I miss the green, for example, I'm already upset. When I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. And when I find my ball in a egg Friday Egg, the dreaded Friday Egg, Friday Frida Bride Egg.
Lie, I'm about ready to run.
Off of the course.
Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Egg Podcast. Today I'm joined by European Tour player Richie Ramsey. Richie is the former US Amateur Champion, a three time winner on the European Tour, and uh burgeoning golf course architecture nut Ritchie, Welcome on.
Thanks for having me. Appreciate you having me on.
Yeah, for sure, it's h always exciting to talk to guys that can talk about you know, competitive golf and playing golf at the highest level, but also architecture.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's playing golf for a long long time now, since I was a little kid, fortunate to travel to some far from places and experienced a lot of different courses and cultures and stuff. So definitely got a afresh look at some some architecture and that with a lot of travels on the European Touring and obviously coming from Britain, got a pretty traditional aspect of it
mixed in there. So yeah, that's kind of my My new thing at the moment is is learning a bit more about the great designers and what drove them and their their skill set and how it developed over the last well probably eighty or ninety years.
Yeah, and then in your case of where you grew up, I mean over the last two hundred plus years. Oh yeah, one hundred yeah, long time. I can't do that math. So Richie, why don't you give our listeners a little bit of background. How do you, you know, get into golf and uh, and just kind of your story, all right, I'll.
Try, and I tend to rabble a bit. I'll try, and I'll try and cut it as as quickly as I can do it with with a little timeline. So basically, yeah, I started golf when I was a little kid, you know, and plastic balls and plastic clubs in the back garden. But like any Scottish kid or most Scottish kids, I wanted to play football, so soccer and not American football.
When I was younger, and by the time I got to about thirteen or fourteen, started to realize that I was decent at football, but I was never great, and I was far better at golf. And it was my grandfather who got me into. Used to take me to the nine holer cut down clubs and wrap tape around them, like you know, you just buy taping at like a tennis shop or something, any kind of tape, just wrap it around. And yeah, he used to take me up. I remember the the Volve he used to drive. It
was like a tank. It wouldn't he can it would. It would knock anything else off the road.
It was like the most safe car ever built.
Yeah he would, he would. He would drive it pretty ruthlessly. It went one too many indicators or too many looks. It was just foot down at the floor, which was quite quite amusing. But yeah, he was. He was a huge influence on me. And you know, he was an ex He was an ex RAF serviceman and he was a head teacher at school, so he had quite a
quite a strong sense of direction. And it wasn't until after he passed away that I realized he was actually he was an He had an MB, which is a member of the British Empire, I think, which is you get that stored on you by the Queen. So yeah, I sort of, you know, a huge amount of respect for my grandfather when he was alive, but even more so when he after he passed, because I started to realize and research a bit put him. So he was
the biggest influence on on me. So yeah, fifteen, started playing some tournaments and I finished second to my good friend now George Murray at the under sixteen's Scotti Strope. Been realized, you know, maybe there's a future in this for me, because I played well but only lost by a shot, and I felt that I could have won. So then, you know, travel the world, played under eighteen, under twenty one, played for Europe in New Zealand, played all around the world by Japan, and you can imagine
South Africa Eisenhower Trophy. I played Walker Cup two thousand and five and had a spell in America for a year, and the golf courship came back right about that time.
And I had four years at university and sterling got a degree there two thousand and six and one in the US Amateur and after that finished my degree and then two thousand and seven turned pro and with a degree in my pocket and kind of gave it a shot and from then I feel like I progressed to the Challenge Tour after a couple of years, and I've been on the main tour since two thousand and nine.
So one three times, South African Open, AMIGA, European Masters, and the Hassan Trophy too, which is a Morocco So.
You're a global winner.
Yeah yeah, nice to nice to chalk up a few all over the place. And I suppose that's the It's not. It says it's a European tour, but where as a global tours you're going to get without playing in North America really or South America, so everywhere else will pretty much go to and lots of air mils, lots of airports.
I wonder how many guys have won on like six contents because you could win in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and then the US that I mean, that'd be pretty incredible.
Oh yeah yeah, I mean the last four tournaments I played in twenty seventeen were in four different contents week after week.
It is crazy. It's it definitely is turning into a world tour. I obviously, you know, air travel has made a lot easier. Kind of going back to what you turn pro. You were You played as an amateur in the and the Masters, the US Open, and the Open Championship, and I know that year was a Walker Cup year. Did you put much thought into staying am and and playing in the Walker Cup for a second time?
You know what? I thought about it, And I didn't know really until about the start of the summer, and I really thought to myself there were three reasons for it. I'm quite a logical guy, and I like to you know, me and my coach talk it through, and if he asked me a question, he knows that I can always validate the answer. So there's sort of three reasons behind it. Were One that I just felt it was time. I felt I was plateauing out and I wanted to push
myself a little bit more. I had already played the Walker Cup, so I'd already had that experience. Two was that all the other guys who were playing the Walker Cup, it was a strong GBI team, and when that Work Cup was over, they'd all be looking for invites to tournaments. And if I turned pro before that, I would have far greater access to invites. So that was the way I was thinking just to get myself starts and tournaments and three can I remember the third one? I don't
know if I can. There was a third one, but I can't remember it. So it was kind of got feeling. But the way things were lined up for me, I felt that it was the best to just to turn pro at that time. And and I'm trying and get a foothold on on one of the pro tours, and
that's what you really have to do. Two things. I mean I discussed the other day with someone when you turn pro or really you have to find somewhere to play, and it helps if it's a good competitive tour like Chance to our web dot Com or obviously the main tours, and you have to have money to play on those tours. So those are those are your two main things I think really to accomplish.
Yeah, you've seen a couple kids from the State's turn pro after their first Master this year, and the logic behind it, and it makes a lot of sense, is like, you know, these kids turn pro after they graduate or after their their school year, but then there there aren't enough tournaments to get starting to fill your you know, seven or eight sponsors exemptions while you know by the end of the year because of the way it's laid out.
Yeah, I'm surprised that these this day and age, I'm some of the decisions I see people make are I don't really understand them. I under I totally get everybody's individual and I'm a massive believe in that because in myself, I'm quite individual and the way I approach stuff and the way I look at things and what believe in. But I sometimes think people make decisions and almost make it harder for themselves, and it's it's a it's a harder task as it is to get hold of the
professional tour. So whatever you do has to be thought through. You know, have a mentor your coach or someone from outside look at it and maybe throw up a few other issues with it, and hopefully you can come to a solid decision and one that gives you the best chance to progress in the game.
Yeah, it's almost like you got to maximize your chances, because that's almost what It's such a it's such a crazy sport. Like it's the difference between it and say, like you know, American like football or American basketball, or I imagine soccer like when you're playing on a lower tier team, you get a scout, you get a salary, you get your food paid for, your travel paid for. But in golf, it's all on you. It's a help performance.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's all on you. And I think I think it's you know, it can be hard because the way the media present a lot of the guys who come through, it's kind of like, oh, he just turned pro and then he got a foothold, and well look at John Ram he did it and he turned pro and you know he's a multiple winner now and whatever, top five in the world. And mclroy did it. And I was like, but for every one, you know, there's tens of thousands, maybe if not hundreds of thousands who
don't make it. These are exceptions to the role these are I mean McRoy, I would say he's a one He's not even a one in a decade player. He's what he's a player that comes.
Along every it's like a generational guy.
Well yeah, I would say at least every fifty years. I mean, the amount of talent this year talent he has. I think there's only in my mind, there's only haven't played with every single person but there'll be you'd have this, you know, one hand to cut and other people who have this hmount of talent he does, and that's close to him, that's not even probably the amount he has as just one person.
Well, I think back to my junior golf days and a name that now he's really having a lot of success was is Brian Harmon. But as a junior, I mean he absolutely dominated golf. I mean he was. He was a two time Walker Cup player, probably one of the best junior golfers of all time. And now at age thirty one, he's, you know, really starting to become an elite American player. But it takes time for a
lot of guys. It's it's so rare to have someone like Spieth or someone like McElroy have such success before they're twenty four.
Oh yeah, yeah. And I think guys just guys just turn pro younger these days as well. I don't know why, the reasoning behind that. Maybe I think they see, you know that maybe the lifestyle thing. You know, I want that. I don't want to go to university. I just want it and go for it. Earlier the gates, you know, I played against funny enough, I played against Brian Harmon and Walker Cup. He was He's you know, he's a great He's also a great talent, very natural player, good
belief in himself. And I think I won one against someone lost one. But the guy who was the most talented and he's in the top five most talent guys I've ever played with and we played against them, was Anthony Kim. He was the real deal. He was just you know, dry, it drove it well, pretty long, good iron player, great natural ability to shape shots, aggressive, good putter, just wasn't a weakness in his game. You know, he's still to this day was. I mean, he he could
have won majors. I think multiple majors. That about it.
It's uh, it's definitely one of the sadder stories of golf in terms. Was there anybody like, uh, you know, just out of this world talent that you've seen that's given up on the game like that you grew up playing against.
I think he was not, really, I think he was. He was the one guy who always stood out to me and and and people ask me, who's the most talent guys you've ever played with? Well, be enforcement playing
with Tiger, who's obviously immensely talent. Rory and Sergio in this in in the same bracket, very close to each other, but for someone doesn't even play now, hadn't he was the one who's stood out and just yeah, it's a it's a real shame that just you know, I don't know the reasons, but it just didn't just don't come to fruition and work out because he was just so naturally just looks so naturally talented, and it was one of those guys you like, yeah, I'd pay to watch
him because he's he's legit. You know, he gets the job done.
I'm waiting for Anthony Kim to get his amateur status back and start becoming a menace on the mid amp circuit and the worst nightmare.
Yeah he could. He was enjoy that playing the golf court and if you drinks, he'd be all right at that.
Yeah, cocktail to ur would be shook. Shook from Anthony Kim revival. You meant it like, how was your perception of golf and like competition changed over the years.
I would say there there's just a lot more people who don't ah give up as much. And what I mean by that is there's far more people who are committed, you know, who do the right things, who you know, who goes to the gym, make sure the stretch, have a physio, you know, go out and practice dedicated discipline,
you know, play play aggressive a definitely. Unfortunately, I would say there's more one diment, not one dimensional players, but just longer hitters who can dominate golf courses with length, and it's you know, they're not playing the same golf course. I am as simple as that. But that happens not every week but some weeks. And yeah, just overall, the competition is stronger and it's deeper at the same time. So yeah, a level of commitment commitment of players has
gone up. I think the distance more, the more guys, you know, if you just fly would just bomb it rather than you see them really working the ball and shaping shots. And also just the strength and depth.
Yeah, that's I noticed that I was at the BMW this year and I was watching Rory play with Alie Schneider dance and Ali was hitting it like right up even with Rory all day pretty much, and I thought back, and I'm like, god, you know, like eight seven, eight years ago, Rory was like twenty yards past everybody.
Yeah, there's just everybody's bigger. You know, there's a lot more guys. You're bigger on two who really, I've got a club it's been that really makes a difference, and it's the way it's going, and I kind of feel it's a little bit of a shame because that's how some of the new courses build it, and it actually gives more of an advantage, you know. I love the I always love the line over tigerproofing, Augusta. You're just playing.
What you're doing is you're playing to his hands and taking away from the guys who are the bigger hers. If you want a tiger proof it, you're now the fairs at three hundred yards or put the bunkers further down, you know, make it so you so it's it's it's narrow and tighter, and it just it shows you can tell golf courses you play, which are you know, look at Hilton Head, I mean, look at the guys who do well there, you know, Couture, Luke, Donald, t Mac.
I can't remember all them, but I mean, look, you know they're up there. They can work the ball, move the ball, real shot makers, straight off the tee, tidy, short games, good technical tactical awareness of getting the ball around the golf course. You never, I mean, when do you ever see a guy who stands up and bombs it and do well around there?
It's not really not often. As I had Bill Kooran and he was talking about Trinity Forrest, the course he designed, and he talked about the idea of making courses shorter and wider because it forces players to, you know, not only hit the ball straight, but they have to pick a line and hit at the right distance as opposed to just hitting it straight.
You know.
Yeah, And I think that's a lot what Harbortown is. Do you do you kind of schedule your events with that in mind?
Oh? Yeah, There's there's definitely places that you know, I look at and I think I can win there, definitely no doubt about it. And there's some places that I look at and I think I could win there, but I still need to play really really well to finish top ten because it gives some guys a huge advantage and doesn't punish them where I think it should do, Like where I'm trying to think of somewhere like like a lot of the co golf person in China really
favor the guys who move it. We used to play a golf course there called Lake Malarin and it was really bomber central soft and if you could shift it and made a big difference. But then you put them you flip that and you put me around it. You put me around Valdorama. Now that's just like a tounnel most holes. And I love that. I could play golf there every day for the rest of my life and would be a happy man. But some people absolutely hate it because it's it's now you have to move it.
There's a bit of wind, and it really is like you know, you come off there and you shoot under par, and you know you give yourself pat in the back because that's a health round of golf.
Mm hmm, that's I mean. Veldram I had a couple of was it two years ago, beef one shooting over par right for the four rounds.
Yeah, I played when and a couple of those round I think, and it was it was. It was very tricky and strong, strong wind and the greens are quite fast and they're quite small targets and they're rough at the side of greens. Was absolutely brutal, like if you missed it by two yards inside of green, you could,
you know. I remember having one and I was like, there was one round where I was off the green by less than three yards, and every single time I was chipping away from the pin because I couldn't go at it because it was I couldn't control it, and it was so quick that it would be chipping off the other side. So that was just really tough conditions. But it is a phenomenal golf course. It just makes you think and you have to think about all the shots.
You know, sometimes hitting you know, like the first hole, really really spinny green. You stand there and you get the wind into which he knows above the trees. But if you don't have that niner and you can know one hundred and ten yards, you can't you can't control the ball. So that's that's something you just got to you got to have. It's you know, it's a lot less one dimensional than I say some of the modern golf courses are.
So it kind of brings up an interesting point I with with the difference that you know, playing in Europe and on the European Tour, you play obviously all over the world. How big of an adjustment is it going, you know, from playing golf and say, you know the British Isles to these different parts of the world.
Well, it's a massive adjustment. It used to be, you know, I argue to a lot of people it used to be to our advantage because we generally used to play in Europe, so you had time. Difference was helping helping us. Type of courses, the type of grass, the temperature. But these days it actually goes the opposite way, probably favors a lot of the guys who play abroad more. I mean, it's it's just not the same type of golf. You know,
you play a lot more golf along the ground. There's far more wins, so your your your ball flight needs to be stronger and it needs to be more penetrating. You don't just stand up and hit it up in
the sky and drop it down. Around the greens is dramatically more different from the fact that you know, you're you're keeping on the ground, You're putting a lot more, you're playing these sort of flop shots as much from from thick rough But then you know, in the summer, greens are a lot firmer, but they're generally slower than the ones on tour, So you know, you take that we have I mean, I think, I mean, I think we have a major, major problem in Scotland with just
simple facts of life, which are if you want to win a tournament on the PGA Tour or the European Tour, and you look at what's gained whoever number that is guessing it's roughly about three three and a half per round. But we don't have greens that we can practice on consistently so we can go out and tour and compete.
So my argument has always been backed up by the data, and the data shows that the most important thing about when a golf skirt tournament, Yeah you've got you know, you've got the ball strike it and a lot of Scottish guys do because you can't play a links golf
without being a pretty good ball striker. Yeah yeah, but fundamentally you've got to put well and if you don't have that, there are also weeks you can get very close, but most weeks you're gonna have to put well to win, and we don't have the facilities the match in with what the data suggests you need to be a winner.
So I saw you you were in the States, your wife is American and you were practicing at at Hazeltine in Minnesota over the holidays. Is that the type of setup that you're talking about.
Yeah, something something along those lines. I mean, we have a couple of indoor facilities in Scotland. I haven't been some number private. One of them is just recently opened that haven't been too yet other than the Chance, but facility hazel Teene is I mean it's got a punting green indoor in the basement that's probably twenty five thirty
feet by about twenty feet, so great for practicing. You're putting working on your working on a skill effectively and trying to enhance a skill on a consistent green that's similar paste of the tour, a little bit of slope in it, and you don't have all these variables which are you know, bumps in the green wind especially as a major thing for us, and just a consistent surface to put so you can you can work on and try and improve your you're putting that way, and I
think that's that's something that we hopefully can address in the in your future. I understand there's facilities at Northwest and a lot of the northern colleges that help them out in the winter. I've seen some of the facilities there which look incredible. Yeah.
So you were part of like the Scottish Golf the like performance program when you're an amateur. Correct.
Yeah, I was from almost age fifteen hours in what we call the Scottish squads and progressed through what was the Scottish Golf Union which now is just called Scottish Golf. I believe.
So like there they pick up your travel expenses, tournament entry fees and then like coaching fees. Is that how it kind of works.
They what happens is they they pay for some of your expenses. It's not all of them, but once once you're like a full let me say a full squad member of the Scotland setup, then you get reasonable expenses. So you still have to put in money of your own to go go away and play tournaments, but they assist you with that. And then the major thing is is providing help with resources like strength and conditioning, physio coaching if if needed, so you may have your own
coach you work with. You may come to the squad sessions and they will Laise and work on that. But over the I think over the last i'd say ten years, it's it's changed a lot for the better. So it's it's it's really really good now and the guys have, yeah, a great structure behind them and a great performance set up. But with anything can almost get better.
H How how would you compare and obviously you never were a part of it, but compare it to like a I know England has it, Ireland has it, Australia has it. Are they all pretty comparable or is there one that kind of stands out?
I would say it's funny. I think we so so I was split it into two. I was split it into your job is to sort of produce great amateur and great amateur teams, and I think we've done a really good job of that. We've always had a good success rate of an amateur golf, especially with our team performances. If you look at us when the European Championships, when I played Homer Nationals, we really played well. I'm almost dominated for about three years, which is is England, Island,
Wales and Scotland play every year. We did well in the Europeans. We did pretty good in the Eisenhewer not great, but I think top ten but there's not. But the problem is we've, for one reason or another, we struggled to produce really good professionals in the last maybe seven or eight years. Whereas you know, we're a level pegging with England amateur. But then when it comes to professional, they seem to produce a lot more professionals, a lot
more professionals who make it to a higher level. But they have a population of fifty five million and formre people playing golf, So it's not like for like, if you see where I'm see what I mean.
Yeah, that's I've always wondered why the States don't have it, But it could just be it's just so big.
Now I think it's I think it's so big, and the university is like the university budgets outweigh what what the Scottish golf budget would be, I mean tenfold easily.
That makes a lot of sense.
Like I hear stories that are just to me are just incredible, Like I think this might be a mistake. But roughly speaking, I think Georgia Tech I believe were because I used to live in Atlanta at the time. We're looking for a new practice facility, and they built a new one downtown in Atlanta, and they had to obviously purchase a land, they had to build a club house. Terrific. I would do them with it. I think cost thirteen million dollars to do that.
Yeah, I think Illinois built one that was like eight or nine million on on campus. That's it's crazy. And it's like they these kids they go to school and they hit. They can hit on a range that has every different type of grass, kind of like what you were talking to. They can practice putting on bermuda grass even though they're in Illinois.
Yeah, I mean that, that to me is unbelievable. The resources they have to do that, the vision they have to do is pretty impressive. But what I would say is it's really important to have good resources. But even I fell into the this trap is that when I was in Scotland, I was far more hardened two traveling, playing in tough conditions. So then when I got to like a nice country club, I'd be like, oh, this
is unbelievable. Look at this that there's nucrobe ones in the range, Like you know, this is we're petting off, turn out and off matts, there's no wind. You know, the greens are running at like ten and a half.
This is incredible. Whereas sometimes you can build up these great facilities, but if I was a coach, yeah, let them practice fill it, but one day a week, I take them to the worst place, worst golf course in wherever they were, and make them play, and I want to see them hit it out of like rubbish lies, putting greens that aren't that great, deal with conditions and see how they're actually develops over that day and see how they work with that, because you because when you
have everything at your disposal, it's only going to get worse from there because it doesn't. It's not all. It's not all one hundred percent first class facilities everywhere you go, especially when you're starting out in professional golf.
Like the challenge to her, I bet you you probably played a lot of places that were suspect at best and conditioning.
Yeah, I mean, Chancer has got a lot of good courses and it's a great tour to build off. But when I played, you know, sometimes there wasn't a driving range. You know, you're just hitting a net and then you teed off on the first so you know, you've got to You've got to deal with that, and you have to and then you go and play, you know, qualifying school and you know, say the weather hasn't been great and the golf courses in great condition. You've got to
deal with that. And I think I'm a big believer that adversity makes you very strong. And it's not in the peaks that we build the characters in the troughs and when you're down in a lot, in the sort of trenches, that's where you build your character and your belief and your determination, your motivation which will see you get to the top. And when you're at the top, you need to remember that.
Yeah, I think golf is it's a different sport in the sense that like you almost learn more when you fail, like when you get in a moment and you fail, because then the next time you you remember that and you might think differently.
Right, oh, yeah, we've all been there, you know, especially in professional golf. You walk off and you do question yourself, even the top players. I'm sure they question themselves. It's is just what I would be doing. Is this. Sometimes it feels like it's torture, you know, but there's a you know there's there's a light attended tunnel, and I think you need to have good people around you. Is really to support you and be a positive impact and
pick you up when when times are down. That's that's a that's something that I have, and it's something that's a major I'm not saying I've I'm not saying I've been an incredible player, but the success that I've had is attributed to people that are there for me when
I ultimately need them. Because you know, everybody, maybe from the outside it looks great, you know these guys, you know, top players in the world, you know, making millions and flying private jets and you know Holliday in the Bahamas and you know all this kind of stuff. But you know, just like in everybody's life, you know, you get these times where they can be pretty hard and you've got to have those people around you which provide a safety net and pick you up when you're feeling down.
So with it being kind of a new year, how do you in new season for you? Is it do you get do you just kind of keep rolling from season to season, or is do you do you have a kind of new season structure or like have a mentality to approach it.
Well, I'll try and clock out. I was very much a guy who would be off season. Now we just keep going, keep practicing, and keep working on it. But I've realized it's different now. I've got family. I've spent time with them, but I really sort of hold myself off and get away from it as much as possible in order that when I come back, I'm refreshed, I'm ready to go. Because it's not always the time that you're playing. Sometimes the most important time is a recipediod.
You know. I analyze the year, think about what I did well, think about what I didn't do well. I test equipment. I like to set on equipment before I teat up in the first tournament. Just think about schedule and try and try and do a lot of like advance work so that when I'm at the tournament, I don't need to I just need to focus on that tournament and come into it fresh and and but at
the same time still sharp. That's why I go to Dubai early doors to get good practice and just be you know, sounds sounds a bit of a little bit cliche, but you know, attitude of number one train like train like your number two.
Mm hm, that's it's a good good mentality you have. You got to have confidence in this game, that's yeah.
And Scottish Scottish Scottish confidence is is like pessimism really, to be honest, it's not Scott's have never been shouting from the rooftops and if you do, you get dragged down pretty quick. So yeah, I'm not. What I do admire about a lot of Americans, A lot of young Americans is there really are confident and aggressive and they
play with a you know, a swagger about them. Even even the people who are great ambassadors for the game, like Speace, you know, he's just he's got he's got an edge in there.
You know.
You could see that with that punts on fifteen Open last year. He's like you picked that ball at the hole. You know, he's got that little edge that I like. That's I really like that kind of style of player, constant, but little kind of little edge to them. Very very strong in their belief that they know what they want to do.
In terms of scheduling, What do you think about like the unique formats that the Europeans Spent Tour has been trying out in recent years.
I like the ideas I think I I honestly don't know if it's if it's a game changer and up, I probably couldn't ask that question. What I do like about them is that they are being proactive in testing you new formats of the game out in a professional game, trying to make it more appealing to tery, to make the product more appealing to the general public, especially the younger generation, and just give them curious that they're trying.
You know, you're not saying we're gonna we're going to turn things around, but they're they're definitely making people think, raising awareness and instead of just standing there planning, they're actually executing and getting it done, which I think in the Gulf world, like people talk so much and they just like I just sometimes I'm just like, you know what, if you want something, you go out there and get it. Just get it done. Stop talking about it and get it done. Yeah.
I like the idea of changing up like the the short matches was like a really cool that was the Golf sixes.
Yeah, the Golf sixes.
Yeah, and having it in a city like it was in the heart of London. Right.
Well, this is well this is from my point of use is the one thing I would changed. They had it at the Centurion Club, which is outside of London, and it's a very good golf course, a lovely facility, very very good. But I'd have it. I'd have it as close to the city center as possible. I'd have buses running, three buses running on loop from the city center. You know, make it as easy as possible for people to be exposed to that tournament. And and you know,
you've really got these days. The difference between America and I would say one of the big difference between America and Europe is that when you have a golf tournament, it's a social event. You know, you'll get guys who will say, you know, in the office you work ninety five, say, oh, they've got that what do you call that? That Phoenix Open going on and they've got Testa playing and it'll go on there for the day. I mean, I'm not
into golf, but looks looks a good fun event. Whereas generally in Europe it's although there is some social aspects to generally more people who actually play golf and take a firm interest in golf.
Yeah, it's uh, it's definitely. I mean the Phoenix one is like I feel like it's a kind of an outlier, but for the for the most part, like that, I know that Nelson is a big social event and they do. It's so much with those corporate hospitalities that makes it in hospitality tends to make it much more social.
On an American tour, yeah, I mean that's it's probably a little bit more that way in places like Dubai Abba Dabbi because there's you know, people can love coming to events and it's a great you know, the sun's on your back and it's a great little walk in the green grass when there's desert around you. So a little bit more that way. And I would say the new markets, but we have a lot of established markets and it's probably more the other way with more golf golfers who come to the events.
So do you set like, do you have goals for this year or are you just kind of you just try and play your best and wherever it goes, it goes.
Well. My mission is kind of I always like to take the viewpoint that kind of got to be the best I can be, so effectively, don't worry about Rory mcelroyal, Jordan Speith. I just got to be the sort of the best Richie Ramsey I can be, and I try and do all the things I can do every week to do that. And and if if I miss a cut and I walk away, I walk away with my Hotel tie. But at the same time, if I I finished second, I walk away with my health tail tie.
So no, I really want to get back in the winner circle because effectively that there's nothing better than winning, Let's be honest. And you know, raced buy is also a big thing. You always want to be in a season ending tournament in Dubai and get a little bit more feel for, you know, playing in this WG season, those those major tournaments, because I played in the US Open and Open this year and I feel a lot
more comfortable playing in them. And I feel that I've I played good at the Open this year, fourth last group on the Saturday, but I feel like I've got a little bit more in the tank to show I didn't quite finish it off.
Yeah, you're you're right in the thick of it. And then the weekend, which is you know, it's a major championships obviously, but I mean to a certain extent. I so instead of overrated, underrated, our major championships overrated. When discussing players legacy, that's a.
Great question, that's a very good question. I would say no. I think it's the main determination of how good a player they are. The WGCs have an impact because the fields are so strong. I would love to see wgc's split. Differently, I a staunch believer that another's one in Mexico.
But yeah, it seems like there should be one in the at the Home of Golf.
Well, there's one in Mexico, but let's be honest. For the for the line's share of the last three years, there's been three in America, and there's been one in China, And if you want to grow the game worldwide, you
don't have three in America. But what what what? What's the reason they're there is because the sponsors put up the money, and they've got fantastic sponsors in America, and a large share of the best golfers in the world lived there, so it's easy for them to get to tournaments and play there, which makes the fields great, which makes the sponsors happy and brings excitement in a great product to the fans, so I don't blame them for putting there, but the I think one of the founding
things was that they should be that there are are World golf events. They're not American golf events.
So that's it.
You know.
Yeah, I completely agree, especially when it's the World Golf Championships and then you look at the golf courses they play, and they play Austin Country Club, which is like, it's a nice golf course, but it's this is a World Golf Championship. You play Firestone, same kind of you know, idea, the Mexico course, and then they play in China at
a at a brutal golf course there. But like it's like, why why aren't these hosted at like a great course in Australia, a great course in the British Isles, a great course in America, And obviously you hit it with sponsors, but like that would be such a better product in my mind.
Yeah, I would. I know what I would love to see. And I've said this a lot is I'm not saying, you know, you have to have basically you have to the sponsors, you have some money put it there, right, But I would love to see a World golf event in Ireland now I am. I love Scotland, and I am immensely proud to be Scottish, and I love playing here. I love living in Edinburgh and everywhere I go I carry the saltar with me. But the atmosphere and the fans in Ireland are as good as it pretty much gets.
And they because the courses they have as well, and the players they have, you know, talking about McElroy and g Mac, you know, Daring all those guys have added to Hinton. I think they generally deserve a war golf event and the fans you would get in the hype would be incredible. And if you think about it, what's effectively one of the closest places to the US. Yeah, it's not not actually, you know, if you lived in Okay for the West coast guys, but if you lived on the East coast of America, it's.
Shorter from New York to Ireland than New York to la.
Well, there you go. There's there's my point precisely. And I think the difference in the the warmth, the atmosphere and stuff you would get would be incredible and and I generally think in the future that's the way if you'd have it. You know, it's say you have the Irish Open one year in the north, have a World Golf event in the south. Okay, would it? Would it work?
I think it would. I think. You know, Rory obviously does a hell of a job promoting the Irish Open, but you know, and it's a it's an it's a life experience for a lot of these guys. But a lot of these guys haven't gone there and played. And maybe you could go over there with your family and play some nights. Golf course has experienced the the hospitality do in Ireland, which is his first class. And like I said, let's be honest, logistically it's it's one of the easiest ways you could do it.
Yeah, I would agree. I mean, like who would in the interest would be so much higher? Like how many more people are going to tune in to watch the WGC at Royal County Down versus Firestone.
Oh yeah, and you know you'd I mean, you'd sell out, there's no doubt. But the reason that they're taking one of the reasons they're taking the Open back to Port Rush is because when we had Dirish Open there they sold out. Only time I think they've ever sold the European Tour event out and the weather wasn't even that great and it was an incredible atmosphere. I know they've changed the golf course a bit, but I think that was one of the the reasons they took it back there,
and it's great to see that happen. But I definitely think that in the future is I can't really see a major a major fall with it, if I was honest.
So we've gotten on to kind of courses in Ireland.
What are.
What are your favorite courses in just generally the British Isles.
British Isles always very tough because there's so many golf courses and I would say straight away, I would say I haven't played them all.
So so let's just say you got ten rounds. How are you going to split up the ten rounds?
Oh right, okay, so this ten This is great, so tough.
You can spend. You can do multiple at a course if you want to do multiple.
Okay, So what I would do would be okay, so you've got to have so and Andrews in there straight away because everything goes on about it. It's a home of golf. But it's a magical place. And walking around there and just walking up eighteen and playing seventeen and hit the t show at first. There's something special you can you can't put a price on it, you can't put it together. It has something that other places simply
don't have. So it's a special place. And I would always try and get a game on there if you can. And it's very deceptive because it is actually a good golf course that makes you think a lot more than you do the first time you play it. You've got to maybe play it a couple of times, probably more so, of course I could play every day for a week.
Is Mirrorfield. Mirorfield. It's an incredible place golf course design wise, as probably as good as it gets, you know, shot making ability, fairness, condition experience, you know, slopes look, everything is is just it's a fantastic day out. Lunch is brilliant. The members are always great cracket To have a big lunch and maybe a few glasses of wine and then play fours in the afternoon. That is a real golf day out. Number three pretty tough, but these three all
sit together and all for different reasons. I would say Turnbury Birkdale and loch Lomond turn Bray because it's just a majestic place, great history, beautiful views. Haven't played the golf course since it's been redone, but I just I played the Open there once, so it's it's just a it's just a very very good golf course. Strong I'm quite iconic in the Scottish West coast. Birkdale, what a
fantastic off course that is. I mean the views a lot more like my home course of Rother Aberdeen, where you tee up on the dunes and you hit down into the valleys. The back nine, I mean, i'd say from a living onwards, you know, eight of the best finishing holes you'll ever find. Obviously got a lot of history there and just of course that I love playing it. Esthetically. It looks great on the eye, tests you that way you think around it, but at the same time it's scorable.
You know there's a score out there to be had. Loch Lomond again very similar to Mirfield experience wise, incredible staff there are fantastic will Lye in the locker room exceptional remembers your name even though you've maybe not been there for two or three years. Services, first class ross t house, one of the best clubhouses you'll ever see in your life, at a setting that is probably one of the most spectacular, not in the British Isles, but
in probably the world. And a very underrated golf course that Tom Weiskoff designed mm hm as a joy to play there really is just fantastic golf course. Where's that being up to one two Andrew's Mirfield?
I think five right?
Five? Yeah, mm hmm, okay, I'm going to put I'm going to put Sonny and Dylan in there. Yeah, and you could you could play the newer the old both exceptional. You've got what I would like to turn laser beam around there. If you hit it offline, you'll be buying more golf balls in the pro shop. No doubt about that great halfway house. Fantastic halfway house. I mean leave leave twenty minutes. The stuff you're facing there, sausages in
a roll, smoke salmon. I'm sure the members have a couple of cheeky drinks as well, So that's a that's a great little kind of touch. But again, fantastic golf course design, old school greens that just sitting to you, but play quite firm and fast, especially in the summer.
Harry Colton, Willie Park well.
Just he doesn't get cold, doesn't really it doesn't really get much better than him, So I would I would say that would be a.
Classic.
Dale was one and if you could play the older than New thirty six that day, and I'd a little bit like Mirfield, I'd play eighteen in the morning, lunch and then fourth themes in the afternoon, because that's the tradition at Mirfield. So we're up to six. Oh god,
I've got four lefts and stuff. I'm trying to think of the open courses at I don't know where to put Carnishtee, but I feel that it's going to be in there, just because it's as fair a test of golf as you will find, and it's always irrespective of the wind. It's always a place you love to go to. The greens or I'm accurate, normally the best surfaces you'll you'll put on in Scotland. I would say Mirfield are close near, are very good, but but CARNOUSTI tend to
be exceptional. And the finish I mean what I finish, what I finish size? I mean you always talk about winning tournaments of coming down the stretch and have a lot of pressure. Well, sixteen is a tough hole. Seventeen is very tricky, but eighteen is probably I think one of the toughest version holes, if not the toughest version hole you'll play. It's it's just great place to play golf and obviously a huge amount of history with the people who have won there.
Yeah, that's gonna be a good of course. That sets up well for you.
Its well for me because I think it's a ball strikers golf course. Yeah, you can't. You can't fake it round there. You can't just go well, just put well and I'll get away with it. You've got to really know where the misses are, stay out of the bunkers, and sometimes you've got a challenge of bunkers. I think you just got a flat out play around there, no doubt about it. Can't fake it and it'll be it'd be good to see how the best players in the
world set up to It's definitely scorable. It's definitely scorable, but it's just a very very fair golf course. I would put Royal Aberdeen, my home course in there, especially the older course that we used to play when I was a junior. The origin more of the original design it was, you know, I used to play it in the front nine. I used to front nine. I loved. I used to go away and play all these different golf courses. People used to rant and rave about and
speak and say this is a great golf course. And I used to come back and will and just think this place is just way better. Really great memories. They're fantastic membership that have helped me and helped a lot of people progress their golf and progress you know, off the course, and just a place that is close to me, and I'd love to go back. I'd love to go back there and and and play and try and enjoy the golf course and the traditions because it was the
seventh oldest club in the world. It's seventeen eighty it was established, so.
Some great traditions there and just fortunate to be a member there. They've got two left left.
Dominated dominated by Scottish golf courses.
Yeah, any more heath and courses.
I'm not I haven't really played a Hoastling course that I thought really stood out for me. I'm trying to think that there there's a couple that. There's a great one. More Town is definitely something that I would I would I wouldn't include in my top ten, but it would be somewhere where I would play.
That was Mackenzie's first design.
Yeah, it's in I think I believe it's in leads and I had the Ryder Cup in a long time ago, thirties maybe.
H Yeah, I think that was Mackenzie's first design.
Yeah, there's there's a there's a few courses up there that kind of fall off the radar just because of where they are. They're not down south so they don't get ridden a.
Bit too much, and they aren't open courses.
Yeah. You know what, I haven't actually played a ton of golf courses in England that have been blown away by I might get some backlash for that.
You're loyal to your country.
Yeah, yeah, Scotsman, I would say port Rush has to be in there. I haven't played all these other ones that are far away, like La hinch Tralei, Waterville and all these ones, and I would love to play there. I think County Down is good, but I just think
port Rush is better. I think the design is better, I think the views are better, the golf course is more in front of view, and I think again being close to the town, it has that great atmosphere and it would be really interesting to see how the new holes bed in and how the guys perform at at the opening a few years time.
Have you played Dornick?
You know what I haven't. You got to get it out there, played Dornick. I've played ski bowd which is very good, but I haven't played Dornick for I don't know why I haven't played it. I just never ventured up there. And this is going to sound really funny, but I'm notorious for falling asleep really quickly, So vide
with me for a minute. So driving long distances can be tough for me because sometimes, I mean the other day I was at Mirfield and I got up early and played and we had lunch, beautiful lunch, stuffed, and I had to drive back and I had just stopped ten miles down the road to get a coffee because I said to the guy who was with I was like, my eye, I'm going to be like a nod and dog here, so I need to stop and get coffee. So the courses that are I mean, dorn is a
long way north. So that's that's my only excuse for not playing it. I can't really drive that far with that falling asleep?
What where's the what's the what's where's the weirdest place you've fallen asleep?
Oh? God, where's I fall asleep? I remember in Argentina, I fell asleep on a on a moving bus when I was standing getting a chance to event and the bus was packed, had to stand. I was that tired that I nearly fell over because I fell asleep standing up where the bus was moving, which is quite impressive.
That's uh, you get in the wrong spot. I went to Argentina last or many two years ago with my wife and I went for a run and I got lost and I ended up running like into like a bad neighborhood and it was like one of the worst experiences in my life because I didn't have a phone that worked, and I don't speak Spanish and I was trying to, you know, figure out how to get back. And I ended up running like fifteen miles that day, So I got good work.
Yeah, I bet you ran out a fair pace as well. It was.
It was a brutal experience.
Yeah, I'm not.
A bus in Argentina would be really tough to fall asleep on.
Though I fell asleep, I don't. I don't remember this because it was a night someone said to me almost I fell asleep in a club and I was I was next to a speaker. But that was that. There was a few other variables that were involved in that. It wasn't just when you get a couple of drinks, you know, it's like, it's what.
What what's the what's the best course in Scotland that nobody knows about the radar?
So just just quickly before answer that the last one on the list, which is the which is the best one on the list that slightly off the radar is a place called The Island, which is outside Dublin and Malhyde and it is phenomenal, great course, great course, you've got to play that beautiful June's fantastic membership. And there's a lot of other courses around there, a good Port Marnocks just down the road, and Port Mornick's is a is a great golf course as well. But the Island
is is really cool, cool spot. I really like that.
I think Sally from Millaying up played there. It was he was he was talking about that place.
It was.
It was great.
Yeah, definitely worth a definitely worth a trip. Good question. The best course.
Let's say Americans would just overlook.
Well, a lot of them really love North Berwick and it is a good course. But it's not under the radar. It's not like you know a lot a lot of guys we've heard of it. Sorry one second, you know what I'm going to go with this place, which is a pretty cool place to go to. It's actually west of Aberdeen, about fifty miles. It's a place called Balloter Golf Club and it's actually not far from Balmorrow, where
the Queen as a summer residence. It's surrounded by hills and you play a long sort of very sand based turf beside the water, beside the river that runs the River Dee which runs from the Highlands all the way out to the water in Aberdeen. It's quite short, quite tricky course, but a lot of shots where you hit hit it up and you can see the ball heading into the hills and then it drops down. I'm not too sure designed it, but it's a great place to go and play, especially if you were in the Highlands
and you were coming down that way. It's it's it's as sounds funny, but it's as Scottish as you're going to get because you're you're kind of surrounded by these beautiful hills. There's castles on the trip from Aberdeen to Ballater and obviously if the Queen, the Queen could be in Balmoral residence in the summer, when the best time to play it.
Is, it's the there's I gotta get there for, like I guess spent a lot of time there. I feel like there's like hundreds of great golf courses.
Oh, there's tons of places. I know. Silly was over and we sort of them out with a game at Royal Aberdeen and the boys took them out at night. So I think he enjoyed that.
Uh this, uh this fall maybe I think I'm thinking, but how did how do you what kind of sparked your recent kind of interest in golf course architecture? Last question and we'll get some over right on raids.
You know what it was, and it's it's bad to say it was just complete and utter amusement and disappointment with some of these modern golf courses and and and modern designers who have tackled redesign. I just I honestly, I don't know what to help some of them with
saying I don't know how they've got jobs. It's I think we're just going through a period where we don't have a lot of good designers, and for all the resources that they have, the product that they're producing is I think it's pretty poor.
It's I think it's the it's changing, but there was there was so many years of bad and I imagine you see it so prevalently when you go to like Asia.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's they want to put the signature on it and I don't know what it is, and and it tends to be in the form of huge hills and humps and hollows that a lot of the time Luke Man made and just looks so false and don't aren't bring any playability to the golf course. And they're trying to almost make it not impossible, but just trying to make it really really hard to score. It's like, you know, I'm going to defend parr all the time,
but the best courses we play are the classics. You know, you want to play the golf course over and over again, Like I think the sign of a good golf course is if someone said, well, do you want to play this for five days in a row? And a lot of these modern golf courses no, but these old classics like Mirrorfield, Son and Dale CARNUSTI turn brat you just you just want to play them every day for the rest of your life. Yeah.
I you know, this fall I get to go out to I played sand Hills. I played sixty three holes in two days, and like, since then, all I could think about is like, you know, like when you get to go see one of these great golf courses, like getting to play it multiple times, it just gets better every time.
Yeah. Yeah, there's there's so much, so much character to it, so many different ways to play it. It changes every day, you know. It's it's it's like one of those especially those courses. I love those courses where you go out and you think, you know, I play good, But why
did I not shoot like four or five better? Because the design sort of pushed me, like it put a bit of pressure on me as and it looked really tight off on the t's with actual fact there was lots of space there, and you know, I miss it in the wrong spot, and and you can't get up and down from there. And I want to get back out there and play that. And I feel like I could shoot a better score because I've played it, understand a little bit more of what the designer was thinking
and how he's how he he's fooled me. Almost can't beat that.
I feel like the really great golf courses, you almost walk off a lot of them saying like, you know what that that golf course. I could really go out and shoot a low number, but you very very rarely do.
Yes, yes, spot on, spot on, because it protects you know, it protects itself because it just lows you into almost sometimes a false sense of security. I think you're doing fine and then it just hits you out of nowhere where you're like, it just gets you, and it's I think it's it's a little bit sad. I said to someone the other day also playing playing your field. We were talking about golf architecture, and I think that they're a great model. They they what they do with their
golf course, there is the they mold it. They don't change it. They mold it over time. So for instance, like they'll extend a green by four or five yards like they did on I think number five, so you get a backpin position when they play the open there. They'll make a bunker a little bit bigger, so it
becomes more of a becomes more of a danger. They will shape a fairway a little bit more so it feeds the player into one of the fairway bunkers instead of dramatically changing because it's a great golf course, you don't need to. You just need to slowly but surely mold it. And it's a little bit like what we have over here. We have if you have in America but listed buildings, so basically enlisted buildings you have to have.
You can't really change the building too much. You can maybe change the internal parts of it, but the overall fundamental structure, things like the windows, the roof, the chimneys, the design of the building, you can't change that. You have to work with it. And I really think that
these old classics should almost be like listed buildings. You know, you really have to go through a lot of not motions, but a lot of procedure in order to change some of these because I think a lot of people are giving carte blanch for them and they destroy them and then you can't go back and redo them.
You know how much better golf and like and especially America would be if they if they had listed golf courses and they couldn't change them. I mean it would it would have changed the complete course of American golf.
Oh it would, you know. We just it's it's like the golf course. The other thing is the golf course is your product generally that that's when people come to play. Yeah, there's experiences a lot of clubs, and that is great, but you know, most of the time people go there to play the golf course.
And and they join there because of the golf course.
Yeah, because you because because you play the golfers you think, actually, well I love that. I would love to play that every week. And I think committees and designers, you know, I would love I would love to I would love to see a designer go into a golf course and say, right, we want you to do a redesign, and him just to come back and say, you know what, you have sixteen fantastic holes here. I don't think you should change
much of it. What I think you should do is maybe redo some of the bunkers because they're falling in or or you know, to the holes. I would love to change a little bit because you know modern ten anology, and maybe you move the bunker that's currently out of playing now another twenty years further up and I'd love to maybe now the fairway at three hundred yards or something like that, or add a tree to give a little bit more character to the whole, give a siteline
off the tee. Small things like that I would love to see. And I would say, hands down the best redesign I've seen. It was the one that went with it was done last year, but I think McGinley and Bjorn had something put into it. But McGinley is a who's obviously he knows the history of the golf, you know, playing the European Tours for a number of years, rider Cup, you name it. He's pretty much done it. But he plays. I think he's a member at son Indale, plays there
a lot. And he really softened the changes and tried to bring back the old cult into the west course it went with, which was great to see.
Yeah, that was I mean the redesign a few years ago was like one of the worst redesigns, Like in the history of golf.
Yeah, I wasn't overly impressed because I think the original design, the one that I grew up watching seven play the world matually, you know, watching guys finish three three three to finish birdy eagle, eagle to win a match. That's the course I grew up on, where you had to run it in. That's the English Heathland classic type of golf course. Yeah.
They almost tried to make it like the Dark Ages of America, like nineteen seventies course.
Yeah, I don't think it's coming back, and made condition of it. The greens last year were absolutely first class, as good as you're going to get. And they softened the golf course and they took away the larger changes the undulations that were putting it and tried to bring back, like I say, more of the the cold feel and
the atmosphere. With a little bit more heastland in there, less undulation in the greens, you could a bit more playability as and you could run the ball in if you're in the rough, and a few little tall grasses off the teas which give you a nice little sight line, a little nice little path to walk down and and shape the whole a little bit more, which I thought was a good idea.
So all right, let's uh, let's get this done with some overrated under its all right, first one, golf in Ireland.
Underrated.
I think we covered it earlier.
But yeah, yeah, fitness, I believe underrated.
So like if you took like like Manti, I can't imagine hate him being a fitness not Ever he would be at a disadvantage in today's game.
His attitude and his belief make up for everything. He was a great has a great attitude and great belief. I think I would say underrated from the fact that I just think I find it very therapeutic, as in like mentally and stress free is a great I think it's a great thing to do. Maybe not Jim, but just exercise in general. You know, don't care you're gonna play tennis or you play football with your mates. I just think it's it's the best medicine you can have.
Yeah, heh. How about him now never winning in America until the Senior Tour, It's kind of crazy.
I don't know. It's strange. Could he would have the game to suit a lot of some of the courses over there, because yet it's so straight and very steady. But he just you know, he played in America, he played in Europe a lot, and you know, US Open and those types of courses were built for him. He just never got got the major that that probably he ultimately wanted.
Yeah, the European Tour was is different then too, Like I feel like the European Tour then they kept almost all their stars at home for the most part.
Yeah, And I think he was you know, the world wasn't as small then, I would say, and and you know, it was a lot more European Tour was a lot more top heavy. They didn't have the depths that they have now. They had, you know, huge strength to look at the players undoubtedly you know, great to the game, Langer and using them and fal Though and Leland, those guys.
But yeah, I think they just like playing in Europe and probably a lot of the odd families got kids and then what sees you know, I know, I understand you want to get back and see your family.
Yeah, yeah, I I mean air travel has just gotten so much easier, all right, Uh backboarding, you know, the not marking your ball like that everybody complains about in professional golf, Like say I say, you're in the bunker. I'm playing, you know, I got I got sponsors exemption, and I go and I don't mark my ball after I hit a sandshot and you're in the bunker and oh right.
Okay, yeah, I think it's overrat It doesn't really bother me. Yeah, just something that's blown out proportionally.
I think. See it's it's blown out of proportion. I I I when I play in tournaments, I feel like that backboarding is prevalent, but it's it's so rare for it to actually have an effect.
But yeah, if if the guy chips it from sixty yards and it goes to three feet and the guy's playing me, I'm just like, I'm not going to wait for him to walk all the way up there and hit it. But if he's lag putted it and he's put it up there and he's forty feet away and he looks at me and says, oh, market, I'm that's fine, doesn't bother me either way. But I'm not going to probably wait if he's miles down the fairway and I'm on the green side bunker.
Yeah, all right, last one. I don't know if you've played it, kill Spindy.
Kill, Spindy played it, Yeah, probably underrated. I'd say it's it's a beautiful part of the world. He's slowly lovely part of the world, lovely with towns and you go down there and it's a sure week course inside the water bomb around there in under three hours because it's quite short. Just a good place to go out and play with your mates and try and shoot as low
as number as possible. Well, enjoyed fantastic views And did I say some sun signed and some short sleeves if that's possible in Scotland?
When what's the best month to be in Scotland?
A good question I always get asked this a lot. Well, I think as well. I come to Scotland, everybody says, oh, it must rain all the time. Right on the west coast it can rain for days, but on the East coast it's a way drier and called Spindy and well basically where Mirfield is in East Slowly and that's one of the driest places in Scotland. So it's not as
wet as people talk about. But the warmest time is Jill August, but that's at the same time that's the busiest time so the schools get off on the first of June. So I would say, like, and the maze is not a bad time to come because it's not chao, it's not chaotic. The schools are still there. You get most of the run of the golf courses and the if I had enough of a growing season that conditions the golf course are good, or play it like late August, early September, all.
Right, I gotta do one of those times. I don't want a crowd.
If you don't like yeah, like you know, every dyar, just come over, run about the Open scottsh opens, start playing golf. So May time is a good time. Another thing about maytime that is a huge bonus is the longest day of the year, I believe is the second week in June. So if so, so where I'm in Edinburgh, I'm not that far north, but it gets light here at quarter to five, maybe half four, and it gets dark on a bright day at half ten.
Oh my god.
So like if you get up early, like say you're say you're like in Gulland for example, Gullen is a good example as a little town niche low then and they played the Scottish Open and Gullen number one course this year, right, I think two years ago, but it's back there this year. Like if you just booking a B and B, you can get up early. Let me make a sandwich, walk down the first team of your clubs.
You know, a few hundred yards, tee off but I don't know, five thirty bomb round in for breakfast, three hours in for breakfast, halfway breakfast, get the train in Edinburgh. Of a day in Edinburgh, come back out and then
going tea off before people. A lot of people go and play after work or come off work early, twenty off about let's say like quarter to four or something like that, and then born around there, a little bit of a late dinner, a few drinks, watch the sunset, you know, put two rounds of golf and you're still fitted in the day out of Edinburgh. Brilliant, you know, I mean, you can do so much, man, I.
Might I might have to move. You might have me sold. I'm gonna move to the to the east side of Scotland.
Greatest currently in the world, mate, It was voted that way, greatest current in the world. I always I always tell my wife that she's an American, but she never believes me.
It's I don't know, Americans are we're stubborn. So but hey, Richie, it was great having you on and wish you're the best. To luck this year. You're starting in uh about a week and a half.
Now, Yeah, week and a half abbadby HSBC, So looking forward to We're go in to get the the short sleeves out next week in Dubai and the shorts out turn up the legs.
Got the Obi steaks, Oh jeez.
Yeah, they're pretty damn wait, there's no doubt about that.
All right, Well, we'll hopefully run into each other here in the in the in the season at some point and good luck.
All right, cool, nice talking to you.
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