By David G. Molyneaux, editor, The Travel Mavens
Golfing England's Royal and St. Andrews
HOYLAKE, England
An October drizzle began after lunch, mixing with the winds off the Irish Sea to provide a cold, wet afternoon game at famed Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
"Rain makes the game more authentic," said Charlie Grimley, my partner for the Liverpool round on a quest to play three of England's Royal golf courses and the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland
The weather at Royal Liverpool made no effort to be hospitable to a visiting American.
With temperatures in the low 60s that felt like 50s in the wind, I was decked out in a warm undershirt, flannel long-sleeved shirt, fleece windbreaker and green rain jacket with rain pants.
In the drizzle, I swooshed -- that's the sound of plastic pants rubbing against the thighs -- to the first tee. I hit a poor shot that found the left rough, then slung my rented golf bag over my shoulders, thankful for the relatively recent invention of the dual strap that evens the load over both shoulders.
On most courses in the UK, you won't find motorized golf carts -- they are called buggies here -- and if you want a caddy, you'll need to arrange that ahead of time.
The Royal courses, as with most of the other courses in England, Scotland and Wales, are designed for competition between players who carry their own clubs, in a test of both skill and stamina.
Weekend American golfers accustomed to riding around in a motorized cart may want to get into walking shape -- 18 holes usually covers more than 4 miles per round -- before heading across the Atlantic.
Walking wet, carrying my clubs
I could have used a pull cart with wheels at Liverpool, as I did when I played alone at Royal Lytham and Royal Birkdale. But I didn't want to disappoint Charlie, my playing partner.
Charlie, who grew up near Liverpool, was chagrined enough because of the lightness of the rain, which stopped altogether after 10 soggy holes -- reducing the challenge, as Charlie saw it. Like other golfers from the United Kingdom, Charlie has his entertaining stories of playing competitive rounds during rain driven horizontally by swirling winds off the sea.
Our battle against the elements was authentic enough for me.
Royal Liverpool, built in 1869, played long and difficult, with greens that you can't see from the fairways and winds that blow your ball left or right if you hit the high, smooth shots that usually work in the United States.
The Royals are links courses, which generally means a windswept landscape, bumpy, sandy soil and prodigious bunkers, left.
I made major use of my 5 iron, punching my way around the course, a bogey plus golfer for 18 holes. (Note to non-golfers: A bogey is one shot over par. Bogey plus is a humdrum quality of play producing a score that might reach a total of 100, versus the goal of 72).
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