I had a late call yesterday to go down to the Jubilee for a 1216 tee off time and met lovely Frenchman Gerard who was playing with tartan breeked, Canadian Jim Kinnaird who had invited him and his wife up for the weekend. Gerard said he was gobsmacked when he arrived, for his first visit to St Andrews, as Jim owns that pretty marvellous house which overlooks the 18th green of The Old. Gerard said he remembered it from The Open last year as he caught glimpses on the TV of Rory McIlroy out on Jim’s balcony. Not a bad wee pad to have.
It brought back memories of my near miss of the purchase of a tiny flat on Grannie Clark’s Wynd a while back. This thing was small but had a great view on to the R&A. I remember distinctly sitting in the bar of The Old Course Hotel and speaking on the phone to my lawyer with a glass of red wine in my hand, and him indicating that my offer would be there or thereabouts. In the end I missed it by 4k and will never forgive myself for going so easy on the old victuals that day. It really was so unlike me.
Still, I have never been the most astute mover in the property market as I once sold my flat in one of the trendiest parts of London, ie Borough, to buy into the less prosperous and attractive area of Kelty, in West Fife. Please don’t ask why. I mean that’s the equivalent of swapping Mayfair for jail in a game of monopoly.
Anyway, I had a very interesting round with Gerard and Jim, as the wind speed was about 30mph which made the golf all nigh impossible and caddying for two difficult. However, the guys were very mellow and easy going and we had an enjoyable time with a few ‘ooh la la’s’ and a lot of ‘fore’s’.
A bit like my property moves!