Thursday morning we walked into town and were met at the first tee of the Old Course by Gordon Moir, Director of Greenkeeping for St. Andrews Links Trust. Gordon had set aside ninety minutes to give us an overview of the operations there. It was a sunny but cold and windy day on the links.

Once you get past the history, mystique and aura of the fact that he and his team are maintaining the hallowed Old Course, you find that their concerns are very much in line with other multi-course shops around the world. Staffing, equipment, renovation projects are all approached on a day to day basis. While many courses recruit volunteers, Gordon finds that more than a few volunteers typically aren't needed when hosting events due to the size of the staff from the other courses and their familiarity with the operation.

Gordon Moir addresses the group on the first tee at the Old Course.

While there were many memorable comments during the presentation, one that particularly stands out was this reply when we asked Gordon about fertilization:

Gordon was especially generous with this time and the original ninety minute visit extended to three hours with a tour of the primary courses nearby.

Fairmont Hotel courses

We then went from the oldest course in the area to two of the newest courses: The Torrance and Kittocks courses are part of the nearby Fairmont Hotel, just a few miles out of town.

The courses are managed by longtime greenkeeper Neil Ballingall, but the real stars of the visit were Neil's two dogs Billy and Honey. Billy is active on social media and maintains his own dog's view of life in the Ballingall household with his very own Facebook page.  Check out his page and you might just get added as a "friendly hoomin".

Neil Ballingall holding Billy, with Honey in the background.

Neil shared an overview of the courses from the panoramic windows of the clubhouse, again a dog-friendly zone due to being closed for the day.

The group was feeling a bit peckish so lunch at the Golf Inn back in town was in order. We were exposed to the Scottish sense of humor when one member of the group asked if the fish and chips were any good and the waiter replied, "They're dreadful".

We spent a few hours back at the house - kicking back before a late dinner at Forgan's, another short walk from the house. Forgan's was in a building that housed a golf club maker and a few club heads are on display.