Stanford Makes Memories in Scotland

AFTER OPENING the season in style with a Carmel Cup win, Stanford women’s golf brought the clubs overseas as the team spent a week in Scotland on a foreign tour. Not only was there time for a lot of rounds of golf, but the team also had plenty of time for sightseeing while taking in one of the most memorable trips of their lives.
 
The team departed on September 10 and made its way back to the United States one week later. During a week abroad, the itinerary was jam-packed as can be. Despite only being on the ground in Scotland for six days, the Cardinal played seven rounds of golf, including two rounds on their second day in the “Home of Golf.”
 
“It was definitely a little bit tiring, but it was so fun,” Rachel Heck explained. Heck is one of the senior leaders on this team, looking to rebound into the top spot in Stanford’s lineup after being limited to just 10 rounds last season. “It’s nice to be able to train before the season in a place like Scotland so worked out well. We were still pretty jet lagged at first, but we were of course really happy.”

A trip like this was a great opportunity for Heck to fine-tune herself in advance of the continuation of the regular season. Heck noted that she did not feel like she was up to par during the season-opening Carmel Cup, but that getting back into the swing of it on a daily basis was refreshing.

 

“Being able to play rounds competitively against each other is super important,” Heck continued. “I feel a lot better after playing all of those rounds in Scotland.”

 

There is so much history behind golf in Scotland, making it the perfect spot for a foreign tour. So much so, that this is the second time the team has gone to Scotland under Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women’s Golf Anne Walker, with 2019 being the team’s previous trip. Origins of the sport date back to the early 1500s, and golf has grown to see nearly 600 courses in Scotland, easily the most per capita in the world.

 

That history is something that Walker was hoping the team would appreciate during the time abroad, and is part of the reason why she helped craft the itinerary of the trip around so many historical locations.

 

“It brings you back to really a joy and love of the game because it’s not precision play anymore as much as it is more creative,” said Walker about the decision to choose Scotland for the foreign tour. “Really anchoring into the history of the game, where the game came from, and how fortunate we are to be…