The Open Diary: Turnberry question isn't going away

Irish Examiner

4 days ago

Turnberry hasn't staged an Open Championship since 2009 but, if it's been out of sight then it is in no way out of mind. Bought by Donald Trump in 2014, the question as to whether it will host again is one that crops up again and again.
R&A chief executive Mark Darbon reiterated on Wednesday the 'logistical challenges' making another staging there difficult and pointed to issues surrounding road, rail and accommodation infrastructure at a venue that held half the crowd expected at Royal Portrush this week.
But the suspicion remains that Trump and the noise around the US president remains a sticking point.
'I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry,' said Darbon. 'We had a really good discussion.
'I think they understand clearly where we're coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we've got a good dialogue with them.'
Cheap at the price?
There's talk of The Open generating a couple of hundred million pounds for the local economy here this week, and anyone putting their hands in their pockets to take in some of the action over what is now a week-long affair will probably understand why.
Sporting events just don't come cheap anymore. A basic ticket to get inside the grounds here on day one costs €115, rising to €150 by Sunday. Premium packages went for a lot more than that, of course.
First things first, though. You have to get there. Fuel for the car is one thing, then there's the €25 per day for the park-and-ride. A programme will set you back €14, a cheeseburger €12.70 and a pint of Guinness or lager a stiff €9.
All this on the back of the story that went viral earlier this week of the Ramore restaurant group in Portrush that hiked up their prices to eye-watering levels before partially bringing them back down in the face of the criticism.
We haven't dared venture into the on-course merchandise store yet. Deep breath…
Open gives way to Sons of Ulster
Saturday evening's event by Portrush Sons of Ulster, involving 70 bands and roughly 2,000 people, has prompted the third round of The Open, due to finish around the same time, to be brought forward by 15 minutes.
Darbon stressed that the R&A and its retinue are guests in the community this week and that they have worked with various stakeholders to ensure that both events can 'run as seamlessly as possible'.
He called the changes 'marginal adjustments' but opted against giving a direct answer when asked to respond to reports recently that the R&A had offered the other event's organisers £20,000 to alter their schedule to avoid any crossover.
'We're actually contributing some incremental costs to support what I just said, the seamless operation of both events. We try and be good citizens in the communities in which we operate when we come to town.
"When you're staging a major event, security is always… Security and the safety of your guests and the experience of your guests is always a prime consideration. This is no different. That's why that multi-agency approach is so critical.'