian structures, borders the left side of the hole. This spot - the 2nd green and 3rd tee at Elie - ranks in the upper echelon of places to be in the entire world.  We stood on the tee in silence for a few seconds before Jake said quietly, “Wow.” You might even imagine that you can see all the way over the Firth of Forth to North Berwick on a clear day. One of only two single-shot holes on the entire course, a par on the 3rd hole is well earned.

View from the 2nd hole at Elie looking into town.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


Approaching the 4th tee, golfers will notice a small pub just a few steps from the teeing ground.  On an increasingly cold and cloudy day, the 19th Hole Pub looked warm and inviting. With no golfers in view behind us, we ducked in for a restorative wee dram of Bowmore whisky. The proprietor greeted us warmly and we discussed how her business had been of late. If the course is not crowded, you must stop in for a dram or pint. If you need to keep moving, you can always come back for a longer visit after your round. It is my sincere hope that the pub has been able to survive the current world pandemic and economic crisis. The world needs places like the 19th Hole Pub in Elie.

Whiskey and a Pint at The 19th Hole Pub.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


There is not a bad hole on this ethereal, mighty and ancient linksland. The 4th and 5th holes continue the outward trek away from the clubhouse and lead us to the 6th, which deserves a special mention. It is a short par 4 at a seemingly insignificant 306 yards. The drive is completely blind. If the last group of hidden bunkers beyond the ridge are carried (possible, with a helping wind), the ball careens wildly towards a large, sloping green. The backdrop of the green is simply the North Sea.  There are several bunkers to be avoided - which are basically a stroke penalty anywhere at Elie. This hole once again demonstrates why the experience of Scottish golf cannot be replicated in other parts of the world, as much as a designer might make the attempt.

The 4th Green, with the village of Elie beyond.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


We laughed out loud at the 6th hole – it is pure golfing fun.  As we putted out on the wild green, the clouds were growing more ominous in the south and the wind started gusting to 30 mph.  As the great Peter Alliss often said during Open coverage, “If you don’t like the weather in Scotland, just wait a few minutes. It will change.” There is sometimes a valid reason for a cliche’s existence.

6th Green and 10th tee.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


The routing at Elie is unusual and brilliant.  Old Tom, in his wisdom, chose to take the 7th and 8th and 9th holes back inland away from the ocean, in a somewhat circular pattern. This creates totally different playing conditions on these three difficult par fours. The 7th, a short 241 yard, semi-blind par 4 is a particular favorite.

At the end of this circular and interesting inland journey lies another 3 hole stretch, the 10th, 11th and 12th, that rivals any triumvirate of holes on the planet. All 3 holes are hard by the sea, which has grown increasingly unsettled on this day.  The 10th is a perfect golf hole.  It plays blind from the tee at 280 yard - over a rocky hill with the wind most likely blowing across - to a wonderful semi-punchbowl green.  Once again, if the ridge is carried from the tee, the ball careens downhill towards the hold.  This is the pure, unfiltered essence of golf. I imagine there are eagles and triple bogeys in equal measure on this hole, depending on the wind. It is a lovely and brilliant golf hole.

The 10th Green at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


The 131 yard 11th is the second and final par 3 at The Golf House Club.  It is great, memorable and if that is not enough - hard by the sandy beach. The wind coming off the ocean was now creating a havoc that cannot adequately be described with the written word. It took a concerted effort to not get blown over by the gusts. After we hit our tee shots on the 11th, all Hell broke loose. A storm of Old Testament proportions came in off the North Sea.  We managed to finish the hole, still somewhat in one piece. On the 12th tee, the rain was blowing sideways with such force that it stung painfully as it hit our faces. We saw a few other golfers conceding to the weather and making the long walk in.  From the tee, it was obvious that the 12th is a great hole. Jake asked me, “Should we go in, Dad?”  I said, “Well, we are probably 3 miles from the clubhouse. We’re out here and who knows when we’ll be back. We might as well finish now.”

The 11th Green at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


Unfortunately, the 12th proved to be our last semi-playable hole of the day.  We both somehow managed to make bogey on the difficult and beautiful 434 yard cape style par 4. The green is sited perfectly with the rocky beach on the left and tall headlands beyond. It completes one of the great three holes stretches in the world.  On the 13th tee, it simply became a survival test. The temperature dropped 20 degrees, seemingly within seconds.  At some point, if you make a trip to Scotland, you will likely be confronted at least once with the sudden onset of challenging conditions. The most expensive Goretex waterproofs are useless in this type of weather. Still, I urge you to finish your round no matter how difficult it might be. I am so glad we finished that day at Elie.  Almost two years later, it is something we still talk about frequently - with great affection. Experiences like this often become the most precious memories over time.

The remaining holes were all par fours, of course. Visibility was not great and our shots were mainly being played along the ground. We were simply trying to advance the ball forward. In spite of the storm, I still recall the 303 yard 15th hole quite clearly. For some reason, the 40 mph gale shifted directly behind us and we were able to launch our tee shots in the air like a bottle rocket. The drive is played blind (of course) over a tall dune ridge, which then feeds downhill to the green. It is yet another wonderfully blind and fun links golf hole.

Proper Benches at Elie.  Photograph by Jim Hartsell


We managed to get through 16 and 17, which turned us right back into the hurricane force winds that had briefly aided us on 15. I am not exaggerating this statement – at this point, if the ball got more than 3 feet off the ground, it would be blown off the planet.  I played the 17th  with a choked down 7 iron from the tee, just trying to hit half punch shots about 60 to 80 yards. It was so cold I could not feel my hands or feet. Jake and I were laughing constantly at this point. What else can you do?

It seemed that the conditions eased just slightly on the 18th, which is a lovely and elegant 340 yard par four.  There are two perfectly placed bunkers on the left hand side at about 270 yards off the Gents Tee. We dutifully holed out and shook hands, our clothes completely soaked through. Grabbing a change of clothes from the car park, we went into the clubhouse to try to rejoin some semblance of humanity.  As we entered the locker room, a gentleman burst out in laughter when he saw us. We must have been a sight indeed. “You guys actually finished? We saw you out there. We walked in after the 9th. I am just now getting warm,” he said with a smile. He introduced himself as Martin from Yorkshire, up from England with a group of golf buddies to play the great links of Fife. We commiserated over the weather and he told me how much they had loved the first 9 holes. “It is a great links,’ he said. I agreed and wished him well for the rest of his golf holiday.

When I was a golf crazy kid growing up in Alabama, I dreamed of one day playing links golf in Scotland. In these dreams, I had an ideal vision of what Scottish links golf must be like - mainly formed from reading about golf history and watching The Open Championship. The Golf House Club, Elie is the perfect physical manifestation of these dreams. It embodies everything that is great about Scottish links golf.

Finally semi-warmed and dry, we returned to the 19th Hole for the all-important recap of the round. Of all of golf’s sacred rituals, this one is perhaps my favorite. It seems to take on an even greater significance after a round in Scotland. When conditions had started to look really bad on the 9th fairway, our faithful photographer Kaylin had wisely sought out the refuge and warmth of the pub. As we sat down at the bar, the bartender looked at us with a laugh and said, “You guys actually played in that?” Grabbing the bottle of Bowmore she said, “You need a drink.”  Did I mention that I love Scotland?

 and the Elie clubhouse are a perfect place for lunch and a pint.  The 19th Hole has a good bar menu that includes a great burger and the requisite fish and chips. They really have anything that you would want after a day of golf.  Returning to nearby Anstruther, 

 is a place that I have enjoyed over the years. The food is always excellent and it has a great atmosphere.  You can spend a lovely evening at The Dreel. Again, you are only a short drive from the wonders of St. Andrews.

Crail, Lundin, Leven and Kinghorn are all golf courses in Fife that are worth a visit. The picturesque village of Crail has a beautiful town square and is a lovely place for an afternoon break from golf. You could easily spend an entire golf holiday in Fife.

Hidden Scotland: The Golf House Club, Elie

Meghan MacLaren is the newest No Laying Up Young Hitter!

Meghan MacLaren, our newest Young Hitter, will be teeing it up this week at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic in Tucson, AZ.  She will be competing against fellow squad member Lakareber Abe while Lauren Coghlin enjoys some much deserved beach time while competing in the Lotte Championship out in Hawaii.  

We could not be more excited to have Meghan join the Hitter ranks!  Not only because she is awesome at golf, but her written work provides a fresh perspective to the game we all love.  If you want to checkout more, please visit her website at 

 and follow her on social @meg_maclaren  - Cheers

So, I’m Meghan. Like you, reading this (probably), I’m more than a little bit addicted to the game of golf. Despite my constant dissatisfaction with this sport, I count myself incredibly lucky to call it my profession.

I have been playing for pretty much as long as I can remember, thanks to a pretty talented family - my mum and dad have both played off low single figures for most of their adult lives (as she’ll be reading this, it’s worth saying that my mum is the lower of the two). My sister, five years younger, actually got all the talent in the family, but maybe luckily for me she decided she had better things to do with her life then let hitting a little white ball around for a few hours a day dictate her mental health.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate since I started writing about golf (usually using more words than necessary at 

) is its collectiveness. Its ups and downs may not twist their way around all of your thoughts with quite as much intensity as they do mine, but every one of us that plays - at whatever level - shares in some of its unrelenting mystery. That thing that compels us to absent-mindedly practice our swings anywhere we can see our refections; and seethe at Rory for not practicing his wedges more (even though I’m sure he does); and convince ourselves that we’ve found something right at the end of our round… it afflicts us all.


I happen to do it on a professional scale. And I want to reach the very pinnacle. I’m starting my 2021 season on the Symetra Tour, with the intention of getting my LPGA card. (Like about 300 other very talented people). I’ve played the majority of my career so far (2017-present) on the Ladies European Tour, where I have been lucky enough to win twice. Both times in Australia, possibly my favorite country on earth (TimTams and brunch and coffee and Royal Adelaide, anyone?) - unless I’m counting Newcastle, home to the football (soccer) team that drives a stake though my heart every weekend.


The LET is a wonderful place, and it’s brilliant to see it starting to grow in the way its players and staff deserve. Keep your eye on it this year - the women’s game is deeper than I think anyone realises. That’s another thing I’m passionate about - bringing light to the realities we often face as female professional athletes in a still male dominated world. This partnership with the No Laying Up crew excites me for that reason - they are fans, like the rest of us, but they go out of their way to keep learning and educating themselves, as we all should.

Golf means different things to everyone that plays it, but sharing those things is what connects us. I love it so much that it becomes a need. I love the breakthrough that comes after hours of frustration on the range; only the blisters on your hands knowing the effort required to reduce some trackman number or another. I love those seconds where only you and your golf ball exist, as it flies towards the flag on a par three, the silence asking whether you’ve got the right distance. The satisfaction when you have. There are few things I love in life more than knowing a putt is going in before it does.


Hopefully I can share some of that with you over the next few months.

Here’s to golf - the major winners and the Monday qualifiers, the distance debates and the island green controversies (peninsula), the Saturday morning four ball and the staff across the world who keep it all from falling apart.

Young Hitters:  Welcoming Meghan MacLaren

Most of the golf world was admittedly rooting for Jordan Spieth last week, but in the end it was a special, historic win for Hideki Matsuyama at The Masters, the first Japanese man to win a major. We had a little bit of everything at Augusta; top players missing the cut, other top players stumbling down the stretch, old veterans making a charge and a player without TOUR status taking solo 2nd. Let’s walk back everyone’s betting picks before turning our attention to this week.

hit a huge 9/1 bet on Marc Leishman to finish in the top 10, which gave him a massive lead in the season standings over everyone else. He missed his other bets last week, but who cares?! That bubbly sure looked good - cheers!

was really big on Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia with mixed results. His biggest bet was on Spieth to finish in the top 10, which he did, but Sergio didn’t have the same success and they both did not win. He also had a matchup bet on DJ over Bryson and you just need to ask Mark how that worked out for him against Jeff.

Another Leishman supporter with Tron was 

, who bet on him to be the top Aussie at +615! That was a big hit, which is a good thing because it was his only hit at The Masters. He missed on Spieth to win, Finau to win a group offered on Draftkings, DeChambeau to eagle in round one and a three-way matchup parlay.

was also 1-4 this week as he went heavy on Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy with no success. He had JT to finish as a top 4 American and in a losing matchup parlay and then he went fairly heavy on Rory to win the whole damn thing! Randy did get two or more aces during the week for a nice consolation prize.

Arguably the most entertaining results of the week came from Mr. Content himself, 

. His ass was back in the jackpot, or should I say the saddle, and he performed a stunning rendition of Savage by Megan Thee Stallion on TikTok. His bets were also stunning, but in a completely opposite way as he went 0-5 yet again. He had Mike Weir to make the cut, Matt Wallace to be a top 3 Englishman, Sungjae Im and Patrick Cantlay to finish top 10 and a four-man matchup parlay.

 boys as well, as Mark put a ton of faith in Jordan Spieth (to win and be top 5 after round 1), Paul Casey, Joaquin Niemann and Adam Scott. The only bet he did hit was a top 20 on Corey Conners. It was a bloodbath for Jeff too, who hit on a Jon Rahm top 10, but lost everything else. Morikawa, Sergio, Fleetwood and Homa were among the golfers who let him down this week.

Now we get the Augusta pollen off our clothes and drive to Hilton Head, home of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. Almost half of last week’s field made the trip for what we’re hoping is a great tournament coming off the high of Masters week.

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 goes first at Harbour Town Golf Links!

: I haven’t played a ton of ‘famous’ courses, but when I do, I like to tell people about it! I played Harbour Town Golf Links many years ago when I was still new to golf so it was extremely challenging and I can attest that accuracy off the tee is paramount on this narrow course. If you miss the fairway, your ball could end up behind trees, houses, alligators, who knows! My card will feature accurate drivers the most and then the iron players. Since the greens are considered to be not that difficult, putting isn’t too big of a concern for me this week.

 Just a short drive to the east from Augusta brings us to Harbour Town. We’re on the coast so sea breezes will play a factor, and datagolf shows us that accuracy off the tee (because distance is almost a non factor with one less par 5 and just over 7,100 yards) and around the green game are important metrics given the very small greens compared to PGA average. I’m waiting for a weekend that will never come where approach isn’t important so you can bet we’re checking that box. So let’s find low ball flight players who have good around the green game and an accurate driver. If you’ve crossed over well to the Sony Open or TPC Sawgrass I’ll keep that in mind.

My favorite play of the week, Conners has been on a roll this season and especially the last month or two. In his last four events, excluding the Match Play, he’s got a solo 3rd, solo 7th, T14 and a T8 last week at The Masters. In his last 16 rounds, he ranks 7th in the field in SG: T2G and 6th in SG: Approach. He finished T21 here last year as well.

As Jeff said on the podcast, I’m starting off my card with more conservative plays in an attempt to get back in the green. I keep going back to Casey because he keeps giving me no choice. His T26 at Augusta was his first finish outside the top 12 since November’s Masters! He is first in this week’s field in SG: T2G and 3rd in SG: Approach over his last 16 rounds.

They give a tartan jacket to the winner of this event and you know the king of tartan pants would be thrilled to add that to his wardrobe. Poulter’s stats aren’t incredible this year, but he has been consistently placing in the top 20-30 all year. He also has a ton of good history at this course and finished T14 last year.

This guy usually finds my card on short, narrow courses and this week is no different. Streelman is 49th on TOUR this season in driving accuracy and 17th in GIR% so he’s extremely accurate and his driving distance won’t be a problem at Harbour Town.

Is Harman officially the top lefty on TOUR now? He’s made 15 of 16 cuts this season and is coming off a T3 at The PLAYERS, T5 at the WGC Match Play and T12 at The Masters. He’s 44th on TOUR in driving accuracy and ranks 33rd in SG: T2G his last 16 rounds.

64th in accuracy this year on the PGA Tour, and below average ball flight will make up a lot of my scorecard this week. I like that Kirk is top 15 in this field in SG: Around the Green this season, and comes in with a solid (although not stellar) approach game. He does a lot of things solid and I think he’ll be in the mix this week even though his showings here have been a little bit of a seesaw

Anyone see Berger on every shot live play a bad lie into the sand on 12 into the sand again? The vibe king gave an awesome satirical fist pump after. I love the laid back, have-fun-with-it approach. He wasn’t stellar last week, but he’s riding a strong approach game (16th in the field in the last 16 rounds) and a really strong T2G game (8th in the field in the last 16. He’s top 60 in accuracy and has a low ball flight. The vibe king

Poulter has placed inside the top 20 in five of his last six appearances here. He’s a machine in certain places, and I don’t even think I can throw a monkey wrench in the Poulter machine. The stats aren’t really good anywhere here, but he’s an accurate driver with a low ball flight and a ton of success here. Follow those bread crumbs.

I wish I could take Cam in the OAD pools this week, but I’ve burned him already in match play in Austin. He’s doing everything well with the putter, the short game, the approach game, and off the tee. His stats jump off the page in every category. I can’t possibly mush this guy.

Born, raised and resides in South Carolina (go Cocks), NeSmith has extensive experience at Harbour Town and is accurate enough tee to green to do well here. He ranks 20th T2G in his last 16 rounds and 26th in approach. His putting is atrocious, but I’m not putting too much stock into that on this course. Finished T33 last year.

Under-the-radar pick, but he finished T8 at the RBC Heritage last year and T10 in 2019. Over his last 16 rounds, he ranks 11th in the field in driving accuracy and 17th in GIR% so given all that, 4/1 for a top 20 seems so easy a caveman can do it!

I know Luke Donald isn’t very good anymore, but he loves Harbour Town and has had great success here over the years so let’s just make the cut, see if we can get into the top 40 and make 4x our money with this one. Six top 10’s here since 2010.

Already explained why these guys stand out to me this week, I think their odds should be lower than this so I’m putting a half unit on both to win and will likely choose one of them in my OAD pools. Let’s ride their form and accuracy to victory here!

Bermuda is where he finds his best stuff with the putter, but that’s not his only area of expertise. He brings a solid iron game and contended at a crossover course in TPC Sawgrass earlier this year. He’s 55th on the tour in driver accuracy, and has a top 25 approach game in his last 16 rounds amongst this field. 4-1 is great value.

Matt Fitzpatrick to win (+1700) - .5 unit

Berger already got the profile, but Fitzpatrick is one of the larger spreads in terms of being best in accuracy with a really low ball flight. I think he follows the other guys across the pond like Poulter, Knox, and Donald who have all played well here. Decent value on both. Let’s roll!

Making Picks: RBC Heritage

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

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.

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