Latest news with #StAndrewsLinksTrust
Scotsman
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish golfers offered staggering St Andrews round discount - here's how you can play
Second phase of 'The Drive' initiative announced by St Andrews Links Trust Sign up to our Golf newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish golfers are being offered a staggering discount to play some of the St Andrews courses through 'The Drive' initiative launched earlier this year by St Andrews Links. On the back of cut-priced rounds being provided on the Old Course and Eden Course, nearly 400 tee times are now being made available at a discounted 87.5 per cent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tee times for The Castle Course and Jubilee Course will be available in September and October to Scottish golfers, with applications opening on 28 July. Two golfers prepare to head out on the Old Course at St Andrews as part of the first phase of The Drive | St Andrews Links Trust This second phase of The Drive will provide a further 392 golfers the chance to experience golf in St Andrews at a fraction of the regular cost, with tee times priced at just £22.50 for The Castle Course (normally £180) and £18.75 for the Jubilee Course (normally £150). During the first phase, which saw more than 14,000 applications for discounted rounds on the Old Course and Eden Course, a total of 324 golfers were successful in securing a tee time. Forty four players teeing up on the Old Course for just £42.50 (normally £340) while another 280 enjoyed rounds on the Eden Course at just £9.50 (normally £75). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There is a strong appetite in Scotland for greater access to our courses' Laurie Watson, Director of Engagement at St Andrews Links Trust, said: 'We were delighted with the overwhelming response to the first phase of The Drive, it was great to hear the wonderful stories and positive feedback from those who took part. 'It's clear that there is a strong appetite in Scotland for greater access to our courses and we are proud to be opening applications for this next instalment of the initiative.'
The Herald Scotland
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish golf set to cash in as summer gets underway
"We can't get more people into St Andrews to play more golf," Mr Coulson said. "We're already busy and we have the local balance that we have to make sure we maintain." He added: "There's got to be some joined-up conversations about infrastructure and how people move around, and also about the experience that people get. There's lots of different sport and tourism sectors doing really good things, but it's about how do you join those up so that a distillery piece is connected to a golf piece that's connected to a heritage piece." St Andrews Links Trust chief executive Neil Coulson is calling for 'some joined-up conversations' (Image: St Andrews Links Trust) As reported earlier this week in Business HQ Monthly, Dundonald Links in Ayrshire is preparing to host the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open which gets underway on July 24. The venue, owned by holiday park operator Darwin Escapes, is effectively gifting the course and the clubhouse to event management company IMG for the week. In-house catering for players, officials and the event's corporate sponsors is being charged at cost. 'Where does Dundonald make money? That's a good question,' says Craig Reekie, general manager of Dundonald Links. 'There's probably a commercial aspect that says we could make more money on our normal operations, but…the balance of it is exposure. It's a really high-profile media event." Craig Reekie says Dundonald Links benefits from the exposure of hosting the Women's Scottish Open (Image: Dundonald Links) Roy Clarke, manager of international operations at tour operator All Access GTE, told The Herald's Around the Greens series that interest in Scotland has never been higher but the industry is potentially pricing itself out of the market. "Costs for hotels, courses, and transport have jumped more than 10% in a single year," Mr Clarke said. "If the trend continues, there's a real risk that Scotland might price itself out of reach for many travellers, especially with Ireland charging less which is becoming increasingly attractive alternative." The month kicked off with the publication of The Herald's first Scottish Golf Survey, which found among other things that financial benefits from the 'Covid bounce' – the resurgence in the game's popularity since lockdown – have been far from uniform. Some clubs and venues reported they were managing well up to 2020 but had since been undone by the inflationary surge of the cost-of-living crisis, which has outweighed any gain in membership numbers. Others that were previously struggling are, unsurprisingly, continuing to have a tough time. Read more Business HQ Monthly: The survey series also uncovered divided opinions among affiliated clubs towards governing body Scottish Golf. OpenPlay, the handicapping system for independent players who are not a member of a golf club, similarly sparked some robust responses. Launched in June 2021 by Scottish Golf, the scheme offers anyone the opportunity to gain an official handicap at a cost of £4.99 per month or for an annual fee of £50. OpenPlay members also get access to tee booking and affiliated green fee rates which typically come at a discount but are charged in addition to their OpenPlay membership. Scottish Golf and other national governing bodies that operate similar schemes say the aim is to keep independent players in the golfing fold and perhaps ultimately guide them back into club membership. Some club officials maintain that it cheapens the game and is detrimental to their finances. And finally, in response to the survey results, Scottish Golf chief executive Robbie Clyde revealed that affiliation fees paid by players to his organisation may have to go up to avoid charging those who are members of multiple clubs twice or more over.
Scotsman
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Walker Cup contender hailed as 'inspiration' for next generation of Scottish golfers
Links Trophy winner Cameron Adam praised for his 'continued commitment to giving back' Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Talk about exciting times for the Stephen Gallacher Foundation, which, on the back of announcing a huge increase in participation numbers across its various programmes, now has an ambassador in the running for this year's Walker Cup. Cameron Adam, who joined the foundation as a nine-year-old in 2012, was already on GB&I captain Dean Robertson's radar for the biennial match against the US at Cypress Point in California in September before winning the St Andrews Links Trophy earlier this month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Royal Burgess left-hander subsequently suffered the disappointment of failing to make the match-play stage in The R&A Amateur Championship at Royal St George's, but is hoping to make amends with a strong showing in this week's European Amateur Championship in Sweden. Cameron Adam shows off the trophy after becoming the first Scot to win the St Andrews Links Trophy since 2014 | St Andrews Links Trust/Connor Shankland 'Everything is special at St Andrews, as I said to people when we played in the St Andrews Links Collegiate last year,' said Adam of not just being involved in that but ending up on the winning side in the men's event for Northwestern University. 'And, for me, it is so cool to have family and friends there when you are playing at the Home of Golf.' In a dramatic finish on the Old Course, Adam, the 2023 Scottish Amateur champion, birdied the last to force a play-off with Irishman John Doyle as the pair tied on 17 under par after 72 holes. The left-hander then won the first extra hole with a par to become the first Scot since Grant Forrest in 2014 to land the prestigious prize. 'I definitely learned things about myself in that event, having coped with different situations that I hadn't coped with as well in the past in events,' he admitted. 'Going up the last hole, for instance, knowing I needed to birdie it to get into a play-off and even more so that I got up and down after not hitting the best of tee shots.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cameron Adam tees off at the 18th on the Old Course in the St Andrews Links Trophy | St Andrews Links Trust/Connor Shankland Adam, an Edinburgh man who now lives in Pattiesmuir in Fife after moving across the Firth of Forth with his family, finished his fourth and final year at Northwestern at the end of the latest US college campaign. He followed in the footsteps of former world No 1 and current European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, as well as 2022 US Open winner Matthew Fitzpatrick, by heading to the Illinois university, where David Inglis, the former British Boys' champion from Roslin in Midlothian, is the head men's coach. 'I can't speak highly enough of the Northwestern programme,' he declared. 'It's been everything for me and I feel the progress I've made with my game over the last four years with Pat (Goss, the director of golf and player development) and 'Dingles' is unparalleled. I'm in a way better place to turn professional than I could ever have been. 'I think my sophomore year was the only year I didn't have a Scottish team-mate. I had Eric McIntosh in my first year then Archie Finnie and Niall Shiels Donegan both came in. It's always nice to have people around you that you know and it definitely made it all a bit easier for me. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cameron Adam was part of a Great Britain & Ireland squad that held a session at Dumbarnie Links last month | Dumbarnie Links 'I'm now finished at Northwestern and will see the rest of this year out as an amateur then see where I sit at the end of the year and will hopefully be turning pro at that point.' Before then, Adam is hoping to tee up a major debut in the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush when he competes alongside the likes of Lee Westwood, Alex Noren and Adrian Meronk in next Tuesday's Final Qualifier at Dundonald Links. He's then almost certain to be in action for Scotland, albeit in the B Division in Hungary rather than the main event in Ireland, in the European Men's Team Championship. Adam is then hoping to be picked for the Great Britain & Ireland team for the St Andrews Trophy in Spain at the end of July, with his big goal this year being that Walker Cup clash at one of the game's iconic venues on the California coast on 6-7 September. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cameron Adam pictured with Stephen Gallacher after landing one of his early victories in a Stephen Gallacher Foundation event after joining the programme as a nine-year-old in 2012 | Stephen Gallacher Foundation 'To be part of GB&I get-together at Cypress Point earlier in the year was awesome,' he said. 'Cypress is such a unique place. It's short; it's quirky. In my eyes, it's a great place for us to go and get a win. 'You can have a massive advantage by learning the ins and outs of it and that's why I felt it was so important for us to get down there. Indeed, I thought it was a little bit strange that the Americans didn't decide to hold their camp there. 'For us, it was such a valuable couple of days and I think it is going to stand us in good stead. I was also part of a get-together at Dumbarnie before the Links Trophy. 'It's great to get all the guys together and create a team camaraderie. I think that's what we do so well over this side of the pond and I think it is an exciting year for GB&I.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It has already been an exciting one for those involved with the Stephen Gallacher Foundation as far as Adam is concerned. 'We are incredibly proud of him,' said the foundation's manager, Scott Knowles, a former Scottish Golfer of the Year. 'Since joining the foundation as a nine-year-old in 2012, he's gone on to achieve so much, winning multiple SGF and national titles and eventually becoming an SGF ambassador. 'What makes him truly special is not just his success on the course, but his continued commitment to giving back by always willing to support and inspire the next generation of young golfers. He's not just someone the kids can look up to in golf but in life as well.' Set up by the four-time DP World Tour winner in 2012 on the back of Paul Lawrie launching his junior programme in the North-East, the Stephen Gallacher Foundation goes from strength to strength, as the latest participation figures illustrate. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stephen Gallacher Foundation ambassador Cameron Adam supports events whenever he can | Stephen Gallacher Foundation 'We've enjoyed a 63 per cent increase across our programmes,' reported Knowles. 'This incredible growth shows the passion, commitment, and talent of the young golfers we work with, as well as the amazing support from families, coaches and the wider community. 'We have now 1850 people on our mailing list for the foundation and have over 700 kids now actively registered to enter events, with just under 100 of them aged under 10, which is great for the future. 'Up to this date last year, 637 kids had played in our events and this year that figure is now up to 1017. We now also hold events - a mixture of WAGR, EGR, 18 Hole Stroke Play and Flag Events - in Lothians, Fife, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Perthshire, Borders and Northumberland.
Scotsman
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Will new sprinkler system at St Andrews change Old Course test for 2027 Open?
£10.5m irrigation project announced by St Andrews Links Trust Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A total of 1,500 new sprinklers are being installed on the Old Course ahead of the 155th Open at St Andrews in 2027. The work, which will double the current number of 800 sprinklers, is part of a £10.5 million multi-year irrigation project being undertaken by St Andrews Links Trust. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Work on the Old Course - it will remain open during the improvements but at a reduced green fee for visitors - will begin in November and is scheduled for completion in March 2026 ahead of the main playing season. The Old Course is to see 1,500 new sprinklers installed next winter | St Andrews Links Trust Once work is completed on the Old Course, the New and Jubilee Courses will be next in line followed by the Eden, Strathtyrum and Balgove Courses. Each phase will be planned to take place during the winter season over the coming five years to minimise impact and disruption. Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: 'Over the next five years we are making a significant investment in our courses, not just to improve the experience for all those playing on our iconic courses, but to safeguard their future. 'As the Home of Golf, we take our responsibility to protect this land seriously and want to lead the way in securing a more sustainable future for our sport. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The project was one of the first we discussed early in 2022 as we set out a strategy to increase surplus to enable reinvestment into our facilities. I am pleased this work will soon be underway as we continue to ensure we have the best facilities available for all our local and visiting golfers' New system will allow 'more targeted approach to course management' Sandy Reid, Director of Greenkeeping at St Andrews Links Trust, added: 'Our new irrigation system will allow us to take a more targeted approach to course management. 'We will be better able to irrigate specific parts of the courses, which is particularly useful during dry spells such as we've experienced recently as it ensures all irrigation gets to the areas most in need.
Scotsman
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Why Scotland 'must work together' to build on £317m St Andrews boost
Call for collaboration in bid to ride on back of 'momentum in golf' in sport's birthplace Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A call to action has been issued for the whole of Scotland to help the country 'harvest an opportunity' to use golf as a tool for growing economic benefit. The idea is to create a 'ripple effect' from St Andrews being at the heart of visitors from around the world flocking in huge numbers to the sport's cradle. According to a report that has just been released following a survey conducted by the Sport Industry Research at Hallam Sheffield University, golf's economic value to St Andrews, Fife and the wider Scottish economy is £317 million annually - the equivalent of the country hosting three Open Championships every year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The figure was described as 'astonishing' as St Andrews Links Trust, which commissioned the survey, hosted an event at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh attended by North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain, Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead and various other stakeholders on Tuesday. Neil Coulson, CEO of St Andrews Links Trust, is flanked Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead and Rob Dickson, Director of Industry & Events at VisitScotland, at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh | St Andrews Links Trust The economic impact assessment focused on St Andrews, with the Links Trust, a charitable organisation that currently operates seven courses in the Fife town and is negotiating at the moment to add The Duke's to that list, being praised for having the 'foresight and tenacity' to commission the survey by VisitScotland's Director of Industry & Events, Rob Dickson. In 2023 alone, the Links Trust courses hosted more than 280,000 rounds - 54 per cent were played by visitors and 46 per cent by local ticket holders - with Americans making up nearly half of the 72 per cent of the visitors coming from overseas. 'I think there is much to celebrate - we are in a fantastic position,' said Chamberlain of where St Andrews stands in the game around the world. On a golf engagement at the same venue last year, Lochhead had been delighted about the Scottish Government and VisitScotland agreeing a new 11-year partnership with The R&A that will see 14 majors, including the 155th Open at St Andrews in 2027, being staged in the home of golf in a ten-year period. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Golf at the moment is very vibrant - there is a lot of momentum,' he said on this latest visit across the road from the Scottish Parliament, adding with a smile: 'Golf is playing a big role in tourism and the role it plays is super important.' Concurring, Dickson described playing golf in Scotland as a 'flagship experience' that was 'top of the wishlist for many golfers' and said of the new report: 'We wish to be the world's best when it comes to tourism and looking at the success of St Andrews is no bad place to start'. In a speech, Neil Coulson, the chief executive of the Links Trust, said in a proud tone that St Andrews is where golfers from far and wide 'make their dreams come true' by playing there, especially the Old Course, but also said it was a 'national, economic, cultural and social asset'. On the back of a Drive initiative launched this year that is offering cut-price rounds to Scottish golfers, he vowed to ensure that St Andrews 'remains a place that is accessible and belongs to the many, not the few' and also that local golfers 'continue to have access to play on our courses and that tee times don't just become trophies for the privileged'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Old Course at St Andrews is where golfers from around the world 'make their dreams come true' | St Andrews Links Trust In a message to stakeholders, meanwhile, it was stressed that a bid to use the report as a tool for growth extended well beyond the boundaries of the most-famous golfing venue in the world. 'This just isn't about golf at St Andrews,' declared Coulson. 'It's about how we work together to recognise what the country has to offer, the potential of 'Brand Scotland', to support local communities and to build a thriving local economy. We must work together. Collaboration is required across Government, industry, tourism and transport to harvest the opportunity to grow.' Asked later by The Scotsman what he saw that growth being, he added: 'I think there has to be some joined-up conversations about infrastructure and how people move around. And also about the experiences of people. There's lots of different sports and tourism sectors doing really good things, but it is how you join those up so the distillery piece is connected to a golf piece that is connected to a heritage piece. At the moment, they are a little bit isolated. They do really good things on their own, but I think the power of joining those up has got to be huge.' He acknowledged that the potential for growth in St Andrews itself in terms of attracting even more visitors was limited. 'At the end of the day, we have a finite amount of capacity,' conceded Coulson. 'So we need to maintain a balance between local and international and that is very important. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'St Andrews is an intrinsic link between the community and the golf course. We can't just flood it with visitors and ignore that local dynamic. It is not a case of introducing more visitors. In our space, it is understanding what the value of the visitors is that we have now and then looking at how we spread the benefit. 'We can't grow economic and social benefit by just getting more people into St Andrews. But we can do it by trying to collaborate and pushing some of that around Scotland, so we can be a catalyst for people coming - that would be a good thing. 'There are lots of great places to visit and great places to go and stay and experience. It doesn't have to be St Andrews. We might be the driver for them to come in but they can then go out and do other things. That's how I think we grow. It's not just about St Andrews; it's about the national assets that are out there.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
