Ever walked into
a place know the fit is perfect as soon as you pass through the
front door? That's the kind of place the Dunvegan is.
Sitting on the corner of Pilmore and North Street, this quaint restaurant,
bar and small hotel is about a 1,000 feet from the 18th green on
the Old Course at St. Andrews. It's a great place to drop by after
a round of golf. There's nothing like having a few beers and calculating
the bets of the day in surroundings that include pictures of every
winner of the British Open on the Old Course since 1873 and pictorial
glimpses of St. Andrews and its history.
Sheena and Jack Willoughby own the Dunvegan. They bought it in 1995
while on their honeymoon. As I understand it, they were in the bar
one night, fell in love with it and Jack mentioned to Sheena that
he was thinking about making an offer to the owners. She chalked
it up to a few beers, but in a couple of days they were in business.
Our group of 16 converged on the Dunvagen about 7:30 for dinner
at 8:00. We were greeted by Sheena (Jack was out of town), had a
couple of beers in the bar and were escorted to the "Claret
Jug" dinning room. We had a terrific dinner, complemented by
selections from an extensive wine list.
Several of us were enjoying after-dinner drinks when Sheena came
around to see if everything was to our liking. It was and we told
her so.
As we talked, we asked more than our share of questions, and Sheena
was kind enough to tell us a few stories about some of her past
just customers. One went like this:
Shortly after Sheena and Jack bought the Dunvegan, a group of 16
men came to St. Andrews to play the Old Course. During their stay,
they came across the Dunvegan and for several days made it headquarters
for all the things golfers do after the 18th hole. As Sheena tells
it, "The group had a high old time in the bar and in the restaurant."
There was a father and two sons in the group. All three were avid
golfers who wanted to experience St. Andrews for the first time
together. The father's nickname was Sleepy.
Sleepy was adamant about going to the Dunvegan each day after their
round of golf, and so they did. They must have had a great trip,
as most golfers do when they come to play the Old Course.
A few months later, the brothers came back. They explained to Sheena
that their father had died and one of the reasons they were back
so soon was because Sleepy had had such a great time in St. Andrews
that he had requested his ashes be thrown over the Old Course.
It was decided by the boys that the Dunvegan was just as much a
part of the total experience for Sleepy as the golf course itself,
so they presented Sheena with a small urn that housed a few ashes
of Sleepy. They asked if she would mind finding a suitable resting
place for their father.
Sheena was more than happy to accommodate their wishes and part
of Sleepy now resides behind the bar on the third shelf.
As she told the story, Sheena appeared to be a bit moved by it all.
So were we.
If you go to St. Andrews, drop by the Dunvegan. It was a memorable
part of our adventure.
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