No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - 1067: Seve Saiz’s Golf Trip of a Lifetime

Episode Date: September 10, 2025

On the morning of his long-awaited trip to document golf in Scotland without a set itinerary, Seve Saiz found his car window smashed and his clubs, equipment and clothes all missing.  Instead of canceling his trip, Seve left anyway and documented his trip on an old camcorder using rented clubs while travelling across Scotland in a camper.  His story piqued our interest, so TC caught up with Seve to relive it all.   Join us in our support of the Evans Scholars Foundation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nolayingup.com/esf⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our Sponsors: ⁠Titleist⁠ The Stack System If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Nest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: No Laying Up’s community of avid golfers. Nest members help us maintain our light commercial interruptions (3 minutes of ads per 90 minutes of content) and receive access to exclusive content, discounts in the pro shop, and an annual member gift. It’s a $90 annual membership, and you can sign up or learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nolayingup.com/join⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the No Laying Up Newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://newsletter.nolayingup.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the No Laying Up Podcast channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@NoLayingUpPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Be the right club. Be the right club today. I mean, that's better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most. Expect anything different? Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No Laying Up podcast, Sali, here.

Special episode today. Got my guy, T.C., here to help me intro at TC. What do we got for the people today? We have Sevi from Course Maps. The Great Man Sevi. The Great Man Sevi. Actually named after the Great Man Sevi. Sevi Sezi, he's New Yorker.

I've gotten to know him over the last couple of years, but he went to Scotland recently on a trip. And what for many would have turned into, into an absolute debacle. I think he got his car was broken into before the trip. He was on his way over there with Manners Golf to film, not dissimilar from what we do as far as Torres Soss or, you know, strapped, that sort of thing.

He was going to go in a camper van all over Scotland and hadn't really planned it out. It just said, hey, I'm going to get there and figure out where to go. My kind of trip. Love that spontaneity. His car got broken into before he left. and had all of his audio visual equipment in there as well as his golf clubs and all of his clothes, like everything that he had packed for the trip.

He still ended up going on the trip and he uploaded stuff in real time. Every night he did a dispatch from the camper van and basically just relied on local recommendations and DMs and just people to guide him on his way and say, hey, you should go here next. you should go here next. You really need to see this. And just like this kind of captured my imagination. And I told him at the end of the episode, I don't normally get jealous or envious

of someone else's golf trips at this point. We go on a lot of great trips. And this one, I was, I was every, like it was the first thing I clicked on each morning when I woke up to see what he had posted from the night before recapping the previous day and kind of made me feel romantic and curious and adventurous about golf. And he's got such a great attitude. There's some fantastic personal reflections and learnings of his in there as well. And he's just really vulnerable and open and honest. And

like he's truly letting you in on his journey. So great conversation with him. And I'm really excited for to listen and kind of come along for it. Man, those are a great sales job. You got me. I haven't listened to it yet. So I will be tuning into this first thing tomorrow morning. T.C., you made a claim somewhat recently. I hope I'm not paraphrasing it too much that the new T-series iron is the best clubs

you've ever hit, I believe, is that right? What do you, what exactly? Can you expound on that a little bit? I am prone to hyperbole. What? But I can confidently say that they're at least the best best set irons I've ever played between the turf interaction I think everybody wants to think

that they're good enough to play a set of blades and if you're just not that ship sailed a long time ago but at the same time you want to be able to blend your set to where I probably value distance control

more than I value distance right but I need to I'm losing a little bit of distance or I kind of poof my irons a little bit so I need a little bit of extra distance with the irons and I'm getting that four, five, six

and seven with the T250s and then I've got the T1 50s in the 8 and 9 and I've got a Voki pitching wedge in a 44 degree but I've just been blown away by these the turf interaction the height like the apex height is I think for so long irons have tended to see like be like the lofts have been decreasing and so I think with that you know you're losing a little bit of spin and you're losing apex height these go so high without ballooning like it's it's the trajectory you're you want to see just like just a higher apex so they land soft the previous issue the reason i didn't play the t-200s as much through the bag was because i couldn't get enough spin on them like the face was too hot and you would get those jumpers they've totally fixed that with the t-250s i think they're

they're like the the top line still looks remarkably thin and it's like a players club honestly if you if you didn't have it pointed out you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between and the top line between the T150 and T250. Yeah. Like they posted something, even the T350, they, they had speed hitting it. PGA Torr just posted something. He's like, oh, this is the 350. And he couldn't even tell.

He thought it was the 250. So I would say just go get fit, go hit him. They're incredible. And the acoustics on them are really good too. They sound the same throughout the bag. And I'll just say, my misses have been so much nicer lately. Like the one I, you know, if I block push one that's cutting, it just like kind of doesn't finish all the way off to the right.

And the poles aren't going as far left. And that's thanks to a fitting. So Titleist.com to find a fitter near you and to get set in, get into the new T-Series irons from Titleist because they are fantastic. So without any further delay, TC, here's your interview with Sevie. All right. Join now by the man himself, Sevs size. First of all, did I pronounce that right? Yeah, Sev Rihana, last name is size, like S-A-I-Z, but it's pronounced S-I-Z-E.

Yeah, man, pumped to be here. This is like, I feel like I'm getting called over to the couch a little bit, you know, first, first pot in, but it's kind of a big deal. It's like not to, not to fluff you too much here, but I think like just when I saw this, your trip kind of take shape and I think even before you hopped on the plane of we can get into all the backstory and how the trip came together and everything, but getting robbed, you know, before you even got on the trip. going and purchasing, you know, clubs and a camcorder and all of that, the camper van, the flat fire, the places you went, the whole thing, just, I think it's probably, it's one of my favorite pieces of content of just, just of anything that's ever been put up on social or YouTube or anything. It just stuck to me. Yeah, no, it was, it was quite the trip, man. A lot of, a lot of ups and downs, some highs and

some lows but I don't know man kind of life-changing stuff out there so before we get into that give us uh for those of our listeners that aren't overly familiar with you who are you what do you do how did you get you know kind of yeah I'll do the I guess I'll try to keep it to a minute um my name is savriano size I am my parents named me for Sevi Bostaros which I suppose destined me for a life in golf whether I knew it or not. I run a business called course maps. We sell prints of golf courses. It's exactly what it sounds like. I have one up right behind me. I started the business in 2019. I had a job right out of college doing some Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint and it was just really miserable. I used to

just be like, man, I want to play golf on a Wednesday morning when it's nice out. I got to figure out some way to work in golf. I got to just, you know, what can we do here? And so I came up with a bunch of different schemes and they were all really bad ideas and then I eventually landed on a decent one with course maps. I got the business up and running end of 2019. Super fortunate timing. Obviously the whole world, you know, blows up in 2020. I was able to keep fulfilling orders and everyone's sitting at home. They have bare walls and a ton of money to spend and it just kind of blew things up. Really within like five or six months, I was able to quit my job and go full time on course maps. And yeah, ever since then, it's just been kind of incrementally growing the business.

past few years I've started doing more like social media content stuff, which initially I was very resistant to. I always joke that the worst day of my life was setting up the tripod for the first time in my living room being like, all right, I'm going to, I'm going to just talk about golf for a minute here. And, you know, is what it is. But I've actually come to really enjoy the process of making videos and I guess finding my own voice and what I'd like to say about golf has been really important for me. So yeah, earlier this year, I got hooked up with the guys from Manors, Golf Apparel, they asked me to do some content for them on social media and those, you know, short little pieces went well. And yeah, I pitched them on this idea that

I was, honestly, I was shocked that they agreed to. It was a bit of a hairbrain scheme. I was like, I want to rent a camper van and I want to drive around Scotland. I'm going to bring my camera and I'm not going to plan a single thing. And I'm just going to go and get lost. And like, let's find what's out there. You know, I don't really know what it's going to end up being. And, you know, they kind of were like, well, what are you hoping to accomplish with this? And I was like, I don't, you know, I don't know. I just want to go to you something cool. And they were like, all right, here you go.

So, yeah, it was sick that they said yes. And I had all this stuff planned out. I had all this, you know, camera gear, whatever. And I guess we'll just get right into what happened with the whole story that I was leaving to go to the airport. I'm going to walk up to my car. I live in New York City. And I get up to it, the back window smashed in. And everything that I was going to bring on the trip, like golf,

clubs, three cameras, a drone, like all this filmmaking equipment, microphones, everything is just gone. What was your setup? Yeah, I had a Sony, like an A7. I had sort of like a little a RICO, GR3 that I was going to use for some just still snaps. And then I had, you know, a really kind of crappy, cheap drone. But I feel like on these things, the drone shots are pretty obligatory. So yeah, man, I mean, I just, I had so much stuff in there. Obviously, my golf clubs, too. I mean, I loved the set that I had. They were actually a wedding present for my wife. She got me a full bag fitting, which, you know,

those are in a pawn shop somewhere, I'm sure, right now. I'm sure they'll pop back up on your radar at some point, right? I don't know, man. They're, you know, it's like you got to let them go. They're out there, and I've surrendered to never seeing them again. Yeah. So, like, what was your first reaction? was it was it i got to scrap this trip or was it like resolute yeah you know i am i am even more

determined than ever i'd say i'm generally i'm pretty resilient and like roll with the punches but i did have a solid 15 minute like freak out session i was just sitting on the stoop right in front of my busted window i called the cops and i was like waiting for them to show up and it's just sitting there just stewing just like fuck man this is like this is like the biggest opportunity of my life honestly like it is the first real time that someone's like given me a shot yeah and this is probably like outside of something extremely bad like getting hit by a bus or something like this is probably the worst thing that could have happened right before I leave and yeah I definitely was like I freaked out uh I texted the guys

from manners I was like hey guys I just got robbed like I can't go on the trip uh you know I called my wife and I was bugging out she came home from work The manners guys called me, and I actually got like a pep talk from one of the building supervisors across the street walked up and he saw me like freaking out. And he was like, hey, man, what's going on? And I told him what was going on. And he was just like, you know, hey, dude, just go figure it out. Go get out there and, you know, roll with it. And the manners guys called me.

They were like, you know, hey, man, like, do whatever you got to do. Like, if you don't want to go, you don't have to go. But, you know, we support you just get out there and figuring it out. And also, like, what a hook this makes for, honestly. And so, yeah, that I get. I was so, like, so did you post it immediately? Yeah, that was, and then have a bunch of people reaching out and be like, well, why would you leave your stuff in your car? Yeah, the whole time I just had my dad's voice ringing in my ears where like for years and years and years, I parked my car in the street in New York City, which I didn't think was really a problem.

I live in the West Village, which is a nice neighborhood. And I was parked across the street from the police station, too, which is like, you know, I didn't think it was a big deal. But yeah, he's always like, oh, you got to get a garage. You're going to get robbed. but whatever. I'm like, oh, shut up, dad. It's safe here. But yeah, now, most people were nice. I didn't get a couple of people being like, you, you fucking idiot. I was like, all right, that's fair. So that was, that was day before? That was day of. I was, legitimately, I was leaving to go to the airport.

I had everything. I have, my little workshop is over here in Greenpoint. And so I had packed up the car with all my stuff, like travel bag, everything. And then I drove back and parked overnight. I, as I, like, locked my cars, I usually I leave my golf clubs in the car, I was like, man, you got all your camera stuff in there. You just bring it upstairs. I live in a walk up. It's like, that's the heavy bags. I don't want to walk them upstairs.

It'll be fine. I literally, I had that thought as I was locking my car. And, uh, yeah, what do you know? So, so first step after that, after the police leave and after you get the pet talk, just go to the airport? Yeah, so the biggest struggle at that point was like, I didn't have a camera. and this whole thing is it's a video trip to make obviously it's something that I want to really do but it is a content trip to make stuff for manners the only thing I had left over is I have this this old camcorder I have all my stuff ready for show and tell but yeah this like old old old I think it's like 25 years old panasonic panasonic palm quarter it shoots on VHSC which is like an ancient shitty tape format I had bought it like a couple months ago just honestly I was like hey you You know, this would be kind of a novelty to use.

So VHSC, is that like the mini? Yeah, it's these little things. It was the 640 by 480. Yeah. Yeah, it's almost like a cassette basically. Yeah, it's really low quality. I know that that's in right now. It's almost low quality to a point where it's like, you know, kind of gross.

But I like that about it. I kind of like that it's kind of crappy. But yeah, so that was the only- People are putting filters on. stuff to make stuff that was shot on an iPhone or on a really nice Sony A7 to look like that anyway? So you just did it the real way. Yeah, by chance. I mean, it was kind of a little bit serendipitous. Like I have always wanted an excuse to use it, but I have a nice camera. So I'm going to use my nice camera when I have to go shoot something. So it had literally just been kind

of collecting dust. Then I was like, all right, I'll just grab that. I don't have to, now I can take the train to the airport because I don't have to worry about all. all these bags you know that's kind of nice uh you know i had a lot of the stuff that like all the clothes i was supposed to wear from manners was like in my golf travel case so i had like one hoodie left and i was like all right i guess i'm going to just wear this until i could figure out how to get some more of their clothes but yeah then it was like let's go let's just figure it out and yeah it was kind of fun just being like all right fuck it i don't really know what's going to happen but we're going to just go do it and uh try to have a good attitude about it and and that's what we did so

And then knowing, too, that, like, audio-wise, you're going to have to voice a lot of this over and probably make do on that front. So what, so you had, basically, you had a flight booked into Edinburgh, I'm assuming? Yeah, so I had a flight booked into Edinburgh. I had the camper van reserved for eight days. And so at that point, that was all I had was I've got this camper that I got to pick up. I got to fly over there. And I'm, like, going to the airport, I'm sitting on the train. I throw up the, you know, hey, does anybody know where to buy golf clubs in Edinburgh?

Does anybody know where there's like a camera shop that I can go to? You know, like all these different questions. And yeah, it was cool, man. So many people just piled in and we're saying, hey, you know, I got this, that. I mean, the other thing, too, honestly, really nice. I feel like I should just say thank you to so many people were like, hey, dude, you can have my golf clubs. Like, or hey, you know, I have a camera that you can. And, you know, it was really, really cool how many people were being supportive like that.

I literally didn't have, I had like, you know, half, an hour basically to figure out if I was going to go or not. So I didn't have time to run across town and grab some stuff from someone else. And, you know, honestly, I kind of did get attached to the idea of like, we're winging it, you know, like, I don't want a camera now. I want to figure it out. Did you have places or regions in mind that you wanted to hit? Or was it truly, I guess if this hadn't have happened, did you know, all right, I'm going to drive westward or I'm going to drive northward? Yeah. The one thing that I, I, I, really wanted to prioritize for the trip was sort of getting off the beaten path it's funny i i had

been to scotland a couple times before my older sister went to st andrews which was very cool of her it's kind of funny though the only places i had ever played golf in scotland was literally the old course because like you know the student id deal there is like 300 pounds for the year i would show up visit my sister someone would give me their id would go out there i'd play it for you know free essentially and uh that was my experience with scottish golf and that's awesome that's like the coolest place ever but yeah i wanted to get in the you know let's go get in the weeds a little bit and see what you know normal golf looks like or just the stuff that's a little bit scruffier and you know that's the stuff that i usually appreciate more i think and so yeah i guess i thought

i would go either up north or out west and i didn't really know what was going to turn into it but I kind of wanted to avoid the, like, you know, the East Lothian and like the North Barrett area. Because, you know, that stuff's awesome. But everyone's seen it. Everyone's been there. And, and there's other stuff out there. Totally. And, like, I think you do such a good job of exploring New York and exploring, like, I, you know, I'm here in northeast Florida.

And, like, there's courses four miles down the road that I've never played, but I've played a ton of off the BAT courses in Scotland. or Australia or places and so I'm constantly trying to get myself to like hey explore your own backyard I think you've done a really good job of that to the point of like I think it's inspired Neil our team start doing the same thing or you know some of us really like hey dig a level deeper instead of just flying across the world I think totally which is awesome yeah yeah I guess for the for the people who are not familiar with most of what I've done is like just these little minute and a half videos on the golf courses around New York City all the you know random little public tracks that you probably drive right by and um i guess my whole

philosophy has always been like you can find a way to enjoy those places even if it's not the greatest golf course ever but it is a special place to someone and and there's no reason why you can't go there and have a good time if you have i guess the right attitude about it so yeah there's charming stuff and there's there's yeah there's substance there you just got to know where to look um i represent so from a from an equipment standpoint What'd you end up getting? I know it's one of the reels, but what'd you end up getting? Is there something, you know, kind of something calling out?

Did you have a budget in mind? Where'd you go? Yeah, I mean, so the whole thing, everything I'm trying to do for as little money as possible because, you know, everything comes out of the budget that I was given. So I'm like, you know, trying to not blow it out. There's this store that a lot of people suggested golf clubs for cash. It's like half an hour south of Edinburgh. Basically like a giant warehouse type deal that, you know, you show up

They've got everything under the sun. And, yeah, I walked in, man. It was really fun. I, like, showed up the sales guy was like, hey, what are you looking for today? And he, like, did not understand what I was trying to explain to him. I was like, yeah, I just, I got robbed, like, 12 hours ago and I don't have golf clubs. And I'm on a golf trip, and I'd like to have golf clubs. And it took me, like, I had to, like, explain it to him, like, five times for him to be like, oh, okay, that's what we're doing.

And then he was like, what, like, what just happened? Yeah, it was really fun. But I went in there. I basically was like, hey, I want to spend around like 500 bucks. I need a set of irons, a driver, a putter, and maybe two wedges. Like, that's kind of really it. I like Japanese forged irons. He set me up with a set of stricons, which are really great.

Again, I'm prepped for show and tell. I-302 forged, man. I think they're got to be like 25 years old. They're sort of these like cavity back. really fun clubs honestly i've i've been playing them ever since the trip and i feel like i'm kind of just falling in love with them uh i grabbed a tailor-made r-11 which was in pretty good shape for like a hundred and ten bucks and then a pair of oaky wedges that legitimately like they're just rusted to hell and i don't think they have any grooves on them but you know it was fun and that was all i needed

to be on my merry way it was great you know it's kind of in keeping with the philosophy of like the golf course doesn't need to be the nicest golf course course ever for you to enjoy it like if i went and got fitted again there's no shot that i would be put into anything like the clubs that i had this whole week but it was just so much fun to have them and they don't need to be the newest you know best technology to have a good time playing golf there's honestly something to be said for using these like crappy old clubs and just getting it around amen and really shout out to uh it was a golf clubs for cash i know they did a lot with scott stuart uh and the my name's doddy foundation

too just to raise money for him before he passed away and that was very cool then so what all right so after that you've got the camcorder dialed you've got the clubs dialed you've got the camper van yeah yeah what's next barely i mean getting the camper van was a whole thing like i've i hadn't driven on the left side of the road before i'd never done a camper before and they basically just like toss me the keys and we're like all right go have fun And I just like, you know, I didn't get any sleep on the airplane. Like, I got to go get all this stuff. I had camping gear, like packed that got stolen.

So I have to go get like a sleeping bag or whatever. So that was a whole mess. I was exhausted. I just got like a box of protein bars. And that was, you know, that was lunch, I guess. But yeah, I wanted to play some golf. The first round I played was at Webreeds there in Edinburgh, which is a little nine-hole course attached to you.

There's Big Braids, which is the 18-hole championship course, municipal course. the city. I haven't been in Edinburgh all that much, but I can't imagine there's much places that have a better view of the city and, you know, the Firth and Arthur's seat and all that stuff. Just incredible stuff up there. And I was up there at sunset. Man, it was special. And so first round of the trip. And how's the forecast looking at this point? Are you looking at that? Yeah. And your next steps off of that? So that was going to be one of the sort of plans of the trip is like I'm going to try to go where it's nice out but I got really lucky and it was sunny and like 65 70 degrees the whole trip which you know it was one of those things where hey I got my stuff

stolen but I got great weather so tradeoffs yeah man it was gorgeous the whole time that first night it was really great I mean pegging up the you know tailor made from 15 years ago and hitting three snap hooks on the first tee was awesome it's like I guess I'm just not going to play good golf this entire trip but that's not really the point of it And, yeah, man, like Weebrades, it's, it's like, they have places like this all over the place. It's 2,400 yards. I think PARs 32, 33 or something, but it's just so much fun. It's like a fun little muni spot.

It's empty for some reason because I don't know why, but it was. Just the perfect place to kind of knock it around a little bit, experiment with the clubs. And it was like a deep breath after all the stress of the last, you know, 24 hours to be like, okay, I'm here. I'm playing golf. It's going to be okay, and we're going to figure it out. Hey, man. Where did you sleep that night? Slept in a campsite, man.

Going back to, like, I had never done the camper stuff before, I didn't realize there's like this whole, like, almost like a shadow of community of people who just drive around these campers. I think it's particularly big in Scotland, but they have campsites all over the place. Yeah, they call them caravan parks, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Literally all over the place.

You just pull up. you paid 20, 30 bucks to get an electricity hookup for the night. They have shower facilities, bathrooms, everything that, you know, a little coffee shop and stuff. Yeah, I didn't realize how easy it was going to be. It was awesome. I was like I pulled up and I was all nervous. I felt like I was trying to get a last minute hotel or something.

I was like, yeah, do you have an electricity hookup or whatever? And they're like, yeah, what do you? Go, go park and slot 12 and you're fine. And like, you know, there was another thing where it was like, oh, okay, this actually isn't, you know, that stressful. And I figured out how to, you know, turn the gas on and make my stuff. ramen noodles without blowing up the camper and it was like you know okay we're we're under control here we've got a maybe not quite figured out but we're getting there yeah i feel like edinburgh

such a blind spot for me as far as golf i've stopped by and done brunsfield the little little we course kind of short short little pitch and put there right in the city the road up brunsfield links but i've never done anything else around there and i feel like there's some some cool stuff and just it's like one of the coolest cities in the world you know the food scene's great the wine scenes great it's awesome and then each night you're you're essentially kind of editing some stuff down there in the moment as well and not just not just filming a bunch of stuff throwing the tape you know into a box or into a bag and saying i'm i'm gonna parse through this in three weeks when i get home yeah exactly so the whole

was I wanted to be doing this trip in real time on social media, which meant, you know, the time difference was certainly to my advantage. But it meant that every night, you know, at the end of each day, get in the van, open the computer up and cut a video, you know, minute, two minute Instagram video about here's what happened today. And, yeah, that was a whole new. Yeah, you can really kind of open a vein right there. Yeah, totally.

which was you know I mean these little short videos take such a fucking long time to edit it always blows my mind it's like you know I'm making some stupid Instagram real but then all of a sudden it's like two three hours in and I'm like stressing about how the subtitles don't line up perfectly or whatever yeah that was a whole new fun challenge for the whole you know just trying to do it in real time and I think people really appreciated just being able to follow along as it was happening and that was such a fun thing you know it was just like what am I going to say you know and you can like you said you're when it's fresh in your mind it's really easy to just kind of spill yeah from a very very maybe dumb question but working with something analog like like a camcorder like that what's the process to get that uploaded to a digital format yeah it's uh it's less complicated than it sounds there's the proper way to do it involves you know a vr and then a capture card and whatever but the the quick way to do it is basically You just, you plug the camcorder into the computer using, there's just a cord and adapter that's pretty easy to find online.

And then you play back the tape in the camera and the computer records the tape playback. So the quality gets even worse than it already is. But, you know, it just, you just got to sit there and let it play for 30 minutes or whatever. And then you've got all the footage. And honestly, it was like the file size is so small that it becomes so easy to edit. And, you know, it's just, so, yeah, it was less complicated than maybe it might sound. So next morning, you wake up, like you post that first one and people are like, oh, shit, he made it. He's there.

He's on the ground. And like, I think you're doing some Instagram story stuff as well, just kind of in the moment. How did you decide on like what to do on story versus what to just keep for the video as well? Yeah, I figured the story stuff is almost just like stream of consciousness, you know, like no one needs a video of me going to a grocery store and fucking up and not getting anything that I need, you know. But like that stuff was really cool to just post as like, here's, you know, here's an update, here's an update, here's an update, whatever. And you can kind of just spam like stream of consciousness. And then as much as I could, I wanted the videos to be a little bit more organized, which, you know, sometimes it was

easy. Sometimes it was tough. But yeah. And then from a video perspective, do you have a tripod or you just setting it on top of the golf bag? Nope. No tripod. I, uh, I did buy. I did buy. By a tripod, the first day that I got there, I found a camera shop. I picked up a couple extra tapes, which ended up being huge because I didn't have nearly enough tape to film the whole thing. But yeah, the tripod, like the thread thing doesn't, I needed like an adapter to use the VCR camera with it. So it ended up just being a waste of money.

So yeah, the trip was I had this stand bag where I would like perch the camera onto it and try to balance it. And then I would like sprint up and go film. myself, you know, swinging a golf club. And then I'd sprint back because also you only have so much, yeah, there's only so much time. So you can't just spam the footage. Like I would, I would be really stressed out every time I get a goal. That's so cool that you have a constraint instead of just stuff. Yeah. uploading immediately to the cloud or you've got, you know, you know, 600 gigs on your phone

or whatever. Like that's. Yeah. That ended up being probably my favorite part about using the camcorders. I'm so used to shooting on my phone or the camera. like you said, you just, you just spam. You just let that thing run. And then you go and figure it out afterwards. This, you had to be very thoughtful about is what I'm about to take a video of actually interesting or useful in any way. Yeah, there's definitely a bit of a learning curve with that.

Like the first two golf courses I went to, I burn an entire tape because I was just like treating it like the way I normally do where I'm like, a bird. I'm going to, you know, whatever. It's like, no, you don't need like 20 shots of that. So a little learning curve for sure. intentionality make it count so all right so so after after we braids what was the next how did you decide where to go and also how are you managing like the volume of dms you're getting too yeah that i honestly it's the first time of my life that i've ever had that volume of interest in anything that i'm

doing and it did it was so stressful honestly man it was like i have a huge thing about trying to answer every message and i have you know a little modest following here that's so targeted to New York City. And it's easy to kind of manage that over the course of the day. This is I'm like, dude, fuck, I got all these messages. I want to try to, you know, people are reaching out to me, offering me golf clubs and cameras and whatever. I don't want to be rude and not answer them. But I did kind of hit a point where I was just like, hey, I'm going to get to this later. Like, I'm just not going to answer anyone all week on. It's like I've got to be in the moment. Uh-huh. Yeah. So I did, I made that choice to just kind of put the, put the phone away other than what I was

sending out but yeah that first night one of the original hooks that i wanted to have for the video that when i was planning it and i had all my stuff and it would have been easy was this idea of every day you meet someone on the golf course or at the pub or just wherever you know the campsite or something you say hey where should i go play golf tomorrow and then you go and drive to wherever they suggest that you go ended up not being that easy in practice the guy i was playing with at Wee Braids was, you know, he was into golf, but he wasn't like a super big golfer. And I was like, hey, man, is there anything cool that I should go check out? And he was kind of like, ah, you know, I kind of just play around here. Like, so, you know, I kind of had to pivot a little bit.

I had one spot. Truly, I only had one spot on the trip circle that I really wanted to go see. And that was this place, Aberfoil, which I had come across on Twitter via Jim Hartsell, who had tweeted about it a couple weeks back. I was like, dude, this place looks sweet. Like, I just want to, It looks like it's kind of in the general direction of the highlands and, you know, the West Coast and whatever. If I can't figure anything out, I'll just go there. And, yeah, so I packed up and drove there on day two. And it was just such a fucking sweet golf course, man. Like, truly everything that scratches all the itches that I have about, you know, a course like that.

That drive, that was your first big drive in the camper van. I'm sure there's some roundabouts involved. Like I find that once you get acclimated, you're good. I think the trickiest part for me is every time I get in the car and I'm starting it up and I'm pulling out of the parking lot or pulling out of the parking spot is reminding myself to go to the left side of the road. And then once I'm there, on the left side of the road, I'm good for the remainder. But it's just getting started. Was that your experience as well? 100%.

I just put, I had like a little note that I put on. on the windshield that just said left. And I was just the whole day, I sound like a five-year-old, but I would just drive around and just chant to myself, be like, left, left, left, left, left. And, you know, fortunately, no one watched that. But that was kind of the way to, you know, avoid flipping my car on a roundabout or whatever.

It wasn't that bad, honestly, the first few days, I feel like I did get acclimated pretty quickly. The roundabouts, you know, I've driven on roundabouts before. They have a lot of them in the Northeast. So it wasn't that challenging just to look. the other way. But yeah, the biggest thing at that point was honestly fatigue. Like I didn't sleep at all on the airplane. Like I couldn't. So I'm jet lagged. That first night I was so amped up about, you know, cutting up this first video and I'm on this trip. And now I'm here. So there's

all this adrenaline. So I didn't really sleep that first night. And yeah, so that first big drive I pulled over. There was like a Burger King on the side of the highway. I was like, I'm just going to take a nap here. And that was the coolest part about the camper van. You can just do that. You can just park somewhere, go in the back, and just take a nap. And it was sweet. So I got a little bit of sleep. And yeah, my first parking lot sleeping endeavor was, you know, it went okay. Hey, everyone, Sala here.

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trading. They got speed. They got baseball programs. They got junior programs. It's a fantastic product that's going to help you get better at golf. www. www.the stack system.com slash NLU code no laying up. I don't read off a script for the stack ads. It's all from the heart because I truly believe in the product. So back to TC and Sevee. So you pulled over Burger King and then you went to Aberfoil? Yeah. So I got there kind of late in the day. I was still getting acclimated, you know, with the jet lag and the time difference and all that. So I got to Aberfoyle probably around, I mean, the sunset's so late there. So I got there probably around 6 o'clock, which gave me three hours of sunlight. And yeah, man. And that's really like that's what. It's about 50 miles north of Glasgow. kind of up kind of in the entry point to the highlands in the locks it's it's a little bit northeast of lock lomen and all of that right right in there kind of yeah it felt a little bit like the gateway to everything that i wanted to go which is one of the reasons that i had kind of circled it is

like we'll go here and and figure it out the course itself it's like one of those honor box spots which i'm just obsessed with that whole idea of like you can show up to a place and just slip your money in the envelope and then get out there and you're probably the only person out there and it's yeah it's the same type of just really quirky Scottish golf it's on this big hillside

one of the first golf courses truly that I've ever been on where I'm standing on the first team I'm like where the fuck am I going like I don't even what am I looking at like I you know and yeah I don't have you know I'm not like the whole point of the trip I'm not I don't have

the GPS app up I didn't have a range finder because it got stolen And, you know, all the, this whole thing is like, it's truly a sense of wonder and amazing. Yeah, like there's a, I think a lot of the, the, the inland courses get kind of slagged off or forgotten about because everybody just wants to go play links golf and they think that's got to golf. But some of the coolest experience I've had like pit lockery is like that. It's, it's similar.

It's kind of up on the side of this like really, really steep grade. or boat of garden or you know stuff like that that's just like it's it's not next to the ocean but you get this whole different sense of Scottish golf from that and it's it's up over and around and like truly using the land as the obstacle yeah it was fascinating to me there was a couple courses that I ended up playing that were in that category of maybe not your traditional seaside links on a sort of rugged piece of property and how comparing how they navigate these like really hilly landscapes versus some of the courses that I'm familiar with around here and it honestly was very eye-opening like I used to kind of just think if you're if you've got a

super hilly property you're just fucked like you can't you can't make a fun golf course out of that there's really not that many ways to do it but going over there one of my favorite things all these these green sites they will just kind of level out the green and perch it into the hill and it's it's almost like this like tabletop thing where the back will have this dug in backstop and then the front has this dug in you know not even a false front just a barrier i guess yeah and that type of green i'd never seen that anywhere around here at least uh and i saw that all i mean aberfoyle had you know eight or nine of those and just so cool man such an interesting way to navigate a hillside and and this scale is so much smaller too like the usable space that they

need for a green is you know it could be the size of of your bathroom in new york city it's like It could be, you know, seven, yeah, like seven feet deep. And you're like, whoa, this is a green. That's where I'm going to. Yeah, some of the greens, some of the favorite holes I played, I had these just little tiny, you know, pocket-sized greens that, and they're, they're like kind of flat, but they have so much character because of how they're built into the surrounds

and how they use, you know, the land that they're sitting on. And, yeah, man, it was just cool to play golf like that. The whole experience out there, like, I have this driver that I've never hit before and I've only hit snap hook. So I just left it in the camper and I was all just three iron it around here. And that's awesome. That's such a fun way to play, you know, Aberfoil is, I don't have the scorecard off the top my head, but it's got to be like 5,800 yards or something.

And it's like I had so much fun there just hitting a three iron and and playing golf rather than being like, oh, a 280 yard par four, I can bomb driver and try to make a birdie here. And it's like, you know, sometimes there's more to be said. for just enjoying the golf holes rather than trying to grind on a score. And I think at this point, I'm probably lighting up your DMs. Like, oh, my, like, my imagination was just so captured. I'm like, he doesn't know where he's going next. This is awesome.

This is the trip I've always wanted to take. And I know, like, I was texting with Jim Hartsall, like, the entire week you were over there. He was like, oh, he went to have refoil, all that. So we're like, you know, I don't know where he's going to go next. and we're lobbying for different places and all that. I know. I had a lot of advice on where to go. It was fun, man.

So you slept there that night? Mm-hmm. So I ended up, I played out at Aberfoyle. I bumped into a guy named Owen, who was the club champ out there. I was such a dipshit, dude. I was like, let's play a match. And he literally instantly had me four down, like, just immediately. I'm, like, not hitting the ball well,

and it's a confusing golf course where you don't know where you're going. I'm sure he kind of was like, all right, this like jockey American is going to whatever uh but he was such a nice guy man and i explained to him what i was doing you know and he thought it was so cool and then that was the first time where i was like yeah man so i'm going to sleep in town there's a campsite and then like where should i go and he was he was basically like you know if you want to go out you know onto like the kintyre peninsula there's some really cool stuff out there that sounds like what you're gunning for you could also go up to the highlands and sort of out towards you know sky or some of the islands out there but you know you should probably check out the peninsula and so i was like all right we'll do that yeah so i slept there that night i kind of had a bit of a spiritual experience out of averfoil a little bit of jet lag and getting swept up in the moment but yeah man it was like i just felt like i had all this anxiety about the trip leading up to it and i was stressed about you know trying to make it really

because this is a big job for me and it's a big opportunity and it was just one of those things where man it just kind of all washed over me and I was like no man having the camcorder that's actually the coolest part about this trip and the footage is going to suck and that's why it it's awesome and like you're going to make a mess out of the edit and whatever but that's what it's like really human just embracing that and kind of coming to terms and and having like a sense of peace over you know not everything's going to be perfect which obviously in the concept of golf and making this video is important, but also I feel like I was almost the first time in my personal life that I had felt that sense of calm, which, you know, a lot of people spend, I guess,

their 20s thrashing around the way that I have. And it felt really good to just deep breath and like, all right, it's going to be okay, you know, so. That's a cool feeling to have on night two of a trip too, because you got the majority of the trips in front of you and like you've got multiple cracks at this thing, right? You've got the videos you're putting up for social, but then, like, you know, you've got a longer video of the whole trip kind of in your back pocket as well, like another crack at the edit, right? Yeah, a lot of opportunities to figure out what to say in an interesting way. So you woke up the next morning and you're sleeping well in the camper van?

Yeah, honestly, man, like, this is going to sound absurd, but my wife and I live in like a tiny apartment in New York City. It really is a shoebox. So, like, the camper didn't feel that constraining compared to, like, what I'm used to. Like, my bed touches the wall on three sides in our bedroom. So the camper was, you know, I was like, hey, this is kind of spacious, honestly. And yeah, it's so quiet to you, man. Like, I don't have the garbage truck outside of my window at 3 a.m., like, rattling away.

So, yeah, I slept great. It's been, you know, it was a really quick adjustment to get used to it. And then all of a sudden I was like, this is sweet. And I might become, like, a crunchy outdoor camper guy now. That's, like, you know, new personality. Yeah. Sick. But yeah, I woke up next day, decided I was just going to drive down to Macrohanish, which, you know, we'll get into that in a bit. But yeah, on the way, stopped. I drove by this place called Tarbert, happened to be on the way. I was like, dude, this is the whole point of the trip. It's like you see a place like this. It looks pretty cool. It's, you know, kind of red on the lock and then plays up to this hillside. It's a nine hole spot, you know, same deal, little honor box thing. Let's get out and go check it out. Yeah, it was a really fun little spot. Just another notch in the belt, I guess.

But that drive is spectacular too. And it just keeps getting better and better and better. Dude, cresting, there's like a point where you crest this hill and you see the sea or the ocean. I don't know exactly what it is considered over there for the first time. And like the sun is setting at this point. That's kind of the first time you hit the west side. Like the true like west coast. yeah honestly was just like mind-blowing like I don't know

I parked the car on the side of the road and I went and climbed up onto the roof and we were just sitting up there for a couple minutes just looking at everything and being like dude where am I man this is this is sweet it could be the the west coast of California it could be seriously Ireland it could be New Zealand it's yeah and then like I remember when we did it we stopped at lock find oyster kind of on the east coast on the first there and then we crossed over and you know and hartsell was just like all right we're about to go around this this little turn and then crest this hill and you're going to see a whole coastline

and then paul mccartney's farm is up here on the left and all this stuff and i still wasn't prepared for it yeah very special special stuff i mean one of those moments but uh yeah so the scheme that day was Macrohanish is obviously it's an extremely nice highly regarded golf course I don't know exactly how far out in advance you need to sort of line it up

out there but I don't think it's really a type of place where you can just pull up to but how is my scheme man probably the one it's one of the few a handful of top 100 courses in the world that you could probably have an outside chance of getting on

just because it is so remote or it's you know and then you've got you know a lot of people live in Campbelltown or like probably depends on the day of the week too but um but yeah it's it's still got a little bit of that rugged remoteness yeah i mean it's out there man it's it's far but yeah so i was my whole scheme was i was basically going to just pull up i was probably going to get there around five six o'clock going to the shop and just be like hey i'm making this video, all my stuff got stolen. Could you please just, I'll just be on your golf course really quickly and you won't even know I'm here. And I was a little bit stressed out because, you know, I took my time on the drive. I played Tarbert, which I wasn't planning to do. And I spent a little bit more time than I expected out there. So I was actually getting there closer to six, you know, six 30 or whatever. And so I'm a little bit hustling on the way in and I'm driving in and I see the course on the right and it's got, you know, the tea shot over the water and the sun is starting to set and there's the flat. And there's the flat. And and all this stuff. So I'm like really kind of starting to stress out a little bit that they're not going to let me out.

And I like rush pulling into the parking lot and I clip a bus that is idling right there, picking people up. And dude, it was just such a rock-brained moment. Like truly the one thing that you couldn't do was just drive right into this bus that's sitting there. There's a giant red bus. And I just, you know, it's not that I didn't see it. I just, I don't know. I just turned right into it.

and uh popped my tire like completely popped my tire the bus was fine because it's a bus but the bus driver is this guy named gavin he was so funny he was like a little bit pissed at first and then i just rolled down the window and i was like i'm so sorry man that was really stupid of me my bad and then he kind of thought it was funny and you know he was a nice guy and whatever and now i'm sitting here i'm in the middle of the road the tires like it hit like you know the lug nuts on the bus which kind of stick out so it shredded the tire it completely shredded it it's like there's no air in it at all i felt this so deeply because i guess jim jim and i had the double flats on the on the aisle of mull and uh yeah and you're just like oh my god what am i going to do

and not only that like this is this is where you're sleeping for the night too and so you can't just take it to some service station and leave it for the night like you have to go find the right tired. It's so far fucking out there too, man, where I'm like, if I have to call like roadside assistance, like, where the hell are they even going to come from? Like, they're, I don't even, they'll be like, we'll get there in two

days and, you know, tough shit. I was like, all right. So I might have just like really screwed myself, basically. I like, just roll it into the parking lot, basically, like, on the rim, which is probably really bad for the, you know, whatever, it's a rental. I was like,

all right, I'll just figure it out later. It's not my problem right now. So I just leave it, get my golf clubs. I go start walking up to the pro shop. The guy is, he's like in the process of locking up. It's like 6.30 at this point. And he had just, it was like, it wasn't like a scene, but it was a little bit of an ordeal. So everyone on the putting green and it's right in front of the clubhouse, everyone who's

getting drinks, you know, or dinner, they had all just watched this thing happen. And they're just looking at, you know, me. Oh, man, they got that new clubhouse. They got this big gallery windows. The entire membership is just looking down. I had quite an audience for it. And yeah, it was so stupid, man. It was so dumb.

But I walk up to the shop and the guy, he's just looking at me. He had seen me, you know, pacing around the parking lot or whatever. And he's like, do you have like a tea time or something? And I was like, no, I don't. I just want to play golf. And he was like, well, we're like, we're closed. And I just kind of looked at him. And I think I probably just gave him like the puppy dog eyes.

and he just looks at me and he's like dude just go get out there like don't even worry about it don't tell anyone that i let you out and saw it you know maybe i'm blowing him up a little bit but i won't say his name but he was a super nice guy man and i think he just got a kick out of like in his head it was probably the dumbest thing he's ever seen like some guy pops a tire of the camper van pulls into the parking lot and just basically just begs his way out of the golf course and it's almost like so pathetic that he was like all right whatever i'm not even going to waste my time that's what i love about Scots, man.

Like, they have such a sense. There's a sense of humanity and neighborliness and just common sense. And I think, like, there's some of my favorite people in the world where, like, Scots and Australians, I think, to where there's just a sense of, they've never met a stranger, but they're also going to tell you the truth. Like, they're not going to bullshit you. They're, like, of like, oh, yeah, you really messed this up. And, like, it's going to be 48 hours until we can get this fix. or, you know, yeah, just come on out and we'll deal with the consequences after, you know? Yeah, just such like the hospitality of the people over there.

Truly, it is like exactly like you said. Like, they're not running over to you and hugging you, but they're like, oh, yeah, this is the right thing to do. And we'll let this kid get out there. And I guess, guy, I'm not really kid anymore. I got stuff saying that. But, yeah, so I was the last person on the golf course. At a certain point on the back nine, I think I was the only person out there. and it was the nicest night of the entire trip we're right on the water it's one of those like pink

red sunsets that you know there's birds flying around there's dudes out there in the distance on jura and uh-huh yeah it's a bunch of guys surfing out there which i almost thought i was like what if i just pivot this whole thing and like i'm stuck here for a couple days so i'll just i'll just go surfing tomorrow and make that like a part of the you know i'm sure i could find a wetsuit or something but yeah man it was just one of those moments where I was like out there and again like it does sound cheesy to have these like spiritual or life revelations on a golf trip that maybe it doesn't sound like it hits but it really did hit for me where you know like I'm out there the tire on this van is completely shredded I'm a city slicker so I don't know how to change a tire

like I might be fucked I might have just ruined the next couple days but honestly I was just like dude let's let's just enjoy this moment and let's enjoy this round of golf you know i almost ran out of golf balls because i was hitting the ball so poorly but i'm not keeping score i'm just enjoying it and and and taking some video and those dunes are so big out there yeah you get on like some of those aiming posts you want to talk about like not knowing where you're going or the disbelief some of those T-boxes or even some of those second shots of wait I'm going

That's the aiming post to go over that Dune and then the green is over there And then you get up there and you're like I wish I would have known that Or there's this massive You know dinosaur-sized bathtub Green up there or a False Front or a crazy bunker

It's truly like that That's a kind of course that I think You know Embodies the quark of those Scottish courses that we were talking about and just the breaking all of the rules but at the same time like the scale

that you don't normally see on a course that that has that quirk right yeah totally and I mean I spent the front nine like trying to outsmart the aiming post to me like there's no fucking way I got to hit it over like no way I'm not going to hit it in that direction and then you know I'd hit it on my line and be like oh my ball's like 30 yards into this thick gorse

and it's just hopelessly gone. The other thing, honestly, so I lost, like, I had, like, four golf balls in my bag, and I lost three of them on the first couple of holes. So I spent, like, basically the entire round trying to find more golf balls. And I've never been to a course set. It was picked clean, dude. They must send people out there to, like, man the dunes or something. I don't know.

But I was, like, trudging around, like, 20 yards into these dunes, you know, and all the spots that you'd think there'd be 100 balls. I did not find a single golf ball. And so then it was, like, I played the back nine with, like, some, you know, like a pinnacle or something where I'm like, I can't lose this golf ball because then I'll have to walk into the clubhouse without finishing my round. So yeah, I like play the back nine with like an eight iron basically because I was like, all right, I can keep this, you know, this isn't going to go shooting off the right or shooting off the left. I'll keep it

and play that way. And it was, that was like a really, go ahead. Was it getting dark? Like, I mean, were you re-fighting the light out there? Or not quite, man. Just in time. The timing was pretty perfect and the nights are so long in the summer out there where you get this like it's like golden three hours you know where the sun is setting it feels like from six o'clock but it really stays late until like nine nine 30 so yeah no i finished right at time man it kind of was like a very climactic finish with the sun was just setting as i was walking up 18 and it was like beautiful red sky and everything and very special stuff out there i just sat down honestly in the in the 18th fairway I just sat there, crisscross applesauce for about five minutes,

just looking at the water and watching the sunset and just being like, dude, where on earth am I right now? And how did I get here even? And kind of also being like, what the fuck am I about to do about the entire situation? Like, yeah, you're kind of pushed off reality for the few hours you're out there. And it's cool. Like you've got that massive, like one of the longest runways in the world right there. And those hangers.

It's just such and like that kind of that. just that valley you're in there, that kind of saddle you're in between Campbelltown and Macrohanish. So from there, like, what'd you do for, did you just wander in the clubhouse? Did you wander in the little hotel there for dinner? Like, what'd you do? So over next steps as far as trying to get the tire fixed. The next step was like, I went back to the parking lot, which was mostly empty at that point.

It had kind of cleared out. There was a couple of people up on the terrace. in the clubhouse. I did the obligatory, get the owner's manual out, and, like, fumble through it. I've probably changed the tire twice in my life, and both times required, like, my dad or someone else to essentially do the entire thing. And this is, like, it's like a big, it's a camper van. It's not like a little bit more complicated.

Like, it took me 10 minutes to find where the jack was, which was underneath the driver's seat. I didn't know that. So I got the jack out. I identified that there was a spare tire. And then I kind of just like had the jack sitting on the floor in the backs, you know, behind the car. I called my wife. I was like, what the fuck do I do about this, you know, whatever? Just not even really to because what is she going to tell me to do?

More to just kind of be like, how crazy is this? What am I going to do? My plan originally because I was like, all right, I'm just not going to be able to change this tire. Like I know that I'm going to mess it up somehow. I'm going to just drive on the rim to the campsite that's like 200 meters down the road. and figured out tomorrow i guess like and i told my dad and i posted on instagram that i was going to do that and instantly everyone was like don't do that you're going to ruin the suspension you're going to ruin just don't fuck that's such a dumb

idea like you're creating more problems for yourself uh huh yeah and you know i was really high on the hog on the idea of like we're just winging it you know like fuck it whatever and unfortunately it was kind of a heat check yeah it was a little bit of uh people people talk me back off that one and I'm glad they did I don't have to spend you know $10,000 replacing the suspension on the rental van but yeah these two guys were sitting up

on the on the terrace looking down of the parking lot and eventually they just mercifully yelled down they're like yeah you need a hand with that or whatever and I didn't even pretend like I was like no I got I was like yeah I actually do like if you guys want to come on and help and uh these two guys man

Cam and Yanni they were the funniest fucking guys they came down and basically they were like we were going to we knew that we were going to change your tire the second that we got up here and saw it there was a flat like we just knew that that was going to happen and we were waiting to see who was going to come and claim this vehicle and then when you got here we were waiting to see how long it was going to take you to give up and ask for help and uh they were so funny man that cam is like a handyman or something and so he just like you know like done instantly it took him like 10 15 minutes to get it done But they were giving me such a hard time, which was very well warranted.

They were like, oh, if you want to, you know, you should have gone and got the barmaid. She would have done it for you, you know, whatever. And just very classic, like you said, like the Scots, like, they'll come out and change my tire. And like, you know, I went in and I was like, I'll get you guys a round of drinks or something. You know, how can I, whatever and, you know, send you some stuff from manners. And they're like, no, we don't want. You know, we just did it because that's what you do. Yeah, nicest guys, man.

Just such a funny experience. So you got the spare on And then are you trying to Are you like, all right, I'm going to map out Finding a garage No It's got it We're rocking the spare

For the rest of the trip We didn't even The shredded tire just lived in the back You know underneath the bed For the rest of the trip Yeah, it was funny So Cam and Yanni This is like another thing about

Scottish golf that I just think is so awesome These two guys are from Some town near Edinburgh They had driven over To play in a metal game that they have these like monthly metal games that are open to anyone and you know who has a Scottish handicap essentially so they play at their little local club and they can go over and pay 60 bucks and play in a competition at a top 100 golf course and it's once a month and they were

like you know we do this we'll we'll go up to here there whatever name like a spot all of these great golf courses will host these events that are for just the regular Scottish golfing public you know so they came over they had their little campsite set up at the same campsite and they were just there to have their metal game and it was awesome you know like they're they're just guys who enjoy golf you know they love it but they're not fanatics they're not you know scratch players or anything and just the idea that like i put it in the context of like what if like winged foot had you know a saturday morning once a month game that was just open to the public like it it would be cool if that could happen but i honestly like

it would just be such a mob scene that i don't think that could happen like it's just the attitude on golf is so different over there that stuff like that is possible and it's like a really sort of sacred part of the game to them which i think is so cool i think it brings competition into the heart of it too too serious but hey the medals are are a thing and there's there's medals within the club but then yeah there's the you know open comps that yeah like hartsell seeks those out and he kind of taught me to like hey yeah these clubs publish their calendar there's like central repository is when all these metals are and you could you could do an entire trip just traveling around playing in various metal games around the country awesome awesome places you know

that's pretty cool you had the the impactful transformative night two and then and then you're out there night three and like you've got kind of this this magical you know setting and all of that of like all right i am i am especially here right like macarhan and is the kind of place that you that it's both world class but also you've kind of got it to yourself there at sunset uh-huh yeah it was it was very like you know i mean by the end of the week and you know we're only on day three now like it did feel like the whole thing was scripted out for me just because so many different things happened that just so many things what a lesson in like not getting discouraged and just things are going to work out if you think they're going to work out

And they all ended up did in spectacular fashion, really. And, yeah, man, it was just such a cool reminder of, like, you really can just decide to, hey, I'm not going to stress out about this. And it's going to work out. And, you know, whatever happens, ends up happening, you're going to be fine either way. Yeah, so the next day I woke up, I, like, I desperately tried to get on the bag and caddy for one of these two guys in their metal game. I was like, dude, I don't even want to play golf today.

Please, you changed my tire. Like, let me carry your bag. I went and I hung out with them on a putting green for a while and I was like, please, like, let me catty for you. And they basically, they were like nice about it, but then they were like, no, you like can't bring a catty in one of these things because it's a, it's a competition and they don't want anyone to have an unfair advantage by having a caddy. So it would be, it would not be becoming of us to have you carry our bag. And so I was, all right, fine. I'll let you guys go. But it was cool, man.

I saw him off. I watched them to you off. And then, you know, I was like, all right, I've got to go play some golf. today and uh went down to denaverty which was you know a logical next spot i guess was that the you know logical but was that was that always going to be kind of since you got there and talking to people was it like all right yeah like you got to go down to denaverty yeah it it seemed like a good place to hit but there was a moment in time where i was like so i talked to cam and yanni and you know they were they were telling me you got to just go straight up north you got to go up to try you've

got to go get all the way up into the highlands. And I'm looking at the calendar and I'm like, I don't have that much time to do all these things. So maybe I should skip, you know, and kind of just had, you know, I just had this like, maybe this is going to be the climax of the trip. I just got out on McUranish for free. And, you know, this cool stuff is all happened. So maybe they just should bounce and head up north. But I was honestly, I was pretty tired of driving. I had been in the car a lot. And then I already is half an hour away and I could stay at the same campsite for a second night, which was really nice to just not have to get settled in again. So yeah, I went down there and I mean, it's just, you know, it just kept getting

better and better, man. I truly like mind-blowing stuff the whole trip. And Danavity was among the highlights. I mean, just one of the coolest golf courses ever. I think Donaverty is like the, I'd listen to Jim talk about it for years prior to actually seeing it. And I still don't think there's anything that could have prepared me for. It's just, a place that like represents everything that's right with golf the town the the setting the agronomy the the the walk it's just like everything is in proportion it's just it's uh and it's like you got to you got to make an effort to get down there it's certainly not close to anything like even from campbell town it's you know good 20 25 minutes um but man the people david mcbrain and

like the whole it's just it's awesome and it represents everything i love about scottish golf. It's like local, local excellence, local greatness, you know. Totally. Yeah. I mean, that speaks to one of the things that I just love the most about all of these little random courses is that the people who are members there, the people in the community, they just, they love their golf course and they pitch in and they help out and they take good care of their place because it's important to them. I'm not sure how it is at Danavity, but I met people at Tarbert at Aberford. I mean, people, they volunteer to cut the grass. They volunteer to work in the pro shop. They volunteer to man the bar. And these

courses feel like such just community assets because people, they really, really, really give a shit about them. That's just so cool, man. It just is the coolest part about some of the golf courses over there is how much of it. It feels like you're in a home, really, when you're like strolling around the fairways. Don Avery, like you get out to the fourth hole that, you know, blind yeah yeah and then you know and then from there it just gets it gets wild and wonderful and you get up to that bench uh you know up at the top of the hill and you're looking out towards towards northern ireland and and you got the keel hotel there in the distance and then 17's one of the craziest holes i've ever seen maybe the craziest hole i've ever seen anywhere of you have the you know the

the stream or the little you know river there and then you've got the road and then you've got the green and then you've got this punch bowl behind the green and uh-huh did you do you know what those little fences in front of the green were are those for livestock or the like i was trying to figure that out when i was there they got the little yeah i just dude it just fired me up man just seeing stuff like that is like hell yeah there are animals that might come and fucking eat the grass here. Like, that's so cool. But yeah, man.

So you got out there at what time? I got out there probably around 2 o'clock maybe. Okay. Which was good for, I would say, I probably looped it the equivalent of, I maybe played like 30-ish holes out there. I played one full first loop, which was awesome. And I got the full experience where it started out

and it was gray and kind of windy. And then the wind went crazy and it started raining, which was the coolest way to experience a golf course like that, 30 mile an hour winds, rain, whatever. And that, like, truly like scripted moment stuff, right when I got to the top of the hill on 12 there, the sun just comes like just shooting out just like and you know how the sun is after it's rained. It's like just such a there's this haze in the air that's, you know, kind of cloudy, but the sun is just this golden just, you know, So I'm just sitting up there. I'm like, dude, what the fuck is going on, man? Like, how does this keep happening? Like, just cool stuff is happening left and right.

And it's almost one of those things where it's like, every day is the best day ever. So, like, it just washes into itself. You know, it makes it hard for stuff to stand out. But, yeah, that was a really. Start, like, crying here. Like, I just remember sitting with Jim Hartsall on that bench. Yeah. And, you know, there's a plaque for Jim's son on that bench now.

like it's just like that's one of the coolest places in the world that spot looking out over the course and the big rock and all the history that's happened at that rock over the last you know millennium and yeah you're just like you feel like you're at the edge of the earth yeah that is really what it felt like it felt like the almost the like culmination of the journey a little bit whereas like this is the most remote point that I'm going to get to and I'm a big believer in like sometimes when you have to work for things that makes it that much sweeter, you know, like if if everything was readily available and you had the best golf in the world two seconds away, like you wouldn't appreciate it the way that you do. And, you know, I had to go pretty fucking far to get there, man. Like, and it was it was not easy. Even not considering, you know, all the stuff that happened. And, you know, it's like, dude, that's a lot of driving. And it's a huge out of the way place to get to. And I am more than anywhere else that I saw. It's like, I'm glad. that I made it all the way down to the point there. And then you got to walk up that big-ass hill to get up to that green even.

I know. Yeah, you're fucking, it's crazy. Just the whole thing, man. So, yeah, I loop that. I did the first loop. I mean, it was like the whole thing. It's just like, dude, there were people riding horses up the rock, you know, and I'm like walking up four.

And I just see these horses that are like galloping on the ridgeline there. And again, I'm like, dude, what is going on, man? Someone's, I feel like I'm in the Truman show or something. Like truly people are just, someone's pulling the strings here and making all this stuff happen. But yeah, I looped it a second time. And I got to four, which I think four is, four might be the greatest golf hole in the world. Like, maybe. Up there.

Yeah. I haven't played enough golf. Yeah. It's just proportional. Everything is just, it's funky, but like you play it once and you're like, I don't know exactly what I'm doing here. Like the closest thing I've seen to it is like, there's a hole at Tara Edy. it's just like that like that's that's the only comp you know like the the uh the third whole at teraidi and the fourth hole it's on averty on the same same wavelength i think i i just

i've never had more fun playing a golf hole than that hole um so i played that on the second loop and then the denaverty rock or whatever is this big thing that you can you know i'm looking at it and i'm like dude i'm just going to go walk up there like i don't i played enough golf so i went and just climbed up there and I just sat and just, you know, let it all wash over me, man. And it was just the, you know, the wind was blowing probably like it felt like 40 miles an hour up there. And I'm just sitting there just getting blown around. I don't want to get too close to the edge because it's a little bit of a scary cliff. But I just laid down, man, and just was like, again, one of those things were like, man, this is so fucking cool.

And seeing the golf course, seeing four from that perspective where you're up high and you're looking back at it was like maybe that's why I fell in love with it. because I watched a couple groups come through and play it. Then before I left, I went, and I probably played it like five times, I think. And each time I was like, I'm not hitting five golf balls and going to go find him. I'm going to hit my, you know, whatever it is, a nine iron or something. I'm going to go walk up and put out. And then I'm going to go walk back to the tee.

I'm going to play it again. And I'm going to do this until I feel like I've had my fill because you don't get to see a hole like this very often. I might never play another golf hole that has scratched my brain the way that this one has. just trying all you know these different ways of i'm going to bounce this one really short or i'm going to hit to bang this one off the hill in the back or what if i play it way left you know what if i try to sweep one in from the right and uh just endless endless iterations of ways that you could approach it and you know just how much fucking fun is that man that's the most fun you can have on

a golf course is just hitting the shots for the sake of hitting the shots and and that was just a last. I think it's done an average too. Like the wind changes. It's so firm and fast. There's some great holes in that stretch from, got really from four onward. Like it gets, you know, you kind of go up

and over and there's some spots in the routing where you're like, oh, that's an interesting decision that they made there and it just works. Yeah, it works so well for something. Yeah, so many spots where you'd be like, what the fuck are you doing? You know, if you were trying to, if you, it's the classic, if you tried to build it today, right? but it really is true, man.

Just a masterpiece of a golf course. So from there, so you get your fill, I'm assuming, like, probably up until close to sunset. Yeah, just about, I was probably out there. I mean, the other thing about all these places is, like, I don't think it took me more than three hours to play 18 holes once. Maybe it took three and a half at McRanish because I was slowly walking around with the camera and, like, just had my mouth open. for half of it. But yeah, so I was out there, you know, four or five hours, man. I think I had my fill and then kind of was like, all right, you know, I'll leave this place to come back to hopefully. And yeah, I don't want to, I don't want to burn myself out by, I probably could

have, if I wanted to, played 54 holes out there. But it's like, you know, I've got some, some more stuff to do. And we've got to get on the road tomorrow. So I guess we'll get back to it. And you gaze out at that, that island, Sanda Island, and you're like, man, like that that looks cool out there uh-huh house for sale for a while i think it i think it just sold throw five bucks man there was some rock star that lived out there for a while and yeah there was a kind of drunk guy that they sent out there back in the you know 100 years ago that would just exiled them created his own golf course yeah stuff like that so yeah south end is a cool cool spot and then you drive back up to you know mackahanish and and and spend the night there again

yeah so that's this is where you you really got in my ear that this night where my plan was i was going to drive up to try which is about a five hour drive from mackahanish maybe four and a half hours i was going to stop in oban on the way up see where bobby mac grew up but yeah cam and yanni were basically like you need to go up to this place you got to see it you know whatever if you see one spot and I was like fuck I really want to get up there but it's a five hour drive man it's like on a spare tire yeah yeah through these like rocky highlands roads or whatever you know I'm sure just probably wouldn't have ended very well but you and like the fact that you were down there I was just like man you got to you got to see caridale got to go to Aaron because at some point like

I feel like, you know, all that stuff, try and, you know, Isle of Seal and, you know, going out to, you know, stuff like Ascranes, like, you know, Isle of Harris. Like, all that stuff feels like a separate trip almost. And, hey, like, knock this off and do this right. Yeah, totally. So it, it feels good that I think I've got something to say for next time, hopefully. Exactly. But yeah, so the Caradale was one that I was going to skip. Wasn't even really on my radar, honestly. I didn't do too much, like, research in advance for this, you know, because I wanted it to be fresh.

So I would have driven right by Caradale, man. I wouldn't have even stopped. But, yeah, you were basically a couple of people were like, if you skip Caradale, then you're an idiot. It's a tough drive up from Campbelltown to Caradale. That's a pretty, pretty gnarly little road there. Yeah, pretty narrow. I hadn't, I still hadn't quite gotten used to the width of the camper van, obviously, as I had, you know, bend it two days earlier.

So, yeah, a little sketchy, but I woke up in the morning. And this was the first day that I had kind of gotten on schedule, I guess, with the time change. So I got a nice early start. How late are you up editing, too? Pretty late, honestly, which, yeah, those video, man, they take so much longer than you think. And I do get a little bit, you know, neurotic about these little details that probably no one's ever even noticed or thought about. But to me, I want it to be, you know, so yeah, I'd probably stay up till at least one or two a.m., which, you know, it made it kind of nice, though, because then I could finish. I could post it. And then I get some sleep. And it's, you know, seven o'clock, eight o'clock back in the States where everyone's up and they can see it. And, you know, that was a fun aspect of kind of, you know, then waking up in the morning and checking in and all that stuff. So yeah, Caradale got up there pretty nice and early. And, dude, what a fucking spot Caradale is, man. It just, again like all these places it just kept getting better and it just was like running out of superlatives to hand out for these little golf courses but it truly was just such a incredible spot too well you're like i loved your voiceovers because they like it's so easy to fall into the trap of of hyperbole or you just run out of adjectives but i think all of your all your voiceovers and everything you wrote was so matter of fact and

objective and there was no fluff in it but by doing like just by going everything and just like almost saying like hey this is what I decided to do today and the intentionality of that that told the whole story in and of itself and then I feel like this is really like this day is really when you hit your stride the most as far as telling the story like it got like you're like hey like like I know these things are about to be about or are supposed to be about golf but like I'm going through kind of a personal evolution here it was fucking awesome man I loved it I'm having a big day so I'm going to talk about it now it was cool man it was I mean a lot of this trip was a personal creative like challenge to like I've always felt

like I might have something interesting to say but maybe be a little bit unsure of how to say it or what to actually say and just uncertain over how I want to want to present myself and and this was the first time I was like no fuck it I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm actually like say what's on my mind and and speak from the heart and and open up a little bit you know yeah it was definitely it was emotional man it was uh you know experiencing all that and yeah I had I definitely had to take like 10 tries on each of the voiceovers because I'm sitting in the fucking van at one in the morning like sobbing like you know just having these like weird you know it was it was cool like you feel the vulnerability um but it never felt self-indulgent or

gratuitous or anything like that it was truly like you were just letting people in of like hey I'm you know I'm on this journey like this is you know like it never felt forced or anything like that it was truly authentic and like your stuff about like steve versus like just even like how you how you introduce yourself was it was remarkable

yeah no it's a good so Caradale was like maybe a true like day one rebirth of who I am as a person. I don't have to like fucking take some deep breaths, man. But yeah, so I was out of Caradale, man. I've had this crazy stretch. There's adrenaline highs and lows, ups and downs. And the whole trip I'm learning about, you know, kind of who I am and what I want to, what I want to be, I guess, in life. And yeah, man, it kind of all came together at Caradale. And I had this

realization about, I guess, my name, which was spurred on by meeting Robert, who's the Green Keep out there. He's, he's the sole employee of Caradale. He's been cutting the grass out there for 40 years. Just, you can tell, he's just poured his heart and soul into the place. He's got to be probably around 75ish years. You know, he's, he's an old, you know, weathered old Scott. He's as salty as they come, I guess. And I introduced myself to him and I just wanted to say, hey, thank you for, I had heard that this is a one-man show. And I wanted to hear a bit about it from him and and just say thank you for, like, sacrificing your life for golf, essentially, like, just spending 40 years doing these minute tasks to make a special place that, you know,

not everyone's going to come and see. Where did you see him out there? What, what, what, what spot? This, I think it was the eighth T. I guess coming off seven green, we chatted a little bit, um, chatted as I was on A T. I had a really nice shot on A.T, which I was like, you know, garnered a little respect for me. Yeah.

And then he looped back around, man, to keep talking to me on the ninth hole, which I was like, oh, fuck, yeah, dude. That's the ultimate sign. An old Scottish guy wants to continue talking to me. Like, I'm doing something right here. But, yeah, like, so my name is Severiano. My parents named me for Sevi by Osteros, which I guess were nominally Spanish, Cuban. It's kind of a whole thing. But I kind of had this realization about myself.

Like, when I was a little kid, I was Sevi. and then probably first, second grade, I wanted to be a, you know, a big boy. And I noticed that, you know, like, Timmy becomes Tim, and Sevie felt really juvenile to me at the time. And I lived in a town where there wasn't, you know, it's a very traditional northeast town. There's not that many unusual names. So I kind of felt like I stuck out a little bit and was maybe insecure about it. And, you know, I came home from school one day and it was like, I'm Sev now. And my parents were, I think they were kind of a little bit distraught.

at the time, but it's, you know, like your name is so important to who you are as a person and your identity. And, you know, Sev is like this, just, I said in the video that I popped up, just like really unsure of who really you are. Like I have this big Spanish name and, and this legacy where I'm named for a golfer named Sevi, but I'm trying to be this other guy who's like serious and just fits in and yeah man i stuck my hand out and introduced myself to robert and just said hey i'm sevi and part of it was probably i just didn't feel like doing that you're you're what now you know it's like i knew he would understand that name and it would hit with him but part of it was like man maybe i should be this you know and um he just he reacted so well to that

and he was so sort of like sweet about oh you know your name for sevi like that's so cool and and the great man so a little bit yeah yeah then i kind of just was like you you can decide that you want to be the person that i guess you want to be you know like i want to be i i want to have that same sense of like childhood joy that i had you know and i feel like it it's always wanted to come out to be hey you know like i i want to be this guy and you know like my wife and some of my family he's always called me Sevi, but I've always been Sev to my friends and professionally and everything else. And it almost is like, why am I, why am I running from what I'm named for? Like, why am I running from this person who, you know, like, maybe I don't have to be so fucking

serious all the time. Maybe I don't have to try to be this like stern and, and, you know, and it almost in a way fits into like finding my own voice where it's like, maybe you can say stuff with a little extra, you know, emotion to it or, you know, it's an extra syllable. It doesn't seem like much, but it really changes how I feel like my name feels and and how I feel about myself. So yeah, man, it was kind of a personality metamorphose out there. And I don't know, man, just life-changing stuff really throughout the whole trip. But that was probably the moment I'll remember the most and was really important to me.

It's funny. You're talking to someone who my first name is Stephen. Stephen Todd Schuster the second and you know my dad was like no like he's not going to be Stevie or little Stevie we're going to call him Todd and then we started

knowing up and like I didn't want my bosses to know that I was doing this on the side or you know so I I just went with like a nickname from from college and you know Tron and that's become TC and now you know that's what people know me as but my wife and my mom

still call me Todd and I like the name name, Todd, and kind of similar thing going on too, you know. Dude, your name, it determines so much of your personality, really. That's what I've always felt. And then, yeah, it was funny, man. I told all my friends and stuff, I was like, look, like, I'm not going to be like a fucking hardo about this. Like, you guys know me as Sev, like, don't, you don't have to like accommodate

me on this. But, you know, when I introduce myself moving forward, I'm going to introduce myself as Sevie. And I want to have that be a part of my life. and the rest of the trip was like an exercise in trying to do that. And I met so many people through the rest of the trip. And it was like, it was so honestly, it was like cool every time I met someone and be like, hey, I'm savvy, especially in a place like Scotland

where everyone, they're golf obsessed. Like that, it hits with them right away. And it's the first time that I've experienced that because, you know, here in the States, a lot of people don't know who Sevi by Osteros is and especially people who are non-golfers. And if I said Seve, everyone's like, you know, the amount of times in my entire life where people like what you said what like Seth or you know whatever so it was the first time of my life where I'm introducing myself and I don't immediately have to explain what my name is or get a confused you know whatever and correct someone yeah and that just felt fucking awesome man

it was like yeah fuck it people people know people know my name for for the first time of my life and it was really just like you know I feel like I was walking around for the rest of the trip with kind of my chest puffed out being like yeah dude like I figured it out I figured out who I am. And that's a really special feeling. I think the only other comp would be like after you get married and you're like, hey, this is my wife. Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. You get kind of that like, oh man, like that's got a nice ring to it. Right? Yeah. Got that same sense of pride or, you know, leaning into like, hey, this is like the first day of the rest of my life kind of thing. Yeah. That's how that's how it felt, man. It did, it did have that shine to it where it's like, man, this is fun to say. And I'm,

I'm enjoying this. It's a more, it's a fun name to say too. I know, do you? It rocks, man. It's just, it's cool. My parents are so pumped about it. You know, they, they loved when I was a little kid calling me Sevy. And it was really special, too, to kind of tell my parents that and see how happy they are to, I guess, not have their son back, but have this iteration of their son back.

And that was, that was really meaningful to me to share that moment with my parents, too. And, you know, because that's what they need me for. And how cool is it to embrace what your parents had envisioned for you, I guess? What does your wife call you? Is she still on the Sav train? Or has she leaving it? You know, it's funny. She's always called me Sevi.

It's like a little bit of a pet name for her. So we were joking around with like a lot of our friends are like, no, that's like, that's like Kaylee's name for you. Like that's kind of weird to crash the party on that. But now she'll go back and forth. But whenever she's being cute or kind of sing songy, it's always savvy, which I've always loved. And it's fun to like, do you. when people, like now I've started signing off on emails with SEVE. So I get an email this morning that is addressed to SEVie and it makes me like happy.

I'm like, you know, normally I get an email. I'm like, oh, fuck, dude, like what do I got to do now? And all of a sudden I'm like, oh, dude, it's cool. Like, what's up? You know, so yeah, it's been fun. Not to gloss over Carradale because I think you kind of get there and a little honor box and a little building there. And then it's just like a straight uphill hole and you're like, all right, what's this? you crests the hill and you're like, whoa, this is awesome.

No, I know, I feel like I'm, I've skipped right over how sick caradale was, but yeah, man, coming over that hill for the first time, Aaron is in the background. What's the, I don't even know what the body of water is called, the, the, the Firth of Clyde or something. It would be the Firth of Clyde. I think, yeah, I think, I guess Aaron sits in the middle of the Firth of Clyde. Yeah. Which, yeah, like they used to have all the, you know, there was a big submarine base there back during the Cold War and, you know, all the nuclear subs would come in and out of there.

It's a, yeah, pretty interesting set of locks and just, yeah, full geography. But it's so cool, especially knowing that, hey, if you are going to go to Aaron, that you get that preview of Aaron and you see it for the first time. Yeah, it was, I mean, yeah. Yeah, coming over that hill, just there are so many different reveals on the trip where you're cresting over a hill or coming around a corner and you just stopped dead in your tracks. And that was one of them. And yeah, I mean, the golf itself at Caradale was incredible. Like, just the second hole there, you're playing over this rock wall and that the green is this like wide, narrow thing that you're kind of trying to feather one into.

That was incredible. Yeah. left corner of the property and then you kind of play on this like weird little uphill hole and then it gets crazy like four or five six the one that's got the uh hartsell calls it the pudding bowl green i think that's six yeah it's it's cut into the hill and it's this it's this shape it's a little kind of rectangle with rounded corners and it's there's anything like that anywhere else same same thing man where it's like dude that is the cool way to navigate plopping a green down on like a weird little spot of the property like just

got it right into the hill yeah yeah and dude fucking i think that was you know i haven't sat down and been like what's my favorite you know whatever holes but if i had to pick out you know my favorite couple holes you know obviously for it and averty but yeah six at caradale was just it's just fascinating to see how they traverse these you know if you got that that site on like a course that you were building here in the States, it would be a death sentence, basically. You'd be like, what the fuck am I going to do with that? And you probably put some giant.

It's a pretty crazy, crazy driving hole, too. Like, they probably would have made it into a par three. Mm-hmm. You know, instead of having that force carry up the left. And then you have, yeah, like, that was one of the ones that stretch with Jim where I was like, whoa. And one of those cool clubs, too, to where, like, he emailed the club. I think we had special dispensation to play the metal teas,

which normally always have to play. whatever the teas are out but like he was like no we've got special dispensation to go out there and yeah it's like it just sits on his headland so it's not really it's not links but you're near the water you're up on these bluffs and you're looking out towards you know blackwater foot over on on errand yeah yeah it's truly it's like one of one oh yeah it was it was a very and just the the whole aspect of it that it's one guy cut in the grass you know like It's just such a humble little operation, but just a magical place, man. You know, mind-boggling stuff, really.

I keep saying that. Again, I'm running out of superlatives, but Caradale was just a special place. I'm glad it lived up to it. Yeah. And then, yes, so then that night, what did you do? Did you stay in Campbelltown that night? Or did you take the time? No, that was, that's the morning, man.

Now, this, this was a, this was a big day for me. So I got, I got done at Caradale, probably around a, 11 o'clock. At that point, I was still actually considering driving up to try just because yeah, they were like obsessed with it. And I was like, all right, that sounds like the kind of place I'm going for. I started driving up north. And then I pulled over to the side of the road because it was pretty. I was like, I'll film some B-roll here and do a little whatever, which I never ended up doing. But I saw the ferry coming in, the little ferry from La Cranza. I was like, All right, well, Tron is telling me that I got to go over to Aaron.

So the ferry's right here. That's the clowning, La Cranzoa? Yeah, the little baby fairy. So I was like, all right, fine. We'll save try for another time. I'll just jump on the ferry here. It was a sign. Yeah, it was a sign, man.

It was just, it was pulling right in. And I looked at the ferry timetables. It wasn't like it was every 20 minutes or something. So I was like, all right, you know what? Like this is an opportunity to get over there. You know, everyone knows Shishkin over on Aaron. I feel like that's a really big spot. But I hadn't, you know, there's a bunch of other stuff.

on there. I don't know, I don't know what's going on here. Like, you know, we'll go figure it out. So, yeah, the ferry was cool, man. It was a nice little boat cruise across the, across the water there, it's super scenic. And then, yeah, just got off and it's like, all right, let's go play some golf. And started driving down in the direction of Shishkin, because I figured that would be, it's like, all right, I want to play there. That's the 12-hole course. A lot of people have been there. There's been a lot of content around that. But yeah, there was a spot. I passed on the side of the road. I'm driving down, you know, the, I guess the, what would that be the west coast of the island? And there's a golf hole on the right. And then I see this little kind of humble

little hut on the left. No cars in the parking lot. I'm like, all right, here we go. This is the point of the trip. Like you just jump out of the car. You see a golf course. Let's, let's go play it. And again, this is like a Truman Show moment. Like truly, I actually thought I was being fucking punked when I walked into this. I parked the car. I'm the only car in the parking lot. and I'm walking up to this little clubhouse that I think Google Maps says that it's like a truck stop or something. They have it like misidentified as like a roadside whatever. And I'm walking in and I'm hearing this music coming out. I'm like, all right, what's going on in there?

And I poke my head in the little shop or whatever you want to call it. And there's a violinist, a guy playing the guitar and I don't even, maybe two violinists or something. They're just playing this like old Scottish jigs song, whatever. And no one else is in there. It's literally empty. It's just the three of them. And I look around. I'm like, am I in the wrong place or like, is this a golf course, whatever?

And the violinist pops up and she just comes over to me. And she's like, hey, can I help you? And I was like, yeah, I want to play like golf here. Is that, do you have golf here? Is that what's this course or whatever? And she's like, oh, yeah, like here's your green fee, whatever. And I'm like, I just was so gobsmacked. And the other two, they're still playing the song or whatever.

I just said, what the fuck is happening? here like what's going on and it was really cool i've i fucking big brained i put my phone down and just recorded what they were playing that that second that i walked in i was like this is awesome and it's a beautiful song man i really i don't even know what it was called but uh i asked the lady i think her name was elizabeth and she was like i sit here every sunday and it's just quiet and boring so i have my friends come down and we just play music like for you know six hours straight or whatever and uh it was just like the most charming way to walk into a golf course like I don't think again like Truman show shit like what is going on the whole world is just like

opening itself up to me and I'm having all these cool experiences one after another after another after another yeah man that was awesome and it was just like it's a little dinky little roadside nine hole course so that was that was what Macri Bay Macri Bay and all of these like little sort of like humble golf courses they all play really firm the greens are never like rolling at a 12 but they roll pure and it's just you know that's like culturally acceptable to have slightly slower greens that are going to be you know they just all they care about is rolling pure and yeah that was a great little spot man the closing hole there you're actually hitting over the road to this sort of infinity green that looks out onto the water and uh yeah man

cool spot so that's you're just kind of gobsmacked after that it's still it's still midish day right it's still early yeah dude it's like it's like 4 p.m or something like it's you know and i've played two golf courses i've taken a ferry trip i've driven for like two hours i've had this like you know personality actualization moment like just a long day and i still have five hours of daylight left so i'm all right let's keep on driving let's just keep let's keep rolling down and Aaron is pretty small i think you could probably drive around the whole island in an hour and a half two hours so yeah just kept heading down to shishkin which, you know, again, it's like, that's one of those places.

It's just a cool spot. Like I was glad that I was going to be able to get down there. And yeah, Shishkin was the only round where it was actually like lashing rain and cold and windy the entire time. And then my camera died, which was a whole other thing. But that kind of made it really almost more fun. It was like, all right, I don't even have to worry about filming this. I just get to be out here and enjoy playing this golf. It's my third golf course that I've seen today.

I'm on, you know, a whole 40-something of, of my golf adventure of you know this random sunday dude what a fucking spot shishkin was too like same deal every place just was cooler and cooler and cooler you know i don't know you know i mean the fourth hole you know third hole fourth hole fifth hole yeah never seen anything like that either yeah no it's it was a lot of never seen anything like that i mean i i i've always been very interested in golf in like non-traditional forms i guess i love nine whole courses That's my favorite, my favorite type of golf is a nine-hole course. And I know there's a 12-hole course in Richmond that I checked out a couple of years ago called Belmont.

Yep. That was, I mean, that's, that stuff just fired me up. I think 12 is the ideal length. Yeah. I actually, I'm- But twice, if you want to play 24, that's perfect. But 12 is like it feels sufficient. Yeah.

I think I might be on that, man. And it's just cool, the space economy that you get with a 12-hole course. And being up top on number three there was like, you know, you're just looking around. And it was cool to have it in the lashing rain. I'm sure it's lovely when you get that nice sunset, you know, over the water and everything that I feel like I've seen on Instagram and stuff. And I was like, no, man, I'm putting some hair on my chest. I got to play some proper Scottish golfer once on this trip.

First time I went with Jim, we got kind of pretty moody weather, played it a few times. And then I'd been, I think, like, it's funny. I'd never been to Shiskin before. And I think after by last year, I think by last April, I'd been three times in a span of 18 months. And it was, it was, and like I planned to try to go back every other year for the rest of my life. It's just, it's that cool. I finally saw a DJ and I went over in, beginning,

at April on the front end of a of a St. Andrews, the St. Andrews reversible trip and finally saw it in, in sunshine. And I was like, whoa, this is, this is pretty cool. And you're looking out towards, towards, you know, the Mull of Kentire and all that. But those cliffs, you know, along four and then playing five along the coastline there. And then I think six is one of the better short par fours in the world yeah you know just awesome fairway there and then you know seven that little that little pop bunker right of the green somehow i hit it in that thing every single time yeah yeah and then or sorry i'm sorry i'm forgetting the the like blind par three hole yeah that's i think that's six and that's six and then yeah or yeah that's six and then uh or sorry that's

seven and then eight maybe that's six or seven and then you climb the hill and you go uh and then and then you climb the hill and you go up to the par four and then the par five coming back is freaking awesome i think that's that's nine um yeah so just awesome spot yeah i on that so that that par three i was going into the wind i think it's a hundred sixty five hundred seventy yards i hit a three iron uh it's the best shot i hit the entire trip to like a foot which was sick but you know full bones three iron going 160 yards maybe 165 and then turn around go back you kind have no idea where you're going either yeah oh yeah it was a complete like well i i'm sure it's up there somewhere that the stick is right there so but yeah turn around go back the other way

and that the next that's the short part four it's like 240 yards or something. I hit a five iron and it was long of the green. And like that's not to say that I'm like a massive hitter. I have pretty standard yardages, but just going one way into a 40 mile an hour wind and then turning back around and playing the other way was it was so fucking cool, man. Just, you know, and like in my head, I was like hitting five iron on that team. Like, dude, of course this isn't going to get there. I was like, nah, dude, I feel this wind, man. It's like, whew. That was cool. Pretty exposed out there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it just rips up that coastline.

And then, yeah, I think, like, 9's an awesome part 5. And then like 10, 11, 12, you kind of have to hang on for dear life. Like, those holes are really tough coming in. They're just sneaky tough. I was pretty out of gas at that point on that day. It was a long day. But, yeah, no, I enjoyed 12. It was a great finisher, just, you know, sort of that medium length,

shortish length, par three backup, you know, and it's got the little sort of valley in front of it and kind of diabolical little raised bounds and back there and yeah there was I mean dude that low tennis court there with the palm tree I just I got half of mine to get over there and play some tennis it just looks sick unbelievable spot and again like all of these places they're so hospitable like the guy in the shop I came in there hot I'm like I'm playing a lot a golf today can I play golf and like also my was it Hamish I think it was Hamish yeah I want to say so yeah he's super nice guy I like it was like hey can I charge my camera in here for a couple

minutes like I don't have any juice left you know it got just a little bit of footage and like all these people when I would explain what I was doing they'd be so at first they'd be so confused like what are you you're doing what you have a camper and you're whatever and then they would kind of get it and they'd be like oh that's really cool man like whatever you need Like, go for it. I feel like the camcorder has to be so much more disarming than like a Sony A73 rigged too or something. Yeah, I've had a lot of normally when I film content around the city, I honestly, I just use my iPhone because I hate bringing the camera out. Because people just, you bring the camera out and people are like, look at this fucking boat.

Changes the vibe immediately. Who's this guy think he is? Like it's just, you know, especially courses around New York City, man. Like I did a video where I actually did have my camera and I'm out at Diker. beach and some you know the fucking south brooklyn guys are just like what the fuck are you doing like i know it's annoying but i'm doing it's for a real thing all right but dude the camp quarter first time of my life people just come up to me like that's really cool man what are you doing with that and then you know it's such a lead into like you know oh cool man like it was the only time i've

ever been like making quote unquote content and people would see what was going on and actually be kind of like oh that's awesome you know rather than and i'm guilty of this myself I see someone with a camera doing something like, I'm a fucking idiot, like, what are you doing? So, yeah, I was, I was one of the cool parts of the camp quarter for sure. I've got a painting of me and Jim and Stuart, the greenkeeper at Schenckiardt. Wow, that's awesome.

He's the man. And like, you know, kind of gruff on the exterior and like, Stuart, like, what's, you know, what's the big issue this year? Like, what are he struggling with? He's like, oh, the golfers. golfers if we could just get rid of the golfers but then you kind of crack that hard shell the sweetest sweetest guy in the world

I love a lot of guys like that over there on so did you just hang out in Shiskin and in Blackwaterfoot that night yeah so I got dinner there's a pub up the road there that was the night that a poor Tommy lad blew it on uh I think it was in Memphis and I was just sitting there you know with the time difference or whatever I'm trying to just get food in my stomach because I hadn't eaten all day. And the more and more people are just

filing in, filing in, and they're all pulling for Tommy Ladd. And it was nice. You know, I chat with some of them for a little bit. And I was, I hate to say it, T.C. I was so, I was like, dude, I got to go edit a video. I got to figure out somewhere to sleep. I think I know how this story ends. And so I thought about staying there and having a couple pines and whatever. I was like, no, I got to hit the road. I got to edit some videos and do my job, I guess. So I bailed out of there. I drove up north. funnily enough the only campsite that I could find that had a pitch which I needed the electricity hookups to like charge all my stuff you could just park on the side of the road if you didn't need that but yeah the only campsite I found that had an open hookup was La Cranza which

has a golf course has like an 11 hole yeah there's a little mini one right next to the ferry there yeah yeah yeah so I slept there at night I chopped up you know another video whatever wake up in the morning and I'm like you know all right more golf man first thing in the morning let's go and play some golf and like i didn't honestly i didn't even i didn't bring the camera out i just grabbed like i have the 54 degree wedge and uh i didn't even bring my putter i just brought like three golf balls and just was like i'm gonna go screw around out there and like you're not tempted to shoot anything with your phone either because everything you're like all right yeah needs to be in the same vein kind of yeah i got a good amount of like instagram story footage

with the phone um i'm trying to kind of figure out if i can fit that into the the end long form video or not we'll see i'm i'm in the process right now but yeah it was really nice just wandering around you know a wedge and some golf balls and like it's a golf course attached to a fucking motorhome park like it's it shouldn't be nice and it shouldn't be like a cool place to play golf but it's fucking sick they have seaside views man the greens are firm it's like you know the ball is bouncing and you can play it on the ground and there's interesting green complexes and like it's fun it's just a fun little place to play golf dude i've like teed off just before a group of like 15 germans who i'm sure have very scarcely ever played golf just by the looks of it and they're

playing as a group of 15 and they're having the best time of their life and it's like this is fucking sweet man this is like the coolest thing that you know just a little it's really just gets it back to hitting a white ball around a field yeah oh yeah you just you hit it you go chase it you go find it and enjoy the scenery. I mean, La Cranza, there's all these, like, deer, you know, the reindeer, I guess, with the antlers and everything, just wandering around. Like, I was walking from, it's like the seventh hole, the eighth hole or something. And there's this family with, you know, a little girl, she's got the binoculars, whatever.

And they're looking at something. And they kind of are, like, waving at me. And I'm like, I thought that they were just saying hi. And I'm like, hi, whatever. And they're like, turn around, like, look behind you. And there's just like 50 feet away. There's like a whole family of these deer. like, you know, a little fawn, whatever.

There's like big antler guys. And I would have just walked right by it without even noticing it because I was like so focused on the golf or whatever. But yeah, it was crazy, man. Just it's a little nature walk out there basically. And there's some golf holes in there. And they're good golf holes. It's like, you know, nuts.

So you've been on Aaron for maybe what, 17 hours or something? Yeah, 18 hours. Pretty much. Three golf courses already. Yeah. And that was that, you know, know. So La Cranza in the morning. And then I was like, all right, let's just go play some more golf. I wanted to check out the town there, Brodick. I love, I love like a small seaside town. And Brodick has Brotick Golf Club, which is right there in town, which I think my favorite thing in the whole entire world is being able to walk through a town to get to a golf course. That's like so randomly specific, but nothing. I just love just walk into the golf course. went and got a coffee

walk with my coffee get to the golf course you know it's just like dude it's fucking sweet it's a little golf course right in the middle of town and it's a small town 2,000 3,000 people

but probably goes from 2,000 people to 20,000 people some summer summer days because the ferry comes running in Brodick there yeah the big one that they're the big fairy

yeah yeah but that was I mean you know Brodick was sweet I like went in there I chatted up May Ann was her name. She's the lady who volunteers behind the desk at the pro shop. You know, she's a member.

She plays out there six days a week, spends an extra day, just, you know, man in the desk or whatever. And, you know, it was just a charming place to meet people like that, you know, same deal who really care about their golf course. And yeah, so I went out there and was just, you know, having a have it around by myself. And that's, this is where I get dive bombed by, uh, by the man of self, Greg, who I tell you what, man. one of the strangest experiences of my entire life I was walking off the fourth green or maybe I was walking up to it or something it's a par three over this little creek I hit a shot that came up 30 yards short because I fatted it I hit a porch at three put whatever I'm like walking off and I just hear this voice from basically the woods that's like hey are you savvy I'm like what the fuck is dude what like I turn out like yeah man what's up like how how are you and uh This just smiling Scottish guy just is like, oh, my buddy said you might be out here. Like, you know, my friend T.C. I'm like, dude, what the fuck?

Like, what? Just truly was like, honestly, speechless. Which is like, what, dude? Like, eh, I don't T.C. Look, what's up? How do you, whatever. And he tells me, he's like, oh, my name's Greg. I run the little golf Aaron account here.

I'm a good friend of TCs. And he told me to just keep an eye. out for you. You might be out here. And he said he saw that I had posted an Instagram story from the town of me walking to the golf course saying basically what I just said, being like, I fucking love walking to a golf course in town. Greg is, he walks to work from his home in Brodick along the golf course. And he's like, yeah, I'm just going to go walk in the golf course and see if I spot this guy. Dude, it was crazy, man. It was just so cool. He just walked along with me, basically caddied for me for a couple holes. And we just chatted it up, man. It was like talking to an old friend. truly like I just met the guy but he he was such a friendly and just nice person that it took two seconds to feel like I was talking to one of my buddies that I've known for 20 years Greg is uh Greg's one of a kind truly he's I mean we've said a lot of nice things about scots today I think Greg just he's on another level like he's he's actually coming over here to to the states in uh early October and you know coming down and doing a

Big trip with, you know, his wife and daughter who are both, like, wonderful as well. And, and, but he's, you know, he does Aaron ice cream and, and he's just one of like the, he's one of the kindest, most despitable, just, yeah, just friendly, right? There's no, like, I don't think there's, there's, yeah, he's truly just like, I don't think he's ever met a stranger. Everything he's done for Jim, Hartsell has been, you know, like, it's like, I got to know him through Jim, and I feel like, you know, like he's just a lifelong friend and someone who, you know, like I dream of the day of like when I get to take my family over to Aaron and introduce them to, you know, to Pam and Greg and Ava and, you know, hang out with them and, you know, like I want to just go on vacation to Aaron. Yes. I mean, just magical. All time guy, man, truly. That's funny. Like the first thing that I texted my wife after. this day was that I was like I'm renting a house here next summer I don't I will figure out

how to pay for it I just want to be here for a month like this is maybe the greatest place of all time maybe I don't know I haven't been to many places that I've immediately felt this like pull towards um but yeah man drive down all the way like so did you drive down the east coast then from from Lecranza all the way down like through Sannix and Corey underbrotic so you So you saw kind of, you're looking up at Goatfel and you get the mountain there. Yeah. It's truly, I mean, I think it reminds me more of like Maui or the big island of Hawaii than it does anywhere in Scotland. Yeah, that's a really geologic perspective.

It's insane just the landscape with these big mountains and then you're on the water. And then you go down to the south of the island and there's like beach beaches. And yeah, I mean, I did, I will like caveat everything about this whole entire trip. Like I got spectacular weather. So of course, that's going to color my opinion of this place. But I just, it might be the greatest place in the world. I don't know. But yeah, I finished up this round at Brodick, dude.

I walk into the clubhouse that has this awesome old bar. Like the clubhouse bar that you truly dream of. Like it's like a humble, you know, it's got this blue carpet, these old wooden fixtures. the bar has the pads in front of it so you can lean up against the bar and be comfortable. I'm talking to the bartender who's this guy, Doogie, who's like, you know, same deal. He volunteers behind the bar and just man's the ship. And I was just so taken with the whole thing, man, just being right in the town there and everything. I just was like, hey, do you guys have like an international membership that I could just like, you know, I could do?

They were like, yeah, you know, it's like 300 bucks or something. Then you're basically, you get a bag tag for 300 bucks, but you come back here and play whenever you want. like yeah you know what fuck yeah like i'll do that uh that sounds awesome so i'm a i'm a member of brought a golf club now which is uh it was sweet man it was just such a cool moment to just be like yeah give me i'm signing on the dot you know i felt like i was signing an nfl contract or something you know the first round draft pick or whatever and you know we choose had a couple drinks and i guess really one drink um but now man it was sweet and it's just a special place and it gets back to golf over there like

Greg was telling me that his green fees, he's a member at Brodick and I think Shishkin and maybe one of the other ones, but it's just like you could do all six of them if you wanted. It's like $300 for the year. And that's your golf, like for the whole entire year, which is just like, man, I know how clubs work around here and in the States and just generally. I'm like, I'm telling them. I'm like, dude, you want to join a club around New York City. You're plunking down like 40 grand. And then your monthly dues are like $1,200 or something like that. You know, If they're like apoplectic hearing that, they're like, that's not, that's not golf. Like, that's not how it should be. Like, yeah, I think maybe you guys are right. So where do you go after that? What's the, you know, you've got. Yeah. So at this, at this point, I was like, all right, now I got to just play every golf course on Aaron.

Yeah. Because Greg, Greg had done this thing a couple of weeks ago where he played, there's six of them. He played all six in one day. Yeah. And he was telling me about it. I was like, that sounds sweet. Let's go, let's go check out the next spot. So the closest one to Brodick was Corey, which I had driven by on the way down.

And yeah, again, dude, it just keeps getting better at just every single turn. It just keeps getting better. I could not have prepared for, you know, going around the corner on the first. You're entering like Lord of the Rings. Dude. Just speechless, literally speechless. Like I actually, there were a lot of moments where I'm by myself for eight days. I was like talking to myself at certain points on this trip, which maybe is a little bit weird.

But dude, I rounded the corner on Corey and I literally started laughing, like hysterically laughing. I was like, what the, like I actually just could not process what I was looking at. You're looking at it what it's Lord of the Rings, dude. It's like this big, sharp, blooming mountains over in the distance. There's two of them. And then this really steep hillside that has golf holes carved into it. And there's trees, there's flowers, there's a billion sheep up at the top of the hill. And like, I played it.

I got, again, just so fortunate with the weather and everything. I got it right at sunset right before the sun goes, you know, because the sun goes down behind the mountains way earlier than it actually gets dark. I got the slivers of the, you know, rays of sun going right across the fairway where you see this, I think it's the third hole has these rumpels on the fairway, which, uh, Some guy I posted a story about it, I was like, how does this even happen? And I guess the Scottish guy was telling me that that's like a remnant from agriculture where that was like these like channels to get water down to the whatever, you know. And now it's like, you know, these just beautiful looking, you know, very little subtle mound. Yeah, exactly.

Crazy stuff, man. And it just, it's back to the point of like it should on paper that should be a miserable site to build a golf course. Like, it's just this, like, steep, jagged hillside with, like, not that many spots for greens or whatever. And it was basically a little mining operation. Like, it was for the miners, I think, back in the, you know, ladies in hundreds, early 1900s. And they built that for recreation. Uh-huh. Just a humble little spot, but.

And it's in mint shape. You in, I'm not sure if you met you, you and the. I heard stories. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, but it sounds like a lightning. like most interesting man in the world kind of stuff i heard he's i heard he's quite the player and he just loves he just wants to play golf on a really nice golf course and was just like fuck it i'll do it myself and i'll figure out how to get the place hum and it was in incredible shape and he's a contractor around around errand so he does you know home remodels and stuff he runs the arren mountain rescue so

he goes up to the top of goat fell and the other mountains and like rescues tourists and hike who stuck up there and they've got a whole helicopter operation and you know so like he's a fascinating follow on on Instagram I have to dig him up dude he might have to rescue me from the

top of the hill there and I didn't want to leave I was like just sitting up there for a while and then that that short part four that plays up to the corner another one of those greens that's just it's a square green that's benched in

and you know it's kind of like all right you like go for this at your own peril. Yeah. You know, if you don't hit the green, you're going to have the most awkward chip shot on the planet. And if you don't shape it right to left

and hold the hill, and if you have any left to right going in, you're going to be 60 yards down the hill staring straight up. Yeah. And it's such a cool, like having the greens like benched in, I guess that's a good term.

There's so much strategy with the angle that you're approaching these holes where I think, what is that, the fifth hole, sixth hole or something. I think it's six, yeah. You can go pretty much as far right as you want and you'll have a nice angle going in or you can actually try to hit the hero shot and, you know, drive the green.

Your margin for error is like that, basically, if you're going to hold the green or something. And odds are it's going to punt you all the way down to the right. And that's just, that's so fucking, it's so cool and strategic and thought provoking. And then when you're approaching it too, it's like, you can, if you shape it the right way, you can just use the little backboard there. If you're shaping it the wrong way, the backboard might pop you over. It's just these endless iterations of ways to play the hole that, yeah, man, it's just a fascinating way to approach a strange piece of property for a golf course, just eye-opening stuff, really.

Truly. And then, yeah, you play down and you got the little tea room there and delicious baked goods in there. Yeah. You know, so then you had one left after that. I had two left. I had, um, yeah, lamblash and whiting bed. Yeah. Yeah.

At this point, after the playing Corey, I think was like the, I don't know if it was the climax of the trip, but it was, it was the like, all right, I think this is it. I've, I've gotten everything I want to get out of this trip. You know, I had the big personality revelation. I had, I got to play some incredible golf. I met a ton of, like, meeting Greg was such a treat. So after that, I was like, all right, I got two golf courses left. And then I got to go home, like, yeah, you know, whatever.

I wasn't, like, bummed out per se. But yeah, so I do feel a little bit bad that I played landlash in Whiting Bay. It was not like out of obligation, but I was like, all right, I got to check these spots off. It was more of a, like, you know, box ticking experience. And I think those spots, it's like, if those were the first courses that I played when I was on Aaron, those would have been the ones that I was like what the fuck is this place you know like um did you stay in La Cranza again

drive back up to the car that night I just parked right in the harbor on the side of the road and just slept there um awesome which was so cool I got I got a couple of pines with Greg um it was really nice you know I was like yeah my bed is a hundred feet away I can just go walk to bed and that's it

um but yeah man those last two courses like they I feel like I do owe them more of a proper, I guess proper shout because like lamblash is like it felt like I was at like it did feel like I was in Hawaii and it's got the palm trees at the top of the hill there like Wailai, you know, kind of blocking the water and there's the holy aisle in the distance and just all this, you know, the same deal. Like just visual stimulation. I played there basically at sunrise. It was just, you know, more of the same where I'm like, well, I've seen, you know, 10 of the most scenic, incredible golf. courses ever. Here's another one. But it was, it's kind of washing over you at that point where yeah, are you out of film yet, too? Are you? No, I, I knew. So I had, I had like half a tape left for this last day. Um, I was really cutting it close. I did have one incident where I accidentally taped over some stuff, which was a bummer, but it did give me a little bit of room on the back end there. But yeah, so I played landlash in the morning, just lovely people. The guy in the shop was so

nice I told him what had happened with my clubs getting stolen and I got this camera whatever and he's like oh do you want like go in the back and pick out anything you want just to go grab it and I was like now I're you know thanks man I already got clubs but like that that's fucking sweet that he'd just be like yeah you know what do you need and then yeah wedding bay kind of the same deal wedding bay was the most dramatic elevation out of anywhere on the island you get all the way up to the top of this hill it literally feels like you're climbing a mountain to get up there and yeah like people walk there like it's that would be a course where you couldn't imagine telling someone in the states hey

you got to go walk this and that's like no one would bother showing up there being like hey can have a golf cart you know it's like the hike is part of the experience of playing the golf course there and uh yeah i mean it's same deal like honestly like if i had seen that place first on the trip i would have just been like this is the peak of golf you know um seeing it last was kind of a little bit like wow another incredible reveal on to the oh the water again and oh here's a really cool green you know it's it was funny but yeah man at that point i was like all right it's pretty much over i had just enough film left over i filmed those two courses and then uh i went and the last thing i had left to do before leaving was like take a swim so i found a nice little

spot there in wedding bay and jumped in the water and it felt a little bit like i was kind of baptizing myself, you know, with this like golf experience. And yeah, I thought that would be the end of the trip. And then I was driving to the ferry and I drove by Macri Bay. And I was like, I got to play more golf. And so, so then we're like really speed running through the last day here. But yeah, I pulled up to Macri Bay. I had like 45 minutes to get to the ferry, which is a 20 minute drive from. So you took the ferry, the, just the, the wee ferry. The little ferry. The little ferry. Because you can get a, uh, uh, Yeah, well, I had, in my head, I was going to play some more golf the following day.

And then I realized that it was not going to happen. But, yeah, I kind of wanted to take the scenic ride back to the airport anyway. So, yeah, I had 45 minutes to get to the ferry. And I figured I could get done with the golf in 15, 20 minutes if I played speed golf. So I grabbed the seven iron. I ran. I paid my, I paid my green fee. And then, yeah, I grabbed like two golf balls and just started just running around.

on the golf course. It was made a pretty good time. You know, I'm not like super big into running, but, you know, I was like a newfound appreciation for speed golf rob. And like, it's like, damn, I'm kind of huffing and puffing after three holes here. Yeah. Get over to like the fifth T, which is back in the corner of the property. And the guy's cutting grass on, he's coming towards me, cut in grass,

probably a hundred yards away. And I have a seven iron in my hands. And I'm like, I could just hit over. I'm like, it's fine. I get to the top of my back swing. And I hear this like, boom. voice just going, hey. And it's the guy in the, you know, cutting the grass.

And I did the, you know, Tiger Pump Fick. And then I kind of was just standing there. And then he starts driving over to me. And I'm like, oh, fuck, it's the cops, dude. I'm in trouble. Like, he's about to light me up. And this guy, oh, my God, I'm forgetting his name. I don't see it was like Johnny or something.

But he comes over to me. And he's like steaming mad. He's like, why are you trying to hit over me? I'm cutting the grass here. Whatever. I'm like, hey, man, I'm so sorry. I'm doing this thing. I got a ferry to catch, whatever.

And then he's like, why the fuck are you running around my golf course? Like, what are you doing? Like, this is so, this is such a wrong way to enjoy golf. And then I start explaining to him, like, everything this happened. And he kind of starts to warm up to it. He kind of starts to warm up to it. And I'm like, hey, man, I'm really sorry. No, didn't mean to offend you.

Like, I just really like your golf course and I'm not ready to go home. And then within like 10 minutes, he's like, he's like, you should quit your job and just move here. And go get a job. at the fucking you know the outdoor store as a clerk and like what are you doing man like you you're wasting your life like what are you doing if you need to squeeze golf in this badly like you shouldn't be doing whatever you're doing and he was you know new york who needs new york whatever it's like it's really funny to hear that too of like how opposite of a place Aaron and new york city are yeah from a cultural and in just lifestyle and just pace perspective

Dude, it was a nice book end of the trip. Willie, Willie was his name. Just a wonderful way to close the door on the trip was this Scottish Greenkeep who came over to yell at me ending up being like, oh, dude, like, you know, you're welcome back here anytime and just, you know, think about what you're doing with your life. And you should be trying to enjoy it more, I guess. And yeah, man, that was it. I mean, I caught the ferry back. I was so tired at that point. played 13 golf courses in a seven-day stretch the next morning i was thinking i could wake up early and squeeze in some more golf but i was just like nah dude it's over man you got to just go to the airport and get out of here and uh call it a day and and that was that it was uh it was a full

fucking trip dude it was it was a big week so you see so you rip back over to edinburgh from there and yeah pretty much i drove from the ferry i drove basically right up to the point where i was like going to fall asleep. And then I don't even remember where I stayed. And then I had like two hours in the morning to get back over, which was fine. And then I got to do the very elite move of checking my clubs without a, you know, cover or anything. And they were fine. So, you know, I don't know if you guys have a club glove sponsorship or anything. We do. They might not love to hear that. Hey, my last bag was, it was one of the prize possessions that was stolen from me. but I might be off it now, dude.

I got these dusty old sticks. I don't care if they break. It was so freeing. Are you going to keep playing the sticks? Are you? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm in on them, man. I was playing a set now.

Yeah, I played the half set for the whole trip. You know, I brought the full 14 clubs out or whatever the first day or two. And then I was like, dude, I'm not even like really here to play golf. Like, I'm not even keeping score and keep score once. I just want to hit fun shots. So fuck it, man. I'm just a half set it is. I mean, by the end of it, I think you play better golf too.

Like, it's more artistic golf anyway and playing the ball on the ground so much that less decisions is better. It's so fun, man. Yeah. You just want to react and, and, you know, grab a club. What'd you do as far as the, uh, what the camper van people say? They were fine. I had to give them a couple bucks. It was like 300 bucks for the, uh, there was a little paint damage on the fender or whatever, but they didn't care, man.

Honestly, they were like, we've seen worse than this. Yeah. And, you know, I otherwise brought it. back in one piece so that was fine and uh yeah man that's that that was it gosh well i'm like i'm simultaneously like you know super jealous and also i'm super glad you didn't get up to the highlands and didn't get up to yeah try and and you know that stuff because i think like you're gonna hey like this is you know i think you're the kind of guy that's like you're gonna go back to scotland for the rest of your life it's like in your blood now yeah especially

these kinds of trips and it's it's incredible to me that so many people go over there and they don't they don't even know this stuff exists they just go to the you know they go to their great golf courses but the the trunes or even the north barracks like hey like yeah those are awesome places but at the end of the day those are just you know there's there's hundreds more special spots out there that are a lot easier to walk onto and get tea times and you're going to have a much more singular experience than you otherwise would have and you're going to be off the tourist track and kind of have those those interactions where people are like hey what are you doing here instead of just you know you know the kind of hey oh yeah he's the 1150 today

yeah it was a really rewarding way to see it and I think that would be I don't know what I'm going to end up I'm still working through the long form video of what I'm trying to accomplish I guess But one of the things that it's like, there's so much good golf out there that's not on a top 100 list. And it's almost more worth exploring those places because you'll just, it's more rewarding, I think. And it's just a very fun way to travel. And yeah, man, it's cool that there's, it seems like there's an endless amount of places like that that you could explore in Scotland. And of course, you know, everyone loves the North Barrack and St. Andrews and stuff. And they're great.

They're awesome. And if people feel like they only have one. chance to get over there that's it but i also feel like people like you don't have to spend ten thousand dollars going to scotland like that's the other thing you can go over there and take this vacation and and do it relatively and expensively once you get past the flight it was a very affordable way to travel honestly and the golf was so cheap i don't think i paid more than maybe 40 bucks for a green fee maybe it's slightly more at shishkin but you know and of course mackra hannish would have been around 110 or 120

wanting or something but but but i feel like macrahanish of course of that level anywhere on you know on the mainland there would be upwards of a billion dollars yeah yeah astounding value i mean and that's that's the stuff that i get kicks out of and i i wish that more people would appreciate that type of golf because it is a structural thing with golf in america that there's these expectations for even the shittiest muni course needs to check all these boxes where if people could just get over it and be like, no, this is golf and it doesn't have to be perfect all the time. Or fair. Yeah.

Oh, my God. Yeah, dude. That's the best part of it is that kind of sometimes you get fucked and sometimes you get a nice bounce, but like it's just such a cool way to experience the game. And there is stuff like that in the States, but it's harder to find, I'd say. Yeah. I think, too, it's just, like, there's, for all the courses that you talked about, there's, there's literally hundreds more. Like, you could do six or seven trips to the highlands.

You could do trips to all the islands. You could do a trip down to the southwest to southerness and that stuff down. Like, it's truly, like, it'll keep you entertained for a lifetime, if you really want a lot of stuff left to check off. Yeah. And that's before even considering England or Ireland. Ireland or Iceland or Netherlands or Australia so it's crazy it's a wide world out there yeah yeah so what's next? Beyond just digging in and getting this like a when can we expect the full-length video

and I'm grinding on it right now so the the full-length video is going to be posted to the Manners Golf YouTube channel everything that I've done so far the short form stuff is it's like collab posts on Instagram with myself at course maps and manners. So yeah, there's some good stuff out there. I guess some teasers. And yeah, I'm hoping to get the video out before whenever you guys dropped this podcast.

That's kind of my target because it would be nice to be able to feed people over there. But yeah, man, hopefully I nail it. I mean, I got to give a big shout out to the manners guys. They obviously originally greenlit the project, which was crazy enough. And then they were so supportive when,

you know, my stuff got stolen. Like Luke called me right away and was like, hey, man, I'm sorry this happened, but like, just go for it. And we're not going to be, we don't have any expectations for what you create. Like, we trust that you're going to make something good. And they were so cool, man. They figured out a way to like next day me, a package while I was in the camper van with a bunch of gear, which was like the most incredible logistical feat I've ever seen. But yeah, just incredible guys, really good supporters of good golf and creativity, which I think is a special thing.

and, you know, they're worth checking out as well. But yeah, I mean, I got to nail the video, but they have already been like, hey, you got to start playing the next one. So it's exciting stuff, man. It is cool. I've always dreamed about doing stuff like this. I mean, back in the day when I was working my old job, man, I'd come home from work and I'd watch the tour sauce videos that you guys would make and other stuff out there.

And I'd just be like, I think I could do that. And I really want to do that. And this was the first time that I was able to finagle my way into getting an assignment. like that and and I really want to nail it and hopefully there'll be many more to come so we'll see how it all plays out but it's been it's been a fun few weeks yeah I think I mean props to the manners guys I think they're doing between stuff with you and just just generally speaking um some stuff they did up in in Iceland and just like some of the most just thoughtful and eye-catching stuff of like they've got a really really cool yeah they're cool guys man yeah and they get it too like they didn't

it's so funny like they didn't once ask me to kind of like sell their stuff really they're they're not interested in like a sales exercise or like make something cool yeah um which i really really appreciated but it's like start from a place of like should this exist or not you know and then go from there yeah and yeah dude props to you too have just there was a cool hybrid between putting that stuff out each night and in the moment and then you know just seeing where your nose lead and you put your own spin on stuff. And I think like just the way it's shot, even just the handheld nature of it, like there's so much technology in these cell phones now to where everything feels so stable and I don't want to say sterilized, but like it like it's

almost so well shot and these cameras are so advanced with picking up lighting and sound and all of that that it kind of makes you yearn for a more run and gun on the ground experience. Yeah, the perfect footage all kind of blends into one thing in my mind at a certain point. And it's not to say, like, that's what I had a nice ass camera and I really wanted to be a part of that. And this trip was a great, great creative realization for me of like, you're never going to be as talented as a video guy as like the guys should do it for a living. But you can make something that really resonates with people if it feels human and there's that raw element to it. so do you think you keep going with that or do you think you'll yeah i think so i want to i want to explore like you know i just want to spend a couple months just exploring all the use in that um

or maybe you know heavily featuring it i don't think i'm going to get another big camera just because i never really felt that comfortable using it and it was very stressful to use because i was like i'm not maximizing it and the footage doesn't look the way that i want it to and the color settings are fucked up and i don't know how to do it and whatever and this is like it's fun man it's the first camera i've ever own that it genuinely is like a joy to turn it on and just you know the buttons are cool and the whole thing is like it rocks man yeah it truly looked like one of those like old school surf films that's what it felt like it was yeah that like makes you just gives you instant

wanderlust and like i don't i don't know like i don't get jealous of of or or you know envious for people in the golf space all that much anymore like get to go do some really really cool stuff and like I was on like the like every time I saw you post something and I was like just stop what I'm doing and lock in on that for two minutes for five minutes however long it was and it was truly a joy to like follow along I felt like I was along there with you and like just sitting on the couch rooting for you of like hell yeah you made it there or you met Greg or all that it was It was awesome. I appreciate that, man.

It was cool. I mean, yeah, and so many people were so kind and gracious with sending nice messages and stuff like that. And it is really meaningful to get that support. So thanks, everyone. Awesome. Well, yeah, props to you, props to manners. And, yeah, we will definitely try to sync this up with when the video comes out as well. I'm going as fast as I can.

So we're working on it. I love it. I love it. Awesome. Seth, thank you, man. Yeah, cheers. Sevy, I should say. Yeah, there you go.

I didn't even realize. It's so new to me. Amen.