A Scottish Surprise

Written By: Patrick “SLAG” McSpadden

18 Days… 4 Regions… 17 Courses

The Fitting

The trip began not in Scotland but in New Bedford, at Manchester Lane—Titleist’s legendary ball plant and testing ground. I wasn’t alone. Alongside the Sugarloaf Social Club brass and a dozen other fortunate souls, I spent the morning touring the factory floor where Titleist crafts its golf balls with surgical precision. It’s hard not to leave impressed by how seriously they take the small white sphere that governs our joy and misery.

Then came my fitting with Dan, 45 minutes of TrackMan numbers and quiet revelations. My first-generation PXGs versus the new T-250 series, and the outcome was clear: Titleist carried the day. I ordered a fresh set, joking about the absurdity of them reaching me during my trip abroad. With that, I joined the SSC crew for a loop at Little Marion—a hidden gem I never tire of—and headed home to pack.

The Itinerary

• Dunaverty

• Carradale

• Machrihanish Dunes

• Machrihanish

• The Machrie

• Shiskine

• Corrie

• Prestwick

• Dundonald

• Prestwick St Nicholas

• Western Gailes

• Eyemouth

• Renaissance

• North Berwick

• Dunbar

• Goswick

• Muirfield

The Group Trip

After a quick flight from Boston to Glasgow, I linked up with 15 fellow golf pilgrims from the Outpost Club. With our outstanding driver David at the wheel, we made the 3.5-hour trek to the Kintyre Peninsula and settled into Machrihanish.

We had luck on our side: a historically dry Scottish summer had left the turf baked firm, the weather flawless. Over the next eight days, we traveled by bus and ferry to Islay and Arran before returning to the Ayrshire coast. Each course felt both a discovery and a gift. The people, as always, were undefeated: welcoming, gracious, and genuinely appreciative of outsiders who make the effort to experience golf where it lives off the beaten track. Credit to David Jones and his UK Golf Guy team for crafting such a nuanced, thrilling itinerary.

The Solo Trip

When the main group departed, I lingered. Three days in Ayrshire meant good food in Troon and golf at Prestwick St Nicholas and Western Gailes. Then came the transition: retrieving a rental car, reminding myself to stay left, and driving east toward North Berwick—the heart of East Lothian golf.

Few places on earth match North Berwick for density of world-class golf. Thirty minutes east of Edinburgh, hard against the Firth of Forth, it’s the perfect hub. I rented a flat beside the 18th fairway and spent a week reconnecting with friends from my 2022 trip, exploring the seaside town, and playing a circuit that included Eyemouth, Goswick, Dunbar, Renaissance, Muirfield, and of course, the West Links itself.

And then, the surprise. The team at Titleist had somehow expedited my irons from Acushnet to Scotland, delivered straight to the North Berwick clubhouse. Opening the box there, on the same links where golf has been played for centuries, was a moment I won’t soon forget. New tools, ancient turf—the perfect combination.

The Final Pour

Eighteen days blurred into a rhythm of ferries and fairways, whisky and weather, history and friendship, old ghosts and new irons. Dunaverty’s quirk. Machrihanish’s beach tee. Prestwick’s eccentric genius. Western Gailes’ stern gauntlet. Eyemouth’s cliffhanger. Goswick’s purity. Dunbar’s seaside squeeze. Renaissance’s polish. Muirfield’s gravity. And above all, North Berwick’s endless charm.

Eighteen days. Enough to feel like a local. Not nearly enough to be finished.

Until next time… play or perish.

Patrick “SLAG” McSpadden