Photo for a Monday night: An amazing day at North Berwick. Here’s the famed short four with the wall in front of the green. The first time I played this, I tried to drive the green downwind, only to rattle off the wall. The second time I hit a 3-iron and a lob wedge. A remarkable, quirky hole. Absolutely wonderful!
About Robert Thompson
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in Golf Magazine, the Globe and Mail, T&L Golf and many other media outlets. Currently a columnist with Sympatico.ca and Ontario Golf, and a contributing writer to ScoreGolf, his blog, Going for the Green, was launched in 2004. 
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Hi Rob, Matt MacKay here. I didn’t want to have to set up a Blog account so I am posting ‘anonomously’. I had a really enjoyable meeting with Ian the other day, shame I didn’t make it to his house before you left. Ian mentioned a possible get together sometime in December, let’s hope it happens.
While at school in Edinburgh I had the pleasure to play North Berwick dozens of times and it still has the most resonance of any course I played over there, save for perhaps The Old Course. I never really thought about trying to drive the green at 13 but I suppose it is a possibility, although not a high percentage shot. However, it’s fair to say that any second shot into that green is very difficult and I’ve seen countless disasters take place, so why not take a shot at it.
I can’t think of a hole at N. Berwick where I did not get up to the tee with a keen sense of anticipation because each hole presents a different task. Many holes I still haven’t figured out such as 14,16,17.
Can’t wait to get back.