All Change at the Top…

Whether or not Tiger has won back the support of the golfing world, he has certainly regained some of his old form on the golf course with his recent victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida. Is this him staging his comeback in a bid to reclaim his number one title again? It’s his first PGA Tour win since 2009 and sees him climb to 6th in the world rankings. It certainly sees him in fine form heading into the Masters so only time will tell if he’s got another green jacket in him.

European, and in particular UK, golf would appear to be in a pretty secure place right now judging on performances we have seen in recent tournaments. Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald are representing us well and consistently – having dominated the top three spots in the world ranking now between them.  On a Scottish note, former Open Champion, Paul Lawrie, hinted at a return to his previous form with his win in Doha at the Qatar Masters helping him to climb back into the top 50 in the rankings from his previous position at 78th; the first time he has been in the top 50 since 2003. This was his second win at the event, his last in 1999 so let’s hope that there’s more to come from him.

An interesting time was had for Fife golfer, Peter Whiteford, recently too as we saw him disqualified from the action at the Avantha Masters in New Delhi over a ball moving incident. It just shows that it pays to trust your instincts. He thought his ball might have moved but this was confirmed as not true by an official and his caddie. Footage of the day’s play was studied by the tournament officials overnight and it was confirmed that his ball had moved but he hadn’t acted accordingly therefore he was disqualified. He had been leading the field in the first two rounds and had been one off the pace in the third. A mistake that will certainly not be made again. On a more positive note, let’s hope that East Neuk lad, George Murray’s, third place finish at the 2011 Dunhill Links Championship  in October is only the start of great things to come.

With so much emphasis on the 2012 Olympic Games coming to London this year, it is easy to forget that the Ryder Cup will be coming to town, well almost, in 2014 when it takes up residence at the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. It will certainly be some spectacle and we are very lucky to have it so close to the Home of Golf. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest on what the Old Course Experience can offer for the Tournament. In the meantime, why not start planning your very own Old Course Experience and leave your own mark on the hallowed fairways of the Old Lady?

(LR)

Looking Good for 2012

If we were to cast a golfing eye over the 2011 season, it would be fair to say that there have been numerous ups and downs. On looking at some of the Majors alone, we at the Old Course Experience would go out on a limb and say that there must have been more records broken in the Majors this year than in any other. It’s great to see such a wealth of talent coming to the fore in the elite game. It started with Charl Schwartzel when he stormed to victory in Augusta in April – who could forget his unprecedented four-birdie-finish to take the green jacket? Young Rory McIlroy let his clubs do the talking as he claimed the title at the US Open at Congressional Country Club in June; the youngest winner since a certain Mr R T Jones in 1923. Fine footsteps in which to be following I’m sure you’ll agree. What a turnaround for the Northern Irishman after his very mixed performance at the Masters just two months before; to witness his game crumble on the final day at Augusta was difficult to watch at times. There were numerous doubters of his mental and golfing strength in the following weeks which must only have made his US Open victory all the sweeter. Keegan Bradley’s US PGA victory has seen him named PGA Rookie of the Year for his efforts after what has been a fabulous spell for him; we’ll surely be seeing more of the same from him in the seasons to follow. In July Darren Clarke proved to be a worthy Champion at the 140th Open Championship at Royal St Georges; after twenty attempts at the title, his patience was finally rewarded and he definitely showed the ‘young guns’ how it is done.

Going back to May we learned of the death of Seve Ballesteros as he lost his long battle with cancer; a truly tragic loss to the golfing world. He is undoubtedly missed not only by those who knew him but also by the millions worldwide that followed his colourful career game by game. He was a true gentleman in the sport and a great promoter of junior golf. How fitting it is that so many young stars, who probably grew up watching him and learning from him, are now rising up through the ranks ready to burst onto the scene.

On a lighter note, we saw in June, for the first time since the records began in 1986, the top three spots in the world rankings occupied by UK golfers; 1. Luke Donald 2. Lee Westwood 3. Rory McIlroy. Gone are the days of Tiger’s one-man-show – he definitely forced the others to strive for his level in all aspects of the game. Tiger has, however, had a turbulent time in recent years with his very public fall from grace. This was even more visible with his decided lack of form and victory for most of the season and saw him slip to 23rd in the rankings. In July he shocked the golfing world with the announcement that he and his long-term caddie, Steve Williams, would be parting company. After over a decade on Tiger’s bag and after helping to guide him to 13 of 14 Major victories, Tiger ended the fruitful partnership. It wasn’t until Woods took his controversial place on the US Presidents Cup team Down Under at Royal Melbourne that he showed some form and clinched the point that sealed the American victory. Are things looking up for Tiger in 2012?

Englishman, Luke Donald, has had a phenomenal season ending it with a double victory by scooping both the European Tour Golfer of the Year and the PGA Tour Player of the Year accolades. He has performed with an outstanding level of consistency throughout the season in the face of his ever-vocal critics and there must surely be a Major title waiting for him around the corner.

As the golfing circus came to St Andrews once again for the annual Dunhill Links Championship, the quality of the field was second to none. With three current Major Champions in Schwartzel, McIlroy and Clarke along with defending champion, Martin Kaymer, the Tournament proved to be yet another success on the golfing calendar with Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey emerging victorious. It was great to see local East Neuk lad George Murray finish so well in joint third place and young SALJGA golfer, Alasdair McDougall, performed with the steely nerve of a seasoned veteran in what must have been the highlight of his golfing career to-date.

More recently it was wonderful to see the British public’s support for the three golfers nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the year 2011, Clarke, McIlroy and Donald, with Clarke coming in second to cycling’s Mark Cavendish. The Queen herself has recognised the achievements of our elite players in the New Year Honours list by making Rory McIlroy an MBE and Darren Clarke an OBE (Member and Officer of the Order of the British Empire respectively) to complete what has clearly been a tremendous year for them both.

Having barely scratched the surface of this year’s golfing efforts it is clear to see that the future of world golf certainly looks rosy and the future of UK golf in particular looks to be in especially safe hands. Long may it continue!

(LR)

Sunset on another Season in St Andrews

Well, the sixteenth season for the Old Course Experience has drawn to a close and this has undoubtedly been the busiest yet. St Andrews found herself riding high on the wave of last year’s Open Championship and 2011 has proved that there is an ever-increasing golfing audience. In the wake of the Open, over four thousand golfers made the astute choice in allowing the OCE Team the opportunity to create them a Programme that would afford them the chance to take in as much championship golf as they could shake a club at during their stay. They’ve been round the Old Lady and her neighbours the New and Jubilee courses; they’ve taken on Kingsbarns  and the Castle then travelled further afield to Carnoustie and Gleneagles. For those who hadn’t had enough while staying in St Andrews, there were ventures north and west to take on the likes of Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Turnberry’s Ailsa and Kintyre courses. More? ‘Surely not!’ you say but many of our returning clients simply could not sate their golfing appetites so it was off over the water to the Emerald Isle for them!

Our clients made the journey to St Andrews for a multitude of reasons from special birthdays and anniversaries to ‘bucket list’ missions; some simply make the pilgrimage to the Home of Golf to pay homage to the golfing greats who have passed that way before. Who could resist capturing that iconic image on the Swilken Bridge?  Golfers from more than twenty nations have been represented in 2011 alone including visitors from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand; why travel all that way and risk being disappointed in the over-subscribed daily ballot for tee-times? By utilising the services of the Old Course Experience you can guarantee your place on the Old Course then sit back and relax as all the pieces fall into place. Whether it’s the Open Championship, the Father & Son Tournament or simply  some healthy competition among friends, allow the Old Course Experience to show you the finest in Scottish hospitality.

(LR)

Major Record Breakers!

Well, only two Majors into the season and already so many records have been smashed! Here are just a few of them:

1. Northern Irishman, Rory McIlroy, became the youngest US Open Champion since Bobby Jones in 1923 and also the youngest major winner since Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997.

2. Fifty years after Gary Player became the first international Masters Champion, fellow South African, Charl Schwartzel, followed suit and took home the trophy.

3. Presently, the top three spots in golf’s world rankings are occupied by UK players – 1. Luke Donald (ENG) 2. Lee Westwood (ENG) and 3. Rory McIlroy (NIR) – the first time since the rankings were introduced in 1986.

4. Charl Schwartzel’s four-birdie-finish at this year’s Masters was an unprecedented achievement in the tournament’s 75-year history.

5. Rory McIlroy also carded a 16-under 268 at the US Open which proved to be a new tournament record total – some four shots better than the previous record.

With the Open Championship just around the corner, who knows how many more records will be set. With so much new talent coming through the ranks it seems that everybody has raised their games creating some fabulous Major moments so far. It may be too late to get to Sandwich next month so why not sit back and enjoy the tournament at home while you plan your visit to the Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes next year with the Old Course Experience?

(LR)