Twelve Friends From Calgary
For the past 20 years, these Calgary lads have been celebrating their friendship with an annual trip. Originally, they were school friends – playing soccer together and sharing their friendship, and when they graduated and became successful, each in their own fields, they maintained their friendship with an annual golf trip. Some have stayed in the Calgary area, others now live elsewhere, but this trip is firmly established in their calendars.
To celebrate their 20th year they decided that Scotland should be the destination. They elected to start their adventure in the North – playing Royal Dornoch and Nairn, and staying at Foulis Castle which is the family home of the Clan Munro and still occupied by the Munro family – who happened to be Craig’s cousin.
With a new Westjet flight schedule that flies direct from Calgary to Edinburgh, the journey was straightforward and we were quickly loaded on to the coach and away!
En route to Dornoch, we stopped at Gleneagles, and after a quick bacon roll, the lads played The Kings Course in bright sunshine – and a strong breeze!
After an early evening meal in the Dormy Clubhouse, we continued to Foulis Castle and a good nights sleep before Royal Dornoch the next day. In the morning, we stopped at the Glenmorangie distillery in Tain, where the tasting went down well, before playing the championship course.
They were now well into their stride and really loved Royal Dornoch – the course, the views and their caddies who made their day.
After dinner in town they enjoyed the whisky bar at the Dornoch Castle hotel for a nightcap (or two). The next morning we headed to Nairn for breakfast before taking on the Championship course. Once again, the wind was what we will all remember but the course was very special and not to be missed.
The “breeze” they first experienced in Gleneagles, was to be a feature of their trip – turning into a strong wind in Dornoch and Nairn and nothing less than gale force as they faced the challenges of Carnoustie.
After Nairn, it was back on the coach and heading for St Andrews for the second phase of their trip. The Number One Apartments are a really excellent option for a group of golfers. They have two venues in town – both in excellent, very central locations, and offering premium quality accommodation.
For this group of 12 we were lucky to secure Westpark House – with 8 bedrooms, a huge kitchen and sitting room, and even a garden with a putting Green it was absolutely perfect for the 4 nights in St Andrews. The guys had a ball. They played The Jubilee, Carnoustie Kingsbarns and Dumbarnie – all in bright sunshine but howling winds.
It didn’t phase them. They loved every minute and interestingly there was no clear course favourite at the end of the week. Different players had different favourites but all the courses rated highly.
Carnoustie
Kingsbarns
Dumbarnie – A wee dram to start
This group had a wide range of handicaps. Some were members of BearsPaw – a beautiful course on the fringe of Calgary. These guys played every week together and were all really strong golfers. At the other end of the spectrum were those who admitted they hadn’t picked up their clubs since the last tour twelve months earlier – but it made no difference. The group formed two teams who played against each other with scores kept and rivalry clear – it was serious stuff but just great fun.
At the end of the week Kevin was crowned champion golfer of the week – he will get the best room available next year, wherever they go.
The boys have Morgan, Shaun and Craig to thank for this enduring tradition – they are the ones that make it happen and without them this lovely annual reunion wouldn’t take place. They loved their ‘big trip’ to celebrate their 20 th anniversary and have promised to come back to us for their 25th trip – this time to Ireland.
We loved having you gentlemen and look forward to 2029!
“
We just completed an unforgettable 7 day, 7 round golf trip (coming from Canada) coordinated by the Links Connection which marked the 20th year of our annual golf trip. Our entire contingent of 12 golfers was absolutely blown away by each of the country, the golf and the tremendous hosting job by Brian and Marilyn.
Right from the warm greeting at the airport they both felt more like relatives than tour guides. Marilyn with her caring nature making sure all of our daily needs were met and Brian with his positive attitude guiding us around the difficult links and giving reassuring comments every time someone got stuck in the fescue.
We certainly weren’t an easy group to coordinate either as we had multiple venues (Highlands and St. Andrews) and different guys arriving at different times. This was all organised seamlessly with a well laid out itinerary and just the right amount of time to get from place to place. Accommodations perfectly matched the needs of our group and included stocked fridges with snacks and drinks. Due to their strong connections in St. Andrews the Links Connection also managed to get our accommodation upgraded to a bigger, better house at no extra charge.
The selection of golf courses was also very thoughtful with an excellent blend of styles and difficulty. This included some highland links, an inland links and courses local to St. Andrews. I think most guys maxed out the memory on their phones with all of the stunning photos that needed to be taken. I lost count of how many tee box views looked like postcards.
I would highly recommend using the Links Connection and talks have already begun about an Ireland trip for our 25th year. You can expect a highly individualised and tailored experience where 100% of the focus is on your group and maximising your time in country. I can’t thank Brian and Marilyn enough for exceeding our expectations and giving us a golf trip we will talk about for many years to come.
Morgan Keith, July 2024
Start your booking journey today!
Discover more about the The Links Connection Swings and to begin planning your golfing trip of a lifetime to Scotland, Ireland (or maybe both).
