Caddie Golf Tours

A couple of pics taken from the bay window of the St. Andrews Golf Club. A delightful view. This is one is from the front porch of the St. Andrews Golf Club.

My golfing buddy from Phillidelphia, Alan, posted this little vid on You Tube the other day. From the top of the rise above the 5th green & 6th tee on the Old Course he films the panorama of the Old Course, New Course , Eden estuary, St. Andrews town and yours truly popping up at the end...I can never resist a camera!. This was taken during 2009 and Alan will return in July this year bringing along the Guru Tony (as mentioned in the vid), Shane and Todd .  Yet more new blood for the Old Course!

This delightful pastiche is from a long time friend (and part-time-caddie) who continually pops up in the Caddie Pavilion...every year! ...goodness the subtle influences of his University term in St. Andrews, Old Course Caddie life and Scottish culture (re: taking the PISS) are beginning to show in his recent output. I think this is a good thing!

Your very own St. Andrews Caddie, me, and good friend David Coyne will be starting our 96 mile charity walk along the famous West Highland Way which begins in Milngavie on the north side of Glasgow, winds its' way along the stunningly beautiful Loch Lomond, up and down a few mountains into the magnificent Highlands of Scotland and our final destination of Fort William. The Old Course at St. Andrews will be closing down next Saturday for three weeks as the greenkeepers make their final preparations for the Open Championship and it was felt that this would be a good time to do something worthwhile. The journey is expected to take five days, beginning on Saturday 19th June and finishing on Wednesday 23rd June. An average days walk will be 20 miles...we should manage it! John Boyne  and David Coyne  with 1998 Open Champion Mark O'Meara last Friday who supports the St. Andrews Caddies Charity Walk   Any sponsorship contributions can be made at the Caddie Pavilion adja...

The building of the grandstands for the 150th Open Championship to be played in July have begun at the Old Course in St. Andrews. Here are a few pics of the seating being erected around the course. The main stand that runs along the right side of the 1st fairway. This a view of the 17th Road hole stand being built from the car park of the Old Course Hotel.  A golfer's view of the seating situated behind the green of the 17th Road hole on the Old Course. The photograph was taken about 90 yards from the front of the green.

It has been a long time coming...only 31 years... but I've finally broken 70 on a golf course for the second time. Played the round today at Clober GC based in Milngavie, Glasgow on a damp Sunday afternoon and surprised myself when we got into the clubhouse for our post round beer and totaled up the score. Boyne, 11th green at Clober GC  a couple of years ago. I knew I was playing pretty good but thought that the 7 strokes taken on the 7th hole and the sloppy bogey at the last had put me into the mid 70's. But after doing the sums on my playing partner Matt's card we then started on mine and both had to do a double take on the total. As the wonderful Scottish golf professional Heather MacRae says "If you can do it once, you can do it again!" God I hope Heather is correct and it does not take another 30+ years! Just for the golf geeks the card follows below, Out:4,4,3,4, 2 ,4, 7 ,4, 3 = 35  (14 putts) In:   6 ,4,3,3,4,3,3, 3 , 5 =  34  (15 putts)

We've returned home from our first week away at the 'van' based 4 miles outside of St. Andrews at Clayton Caravan Park. It turned out to be a lovely week with pleasant warm weather and even some sunshine which proved perfect for my first weeks caddying, for this season, at St. Andrews.   I managed to get in six rounds - three on the Old Course, one each over the Eden, Jubilee and New courses and then played 18 holes on the Strathtyrum course with LB. A total of seven rounds, a good workout for the week. The public taking photos on the Swilken Bridge on a Sunday when the Old Course is closed.    During the week we met up with some old pals that we hadn't seen since last year, swallowed some beer and managed to get reservations made for LB's birthday in May at The Cellar and then the Open in July at the Seafood Restaurant in St. Monans, just down the coast. Quite a few restaurants informed us that they were already booked up for the Open week. One of our fea...

The construction work for the repositioned tee on the 17th Road hole at the Old Course, St. Andrews, has been completed. The new tee, pictured below, is on the same line increasing the length of the hole by 35 yards, from 455 - 490 yards. The original championship tee that we shared with the professionals for our medal play is pictured below. This will obviously remain and I suppose if conditions got too extreme , God forbid the thought , the R&A would have the option of bringing the play forward. You've got to be looking forward to seeing some drives struck from the new tee, now that it has once again become an intimidating drive, on the world of golf's most famous par 4.

The R&A have made a small amendment to qualification for previous winners of the Open that allows Tom Watson, last years runner up at Turnbery, and Greg Norman tied for third place at Birkdale in 2008 a route into the Championship if they have gained a top ten position within the last 5 years. Here is the press release from the Open Championship official web site: http://www.opengolf.com 16 November 2009 10:48 GMT The R&A has announced changes to the entry criteria ahead of The Open Championship’s 150th Anniversary, to be played at St Andrews from 11 — 18 July 2010. A new exemption category has been introduced for the 2010 Open. Condition F(4) exempts from qualifying any past Open Champions who finished in the top 10 and ties in any of the previous five Open Championships, thus effectively providing them with a five year exemption into the Championship. “We have introduced this exemption as a direct response to seeing two of our great Open Champions, both in their fifties, chal...

A close friend of my wife and I had asked if I would be able to get her Step Father, Simon, onto the Old Course for a round of golf. An ambition that had been long held. Always one for a challenge I confidently said that I could and we set about organising a date for the game, a hotel and booking a local restaurant for our evening meal. I entered our names into the 'Ballot' for a tee time on Friday 9th October...we failed to secure one! I subsequently found out that the Ballot had been over subscribed by 59 other groups trying for a tee time. This meant that with Simon arriving on Thursday evening I would have to queue at the Starter's Hut first thing on Friday morning and hope that the Starter could join us up with a two ball. When I arrived, at 6.05am, there were 11 golfers already in a queue! Good grief some had been at the hut since 3.45am...that is dedication for you. The Old Course Starter did get us both out and onto the famous links at 10.20am whereupon we had a g...

The first day of the Alfred Dunhill Trophy begins tomorrow Thursday, 1st October, at the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns Links. The Professionals and Amateur golfers have three rounds to make the cut, with play being spread upon all the courses. The final round on Sunday is held over the Old Course. Last years winner Robert Karlsson has returned to defend his title after an eye injury that has kept him out of a big chunk of the European season. Among the favourites are going to be twice winner in 2002 & 2006, Padraig Harrington, 2003 Champion Lee Westwood and the young Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy. I'll be at Carnoustie tomorrow, tee time 09.22am, with my American amateur Doug, from San Francisco's Olympic Golf Club, who I have worked with for the previous three years. Our professional this year is a tall, blond headed Englishman called Richard Finch who won twice during 2008, but is not firing on all cylinders this year. Currently sitting at 104 on the ...

The last two months of July and August have been exceptionally busy which means that I've only had fleeting visits to the Caddie Golf Tours Blog. Disappointing as I had hoped to be writing something down once a week during my golf season. It just goes to show that 7-8 rounds of caddying, Monday to Friday, at the St. Andrews Links of the Old, New and Jubilee courses takes a whole lot of time from your day. In effect I was absolutely knackered and sleep became more important than blogging! Over this month of September I hope to be able to bring you some of the people, rounds and stories that emerged over the summer along with some great pictures. The season golf season does begin to slow a bit during September, though it can be a good month at St. Andrews with the R&A holding their annual 'Autumn Meeting' on the New and Old Courses. We than have the practice rounds at the end of the month for the European Tour Dunhill Links Trophy which is played over Carnoustie, Kingsbar...

Would You Like to Play The Old Course in 2010? Now is the Time to Book!! If you are planning a golf tour to Scotland in 2010, it would be a good idea to book now which will alow you to purchase tee times at face value cost. St. Andrews Links Trust open their applications for 2010 tee times at 10:00am (GMT) on September 2nd, 2009 and the form can be found at the following address: http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/book_golf/advance_old2010.html I recommend you get started today by confirming the number of your golf buddies that want to come to Scotland and then booking your 2010 Scotland golf trip with help from Caddie Golf Tours. I will be quite happy to talk you through the application process if you so desire. I look forward to hearing from you all over the next few weeks. Cheers, John.

A great announcement from the sponsors of the Women's British Open, Ricoh, that they are to continue supporting the event until 2013. There was further good news for Scotland when the venues of Carnoustie in 2011 and then a return to the Old Course St. Andrews in 2013 were confirmed, by the Ladies Golf Union, for the championship. The Women's Open was held at the Old Course in 2007 and was a huge success. The world's number 1 Lorena Ochoa won the first professional womens championship to be held over the legendary links and I am sure she and many other players will be relishing the opportunity to play the Old Lady again. The golf links of Carnoustie, in 2011, will prove a real stern test for the ladies and this has generated a good deal of conversation about what tees they will use and how they will cope with this most treacherous of golf links in Scotland. I think the golf course may win! Wonderful news for Scotland and for the ladies championship in securing the sponsorsh...

A wonderful weekend of golf lies ahead of your St. Andrews caddie. The first of the premier annual amateur competitions begins this Saturday with the St. Rule Trophy.  This is played by the leading lady amateur golfers from across Great Britain, Europe and the rest of the world that have a handicap of 4 or better. In this years event I shall be caddying for one of Scotland's bright young talents, Laura Murray. We met in this very event in 2007, when I was caddying for the British Ladies Amateur Champion, Heather MacRae, Laura played in our grouping and then was once again in our trio of players for the 2008 tournament, both times with her father carrying her bag. I met Laura in earlier this year, in March, at the Scottish Golf Show  and it was there that she asked if I would be interested in working for her during the St. Rule Trophy. I truly jumped at the chance. The opportunity to work with one these great young Scottish golfers cannot be turned down and it always adds interest, ...

The legendary American golfer Mr. Arnold Palmer is to play the Old Course, St. Andrews, on Thursday 7th May in what will be his 80th year. Mr. Palmer will be playing in the annual Spring Meeting of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A) which begins on the Old Course on Monday morning. His playing partners are the current Captain of the R&A Mr. H. Ritchie and five time British Amateur Champion Mr. M. Bonnalack. Unfortunately I am not caddying for Mr. Palmer (drats!) but my good friend 'Eck' has been given the honour of following in the footsteps of the revered St. Andrean caddy Tip Anderson who caddied for Mr. Palmer over 40 years when he played in Great Britain. Together they won numerous events along with two back to back Open Championships in 1961 / 62. When I asked 'Eck' what he was hoping from the round he replied " As long as I get him over the bloody Swilcan Burn & on the green I'll be delighted"! I shall naturally be in position to see...

Golf Digest has given Scotland's great, and historic, golf courses a wonderful boost by naming seventeen of them in the 'World's Top 100 Courses Outside the USA'.  The golf links at St. Andrews has four of its' courses in the 100 for the first time, with the Old Course named as the number two behind, 2007 Walker Cup venue, Royal County Down in Northern Ireland. The New Course (63), Castle Course (65) and the Jubilee (92) make up the four at St. Andrews and this grouping has also given the grand old town Golf Digest's accolade of "the game's pre-eminent destination". The other thirteen Scottish golf courses in the 'Top 100' are: the 2009 British Open venue of Turnberry (5), Royal Dornoch (6), Carnoustie (8), Royal Troon (15), Kingsbarns (18), Loch Lomond (21), Cruden Bay (37), Machrihanish (39), North Berwick (40), Royal Aberdeen (48), Western Gailes (58) and the lengendary Prestwick (69) first British Open venue in 1860. This is a tremendo...

Boy  oh  Boy . This is some links golf course. Absolutely fantastic.   A shame I played like a complete   idiot for the first nine holes or so. I did improve on the back nine, regaining some pride, thank goodness. The 'extra' red wine the evening before was probably not my best preparation for golfing on such a great links course for the first time. Andrew picked me up at 9am (hic..) and after our 45 -50 minute journey, a cup of coffee, a lot of water and some putting on the practise green I was less than ready to hit the first drive. An over swing and big pull has me on the 18th fairway, only 65 yards off line. Wonderful. The good news, and there is good news..., this is a links golf course in Scotland which means few, if any, trees and there is always a route back to the true fairway. A bogey ensued.   It did not get any better over the following holes but then again not really too bad considering I was nursing a general body numbness. The first nine did try my patience mind ...

Just a quick entry to let you golfers out there know that tee times for 2009 are available on the Old Course at St. Andrews. More importantly they are at cost price of £130 British pounds. Every year, around February/March, the St. Andrews Links Trust publicise tee times for the Old Course that have been 'returned' to them from tour companies or individuals that have been unable to commit to them. This year there are a number of tee times during May, June, July and August. A minimum of two golfers and maximum of eight can apply and one other golf course at St. Andrews has to be chosen along with the Old. Applications will be accepted from 10.00am on Monday 23rd March 2009 to the St. Andrews Links Trust. Please contact Caddie Golf Tours for further information or visit the official site for the application form at: http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/book_golf/advanced_old2009.html Now is a great time to golf in Scotland with the dollar at its strongest, for many years, against the...

To help entice you avid golfers out there to come over to Scotland for a golf tour this summer I will be posting some pictures of my favourite Scottish golf courses over the next few weeks.  It is going to be a super golf season here in Scotland with the Open Championship returning to Turnberry in July and the majority of our major golf courses having retained last years prices. Added to this the strength of the Dollar against the British Pound, it really has never been a better time for visiting golfers to tour in Scotland. Golf tours are approximately 20% cheaper than last year!  This is the unique Cruden Bay located just north of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. An astonishing links golf course that one will find hard to prepare for in a golfing sense...in fact nothing can prepare you for Cruden Bay! A one off. The view from the clubhouse over the Starters Hut to the magnificent links. It is a truly splendid links golf course with a tremendous location 20 or so miles north of...