An entire day’s play on the Old Course during the height the season this July has been set aside for heavily discounted tee times as part of an expanded affordable golf initiative.
St Andrews Links Trust, the organisation in charge of eight of the area’s golf courses, is almost trebling the number of tee times available through The Drive offering first launched last year. The 88% discount on regular green fees means that prices range from £7.50 per round for the Strathtyrum links up to £45 for the Old Course, normally priced at £355 at that time of year.
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A total of 179 tee times were made available between May and October of last year, giving 716 golfers the opportunity for cut-price golf. This year, 496 tee times are up for grabs for a total of 1,984 rounds of golf.
Fifty-six of these tee times, equivalent to 224 players, will be available on Friday July 3. Sam Bunce of Glasgow and his partner, Christine McConnell, were among the 44 who got to play the Old Course last year.
“I’ve been playing golf for over 40 years, but the Old Course is so iconic,” Mr Bunce said.
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“I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw the email from St Andrews Links telling me I had been selected out of thousands of people to play as part of The Drive, it was such an incredible opportunity. I had to phone them to check it was real.”
Read the full story here.
Ardeer cedes ground control to secure long-term future
A 10-year investment plan has been put in place with £200,000 earmarked for infrastructure, agronomy and facility improvements (Image: Supplied)
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Financial challenges from rising costs are leading more golf clubs to explore alternative operating models. Among them is Ayrshire’s Ardeer, a worker’s club by tradition whose history is intertwined with that of chemicals manufacturer ICI.
Membership numbers at Ardeer have declined in recent years amid fierce competition from other clubs and courses in the area. Ardeer has now teamed up with specialist turf contractor GT Groundcare in a long-term development strategy with up to £200,000 of course investment to follow.
Read the full story from Around the Greens here.
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For the diary…
Scottish Golf Tourism Week will take place from March 10-12 at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh
The Scottish Golf Tourism Awards will be held on March 12 at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
The Scottish Golf Annual Awards will take place on March 27 at voco Grand Central in Glasgow
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