PELLA—Eighteen members of the Central College men's and women's golf teams are making a memorable journey to the sport's birthplace with a trip to Scotland May 23-June 1.
           
The Dutch will fly to Edinburgh next Monday, then spend four nights in historic St. Andrews and four in North Berwick. Opportunities for play include St. Andrews Links Eden Course, the Panmure Golf Club (men's team only), the Crail Golfing Society Balcomie Course, Dunbar Golf Club, Gullane Golf Club No. 2 and the West Links at North Berwick Golf Club.
           
"Obviously it's the home of golf," men's coach Mel Blasi said. "Anybody who is a golf enthusiast always looks at Scotland as a bucket-list place. And for our players to be able to go there when actually competing while also learning the history of golf and of Scotland is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've never been there and I think I'm as excited as any of our guys."
           
Blasi notes that the 150th British Open will be played on the Old Course at St. Andrews July 10-17.
           
"We'll tour the course and some of the guys may play it," he said.
           
The trip was originally slated for 2020 but postponed due to the global pandemic. Four players who intended to travel that year, but have since graduated, are joining this year's tour.
           
"It's finally starting to sink in that we're getting to go," said women's coach Tabitha Schumacher.
           

Schumacher said the trip will provide a great kick-start to the fall season.
           
"There were so many times, with the weather that we had this spring that I kept telling the players, 'This is getting us ready for Scotland,'" she said. "There are going to be a lot of windy days and the highs will be maybe in the low 60s, so we're going to see weather that we're used to. I think that helps grow our games in learning how to hit knockdown shots or being able to flight balls in the wind as well as just having that experience together as a team."
           
For decades, Central has provided numerous global experiential learning opportunities. Central's football, men's basketball, men's and women's soccer and men's tennis squads have taken international trips. That ethos helped spark the idea for the trip among the Dutch golfers.
           
"The players are definitely excited to soak it all in," Schumacher said.
           
And Blasi is hopeful that future Dutch squads will have the same chance.
           
"I think we want to try to establish this as more than just a one-time opportunity," he said. "I'd like for us to go back again."
 
Current Central golf team members participating
(2022-23 class year listed)
Women
Whitney Anderson            Sr.              Sioux Rapids, Iowa/Sioux Central
Mackenzie Biggs               Jr.              Bloomington, Ill./Normal
Peyton Bytnar                   Jr.              Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf
Madison Clark                   Sr.              Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic
Lydia Grond                       So.             Hull, Iowa/Boyden-Hull
Rachel Sohn                       Jr.              Sutherland, Iowa/South O'Brien
Parker Stout                      So.             Lowden, Iowa/North Cedar
Delaney Underwood         Sr.              Mitchellville, Iowa/Colfax-Mingo
Avery Woods                     Jr.              Long Grove, Iowa/North Scott
 
Men
Keegan Bianchi                 Sr.              Dallas Center, Iowa/Dallas Center-Grimes
Jacob Brainerd                  Sr.              DeWitt, Iowa/Central DeWitt
Harold Dobernecker         Jr.              Nevada, Iowa/Nevada
Kyle Gabos                        Sr.              Plymouth, Minn./Maple Grove
Charlie Gaer                      Jr.              Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt
Dustin Haines                    Sr.              Sigourney, Iowa/Sigourney
Cole Hartnett                    So.             Waukee, Iowa/Waukee
Nate Lendman                 So.             Poplar Grove, Ill., Belvidere North
Jackson Murphy                So.             Carthage, Ill./Illini West