Caddie Golf Tours

The St Andrews Caddies annual golf match against our Swedish Vikings was held at the the truly wonderful Kingsbarns Golf Links for the 7th year. This great modern day Scottish links golf course played host to the 2017 Ricoh British Women's Open and is one of the venues for the European Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. We are forever grateful to Kingsbarns Golf Links for allowing this match to be held here. The St Andrews Caddies were expecting a hard fought match this year and so it was with the last of the 8 head to head matches deciding the outcome. Those last 2 games produced a win for each side which resulted in a halved competition 3 1/2 > 3 1/2. A wonderful set of 8 match play games, that all competitors enjoyed, on one of Scotland's premier golf links in warm Spring sunshine. Friendships are rekindled every year when our Vikings arrive for their week of golf in and around St Andrews and this annual match is a joy to be involved with. Already both ...

2015 St Andrews Caddies Outing, Charleston GC The annual St Andrews Caddies golf outing takes place tomorrow Sunday 28th August at Thornton Golf Club  We have 9 tee times from 11:00 - 12:20pm and the weather is set fair on this lovely parkland course 50 minutes south of St Andrews and 35 caddies taking part. The coach begins the pick ups at 8am in Dundee then onto St Andrews followed by the towns of Cupar and Leven arriving at Thornton GC around 10am. Morning Beers will be supplied for caddies on the coach. The new St Andrews Caddie Trophy for Champion Golfer A new Trophy, a Claret Jug replica, has been purchased with contributions from the St Andrews Caddies for the Champion Golfer amongst us. We also have a wonderful accumulation of prizes donated from local businesses that include Old Course Hotel The Dukes Golf Course Kingsbarns Whisky Distillery Dunvegan Hotel Aucherterlonies Golf Shop St Andrews Links Trust The Royal & Ancient Golf Club  the legend...

My Caddie pal, David Coyne, and I have been raising money for 18 months, with many other caddies from St Andrews, to purchase a powered mobility wheelchair to be presented to a local recipient at next months Open Championship here at the Old Course St Andrews. The Old Course at St Andrews closed on Saturday 20th June for final preparation for the Open beginning on 16th July. We have taken this opportunity of Caddie inactivity to embark on a walk across Scotland, west to east, following the Great Glen Way which links Fort William to Inverness in the stunningly beautiful Highlands of Scotland. The walk will be over 5 days and the first section leaves Inverness and follows the Caledonian Canal to our first overnight stop in a Bed & Breakfast, called Dalcomera run by the delightful Heather and husband Nick, in the wee village of Gairlochy. A total of 12 miles covered on the first leg. On our return from our evening meal we visited the truly atmospheric Commando...

The author of  'A Course Called Ireland'  Tom Coyne and has settled into St Andrews with his family for a couple of weeks while he golfs around the area before continuing his quest to play the links courses of Scotland which he will record in a book to be called 'A Course Called the Kingdom' to be published next year. Tom Coyne & Boyne after our round at Kinghorn GC I met up with Tom last Sunday, 10th May, to golf with him on an Old Tom Morris course called Kinghorn GC about 30 miles south of St Andrews. It was windy but it did not spoil our fun on a super wee links golf course. Tom Coyne tees from the 1st Old Course St Andrews The following day at 08:40am I caddied for Tom on the Old Course St Andrews. He had a decent front 9 that had a couple of birdies but also included a couple of bogeys and one unfortunate double. Pitching to the Old Course 17th green  The back 9 holes started with him driving the 10th green but landing on the right side ...

Approach to 1st green Old Course St. Andrews.  The annual golf match between the St. Andrews Caddies and the staff from the Links Trust, who run the massive golf operation here in St. Andrews, continued last Thursday. The caddies still smarting from defeat last December 2013, their first setback in over 8 years, were out for revenge. Nick drives from 2nd tee Old Course St. Andrews.  Good weather conditions prevailed thankfully with temperature holding between 6-8'C for the majority of the round. Six matches are played and there is an individual Stableford competition with the obligatory Nearest the Pin and Longest Drive also included. Stuart, one of our opponents stuck in bunker on 5th...free drop!  The course was in fantastic shape considering the time of year and the amount of rounds that are golfed over it during a year. Obviously there are a few areas that the greenkeepers were working on as they progress with preparations for the 2015 Open Championsh...

St. Andrews Caddies at the Eden Course A great day of golf on the Eden Course with the St. Andrews Caddies annual 'Dinger Bell' and 'Stumpy Memorial' being played in wonderful late November weather here in St. Andrews. Scotty plays his approach at 1st hole Eden Course St. Andrews There was some good scoring from the caddies with Scotty B coming out on top in the Dinger Bell Trophy after tying with a net 65, gross 72, with yours truly, John Boyne, shooting a gross 73. A count back gave Scott a better outward nine with his 38 against my 39. A delighted Scotty with his prizes Scott also came out on top in the second playing of the Stumpy Memorial Trophy, instigated last year, managing to score 41 stableford points against my 40 points...runner-up again!

The annual golf match between the Vikings and Celts took place on Saturday 26th April at the magnificent Kingsbarns Golf Links, situated 7 miles south of St. Andrews. Vikings & Celts 1st tee Kingsbarns Golf Links Our Swedish golfers have been coming to St. Andrews for over ten years and strong friendships have been forged which has resulted in this grand match against the Caddies and members of the St. Andrews Caddies Golf Club. Boyne & 'Viking' Kenneth 12th tee Kingsbarns Golf Links This year nine matches were played and Celts narrowly win by 5 1/2 - 3 1/2 points. My game against Kenneth ended with Boyne holing a 5 foot putt on the 18th to secure a halved match. No pressure! The Captains and the Trophy A big thank you to all the competitors, the staff and caddies at Kingsbarns Golf Links for their contribution to a super day of golf at such a wonderful location. We know we are very fortunate and look forward to the return match in 2015...Fore!

There had been talk for a number of years about the suitability of the Old Course Caddie Pavilion and the number of caddies that use it day in, day out, whether it really was 'fit for purpose' now that we are into the second decade of the 21st Century. There will be 140-160 registered caddies working the St. Andrews golf courses during the height of the season and this wee building has had its' day. It was demolished at the end of the 'official' 2013 golf season, in November, and a temporary pavilion has been installed 100 yards down the right side of the 1st fairway. A little bit of the romance may have disappeared, but it is temporary. I have known this old building since the spring of 2002 when I first came, anxiously, strolling past the R&A Clubhouse and 1st tee of the Old Course to be accepted, hopefully, into the ranks of St Andrews' caddies. With a score or more guys hanging around the outside of the pavilion, and another 20 or...

Caddie Golf Tours are preparing for 2014 and beyond with the addition of backroom support, now official, from Lorna Boyne and Andrew Thomson. Lorna & John Boyne My beloved wife Lorna's support and professional advice, through the initial years of Caddie Golf Tours, has proved invaluable and now moving into our 8th year we are in a position to build upon the momentum arrived through that hard work. The arrival of Andrew Thomson, my long suffering golf partner, into the Caddie Golf Tours fold has been long overdue and his golfing knowledge of Scotland and business acumen will be a great asset. Andrew Thomson, Old Course Hotel St Andrews The team at Caddie Golf Tours will continue to promote the Home of Golf, Scotland, to our overseas golfers with enthusiasm and optimism. We look forward to seeing you tee up the wee white golf ball on our great golf courses...FORE!

A short selection of photographs of the Sunday morning round on the Old Course taken during the Links Trophy. A tricky 13th green pin position My caddy pal Nick approaching the 13th green Out of Bounds wall 14th fairway, Old Course Tricky shot in one of Beardie Bunkers, 14th Old Course The Beardie Bunkers capture another golfer Putting out 14th green Old Course 15th fairway & St. Andrews as a backdrop Jigger Inn adjacent to 17th fairway Old Course Iconic view of Old Course St. Andrews Putting out on 17th green Old Course St. Andrews Walk towards Swilken Bridge Old Course St. Andrews