The Grand Scottish Photo Tour – Part I

It’s 5.30am and I’m sitting in the car park of Aberdour Golf Club on the south side of the Kingdom of Fife - so don’t expect me to spell properly. I’m not waiting on the pro shop to open but the sun to rise above a rather dogged smudge of cloud. I’m on a Grand Photo Tour of Scotland, a two-week stint (at least) covering the majority of Scottish golf courses or as many as the sun will deem to shine on all in aid of the Official Guide to Scottish Golf  - 2011.

“How long have we produced this guide together?" says PG the publisher. “About 10 years, isn’t it?” I replied. “Yes! So, isn’t it about time you produced some new images!”

I took the none-too-subtle hint and so here I am on Day 1 of the Grand Tour. My modus operandi is to sleep in the back of my Volvo (estate car) parking up in the club car parks to be immediately on hand when the sun breaks through. Last night I stayed at my mother-in-law’s in Kirkcaldy.

Still, it’s quite exciting being back on the road again, camera poised and ready to capture some stunning golf vistas. Paul’s right, it’s been a while since I’ve done this, at least so intensely. Back in the old days I covered nearly every course in the Home of Golf without thinking much about it. Now the prospect seems daunting. But, given the vagaries of Scottish weather, we’ll give it our best shots. Ah, here comes the sun!