Ru Macdonald — the force behind the growing go-to connection to great linksland golf, the Scottish Golf Podcast — returns for his “Talking GolfGetaways” Emergency 9, providing some terrific answers with hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch. Having already shared some of his wide-ranging knowledge about his homeland on our earlier Scotland Week (episodes 41-45), Ru dives into our favorite golf-travel questionnaire with info ranging from craft beer to his favorite golf bag and four-legged playing partner.
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Here’s a sneak peek:
- Beginning with an “extra” question from Darin, Ru explains why Scotch (surprisingly for a young Scotsman) is not his drink of choice, opting instead for Brew Dog IPA craft beer.
- Not surprisingly, Ru’s home course of Cruden Bay tops his favorite places to play anywhere in the world, with nods to North Berwick’s historic West Links (and don’t miss the “East Links” at Glen Golf Club either) as well as Praia D’El Rey along the Atlantic coast of Portugal.
- Ru describes his bucket-list destinations that fall on opposite sides of the world (or at least a 14-hour plane flight apart): Australia’s famed Sandbelt courses such as Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne, along with tracks throughout Southern and Northern California.
- What’s Macdonald’s favorite place to stay? The Rufflets St. Andrews, a beautiful, award-winning Country House hotel, tops the list. And he follows that up by making Darin's and Mitch’s mouths water describing his favorite food — the Fish & Chips at Anstruther Fish Bar and Restaurant outside St. Andrews.
- You’ll also learn why Ru feels strong 4G/WiFi is of utmost importance on any trip (as well as good company); why his favorite piece of equipment is his Jones Golf bag; that his 7.7 handicap is most enjoyed from the middle tees; and (close to our hearts) why his dog Mack , as well as his twin brother, are his favorite golf partners, for different reasons.
- Finally, Ru echoes what those of us who've played it already know: Fraserburgh Golf Club (the seventh-oldest golf club in the world, established in 1777), on the northeast Aberdeenshire coast of Scotland, is the one course he wishes everyone knew about. And if you’re not including it on a trip to the Aberdeen area — alongside the likes of Royal Aberdeen, Trump International and Murcar Links — you’re missing a sublime golf experience that dates back, literally, centuries.
Cheers, once again, to Ru Macdonald for bringing so many travelers to his golfing homeland every day, and for sharing time with us in yet another fun-filled Emergency 9 golf-travel questionnaire.
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“Talking GolfGetaways with Mitch Laurance & Darin Bunch” is sponsored by PacificGales.com and can be found on GolfNewsNet.com and across the Golf News Net platform. New episodes post daily, five days per week (for the most part), and “Talking GolfGetaways” is also available on audioBoom, iTunes and Stitcher.
Follow us @GetawaysGolf and @MitchLaurance on Twitter, and use #Emergency, #TalkingGolfGetaways and #2HaggisBags to hit us with your personal Emergency 9 answers — you just might make it onto a future episode of “Talking GolfGetaways.”
