With the Big One, 65 yards high, on the horizon, we stand on the 1st tee after having to glide tackle some Englishmen for the honour. “On Tee – 11:00 and 11:07.” Already during morning coffee in the bar links jargon has filled the air and hungry looks have been cast at the 9th green. These are links of the classic type. Just warming up on the 1st. However, on the 2nd we run into headwind and are forced to shoot low 3-irons. The 3rd is a par 3 with out of bounds like a tempting piece of cake in front of us, and head for the 4th tee in desperation. On the 4th the wind takes the ball all the way over to the 1st and it feels like we are beginning again. The 5th – a par 5 – yet another hole with a tailwind. In front of us Klammer takes out one of his 75 pairs of newly-bought waterproofs. Blackpool has already put his on in the bar and knocks the ball in 2 while we others desperately wrestle with the wind and goretex before we are completely tangled up. Rain!! Everything changes on the 6th – a par 5 into a headwind – as it is suddenly raining horizontally!! The 7th is a long par 4 with the Big One in view. The 8th is taken care of before we reach the course’s highlight – the breathtaking 9th – a par 3 that has been named Great Britain’s best 9th hole.
No9 at St Annes Old Links
We do what Bobby Jones did. Take the measure of the green between the sand dunes and let a soft shot land on top of the flag – touché! A sudden impulse arises to build a smaller copy on the property back home. The need for waterproof gloves becomes urgent and Tommy TwoGlove comes to the rescue. The 10th – a par 4 – with a tailwind allows us to hit long nearly up to the green, where Castro does a victory dance after sinking a birdie chip – as does LINKS75. On the 11th Members Choice suddenly finds form and yet another birdie is recorded – real links golf. The 13th par 3 has its twin the 16th par 3 at its back – an incredibly beautiful links combo. A slight parallel-adjusted tee off and we are nearly down for the count, almost out on the adjoining runway. Take your seats! We are nearly thrown overboard by sheer speed as the pace increases through 14 and 15, which run parallel with a well thought out bunker system that gather plus points. Up at the 15th green a 747 takes off a few yards away. Now it’s REALLY raining. Columns of water descend. Dog is playing in stylish pin-stripes and turns from grey to saturated-black. The 16th green is just as hard to hit as a giant tortoise.
Classic links enviroment at St Annes Old Links
Members Choice chips up and succeeds with a 9-yards mini-golf putt to make par – pure delight!! The 17th and 18th – two par 5s – run along the railway track heading for the drying room. The 18th is a par 5 with finesse, opening with a marker post and closing with a large hill before reaching the green that now resembles a waterslide. We stagger in a daze back to the clubhouse after four hours in a wonderful washing machine.
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