Loving Scotland but hating haggis

For two Atlanta teenagers, a once-in-a-lifetime trip to St. Andrews, Scotland, for the Open Championship was and eye-opening experience. They were exposed to a behind-the-scenes look at how the media covers a major golf tournament, they met people from a different land, and they learned that they most definitely do not like haggis.

Editor's note: What follows is the second of two features that chronicle the experiences of Shelton Davis and Brandon Bradley, two promising junior golfers from Atlanta who joined PGA.com at the Open Championship. Shelton and Brandon, both members of the First Tee of East Lake based at Charlie Yates Golf Course, which is affiliated with famed East Lake Golf Club, experienced the Open Championship and the Old Course at St. Andrews by serving as credentialed assistants to PGA.com staffers. In this interview, First Tee at East Lake director Sam Puryear asked the boys about their trip and all that they saw and did during their stay in Scotland.

Describe the plane ride to Scotland from America.

Shelton: The plane ride was long. We started at 8 o'clock in the morning and it took 8 hours to get here, so it was long. I had a Game Boy and CD player on the plane, so I played the Game Boy and listened to some music. Then we looked at a movie on the plane, "Beauty Shop" with Queen Latifa. On the plane I ate some grouper and for breakfast I had ham and eggs and some ice cream.

Brandon: I enjoyed the plane ride because we sat in first class and there was a lot of space, so we were comfortable. I had steak, corn, string beans and potatoes, and some ice cream. I looked at a movie, read a little bit and listened to my CD player.

Talk about your experience riding in the car on the opposite side of the road over here in Scotland.

Shelton: While we were in the plane coming down and we were looking down on the ground, we saw people driving on the other side of the road. It was crazy. We thought we were going to crash. We saw the same thing in Bermuda, too. But they way they start the cars is cool, though. They have a card that you put in the slot and you push a "Start" button for the car to start up. That was cool.

Brandon: In the car, I was kind of nervous at first because they drive in the lefthand side and when you turn left it's a wide turn, but when you turn left here it's a quick turn. And they have these things called roundabouts that are real confusing, but it was nice that we had Phil (Sharpe, PGA.com assistant general manager) driving because he already knew about them and we didn't have to worry about that.

Explain your first day in Scotland, what you ate and what you did.

Shelton: My first day in Scotland, I told Brandon, "Man, two East Lake boys in Scotland!" It was unbelievable because I never thought I'd ever come to Scotland with Brandon and Mr. Sam. So, when we got to Scotland, we were picked up at the airport, came to the house, read the history paper about the house -- one part of the house was almost 400 years old, built in 1764. Then we went to the course that night and we got to walk around the course, walk on the tee boxes, see the grass and the different type of sand. When we got off the plane, (the weather) was nice but when we got the golf course the wind started blowing. Then after we left the course, we ate fish and chips, but Phil told us, "You got to try haggis if you come here." So we tried it, but, man, you got to stay away from that haggis! It ain't all that!

Brandon: When we got off the plane, Phil picked us up in Edinburgh and it took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get to St. Andrews. When we got to St. Andrews, it was warm out but an hour later it had dropped, like, 20 degrees and got cool real fast. When we got to the house, we dropped our clothes off and changed clothes and then we went and got something to eat. We got fish and chips and haggis -- and you don't want to try that haggis! But the fish and chips, that's alright.

Describe the golf that you've seen over here at St. Andrews and the way the course it set up compared to an American course, like an East Lake.

Shelton: When we saw the pros play their practice rounds at St. Andrews, they were hitting little bump-and-run chip shots. The fairways are smooth and hard, so the ball rolls a lot. And the wind -- the pros didn't hit a lot of drivers because the ball will stay too long in the air and wind will take it, so they hit a lot of irons off the tee. And you got to watch out for that rough, because it's thick.

Brandon: One different thing about golf in America and golf here at the British Open is the day before the tournament, they let you go out and walk the course. So when we walked the course, we looked at the undulations of the greens and the fairways and we noticing how thin the fairway was. It was real hard to tell the distance from the fairways to the greens. During the practice rounds, the pros were, like, 30 yards out and they putting from the fairway to the green. So that was different.

The second day after you guys got here, you started to intern with Turner Sports and PGA.com. Describe your responsibilities, how you're helping and how you're doing what you're doing.

Shelton: The first day we started to intern, we met a guy named Ted (Pio Roda), and he's PGA.com's photographer. What we do is we walk behind him when he's out on the course taking pictures, and when his memory card is filled up, he hands it to me or Brandon and we bring back to the media center. They we put the card in a reader and put the pictures on the computer, then send them to a web site where John (L. Byrwa, PGA.com managing editor) looks at them and picks the ones he wants to use for the photo galleries. An intern is supposed to be work, but I wouldn't call it work because we got to watch the pros and have fun! Then after we met Ted, we went to the TV compound where they do the live TV and the edit room and all that. We had fun.

Brandon: When we found out what we were going to be doing, we thought it was going to be hard, but once Ted showed us how to put the pictures into the computer using Photo Mechanic (software) it was easy. I was the runner and Shelton put the pictures into the computer, so I was out on the course following Ted. He would, like, follow Tiger Woods' group for two holes, then follow (Jack) Nicklaus' group for two holes, so there would be two different cards. I would run them back to Sheldon, then go back out and find Ted again.

On Thursday, the first day of the actual championship, describe what it is you did.

Shelton: Since I found out how to do the computer a little better than Brandon, Ted told me to stay in the press center, so I took the cards and put the pictures on the computer then gave it back to Brandon so he could run it back out to Ted. So while Brandon was out with Ted, I would go to the first tee and watch the pros tee off. I couldn't walk very far because I had to stay close to the press center so I could get the cards from Brandon.

Brandon: On the first day, we had to wake up at 6:15 to be at the golf course at 7 o'clock so we could meet Ted, because he had to be ready to go at 7:10. The first group we left with was the Jack Nicklaus group. Ted was inside the ropes taking pictures and I followed Ted on the outside of the ropes. Tiger was two holes behind Jack Nicklaus, so when Ted finished with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, I ran the card back. Then we went and met some kids from the Scottish Golf Foundation and I had fun playing with them during their junior clinic. They were real nice. We played "try golf," which is for beginning golfers. They would teach the kids how to square the club face up and how you want to hit behind the ball, things like that. It was fun.

Shelton: I had fun with the "try golf." All the kids were nice and they liked us and asked a lot of questions. They used soft balls so if you got hit, you wouldn't get hurt. And they used plastic clubs. It's a teaching tool for the kids. We had fun.

Talk about your experiences out of the course with Ted on Friday and what you've learned.

Brandon: I walked out on the golf course with Ted today. I have a lot of respect for Ted because taking pictures and being a photographer is a hard job. And to do that by yourself, I don't what to say. He had to take all the pictures, go back and forth to the media center, download all the pictures and then get back out on the course and try to catch up with the guys that he thinks he needs pictures of. So I have a lot of respect for Ted because I know that would be a very hard job without us helping him out.

Shelton: Ted is a hard worker, and I respect him for that. We're helping him now, but he told us that without us there to help him he would have to take all the pictures, come back in, download them, then go back out and do it all over again. He works very hard, and I respect him for that because I try to work hard myself.

You've been to the Tour Championship and some other PGA and LPGA events in Atlanta. Describe the crowds at a regular tour event like those and the British Open crowds and they way they feel about golf and their championship.

Brandon: We're in Scotland, which is the home of golf. Golf is a really big sport in Scotland, like football and basketball are in America. The crowds in Scotland in are way bigger than the crowds in America because you had Jack Nicklaus in his last tournament and they wanted to see him play. The crowds are really big, and it's hard for us to follow Ted sometimes.

Shelton: The crowds here compared to the Tour Championship at East Lake that we go to in Atlanta are real big because they've too many people following one group. It was almost like there were just two pros out on the whole course.

Describe the Scottish culture that you've seen since you've been here.

Brandon: In Scotland the people are real honest truthful. Like when I got off the plane in Edinburgh I left my bag that has a CD player, a Game Boy, a camera and few other things in it, and the next day Phil went to airport and someone had turned my bag in. Whereas in Atlanta, if I had done the same thing, I know my bag would have been gone. And in Scotland when you walk the streets it's real clean; you don't find any trash, and the people here are real nice. They speak to you and they're real nice.

Shelton: We've seen men with skirts and kilts on, and in Atlanta you don't see too many men with skirts or kilts on. And in Scotland, you don't see that many homeless people out on the street because I guess they all help each other out. In the United States, everybody wants to hurt each other, but in Scotland it's beautiful.

On Friday you had a chance to play golf at Scottscraig Golf Club. Describe your experience playing golf here and compare it to playing at Charlie Yates in Atlanta and other courses back home that you've played.

Brandon: No. 1 on this golf course if I hit it down the middle of the fairway and I play a draw, I would end up in the left-hand rough because the ball would run about 30 yards. Whereas if I hit it in the fairway at East Lake with a draw, I would get about five yards of roll. And at East Lake on approach shots I can put a lot of spin on the ball and make it stop. But here, I have to hit it short and let the ball roll, and you have to play a lot of chip-and-run shots whereas in America I like to play a nice soft flop shot. Here it's a whole different game.

Shelton: I like the Scottish golf courses because it makes it more harder for you to score and you have to hit different shots. You have to hit short and let it run up, hit bump-and-runs, and you can't fly it right and the green. In America you can fire it right at the green, make it spin and check up. And here the bunkers are different. You've got a course sand, and the rough is different. But I like it.

Along with helping Ted out, you've gotten a chance to see a lot of golf. Describe some of the golf shots you've seen and some of the things that you really like up to this point from the professional golfers.

Brandon: When you look at the pros, they always stay positive and they never get down on themselves. Even if they hit a good shot and their ball hits a hump the wrong way, you might get a good kick or you might get a bad kick, they stay positive because they have enough confidence to hit a good shot.

Shelton: The players here have their style and they have to be creative to make their own shots. When we did the practice rounds, I saw some of the pros go to the spots where they know the pins are going to be and they just practice those shots. And I saw some pros on the chipping work working on their chips shots, chipping a 3-iron, trying to do it from 30 yards away from the green.

On Saturday you had an opportunity to play golf at Lundin Golf Club. What did you think about the golf course?

Brandon: It was a nice course. It played a little bit harder than the other one because the wind was blowing harder. I hit a few good shots, but I'm not going to tell you what I shot.

Shelton: The course was, I think, better than the one we played yesterday. Both of them were nice courses, but I like Lundin the best. I made two birdies, hit some good shots, hit some good drives. The wind was strong because we were right by the water so that made it play a lot harder.

You guys have been here a week now. What do you think about riding in the local taxis?

Brandon: The first time we got into a taxi it was alright. But the next two taxi drivers we had drove pretty fast. It was like a roller coaster. But they're alright.

Shelton: The first taxi driver we had was smooth with not too many sharp turns. But the last one we had was like a roller coaster at Six Flags, up and down up and down.

What are some of the things you guys can take away from this experience that may help you going forward with your golf and personally?

Brandon: I noticed how the pros never got down on themselves. They were the same from the beginning to the end. To stay positive, that's what I'll take away.

Shelton: What I can take away from this is how they practice so hard. I saw Tiger this morning, and Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomerie on the practice range and they shot some good numbers, so that means I have to go practice hard do the same things they're doing.

Do you guys have more respect now for people that are working in golf behind the scenes who are making these things happen?

Brandon: I didn't realize it was so hard and took so much work to show it on TV and print in magazines and stuff like that. When I asked some of the guys how long it took them to get ready for the tournament, they said it took them like a month to get ready and they get finished with the tournament until, like, four days after it's finished. I had no idea.

Shelton: I have a lot respect for the people behind the scenes because on a regular TV show, they have everything perfect. But behind the scenes you have so many people working to make it happen. I had no idea.

What are some of the things you're going to tell the kids back in the neighborhood at East Lake as far as how they can get an opportunity like this one day? What lessons do you have for them?

Brandon: I would tell them that if you don't get through school, how do you think you're going to get here? School first, golf second. But school has to be first.

Brandon: What I would tell the kids back in the neighborhood is work on their golf game and do good in school and maybe Mr. Sam will pick them next year to come here. But Mr. Sam picked me and Brandon because Brandon had got good grades in school, and I had brought my grades up, plus we were working on our golf games. But there are a lot of kids in our program who play, so if they work hard like me and Brandon did, maybe Mr. Sam will pick them. I'll tell them to watch out for the food and have fun.

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