Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/801177
128 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S Head Golf Pro Brian Alley putts amid the impressive backdrop of the Primland lodge. Parker Stalvey sends her pink golf ball flying toward the green and a flock of wild turkeys. altitude and underestimate the nip in the air. But it had been an extremely blustery day, and by now the full sweep of the chilly winds was battering us from the mountain edges. On 18, Brian steadied himself against the wind with a widened stance, eyed our winning putt like a fat chef eyeing a pastry, and when it fell from 20 feet we happily accepted a tie on the hole and the one-up win. The girls had given us a heck of a fight, so we shook hands and withdrew from the cold, and revisited the pub to pep them up with a couple orders of Pig Candy and hot chocolate. the rest, as they say, is history. Steel's world-class Highlands creation serves as the pièce de résistance in his outstanding portfolio. While we enjoy wetting a line, the majority of our warm weather pursuits finds us chasing birdies of the dimpled variety. And both of my girls, who have been swinging a golf club since waddling from the crib, have blossomed into fine junior golfers. But how tough can two piddly winks be? Brian is a pro, so, having played little golf myself of late, I teamed up with him to even the odds, and after a bit of trash talking, we teed it up for some friendly competition, which, was no simple undertaking. In fact, it took all we, or rather Brian had, to hold the girls off. Then in true dramatic fashion, just when we thought we were about to finish two up with one to go, Ella, the baby, matched birdies with the pro and we headed to the last dormie. There really is no bad view on the Highlands. It is picturesque at every turn as the course sweeps along the outer edges of the plateau. The compelling layout, verdant fairways, and speedy greens test the mettle of the best of players, with each awesome view serving as a pleasing distraction. There's something about the mountains that mixes well with the midday sunlight. In autumn the cascading, tree-lined ridges cast glints of bronze and gold as they sway in the breeze. Beyond the cliffs, the shadowy chasms make sunlight on the exposed ridges look so warm that it's easy to forget the