Returning Home: Scottish Golf Breaks

July 2005 sees the return of the world's greatest golf tournament to its spiritual home on the Scottish East Coast. With the 27th staging of the British Open taking place on the Old Course in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more often than anywhere else which has reinforced its strong reputation as the "Home of Golf". This year's event comes at a period of time where the Scottish Golf Industry is enjoying something of a renaissance, with more and more people choosing to visit the country for golfing holidays and test themselves on some of the world's most famous courses.

The Old Course at St.Andrews, where this year the world's greatest golfing talent will compete for the famous Claret Jug, originally consisted of 22 holes ? eleven out and eleven back. However, in 1764 the local society of St.Andrews Golfers decided that the format of the course needed to change as the many of the holes were simply too short. As a result the total number of holes was cut to 18 ? which is now synonymous with golf courses around the world.

However, despite the now settled structure of the course many in the town felt the links would be better served as a commercial opportunity rather than a playground for golfers. This combined with the local councils financial difficulties led to the links being sold in 1799 to a rabbit breeding company! This proved to be a very controversial move which essentially led to what is known locally as the "Rabbit Wars" for the best part of twenty years. Eventually, in 1821 a gentleman called James Cheape bought the links for the sole use of local golfers ? which essentially led to the great golfing legacy which still exists to this day.

While in many countries golf is seen as a game for the financial elite, it has always been a sport that was accessible to all levels of society in Scotland. The popularity of the game continued to grow and in 1860 Prestwick Golf Club held the first Open Championship and won by Willie Park. St Andrews first held the Open in 1873 when Tom Kidd claimed the title and more than a century later the course has seen some of the most exciting opens including the famous Tiger Woods victory in 2000 where he set a low-scoring record of 19 under par while becoming the youngest player to have achieved a career "grand slam" of golf's four major tournaments.

In addition to the famous win by Tiger Woods the winner of the 2005 Open will be following in the footsteps of other legends such as Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Locke and James Braid who have all won over the famous links. Put simply winning the Open at the home of golf is the absolute pinnacle of achievement that any golfer can hope or even dream to achieve.

It seems hard to imagine that a country with the rich history of golf that Scotland enjoys could lose its way in terms of promoting itself as a great golfing destination. However, during the 90's this was certainly the case. Countries such as Portugal, Spain and even Ireland worked tirelessly to sell themselves to the outside world as the ideal destination for a golfing holiday. Scotland was perhaps guilty of arrogance thinking that it could survive on its historical reputation alone.

However, the last four years has seen a definite shift in the market with large amounts of (particularly English, American and Japanese) golfers once again visiting Scottish shores. Helped by the publicity surrounding this years Open at St.Andrews more and more golfers are looking for golfing breaks and have a large number of companies competing for their business.

One such company is the short break specialist www.superbreak.com whom offer a range of golfing breaks to top Scottish resorts such as Marriott Dalmahoy which is set in 1000 acres of wooded parkland at the foot of the Pentland Hills and has hosted both the Solheim Cup and the Scottish PGA Championship. In St.Andrews itself the relatively new St.Andrews Bay Golf Resort provides 5 star luxury that rivals the best of golfing hotels anywhere in the world. Sitting amidst the rugged coastal landscape of East Fife the hotel is within a short distance of all the St.Andrews courses as well as other top local courses such as Lundin Links, Leven Links, Scotscraig and Ladybank.

It seems despite heavy investment in promotion of golfing resorts in other countries Scotland will always command a very special place in the global golfing community. Lessons seem to have been learnt and the Scottish golfing industry is unlikely to rest on its laurels again. While a rich history and flagship tournament are important, if the industry is to continue to flourish then continued and focussed investment most remain a priority.

Richard currently lives just outside Edinburgh, working hard for a leith based media company, and writes occasional articles for web sites.

---

Your Putter Fitted Perfectly in 5 Easy Steps

Ever wonder why putting is so difficult for you? Want... Read More

Do You Want To Play Par Golf?

The key to playing par golf is to focus on... Read More

What Impact Does Exercise For Golfers Have

In spite of numerous assurances some golfers still dread and... Read More

Get Moving and Save Strokes

Whether you walk the course or ride a cart, a... Read More

Fitness For Golf Isn?t Just For The Pros

Fitness for golf is a common term on the television... Read More

Golf Specific Core Exercises Improve Your Drive Distance

What if I could give you three important exercises for... Read More

The Golf Training Exercises You Need To Improve Your Game Are Very Simple

Golf training and conditioning exercises are not as difficult as... Read More

Fire da Bum!

In the early 50s, long before we were desensitized by... Read More

Confidence Building For Junior Golfers

One of the challenges about being a young person is... Read More

Do You Know These Benefits Of Golf Schools?

Benefits of Golf Schools are many particularly for the beginners... Read More

How To Unleash The Power Of Your Core

The golf swing relies upon core strength, endurance and proper... Read More

Balance Your Checkbook and Golf Swing

We all search for it. Balance in our daily lives.... Read More

History of Golf- How it all Started

Since before the time Mary Queen of Scots was disciplined... Read More

Golf Tips ? A Good Thinking Head Makes A Better Golfer

Golf is a wonderful game but we all want to... Read More

Finish Your Round of Golf with Birdies

All the major tournaments, especially the U.S. Open and the... Read More

Are You Too Old For Golf Fitness Workouts

Many a senior golfer would not resist the temptation to... Read More

Fitness For Golf Is The New Gold Standard

Golf fitness has never been considered as important to one's... Read More

Teenagers Top The Leader Board At The Womens US Open

Determination, poise, focus and talent were abundant, as teens topped... Read More

GPS Golf Balls Are Almost Here

As GPS technology gets better and better and smaller and... Read More

Guide To Buy Used Golf Clubs For Beginner Golfer

If you are just starting out to play golf, you... Read More

Improve Your Golf Swing Timing

Golf swing timing is an important aspect of the game.... Read More

Golfer? Back Exercise Can Eliminate Back Pain

'Golfer' back exercise is a key part of any golf-specific... Read More

The Jet-Lagged Golf Swing

The golf travel industry is huge. Destination resorts such as... Read More

Core Exercise For Golf Will Improve Your Driving Distance The Quickest

Core exercise for golf. You've probably heard this phrase mentioned... Read More

How to Cure a Golf Hook

If you've been battling a hook for a while you... Read More