Garden and Home South Africa - October 2015

It all started with a casual conversation
over lunch. Someone was heading
to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles
in Perthshire, Scotland. I thought
they were talking about horses, and
fortunately kept stumm. A hasty Internet
search by my golf-mad husband revealed
that we might still get tickets. Just. Prices
were scary – of the bond-extending
variety – and the only way to acquire
them was as part of a hotel package.
“YOLO,” my teenage godson said, eyes
glued to a PlayStation game, “you only
live once.” Well quite. Next year’s Ryder
Cup is in Minnesota; in 2018 it’s in
France. There simply was no better
place to see it than its rightful home
in the Highlands.
Our plan was to use Edinburgh as
a base and then bus up to Gleneagles
for two of the three tournament days.
I should mention right off that I don’t
understand sport, probably never will.
Bar my annual swim at Kenton-on-Sea
and a spot of hatha yoga, it’s the sort of
alien territory that I’m happy to overlook.
It soon sank in though, that this is the
Oscars of golf, a biennial clash between
Europe and the USA, so laden with
rivalry and tradition, that it’s watched by
half a billion people around the world.
When 150 private jets land at Edinburgh
airport for a tournament, you know it’s
going to be a party.
We arrive just after sunrise and the
Perthshire hills are awash with a thin
golden light. A quick stop for coffee and
then it’s a stiff walk about the hilly course
to get our bearings. “You do realise it’ll
be like herds of cattle streaming over the
hills,” a friend had said of the anticipated
crush. True, we’re part of a 50 000-strong
crowd that attends the event each day.
But in this stunning setting with its
space, emerald grass and distant purple
hills, it doesn’t feel overwhelming at
all. All around us there’s a wonderful
commingling of accents – the Dutch are
out in full force, the Scots fully be-kilted
and ready for war. Loudly self-assured,
the American fans are dressed as though
it’s the Fourth of July. It’s a dappled, late
autumn day and the payoff for no rain is
a freezing, ear-piercing wind.
Once you’ve staked your claim at a
chosen green, it’s all about settling in for
TESS’S
TRAVEL TIPS
MUST-SEE SIGHT:
St Andrews on the
east coast, the small
university town with
the legendary (and
public) golf course,
medieval castle and beautiful
abbey ruins.
NEED TO KNOW: The unpredictable
weather is a given and howling winds
are not unheard of, even in summer.
ESSENTIAL ITEMS TO PACK: Pack for
warmth and comfort, and if you’re a
keen walker, take waterproof clothing
and shoes.
SHOP UP A STORM: Princes Street
is the main shopping precinct in
Edinburgh but it’s busy and touristy.
George Street is less frenetic and has
everything from Harvey Nichols to
Hobbs and L.K. Bennett.
THIS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT: Views of the River Avon. The
historic city of Edinburgh. The first hole at
Gleneagles in Perthshire. Ryder Cup vicecaptains,
José María Olazábal and Miguel
Ángel Jiménez. Painted shopfronts in the
heart of Edinburgh.
the wait. Eventually there’s a low roar
which erupts into chants of Yoo-rop,
Yoo-rop, and like gladiators, the European
team crests the hill. I’ll admit to long
being smitten by Miguel Ángel Jiménez,
the cigar-smoking, red-wine drinking
gardenandhome.co.za | OCTOBER 2015 149