The History and Culture of Scotland:
A concise timeline of Scottish history by Duncan MacLeod of New Zealand, introduced with
an amusing joke about God's creation of Scotland - from a Scot's perspective! Includes the text of the Declaration of Arbroath and a good introduction to the Scottish Wars of Independence.
"Electric Scotland" maintains a large library of information on the history of Scotland, including tales of famous Scottish battles and early Scottish history.
William Wallace was the legendary
hero in the fight for Scottish independence portrayed in Mel Gibson's "Braveheart".
Find out more about this famed 13th century guerrilla warrior, who inflamed the Scots' passion for independence and set the stage
for Robert the Bruce's stunning victory against the army of Edward II at Bannockburn. The victory led to the Edinburgh-Northampton Treaty of 1328, granting
complete independence to Scotland. Robert the Bruce later died of leprosy in 1329. According to his expressed wishes during his lifetime, his heart was cut out after his death
and taken on a crusade as a final gesture to God that he wanted to atone for the sins of his youth. HINT: This entry page to the history of William Wallace is somewhat confusing.
To get directly to the information on William Wallace, go to the link for "Pro Libertate - For Freedom".
After capture by the English, Wallace was "tried" by a bench of English nobleman at Westminster Hall and sentenced to death. The trial is recounted at this interesting site.
The portrayal of Robert the Bruce in "Braveheart" was historically inaccurate, according to the author of this essay.
Castles, castles, castles. This page is mostly pictures with little historical context. Be sure to check out the pictures of Urquhart Castle, ancestral home of erstwhile River Cup veteran Douglas Urquhart.
Castles, castles, castles. This page is mostly text, with a good description of the different types of castles and their history.
Castles, castles, castles. A nice description of many Scottish castles, with pictures, from the McCudden family's recent tour of Scotland.
Comprehensive Guides to Scotland:
An elegantly done web site by the Scottish Tourist Board, with in depth information on the various regions of Scotland - "there's something to suit every culture vulture's taste under What's
On and you'll find Scotland's finest attractions by visiting Things To See And Do."
Information about the diverse regions of Scotland.
Information
about Glasgow and surrounding area:
The Scottish Tourist Board's in depth tour of Glasgow and the Clyde Valley. An excellent source!
General information about Glasgow and its many attractions.
Information
about Turnberry, Ailsa Course, and surrounding area:
A quick look at the 4-star Turnberry Hotel.
"Global Golf" reviews the Turnberry Ailsa Course and provides a course map, picture, and scorecard.
Conde Naste Travel Magazine ranks Turnberry as one of the top ten golf destinations in the world.
Information
about Royal Troon and surrounding area:
A
nice history and description of Royal Troon, with pictures.
"Global Golf" reviews Royal Troon and provides a course map, picture, and scorecard.
Information
about Gullane #1 and surrounding area:
Dougie
Seaton's description of Gullane's history.
Dan
King's review of Gullane #1 from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland
Pictures
of Gullane (and other courses in the East Lothian area of Scotland) from
the River Cup photo library.
Information
about North Berwick and surrounding area:
Dougie
Seaton's web site, with information about the East Lothian area of Scotland
and its many historic links courses. (This link will open a new browser
window to accomodate the frames layout of Dougie's home page.)
Dan
King's review of the West Links course from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland
Dan
King's review of the East Links course, also called the Glen Course, from
his July, 1996, trip to Scotland
Pictures of the North Berwick courses and East Lothian area from the River Cup photo library.
Information
about Muirfield Golf Club, and surrounding area:
"Global Golf" reviews Muirfield and provides a course map, picture, and scorecard.
Information
about Edinburgh and surrounding area:
The Scottish Tourist Board's in depth tour of Edinburgh and surrounding area. An excellent source!
A
"tour" of the city of Edinburgh, with descriptions and pictures
of its many historic sites, including Edinburgh Castle.
A quick introduction to Edinburgh.
Information
about the St. Andrews Courses and surrounding area:
The
official home page of St. Andrews maintained by the St. Andrews Links Trust
has a quick essay giving context to the origins of the Old Course design.
There is also a comprehensive hole-by-hole description of how to play the
Old Course at the site.
Although
not as complete as the Old Course guide, the official home page also has
a nice description of the New Course.
A
nice recounting of the history of the Old Course, with an image of the
famous "shepherd's crook" layout.
An
interesting source of information on the history of the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews, Fife.
Interesting
"digital orthophotography for the 21st century golfer" with aerial
views of many of the Old Course holes and hole descriptions.
Dan
King's review of the Old Course from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland.
Dan
King's review of the New Course from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland.
"Global Golf" reviews St. Andrews Old Course and provides a course map, picture, and scorecard.
Information
about Carnoustie and surrounding area:
Dan
King's review of Carnoustie from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland.
Official
site of Carnoustie which includes a good hole-by-hole guide of the course.
There is also good information on the surrounding areas, including a map
of the area.
"Global Golf" reviews Carnoustie and provides a course map, picture, and scorecard.
Information
about Royal Aberdeen and surrounding area:
A nice history of the Royal Aberdeen
course with description, scorecard, and pictures.
More information on Royal Aberdeen, which has been
called "one of the undiscovered jewels of Scottish golf."
History
and information about the City of Aberdeen and northeast Scotland.
Information
about the history of whisky distilleries in Scotland plus a description
of the distilling process and information about the famed
"Malt Whisky Trail" in the Grampian area of Scotland.
The "Malt Whisky File" - all you ever wanted to know about Scotch malt whisky.
Information
about Cruden Bay and surrounding area:
A highly complimentary review of
Cruden Bay, as well as several good pictures of holes from "one of those secret gems that you usually only learn about
on your 2nd or 3rd visit to play golf in Scotland." The "header" photo on this page is a great look at
a classic Scottish links course.
Dan
King's review of Cruden Bay from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland.
A brief course description, with course layout, scorecard, and picture.
Information
about Royal Dornoch and surrounding area:
A nice history of golf at Royal Dornoch plus course pictures, scorecard, and course layout.
Dan
King's review of Royal Dornoch from his July, 1996, trip to Scotland.
Miscellaneous
links of general, historical or golfing interest:
Information about the diverse regions of Scotland.
SGH Golf of Cincinnati, Ohio, serves as the
official travel agent of the 1998 River Cup Tour of Scotland.
Ed
Pattermann, an editor for the GolfWeb Internet site, prepared a diary of
his 10 day golf excursion to Scotland in 1994. During his trip, he played
many of the courses included on the River Cup rota. Included are pictures
of the courses, primarily St. Andrews Old Course.
