I don’t watch TV much these days. Maybe it’s because I live in a foreign country and can’t understand much Czech, or maybe its because I can simply pirate old South Park episodes to my computer, which is really all the entertainment I need at the moment. But who needs TV when you’ve got the balcony of the Young Tom Morris suite at the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, overlooking the 18th green of the Old Course and all the dramatic theatre it beholds? After I returned from my round at the Duke’s Course down the road this ...

Any golfer knows one finite fact: guaranteed tee times on the Old Course in St. Andrews are a bit hard to come by. So imagine: you were entered in the ballot on Saturday and failed, only to walk by the course at 10 a.m. the following day and see the legendary grounds empty - except for two kids playing frisbee on the Road Hole, and an elderly couple taking a stroll over Swilcan Bridge. The world’s most famous golf course is nothing more than a city park on Sundays, open for all and policed by no one. Use the grounds ...

Okay, you got me. I’ve been in Scotland for two weeks, Europe for four months, and I’ve somewhat converted to how they handle golf, from walking to the accessibility of their famous courses. Every single British Open venue in Scotland, from Carnoustie which I played today, to the Old Course at St. Andrews which I play tomorrow, is open to the public. Sure, regular stops like Muirfield and Troon only open their doors on certain days and have limited public availability, and the Old Course can be a challenge to get on during peak months, but that’s still better than ...

Even the worst of duffers get the urge to play the championship tees from time to time. Sometimes it’s because you’re lucky enough to play a course the pros play on TV, and you want to see just how far off you are from competing in the Open Championship yourself. But when you come to Turnberry, Carnoustie, the Old Course at St. Andrews, or just about any other course in Scotland hoping to play the course the pros play, it likely won’t be an option. Not one course I’ve been to has had their tournament (or ‘back’) tees set up. ...

They say good things come to those who wait. In the case of Royal Dornoch, located in the Highlands of Scotland, good things come to those who drive. When is the last time you were truly sad to finish a round of golf, and was it 50 degrees, windy and rainy? That was the case for me this afternoon at Dornoch. Royal Dornoch can be forgotten, it seems. Despite being internationally recognized as one of the best courses in the world, its remoteness leaves it off the British Open rota and many touring golfers’ itineraries. In a way, that’s a ...

So you thought Scotland has so many world class courses built from the beginning of the century or older, it doesn’t need any more? Wrong. The Cameron House Hotel, a stunning five star resort on the shores of Loch Lomond north of Glasgow is getting ready to add another gem to the country’s already stocked list. The Carrick is scheduled to open in the spring of 2007. Only about nine holes are ready for play as others are still in the process of maturation. But in playing the holes that were ready, it’s easy to see this is going to ...

Today I stand before you a changed man. Three days after my arrival in the UK, I proudly admit I can drive on the left side of the road and roundabouts are cake (but I didn’t say I agree with them…). However, I still never fail to walk to my car and start to open my left front door before realizing some bloke snuck in and switched it to the other side again. And without fail, someone is always standing by and looking at me like I’m a numbskull/American. Anyways… This morning I arrived at Prestwick Golf Club, original home of ...

Before my trip to Scotland, I spent a lot of time sorting through glossy Scotland tourism mags and scanning websites of St. Andrews, Turnberry, Prestwick and other famous gems. Nowhere was I warned about the country’s dirty little secret: The Roundabout. Instead of traffic lights, where motorists patiently and humanely wait for their turn to pass through an intersection, Scotland employs roundabouts, which has the same logic as say the ball machine in a batting cage. Cars are inserted into the roundabout, thrown around a circle for an undetermined amount of time, and then BANG! catapulted out into space in ...

The tabloid-obsessed UK is all over the new Madonna adoption of an African one-year old, who apparently has checked into the celeb’s London estate. This story is everywhere in Scotland, even more than Bill Murray’s party-crashing in St. Andrews. Paparazzi and fans are now scrambling to catch a glimpse of the latest trend Madonna is setting. But just like her conversion to electronic music, Madonna’s is showing up a little tardy. Angelina Jolie is already looking at her third impoverished little tike, mixed in with one of her own, natural accents. When CNN enshrined her as the second coming of ...

There is nothing like the first 24 hours in a new country. As someone who has done it quite frequently of late, it still never gets old. I love the confusion, the discovery, the humiliation, excitement, etc. A few notables during my first day in Edinburgh in Scotland… One thing the U.S. roadways needs to adopt immediately from the UK and Europe is the yellow light BEFORE it turns green, thus warning drivers if they don’t get ready to giddy-up, expect to be run over by the double-decker bus behind you. It’s awesome. I feel like Mario Andretti when I lift ...

Ahhh, the day is finally here. In a few hours, I’m off to Scotland for the mother of all golf trips. 15 days, 15 or more courses, and many, many pints and whiskey with friendly Scotsmen. College football, hockey, even the World Series can take a backseat for this voyage to golf’s motherland. This trip is All Golf, All the Time (aside from the ocassional distillery tour or trek up the Royal Mile or hot bath where I soak my aching muscles…I haven’t walked a course in quite some time you know…). Regions include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands, St. Andrews and ...

The Detroit Tigers are on top of the sports world after dismantling the New York Yankeees last week. And as we await their inevitable entry into the 2006 World Series, now is the perfect time to proclaim Detroit as America’s Best Sports Town. It isn’t even close, frankly. Folks in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philly, hear me out. Because this is a golf site, we’ll start there. Consider Oakland Hills, a Donald Ross masterpiece in the northern ‘burbs that’s hosted the U.S. Open and Ryder Cup. It’s also consistently placed among America’s Top Ten. Ben Hogan’s 67 on Sunday ...

So I’m not the only one who notices a few scantly clad, easy-on-the-eyes women near the top right corner of WorldGolf.com. First, Bruce “The Guru” Stasch is going after these girls, all while putting his manliness up for auction. Then a disgusted female reader is saying WorldGolf.com has no class, posting such advertisements on the front page. After all, this is a GOLF site! I have one problem with Caddy Chicks. But first, here’s what’s awesome about them: - I’m tired of looking at Phil Mickelson’s man boobs every time I go to GolfDigest.com or PGATour.com. Finally I can see ...

Anyone else notice the NHL regular season kicked off this weekend? Tumbleweed blows by…so quiet you can hear David Allen Coe on the jukebox…grizzled drunk at the bar tells me to, “knock off that jive!"…"We don’t serve Molson here, I’m sorry,” notes the bartender as he motions to the exit… Sooooo, I guess there’s other stuff going on in golf and sports then! Ochoa wins in Mexico, enchilladas for everyone! There’s nothing like winning in front of a home crowd. Lorena Ochoa won in her native Mexico Sunday, adding to a fine 2006 campaign that currently has her on top of ...

Much to the dismay of the New York media and fans, A-Rod, the popular scapegoat in the Big Apple, didn’t lose the series for the Yankees vs. the Detroit Tigers. He could have put up Derek Jeter-like numbers and the Yankees still go home early, the games are just a little closer. The problem with the Yankees is two-fold: washed-up pitching and the Curse of Johnny Damon. Maybe it isn’t so much a “curse” as it is a “virus". While I admit I had a minor man crush on Damon during the 2004 Red Sox run, his defection to the ...

Have you ever wondered why we don’t hear more about golfers tossing chairs through bar windows or being chased down I-95 at 4 a.m. with a kilo of blow in the trunk? Today’s headlines are highlighted by two late-night scrums. One involving socialite turned adult movie star and pop singer Paris Hilton. The other involves the NBA’s Stephen Jackson. Several weeks after being arrested for driving drunk, Hilton was allegedly punched in the face and basically “hated on” by some chick from “Dancing with the Stars". It’s nice to see Hilton is finally being serious about becoming a pop singer. ...

Having spent about three months in the former Eastern Bloc of Europe, I’ve been able to witness many of the scars a half-century of Soviet occupation has left behind. These impressions can be found primarily in the ethics of Prague cab drivers. Being a young, white, English-speaking male, I’m seldom discriminated against. The world pretty much caters to us. But as a tourist in Europe, speaking English often suggests ignorance to the lay of the land, hence making you an easy target to be ripped off. In Prague, I’ve come to the conclusion the taxi industry has a Speak English ...

So Tiger won his sixth straight tournament at the American Express Championship in England. Or did he? Well, some say he’s still on a tear, others say “no way” after he fell at Wentworth in match play to Shaun Micheel. To the naysayers who say Nelson’s streak is still in tact (which may include Woods - at least publicly), I say it’s still alive. Why? Because it’s way more fun watching the PGA this way, that’s why. And if we can still say Barry Bonds has a legitimate chance of breaking Hank Aaron’s home run mark and we still ...