The train idea, I must admit, was my buddy Trevor’s. He’s the one
who suggested departing from Leuchars station with nothing but our clubs and
heading north for “a wee gowfing holiday” at Carnoustie, Aberdeen and Murcar.
Trev’s originally from Sussex, England, but since moving recently to Anstruther,
just south of St. Andrews, he’s taken to peppering his normally pommy diction
with hints of the local dialect.
Still, when the source of that dialect—and the point of departure
for said gowfing holiday—is the east coast of Scotland, I can forgive the
contrivance.
“I’m in, ye daft Sassenach,” I confirmed over the phone. “But
let’s make a full week of it—start in East Lothian and play our way north.”
“On the train!”
“Aye.”
Golf by train—I can see your eyebrows arching with skepticism, for
we Americans have difficulty imagining the game without our beloved automobiles.
Of course, we also cherish our lush, emerald-green fairways, golf carts, yardage
markers, cart girls and pyramids of range balls. Yet we willingly relinquish
these conveniences in Scotland. So why not the rental car, too?
The train harkens back to a different era, one of romance and
adventure no longer readily available. Eager to give it a try, I flew into
Manchester and quickly connected to Edinburgh, where I cabbed it to the train station, booked my
passage east and kicked back, happy to leave the driving to someone else.
There are few sensations quite like sitting on a British train
with your golf clubs. That metallic rattle lays your intentions utterly bare to
fellow passengers and rail employees, most of whom answer with approving nods.
The rattle and roll of a moving train is a potent sleep aid. I began to nod off,
but a golf course appeared outside my window—green against a gray sky, flags at
full attention—and I was awake again.
“Mind the wind,” warned the ticket puncher, cracking a wry smile
as we crept our way through the Edinburgh suburbs. He knew my destination was
breezy North Berwick, which remains one of the most train-accessible links in
the game.
