Top 100 Golf Courses in Scotland
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Top</strong> <strong>100</strong> scoTland 2015<br />
THE DAY JACK CAME TO PLAY<br />
Play<strong>in</strong>g with Cl<strong>in</strong>ton & co was nervy. With Mr Nicklaus it was a dream, says skibo Castle’s david Thomson.<br />
It was the last day of the 1970 open at the old<br />
Course <strong>in</strong> st Andrews. I was sitt<strong>in</strong>g on my<br />
father’s shoulders beh<strong>in</strong>d the 18th tee, eagerly<br />
await<strong>in</strong>g the arrival of the flamboyant<br />
American doug sanders, my favourite player.<br />
He walked onto the tee with his compatriot,<br />
Jack Nicklaus, who proceeded to drill a<br />
3-wood through the back of the green of this<br />
iconic par 4. I had a new favourite player and<br />
turned, wide-eyed, to my father and said<br />
“I want to be a professional golfer like him.”<br />
My wish came true, and after play<strong>in</strong>g on the<br />
European Tour and coach<strong>in</strong>g several Tour<br />
players, I took the job of director of <strong>Golf</strong> at<br />
skibo Castle, part of the Carnegie Club.<br />
one day three years ago I was tell<strong>in</strong>g one<br />
of our members, an American lady, about my<br />
afection for Mr Nicklaus stretch<strong>in</strong>g back to<br />
that July day 42 years ago. she nonchalantly<br />
murmured “we’ll have to set someth<strong>in</strong>g up<br />
then” as she threw her putter <strong>in</strong>to her bag.<br />
I thought noth<strong>in</strong>g more of it until I was <strong>in</strong><br />
America the follow<strong>in</strong>g year play<strong>in</strong>g with her at<br />
lost Tree. As I was tee<strong>in</strong>g it up on the 1st she<br />
suggested we play briskly as we had a<br />
lunchtime appo<strong>in</strong>tment... with Jack Nicklaus.<br />
I could barely hit a fairway after hear<strong>in</strong>g that.<br />
And sure enough we spent an hour or so <strong>in</strong> his<br />
house, chatt<strong>in</strong>g, exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g memorabilia and<br />
generally hav<strong>in</strong>g the experience of a lifetime.<br />
or so I thought. Earlier this year, word<br />
reached me that Mr Nicklaus was com<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
stay <strong>in</strong> the castle at skibo. on his second day<br />
we met and he wondered if I’d like to play<br />
with him the follow<strong>in</strong>g morn<strong>in</strong>g. of course,<br />
I protested he mustn’t feel obliged to do so,<br />
but secretly I was absolutely thrilled.<br />
We arranged to play at 10.30am and when<br />
I returned to the clubhouse after hitt<strong>in</strong>g a few<br />
balls on the range to warm up and try to lose<br />
some of the nervous tension from my limbs,<br />
my staf wondered if I could sw<strong>in</strong>g a bit faster!<br />
I’ve been fortunate to play with Greg<br />
Norman, sandy lyle, Ernie Els <strong>in</strong> my career.<br />
I’ve played with Bill Cl<strong>in</strong>ton. I’ve teed it up <strong>in</strong><br />
the PGA at Wentworth. I was nervous before<br />
on each occasion, but this was diferent. This<br />
was meet<strong>in</strong>g a man and a golfer I had admired<br />
ever s<strong>in</strong>ce I watched open-mouthed at him<br />
drill<strong>in</strong>g that 3-wood <strong>in</strong> st Andrews.<br />
Mr Nicklaus told me to lead of. My sw<strong>in</strong>g<br />
was a blur but what I can dist<strong>in</strong>ctly recall is the<br />
sight of my ball disappear<strong>in</strong>g so far right it<br />
must have landed on the 1st tee at dornoch.<br />
I apologised and revealed how nervous I was<br />
at play<strong>in</strong>g with him. Mr Nicklaus told me to have<br />
a ‘breakfast ball’ and I got the second away.<br />
Then Mr Nicklaus stepped up... and hit the<br />
same block I had! I almost th<strong>in</strong>k he did it<br />
<strong>in</strong>tentionally, to put me at ease. He turned to<br />
me and apologised, say<strong>in</strong>g how nervous he<br />
was play<strong>in</strong>g with me... His second was a drive<br />
<strong>in</strong>to the w<strong>in</strong>d that went 270 yards. Age 75.<br />
By the 4th I could feel the club <strong>in</strong> my hands<br />
and the conversation was flow<strong>in</strong>g. Gloriously<br />
so. We talked course design, equipment<br />
technology, the future of the game. It was an<br />
education listen<strong>in</strong>g to his considered op<strong>in</strong>ions<br />
and watch<strong>in</strong>g him manouevre himself around<br />
what he noted was a proper championship<br />
course. I was watch<strong>in</strong>g so closely I was fearful<br />
I’d start mimick<strong>in</strong>g his mannerisms –<br />
crouch<strong>in</strong>g over the putter or roll<strong>in</strong>g my ankles.<br />
I took great pride <strong>in</strong> Mr Nicklaus say<strong>in</strong>g he<br />
enjoyed our course. He felt it was strategic,<br />
beautiful and <strong>in</strong> the best condition he had<br />
experienced <strong>in</strong> the UK; an accolade to cherish.<br />
He especially loved the short holes, notably<br />
the 6th, which he said rem<strong>in</strong>ded him of the<br />
Postage stamp, and of the longer holes the<br />
12th and our signature, the 17th, took his eye.<br />
It was he who suggested photographs,<br />
autographs and sign<strong>in</strong>g memorabilia<br />
afterwards, which I would never have asked<br />
for but which I now absolutely treasure.<br />
Not that I need physical rem<strong>in</strong>ders of my<br />
four hours <strong>in</strong> the company of my hero; every<br />
drive, every op<strong>in</strong>ion, every chip and every<br />
mannerism is etched <strong>in</strong> my m<strong>in</strong>d.<br />
I got home that night exhausted. I poured<br />
myself a dr<strong>in</strong>k and reflected on how lucky that<br />
boy on his father’s shoulders had been to end<br />
up play<strong>in</strong>g with his idol 44 years later.<br />
n David Thomson played on the European<br />
Tour before becom<strong>in</strong>g Director of <strong>Golf</strong> at<br />
Skibo Castle, which he helped re-design.