On day nine of our trip we headed back to the Moray firth. Back to a course we played last year. Back to a classic links course. Back to Fraserburgh Golf Club. Back to the scene of the crime.
Yes, it bordered on criminal, our last foray into Moray at Fraserburgh. Over the years we have been blessed with the most amazing weather. In 2016 the locals were begging us to stay once they found out we had been there for weeks and had no rain. I even got sunburned. Who goes to Scotland and needs sunblock.
Here is the total of our “Scottish Weather” rounds, meaning rainy: Nine holes of rain in 2016 at Dornoch and we were there for two weeks and one round of light rain at Machrahanish in 2018. In 2019 we figured we were overdue for some serious weather. We got it.
Last year we revisited Cruden Bay, the big boy course that brought me to my knees in ’16. We started in fine weather but as anyone in Scotland will tell you if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes.
What was a beautiful, sunny day turned into a hard rain joined by a harder wind and it was barely playable. We both agreed that “this was the worst weather we ever played in.” And it was, for one day.
The next day we headed to Fraserburgh, a classic, James Braid design with a wonderful reputation. Fraserburgh sits on the edge of the firth where it meets the North Sea. I should have known what that could mean. It was a rainy morning with some wind but when you pre-pay big bucks for a tee time and your over here you play, no matter what.
We should have known what was in store for us. We were the only golfers on the course. Those Scots know when to play and when not to…they choose not to.
We teed off in rain and wind and then it got worse and worse and the wind picked up and the rain came down and sideways and for a minute I swear it was even raining up!
Umbrellas were useless as the wind was so strong it was pushing our trolleys along, even with the brakes on. Our high priced raingear was put to the test. And it was unrelenting. A three club wind made it feel like forty degrees and I remember my hands being so cold.
Somewhere on the front nine we looked at each other through the gales and the downpour and said, “worst weather we ever played in.”
So George wanted another shot at Fraserburg because we both loved the layout. It has plenty of hillocks, humps, bumps and it’s a real challenge. That rainy day in ’19 it proved too much for us as the weather beat us down. We hoped in 2020 the Golf Gods would give us a little break. We deserved it.
Overcast skies greeted us that morning with a wee breeze, maybe a one club wind. We can live with that.
But once again we were the only ones on the course as the members had a tournament at another club. We had the place to ourselves and could take our time to really appreciate the layout instead of battling the elements.
Fraserburgh is set among the dunes and many holes play up hill to raised greens. Corbie Hill dominates many of the holes. It’s not your flat links course but rather a hillier version of links golf. Plenty of those par fours had the approach going up to the green and that challenged us both. The back nine is full of hillocks and that rumpled landscape that denotes a true links while the holes are set down in the huge dunes.
The vistas from the high points are breathtaking and we appreciate the surrounding of these courses as much we do the course itself.
George got what he asked for, another chance without Mother Nature beating us down. I was the only one who suffered a beat-down as big bro waxed me 5 & 4. The highlight of the day was his eagle on the par five sixth hole when he putted in from the fringe. I knew my day was over then.
We did stop for lunch in the clubhouse and they are as welcoming as anyplace we had visited. We were driving back to East Lothian from there and I insisted that George have a few whiskys to celebrate his fine round and I was feeling a bit guilty about last night and his new found, unwanted celebrity.
Fortunately, there were no issues with his new fame at Fraserburgh, just great links golf, nice people and fine whisky. It’s all George came here for.
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