http://impromptufridaynights.com/father-and-son-reunion/Father and Son Reunion…read more Many of you might have noticed that I have gone dark over the last few weeks. No, I haven't gone to that great big supper club in the sky. Rather, I have been on a golfing trip to Scotland with my son. Every father's dream is to share a passion with his son. To spend 7 days together with just Brian and myself was a rare treat. To get to play 10 rounds of golf together with him at the home of golf was...PRICELESS. We had a blast We played 10 rounds of golf on 9 courses in 7 days walking 92 miles in the process of playing (Please note that in golf, the shortest distance between two points isn't always a straight line.) Prestwick North Berwick Muirfield Kingsbarn Old Course Carnoustie Lundin Links Crail New Course Old Course If you tell someone that you went to play golf in Scotland, the first thing they ask is: Did you get to play the Old Course? The Old is truly the home of golf. It is where Old Tom Morris shaped the game and the real champions of the game from Bobby Jones to Tiger Woods have proven their merit by winning the Open Championship. But, it isn't easy to get a tee time to play it. I am lucky enough to have played it years ago. When I was planning the trip I went to great lengths to make sure that my son had the same experience. Back in the 1990's I was in London on business. My boss and I planned a weekend trip to St. Andrews for a round of golf at the Old Course. A friend said he knew the Captain at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club that could get us on. We kept asking and asking but our friend was unable to come up with a coveted tee time. Three days before we were leaving London we told a Sri Lankan friend about our quandary. He knew somebody that knew somebody and we placed our hopes in him. When we arrived at the hotel at St Andrews we got the news that we had a 9 am tee time in the morning at the Old Course. I was like a kid at Christmas. So as we planned the trip with my son, I tried everything I could to replicate the experience. We entered the "Ballot" a lottery for tee times where they offer random tee times to the thousands of golf pilgrims that show up on St Andrews shores to play The Old. I even tried to stay in the same hotel as I did in 1995 to bring us good luck. Unfortunately when we got to the hotel we found out that we were not one of the lucky ones. Michael at the Russel Hotel was great. He told us about the "Dark Times" and how to improve your chances. To be honest we went to bed that first night thinking our chances of playing the Old Course were very slim. The following morning I reconfigured all our plans and at 6 am headed to the Old Course. I found 15 guys that had been sleeping there all night to get their names on a list to fill in for cancelations. A sorry group to say the least. The list also makes you eligible to be given a "Dark Time" which is a tee time between 1:30 and 2:30 pm. Starting times so late that you most likely will finish that last few holes in the "Dark". Brian and I went off and played Kingsbarn another great course outside of town. Late in the round I said to Brian lets go back to the Old Course and see if we can get a "Dark Time". Sure enough we did. It was the beautiful weather of the trip. The sun was shining and the golf gods were gracious as father and son got to play those fabulous links together. As fate would have it, on our last day we got lucky again and played the Old Course second time. This time, Brian who had been playing well all week had the round of his life. He birdied two holes on the back 9 with the most impressive on the iconic par 5 14th. He crushed his second shot over the dreaded "He'll Bunker" and got it up and down for a sweet birdie 4. An amazing close to a glorious week. More than golf it was a special time for father and son. In planning the trip I recalled to Brian how I had played golf with my dad at Pebble Beach in California and on the day he died that is what we talked about. To which Brian replied: Dad you aren't dying on me our you? I certainly plan to be around for awhile, but my guess is that when my time comes I will remember the magical week with my son in Scotland.

Incredible variety, great quality food, and super service! Lobster, steak, duck, chicken, salmon,…read moreand pork options for main dishes. A wonderful wine list and bar menu specials. The desserts were wonderful too!

Our home base after every round. Great vibe, friendly patrons all there to share a terrific common…read moreexperience...St Andrews. Vinnie the Blade drinks here!

Awesome 19th hole bar and hotel in St. Andrews. Formally owned by a Texas A&M Aggie. Texas chili…read moreand nacho after 2 weeks of UK food. Taste of home.

We went to The Bank for a birthday dinner while staying in Pittenweem, we both agree that the place…read morewas really good with very few caveats. Decor: The bar and restaurant are both nicely decorated, with a nice motif of different legal tenders on the walls, speaking to The Bank's past life. Food: The menu is very long, somewhat confused in its breadth, but what we had from it was great. - Baked Brie - Haggis Bon Bons - Steak & Ale Pie - Bank Classic Double Burger with peppercorn sauce It was all pretty much as you expect from the names, except the Bon Bons, which are actually Haggis Pakora by another name (complete with Raita). The portions were massive BTW, so wear a loose trouser. Ambience: Unfortunately we were seated next to a cross between loose women and a hen party, even though there were window tables at the other end that were free and unreserved. Additionally this is obviously where the hotel breakfast is served as I spent my meal watching one of the staff restocking variety packs of cornflakes and refilling a tea carousel. Yeah, the window would have been a better option really. All together our cheque came to £40 which I didn't think was at all bad for starters, main courses and drinks.

The hotel room was modern with lots of sockets for phones and tablets. The bathrooms had been…read moreupdated and were clean and efficient while still maintaining old world style. My American sensibilities are against separate taps for hot and cold water. The hot water comes out very hot and seems like a waste verses having a mixing tap. Also, the knobs to turn off the water were quite small and difficult for me to fully close with my arthritic hands. That being said the entire staff was VERY ACCOMMODATING, addressing all our requests and needs. The breakfast in the bed and breakfast scheme was very good value. Dinner was average but again service was excellent. I'd book again when in the area.

The hotel is right on the golf course and our room was overlooking the 18th green on the 4th floor…read more I recommend the Bing Crosby room, it has an amazing view! The staff was extremely helpful and courteous with everything from directions to amenities. You get that old time feeling surrounded by history and you can literally see the club house and its a five minute walk to the old course. Breakfast is included with the room and it was great. You can choose continental or order your preference. I would highly recommend this hotel. Note, if you plan on playing the course golfers have to hit off of mats until April. They will supply you with a carry mat. Shopping is a convenient stroll to Tom Morris shop, St. Andrews Links Golf shop, British Golf Museum, and other shops.

Wish we would have planned better to go during the day to take advantage of the view. But the food…read moreand atmosphere was amazing! Finding the place was difficult. The car GPS took us behind the building and we had to walk around. We had a huge lunch so we weren't too hungry by the time our reservation came but we had amazing appetizers and some of the best drinks of our Scotland trip. The servers were great even though we didn't end up wanting main courses and just kept ordering drinks.

After BRAVING the wind and rain for 18 holes of golf on the OLD COURSE... Fiancé and I were…read moreinstructed that it's a NECESSITY to refuel here at 1 Golf Place... I was expecting it to just be a bar with crappy nibbles so as to make sure those imbibing didn't get completely PISSED DRUNK... But I was mistaken, for there is a restaurant upstairs, and the grub offered there can also be served to bar patrons. SCORE because I was HUNGRY! I got the chicken salad, doctored but of course... And as you can see from my photo, it was a pleasantly simple, yet fresh salad... And SUPER TASTY! The chicken was VERY well done and I loved the lettuce boats because I used them as vehicles for the chicken. The bell pepper addition to the salad was also spot on as they were incredibly sweet and juicy! Fiancé got a CLUB SANDWICH and I almost broke my water glass from shock, when I heard him say multiple times to our server: THIS IS THE BEST CLUB SANDWICH I HAVE EVER HAD. Say what?! AND he only had a 1/2 a beer at that point so the BOOZE wasn't doing the talking! Ha Ha. The club sandwich was a double decker, one layer of chicken and cheese and the other filled with lettuce, tomato, mayo and bacon... And then of course, it came with French Fries, which he also wolfed down without even blinking. We left this place fueled enough to play another 18-holes, except I KNEW that wasn't going to happen when Fiancé almost fell face first onto the pavement when exiting the restaurant... I mean, when at a Scottish bar, right?

Great pub to hang out after getting brutalized in the Old Course bunkers…read more Recommended by the caddies, whom we saw there ( THAT is the recommendation- vote with your feet) Had some curry - tasty, but not spicy enough for my tastes - it's gotta burn three times to be hot enough! Was much more chill than the Dunvegan- I would recommend '1 Golf Way' way before the dun - plus the service was better

This hotel is absolutely the best hotel we've stayed in. The spacious room was so comfortable. The…read moreview was beautiful. The staff were so helpful and friendly. The food was *chef kiss* so delicious and fresh. We came with a group of golf friends and had a wonderful time. Would highly recommend! A nice walk from the Golf Museum and other bars and restaurants.

From the moment we walked in the door until we left, this hotel hit the mark every step of the way…read more An elegant, modern hotel with outstanding rooms. The staff is both warm and professional. The views of the Old Course from the 4th floor bar and restaurant are terrific. The restaurant was the best place we ate in Scotland.

Best pub in Anstruther. I used to go here all the time. They have pool too!…read moreNice and cosy place with good beer. Nice beer garden in the summer too.

We walked in on a Saturday night with no reservation. They let us know they'd need the table in an…read morehour or so, which we were more than happy with. The atmosphere was perfect on a cold night. Fire place, low ceilings and lots of nooks and crannies. The food was fabulous! The only slight downside was that the potato was too salty with the beef, but everything else was lovely. We had a brilliant meal and would go back for sure!

Bit of a mixed bag really, great surroundings, helpful staff, yet over complicated menu and…read moredisappointing food. American Bar/Grill yet menu is pages and pages long, with only two vegetarian options. Retro, or just uninspired, macaroni cheese/Quorn lasagne. Ordered from the 4 vegan options, Green Thai Curry, which was a mass of peppers, which I picked out, leaving just half a dozen carrot slices, and a couple of cauliflower florets. Three Chicken Caesar Salads were ordered, and my family played hunt the ingredients in huge plates of lettuce, almost completely absent any Parmesan (a few tiny grated slivers clung to the side of the bowl), a burger was also ordered and looked more like a slider, and the chips were rock hard, as if left out overnight then refried until burnt. No complaints with the BLT. So they can manage sandwiches...

Best place for cocktails in St. Andrews! Fantastic views of the sea and the famed Old Course and…read morefantastic staff. They make a variety of classic and original cocktails and have an encyclopedic whiskey list as well. Despite the upscale environment, I've never seen the staff be snooty to anyone. They are friendly and welcoming. Yes, it is expensive, but less so than one would thing (around £10 for a cocktail - standard for an upscale place).