There was a video of Scotty Scheffler playing North Berwick in shorts and a T-shirt ahead of this week's Genesis Scottish Open. That scene didn't sit right with me—and not because of his wardrobe choice—I was disappointed by how sunny and good the weather looked! We don't want to be needlessly tortured (and be careful what you wish for when it comes to Scottish weather), but I'm a purist. I want to see proper golf conditions over there. I'm one of those people who think that golf is at its best when the ground is hard and you're walking with wind and at least a little rain. To me, that's the good stuff.

Recently, I got to experience some Scottish conditioning much closer to home. The week my three friends and I visited Ballyneal, the weather was quintessentially links-y. Chilly with wind and rain — I was in heaven.

It can get hot in Eastern Colorado, but this was all I could ever want in a golf trip. As we walked off the first tee down the 1st fairway in rain gear with the breeze blowing, I found much of what I love about UK golf so close to home. After spending three days on property, I realized just how massive a mistake I had made by not trying to get invited sooner.

There are so many good things happening at Ballyneal that I couldn't help but make some mental notes for this story when I was there. I wanted to share my thoughts and photos from our visit at the beginning of the season after experiencing a new dimension of American inland links golf.