Scottish Blind Golf Society

It's been a while since the last time I posted something but as it's getting close to the golf season starting up again it's time to get things going again.

Rather than give you my thoughts on the new season - which are not much considering I haven't swung a club in over 6 months I wanted to tell you about a fantastic bunch of people I had the pleasure of golfing with towards the end of last season.

I was invited along to be a guide at the Scottish Blind Golf Society's September meeting at Liberton Golf Club. It was the first time I done anything like this so was a bit nervous about doing things properly, however, once I met my group I soon realised there was nothing to be worried about.

My partner for the day was Barry and he kept me right about what was needed - in fact remarkably little. I stood behind him, lined up his shots and he smacked the ball down the middle most of the time. When we got to the green I would line him up using a clock face and just tell him to aim for the hole at 2 o'clock and that it was 20ft away - it would end up pretty close most of the time.

Liberton is quite a tight parkland course with plenty bunkers and a burn which runs past a couple of the holes. For the time of year we played it was in great condition. Unfortunately it took me a while to get going and I played my best golf on the back nine after it was too late to post a score. However, it was one of those days where it would not have mattered if you scored 67 or 97 it would have still been enjoyable. The company was fantastic and it really was the taking part that was the most important thing (although I have promised Barry if we play as a team again this season I'll try not to let him down).

Like all charities they need our support especially in these tough financial times. If you want to find out what they do just visit www.scottishblindgolf.com - if you can find the time or money to help out they will greatly appreciate it.

Great Turnberry October Offer

A very short article today to bring your attention to a new offer we are running to play the two fantastic championship courses at the Five Star Turnberry Resort.

For only £230 you can play the Ailsa Course which is the scene of many a famous Open Championship moment and the more recent Kintyre Course which was used as a final qualifying course when the Open was last played at Turnberry in 2009.

This short break runs from 27th September to 31st October and can be booked online. Just follow the link below.

http://www.hiddengemsgolftours.co.uk/tours/special-offers/turnberry-golf-break

The best free golf course in the world

For those of you still hanging around Edinburgh and struggling for something to do now that the Fringe and International Festivals are winding down - why not play a bit of golf for free!

Bruntsfield Links is a public park managed by the City of Edinburgh Council and is only a 20 minute walk from City Centre. It is 36 hole pitch and putt course and I've only ever played a full round as the temptation to play a few holes then stray into the Golf Tavern is usually too much. The holes are usually around 40-50 yards long so you're not playing anything more than a half wedge or sand iron (or a full shot if you are being flashy and bringing along your 65 degree wedge) It has no bunkers as the the slopes usually make it tricky enough to hit the small greens which are extremely well kept given it is a public park. However, the direction markers from each tee sometimes make it a bit of a mystery as to which green you should be playing to - all part of the experience though.

When you have finished a 5 minute walk up the road will take you into Bruntsfield itself which has plenty of bars and restaurants (my favourite is Montpelliers - where a man once walked in while I was having a drink with a flag from the Open Championship which he claimed had been given to him by Padraig Harrington - but thats another story!). If you want to walk further up towards Morningside there is Luca's cafe - where you get the best ice cream in Edinburgh (in my opinion).

To get there just walk to the West End of Princes Street then up Lothian Road until Tollcross (where the big clock in the centre of the road is) and take the right fork. The first tee is just behind the imposing Gothic architecture of Barclay Viewforth Church on the left hand side of Bruntsfield Place. There is a small hexagonal clubhouse which I've never seen open but I believe there is a club which organises competitions. If you don't fancy the walk a number 10 LRT Bus from Princes Street will take you there.

Here is a link to some photos which I found on a review site.

Born to Bogey T Shirts

As the US Open coverage starts I decided to avoid doing a piece on it as I have lost interest a bit in this major, given it is not broadcast on the BBC any more.

Instead I'm going to write about an an e-mail I received from a company called Born to Bogey who are in the market for producing alternative golf T-shirts. Not the sort of thing that would get you an invite to the R&A but that's precisely why I like them.

They have a number of different sections including golf humour, golf philosophy and golf definitions - the shirt with Lee Trevino's definition of pressure is my favourite.

I think they would do well to team up with the writers of "The Wit and Wisdom of Golf" using some of the quotes that are in this book. I reckon there is a market for this type of product with the younger golfer who is tired wearing the usual branded gear.

I was disappointed they don't have a Colin Montgomerie "Mrs Doubtfire" t-shirt but maybe that's one they might design in the future.

If you fancy buying one or finding out about their designs go to www.borntobogey.com

The Highland Open 2010

An e-mail dropped through my inbox last week promoting The Highland Open, played over Pitlochry Golf Club one of the courses in the Pitlochry Hideaway Short Break and the Perth & Kinross Explorer Tour. It's a fantastically scenic course which sits above the town amid the pine forests of Highland Perthshire - not the longest course in the world by any means but well positioned bunkers and tree lined fairways make it a great test of golf.

This year the event will be held from Sunday 8th to Friday 13th August with a warm up event on the Sunday to give those who haven't played Pitlochry before a chance to get to know the course. The competition on the Sunday has both a scratch and handicap prize.

The main event gets going on the Monday and Tuesday with two qualifying rounds of strokeplay. The top 32 scratch scores after the 2 qualifying rounds will then be placed in a draw for a matchplay knockout stage which takes place over the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to play for the scratch trophy. The same format applies for the top 32 net scores who will play for the handicap prize.

There are also prizes for golfers under the age of 18 and over 55 along with a separate event on the Thursday for those that don't qualify for the final stages of the matchplay.

There are also evening events in the clubhouse which will include a quiz night, a whisky tasting by the main sponsor Gordon & Macphail, karaoke on the Thursday night and a ceilidh on the final evening.

The cost of entry is £70 which guarantees at least 3 rounds of golf - if you go all the way to the final you play 8 rounds. If you want to play in the warm up competition on the Sunday that costs £10 and a ticket to the ceilidh costs £12 - a great value and fun way to play one of Scotland's most scenic courses.

There is good prize pot as well - prizes to the value of £120 for the top scratch score and £95 for the top handicap score in the 2 qualifying rounds. There are also prizes to the value of £320 for the winner of the scratch matchplay competition and £210 for the winner of the handicap matchplay competition.

Entries will be accepted until 31st July or when 200 names have been received, whichever happens first. The maximum handicap allowed for this event is 24.

For anyone thinking about playing in this event Hidden Gems Golf Tours would be delighted to put together a package for you.

Further information can be found at http://www.thehighlandopen.com/

Scottish Hydro Challenge

As I opened up "The Scotsman" this lunchtime the usual load of supplements fell out of the paper (which normally go straight in the recycling) however, there was one promoting the Scottish Hydro Challenge which is taking place at the Spey Valley Course in Aviemore from the 10th -13th June this month which is worth a mention.

This tournament used to take place at Cardrona in the Scottish Borders (one of the courses which I use on the North Borders Short Break) but for the last two years it has been hosted by the Spey Valley Course. This is a Dave Thomas designed course and was created in 2006 as part of the Macdonald Hotel complex and threads its way through the heather and silver birch just outside Aviemore. It has one of the most scenic backdrops in the Cairngorm Mountains which are still likely to still have a covering of snow on them when the tournament starts - a legacy of one of the coldest winters in years.

It is quite a long course at 7,118 yards from the championship tees with only 4 par 4s under 400 yards and only 1 par 3 under 200 yards. The 5th hole is a monster par 5 of 635 yards although Sandy Lyle (in his review of the course) says it is only tricky if the wind is coming from the East - I suppose it probably is for an ex-winner of the Masters.

The other great thing about this tournament is that all spectators can get in absolutely free and as one of the European Challenge Tour's biggest events with a prize fund of £172,000 it is attracting players like Matteo Manassero. It gives you the chance to get up close and see some of the stars of the future as well as some of the stars of the past with the former Open Champion Paul Lawrie playing this year. This tour has produced players like Constantina Rocca, Thomas Bjorn and Andrew Coltart all of whom went on to play in the Ryder Cup.

If you are just learning the game and want to see top class players without paying top prices for it I'd encourage you to go along and support this event. More information about the tournament can be found at
http://www.europeantour.com/challengetour/season=2010/tournamentid=2010738/index.html

2010 Open Championship Package

It's that time of year again where everyone involved with golf is starting to think about the Open Championship and Hidden Gems is no exception. It's the historic 150th staging of the championship and it couldn't be held anywhere else other than St Andrews to mark a century and a half of links golf's most prestigious trophy.

I've put together a package with 7 nights B&B, 4 rounds of golf and a season ticket for the championship based in Lundin Links, which is on 15 minutes drive from St Andrews. The package lets you experience what some of the pros have had to contend with in making it to the championship as two of the courses in the package, Scotscraig and Ladybank, are final Open Qualifying Courses.

Interested? Why not follow the link to our 2010 Open Championship Package and find out more.

To give you a little taster here is a photo of Ladybank