Misty weather in St Andrews, Scotland, the Golf Mecca... We absorb the historical significance of the golf birthplace...

Above is the hotel room window view of the famed Old Course at St Andrew... it is so impressive.

Without wasting a moment, we head out to St Andrews' excellent practice facilities, driving range and chipping/putting grounds...

Walking around the quaint town of St Andrews, shopping for golf accessories and souvenirs...

Gathering of friends at the hotel before heading out to dinner. The organizers give us a run down of the program ahead.

Enjoying fun times with our friends Nigel & Estella, and Antares

This is the view at dusk from the bedroom window...

I'm up first thing in the morning to see how the weather will be for our first round of golf at the New Course at St Andrews...

We are ready for our first round of golf at the New Course in St Andrew. We are both extremely excited about being at such a historical venue.

We end up playing under pouring rain! We find that in Scotland, you can experience the 4 seasons rolled into one day... Freezing cold in early morning and in the evening, pleasant during the day, scorching hot around noon time, and pouring rain in between...

Not even the dampest weather could spoil our mood...

Tee off time...

The next day, we are getting ready to play the Old Course at St Andrews.  We are humbled by this awesome prospect...

The weather today seems to have cleared up...

We take a group photo before teeing off...

Below is my flight...

We are in jolly spirits and eager to play the Old Course!

This is the famous bridge at St Andrews crossed by the most famous names in golf, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods etc...

We head out to Gleneagles, a luxury resort about couple of hours away... where we are going to play the King's course and Queen's course...

The food in Scotland is fresh and tasty (as examplified by the breakfast spread at the Gleneagles hotel).

However, I have not been tempted to try the traditional Scottish dish Haggis which contains sheep's bluck (heart, liver and lungs) minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for hours, and served with mashed potatoes and a dash of whisky. 

After golf, the group meets for some drinks and snacks at the Clubhouse.

In the afternoon, we visit a private whisky distillery.

The process of making whisky is very interesting... It all starts with barley mixed with water...

We get to taste the brew before the process is finished... at this stage, it tastes more like a beer than a whisky.

If you bend over the vat where the yeast is fermenting the mixture, the smell is overpoweringly strong...  and the alcohol fume could knock you out!

At this traditional private distillery, a lot of steps are still done manually...

After the visit, we are treated to whisky tasting...

We learn how to best drink whisky. Fascinating!

Simon has bought his own barrel of whisky couple of years ago, and it's being stored for at least 10 years, then he can have it bottled with private label and shipped to him in Korea. Very cool concept...

This is the impressive Gleneagles hotel resort... Feels like  a Harry Potter's setting... The grounds are gorgeous, with lakes, waterfalls, sprawling greens...

Above, Guido poses in front of a garden maze...

The guys went on a putting game... you can guess who is the winner...

The beds of roses are absolutely gorgeous with vibrant vivid colors...

We spend a few days in Edinburgh, it's a wonderful city filled with historical landmarks... We are in luck: a Fringe Festival is animating the city in August...

We visit the Castle of Edinburgh and its various museums... The audio guide is a great tool...

Bird's eye view of Edinburgh city...

During our stay in Edinburgh, we were blessed with great weather. 

There are many activities at night, we went to see a Pink Floyd musical, awesome music and original storyline... There are also huge drinking holes, party places, as well as "Silent discos" where people dance with earphones playing music by their favorite DJs without any audible sound on the dance floor...

We walk to the Royal Mile and there are many street shows, performers from all over the world, acrobats, comedians, jugglers, dressed in weird outfits... It seems that this place has not been hit by recession, judging by the festive mood and the crowd size...

Edinburgh has really a lot to offer, including gorgeous and famous views such as Loch Ness (no sighting of the monster though)

We play golf at the famous Carnoustie Course, venue of the British Open a couple of years ago... Again the weater was on our side... Very challenging course with lots of hazards!