Scottish Open finally moves to a links course

Our old buddy Ryan picked up a great story this morning. The Scottish Open, used as a warmup by most of the PGA Tour players for The British Open, will finally actually BE a warmup for The Open.

The Scottish Open is moving from Loch Lomond, a private inland course that is nothing like a links course, to Castle Stuart Golf Links in the Highlands area of Scotland along the Moray Firth.

Watch the video flyover of the course from this link to the Castle Stuart home page. Two out-and-back 9's along the sea with a lower and upper tier of holes. The walls are covered in Heather - not only making a beautiful backdrop, but forcing the players to be more accurate.

http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/

over 1 year ago courtgolf 8 comments 0 recs |

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Really makes sense, doesn't it?

Assume more PGA Tour players will come over for this one now?
Was it Ping who objected to tournaments being referred to as “warm-ups”?

by WendyUK on Jan 24, 2011 12:05 PM EST reply actions

A fair number already do – but it’s a European Tour event, so they have to give the most priority to their own players.

I don’t know – you’re the Ping insider – use your new contacts. :-D

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens....There has never been a moment of my life in which I should have relinquished for it the enjoyments of my family, my farm, my friends & books."
-- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to John Melish

by courtgolf on Jan 24, 2011 12:34 PM EST up reply actions

I was thinking of some of the US players

who usually go over to Ireland pre-Open.

I suspect my irons think they are too good for me – skulking in the garage apart from the driving range practice I put them through.

by WendyUK on Jan 24, 2011 1:08 PM EST up reply actions

There were only 4 Americans in the Irish Open field last year, and I think 3 of them were European Tour members except for Anthony Kang. There were 7 Americans in the Scottish Open.

Last year probably isn’t the best example since they moved the Irish Open to the end of July instead of the week before the Open.

by courtgolf on Jan 24, 2011 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

Sorry, I wasn't clear

I was more thinking of my lovely Stewart Cink, who has taken his family over to Ireland for the last couple of years and messed around on Irish courses (not Irish Open) pre The Open. Also the days when people like Payne Stewart, Mark O’Meara – even Woods (?) went to Ireland.

by WendyUK on Jan 24, 2011 2:27 PM EST up reply actions

silly me ! How could I not go immediately to Cink ? :-D

I should probably find his mailing address so you can send a personal invitation / suggestion directly to him. From the looks of this course, I would definitely consider playing there before The Open.

Fathom the odd hypocrisy that the government wants every citizen to prove that they have health insurance, but people don't have to prove they are citizens.

by courtgolf on Jan 24, 2011 3:19 PM EST up reply actions