2025 Scotland SIOJO Trip
My last client for the 2025 season was a foursome from the San Antonio, Texas area booked for a week in the St Andrews area. My group leader, Julius Siojo, was given my name by another client who I did a Scotland trip for. A couple of months before their trip I noticed that they were arriving into Edinburgh the same morning that I was scheduled to depart from my Isle of Skye trip with my wife. I thought it would be very cool to be at the airport that morning to greet the group and get them on their shuttle to enjoy a great week together. Unfortunately, one of the members of the group had to drop out of the trip at the last minute due to a family emergency. Well, one thing led to another and the conversation started to have me take the 4th spot and hang with the group for an extra week in Scotland. It is a tough life, but somebody had to do it! I got to play three of my favorite courses again, see a number of my industry friends in the area, and even made it to a couple courses I had been wanting to see for a while. But the highlight of the week was certainly having our foursome selected for a ballot time on The Old Course.
Arrival, St Andrews
I had an unintentional day of exploring when the group arrived into Edinburgh. I missed the group at the airport and was left to find my own way from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews using any means necessary. It gave me the opportunity to learn a little bit more about all the different forms of transportation out there that might come in handy down the road. I took the tram into downtown Edinburgh (easy), then the Scotrail train up to Leuchers Station (again, easy). I then hopped the bus from Leuchers that takes you directly to the St Andrews bus station (really easy). Arrival day for the group was a Sunday, so once I hooked up with them it gave us the opportunity to go stroll The Old Course and stop and sign up for the Daily Singles Ballot for Monday.
Castle Course, Old Course Hotel
The itinerary for the week started with a round on The Castle Course, still one of the most polarizing courses you will find anywhere. Some locals and other golfers think it is too quirky and the greens are too crazy. For the price, I consider it to be one the coolest courses anywhere. We were welcomed with an amazingly beautiful day that has us in short sleeves for most of the round. But after a couple of holes, the fog came in incredibly fast and we played a couple shots that you saw leave the ground, but certainly didn’t see come down. Luckily it cleared up later in the round and the guys got to see some wonderful vistas towards the end. Later in the night, I treated myself to the Kohler Waters Spa at the Old Course Hotel, where I also got my first look at some of the renovations done to the 4th floor bar and restaurant.
The Old Course
My Tuesday started with breakfast back down at the Old Course Hotel with one of my trusted industry contacts, getting caught up on all the latest news from the area. I then hooked up with the guys back at the hotel, threw my clubs on my back and started the march down the street to get back and check in at the Old Course starters shed. This was only my second chance to play The Old Course and my first try with my hickory clubs. Nothing could make me more proud than to turn around see all four caddies on the first tee with their heads in my bag analyzing the hickory sticks I was about to unleash. After hitting the first hole in regulation with a solid iron to the middle of the green, I knew it was going to be a fun round. I was putting from EVERYWHERE and staying out of trouble. I wasn’t hitting the ball great, but was scrambling and getting around. At the end I started making putts. On 17, there was no bail out in mind as I crushed a drive dead straight over the Old Course Hotel wall. Then on 18, with a decent gallery watching from the street, I poured in a 20 footer to save par and break 80! What a great day!
-Dumbarnie Links
Another round in Scotland, another beautifully sunny day with very little wind to speak of for the Siojo Group! This time I was able to introduce the guys to one of my favorite spots on earth…Dumbarnie Links. Now after having played the course multiple times, I truly believe that it ticks all the boxes for me. It might not have the history of the Old Course, or the championship pedigree of Kingsbarns, or the proximity to the water of The Castle Course, but as a complete golf product I think Dumbarnie is about as good as it gets. From the minute you arrive until you board your shuttle or jump back in your car, Dumbarnie puts a smile on your face. Plain and simple. And I need to stop being at Dumbarnie at the end of the season when they are clearing our wearables in the pro shop. It is getting ugly in my closet!
Fairmont Kittocks
No offense to the great guys that I got to know in this group, but having a full day to myself as they took the train into Edinburgh for the day was awesome! For a tour operator trying to continue his education of Scotland, these days are invaluable. I started with coffee at the Fairmont St. Andrews where one of my best industry contacts recently took over for golf sales. I then (finally) got to play one of the two courses at the Fairmont. The (Sam) Torrance Course is the more “championship” of the two courses, but I had multiple people tell me to play The Kittocks Course while I was there. Man am I glad I did. I would call it a “softer” or more resort-version of the Castle Course. The course was so much more interesting than I would have imagined, and the views were hard to beat. Even thought the Fairmont courses don’t get the press of other St Andrews-area tracks, I couldn’t think of one type of golfer who would be disappointed by a round on The Kittocks.
Crail Golfing Society
After playing the Kittocks Course in the morning, I jumped in a taxi and made it (again, finally) to Crail Golfing Society. It is a shock that in all of my trips to the St Andrews area that I had never once set foot at Crail. One of the things that I absolutely LOVE about my job is how you create this mental picture of what it is going to be like at any course based on photos that you see, things that you hear from friends, etc. But until you actually get to visit, walk, and play a course…you really have no idea. That was most certainly true of Crail. For coming in unannounced, I was treated extremely well as a tour operator coming to explore and learn. After a bowl of soup, I got to play the Balcomie Course at Crail which was laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895. For a hickory golfer who loves to play different styles of shots, I could not have had more fun on the Balcomie Course, and I look forward to tackling the (much) newer Craighead Course on a future trip!
Last Day – Kingsbarns
I have made a number of friends at Kingbarns over the years, so getting to bring any group on property is very special for me. Unfortunately, the weather finally caught up with us and the Siojo Group got to go home with one “true” Scottish experience under their belts. The wind and rain were a factor from the opening tee shot, but it did not seem to detract from the grandeur of Kingsbarns for the guys. So many fun shots out there with so many twists and turns. Thank you to the entire staff at Kingsbarns for helping make this a great finale to a great week for these guys!
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All Rights Reserved