Caddie Golf Tours

It is now a two weeks since the Barnard (x18) and Van Tonder (x4) golf tours and I believe, from the feedback so far from both, that Caddie Golf Tours had a success. The good weather in early May helped and the golfers seemed to get right into the enjoyment of being in Scotland, golfing on classic links courses, relaxing in a few bars and chewing the fat with their friends. The sunshine on a Scottish links certainly helps! Barnard golfers leave the 1st tee on the Old Course, St Andrews It has been good to get a break from the intensity of those golf tours, and they were intense. One of the benefits is caddying across the links of the Old Course, where I can immerse myself in the history and enjoyment of guiding the 'virgin' golfers from across the world as they tackle the Old Course. Always good fun.  Mr Du Plessis from Cape Town putting out on the 18th green Old Course The next tour for Caddie Golf Tours is set for mid June and ov...

We have came over to the Kingdom of Fife for what will be close to two weeks, staying in our wee bolt hole 'Hamilton House' situated four miles outside St. Andrews. Golf was going to be played this afternoon on the Strathtyrum Links, the smaller of the six 18 hole golf courses that make up the St. Andrews Links, but a heavy downpour has scuppered that thought! Some work on understanding the laptop, wifi connections, fine tuning Caddie Golf Tours forthcoming tours and preparations for the planned barbeque tomorrow afternoon may be better use of a wet Saturday afternoon. If truth be known the lovely LB has done all of the barbeque prep! Potato salad, marinaded chicken and gutted sardines have been accomplished while I sit building up an appetite! Out to St. Andrews this evening for a couple of beers and dinner at Pizza Express. Hopefully we shall have some golf first thing in the morning to continue our marathon golf contest, lasting throughout the year, that currently st...

Looking forward to returning to St. Andrews this weekend and experiencing some old familiar haunts that were last seen in November of 2010, which seems an age ago especially after the extreme winter that Scotland went through. St. Andrews Caddie Pavilion...my 2nd home! Swilken Burn protecting the 1st green Old Course I have been informed   that I will be able to pick up my 'Yearly Ticket' for golf on all the St. Andrews links courses tomorrow. I have been patiently waiting for this opportunity since 2005...so frustrating caddying upon the Old/New/Jubilee/Eden/Castle golf courses over the season knowing that you will only ever be able to play them once, if at all during that year.    The Dunvegan Bar, a favourite.   A local on the course. I did have the 'Yearly Ticket' for three years but mistakenly gave it up when I moved away from the town. Nobody informed me that I could transfer it to an 'outside' category and I did not have the where-with-all at the ...

Flying to Malaysia with charl! Glad one of us has a green jac... on Twitpic Rory McIlroy just confirms what a delightful young sportsman he is...and his time will come.

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!

Golf at Balfron with LB, David & Sean. Halved match with ... on Twitpic

A grand weekend of classic Scottish links golf, windy, sunny and a wee bit of drizzle, was played over three superb courses that none of the Oystercatcher Golf Society had visited before, Kilmarnock Barassie, Prestwick St. Nicholas and Dundonald Links all based on the West Coast of Scotland. Three Oystercatchers hanging around outside Marine Hotel   Boyne relaxes in bar of Marine Hotel 18th green & clubhouse at Royal Troon The party stayed at the Barcelo Marine Hotel in Troon and were very impressed with the location adjacent to Royal Troon Golf Club, the bar (of course), the spa and our rooms which were surprisingly spacious, warm and had super comfy beds.   LB 7th fairway Barassie GC   Matt & Al, 1st green Prestwick St. Nicholas GC   The Oystercatcher girls on 6th green Prestwick St. Nicholas GC Boyne, 16th Dundonald Links All the courses, pictured above, were within a 5 miles of the hotel and access was simple and well posted. We ...

The Oystercatcher Golf Society are preparing for their inaugural Spring golf weekend down the west coast  of Scotland, playing three wonderful links courses. The 3rd green at Dundonald Links At present the Oystercatcher Golf Society is made up of three golfing couples and two of them will be able to sneak a wee warm up round on the links of Kilmarnock Barassie, used as an Open qualifier when it is played at Royal Troon and Turnberry, ahead of the real competition rounds over Prestwick St. Nicholas on Saturday and the Dundonald Links on Sunday morning. The 'Oystercatcher Trophy' will be played over two rounds, Saturday and Sunday, with an accumulated stableford score over both days from both partners. No pressure on the husband / wife combination there then! A best individual score, nearest the pin and longest drive will be in operation as well. The Barcelo Marine Hotel   We are booked into the Barcelo Marine Hotel, care of Caddie Golf Tours, for two nights bed...

The 2010 annual Dod Stewart Memorial Trophy will be played between the Caddies and the Links Trust on Monday 28th February 2011. This is the rearranged match from last November which was cancelled due to the severe weather. 1st green on the Eden Course It means that Boyne has, fortunately, got the call to participate as a clash of dates last November meant he had to pull out for the first time since he began caddying at St. Andrews in 2002. I shall be partnering my old golfing companion the impressive Mr. A. Howie and our tee time is 09.12am on the Eden Course. The competition is Fourball Match Play with a total of six matches. Let the games begin!

Great news announced today that the Scottish Open will be based at Castle Stuart Golf Links for the next three years, taking over from Loch Lomond. Here are some photographs of this new links, based a few miles east of Inverness, that I took when I had the opportunity to play it in September 2009. The fabulous Art Deco designed clubhouse at Castle Stuart Golf Links. The facilities offer the golfer a truly top class experience prior to and then after your round. The first tee hard against the lapping waves of the Moray Firth on your right. The various tee positions of the Par5 2nd hole. Boyne playing out of the greenside bunker on the Par5 2nd hole. The Par4 third and the last hole of the front nine with the water and beach on your right. The fourth hole and first Par3 playing to a tiered green with the lovely backdrop of Castle Stuart. A delightful view of the Par5 6th green from the 5th tee and the now elevated section of the course. Fairway bunker on th...

The Scottish Open looks likely to have a new venue for 2011. The tournament, played the week before the Open Championship in July, has been staged over the fabulous Tom Weiskopf design at Loch Lomond since 1996, but after months of speculation a spokesman for the club confirmed that the members were set to complete a buy out from the Bank of Scotland who have been in control since the former owner, American financier Lyle Anderson, lost control back in 2008. The members have raised the necessary funds and appear set to sign documents next week bringing ownership of the golf course under the banner of a new company called Loch Lomond Members Club. A spokesman for the members executive committee said, "The support we have received from the members has been exceptional and highlights what great affection there is for the club. The goal now is to move forward with plans to consolidate Loch Lomond's reputation as one of the foremost private members' clubs in the world....

It just gets better and better for Graeme MacDowell as he has been awarded the MBE in the Queen's New Years Honours List. He started 2010 with a World Ranking (WR) of 50 and ends it with WR 6, throw in four tournament wins along the way, including the US Open victory at Pebble Beach, and the defining moment for European golf this year when GMac sinks the 'winning' putt at the Ryder Cup. The awards have came thick and fast over these last four weeks of December, here are the ones that I could find... MBE  Queen's New Year Honours List European Golfer of the Year   alongside Martin Kaymer European Tour Player of the Year  Golf Writers Association of America Professional of the Year  Irish Golf Writers Person of the Year  RTE Irish Televsion Thank you for a great year Graeme and all the best for more accolades and tournaments during 2011, cheers!

Good news for those golfers wishing to play a round over the venerable Old Course during 2011 as the St. Andrews Links Trust have recently announced that they will be accepting applications for " Late Availability Tee Times" on Wednesday the 5th January   at 10.00 GMT.  The 1st tee, Old Course There are tee times available for the Old Course during the high season of April, May, June, July and August. A maximum of eight golfers and a minimum of two are allowed on each application.   The green on the   17th Road hole. Further information and the official St. Andrews Links Trust application can be found using the following link: http://www.standrews.org.uk/Playing-golf-in-St-Andrews/How-to-book/Advance-Reservations.aspx 1st tee, 18th green and R&A Clubhouse Old Course St. Andrews Good luck with your application and we look forward to seeing you on the 1st tee of the Old Course during 2011.

A request came in a few weeks ago from a great friend of Boyne, and Caddie Golf Tours, as to whether I could access a round of golf over the Old Course for our 50th Birthday gift to the legendary Brophers? This was met with a positive response...YES! I would obviously also caddy for him if we managed to secure a tee time.   Brophers arriving on the 1st tee, Old Course Thomson putts out on the 4th green Needless to say Caddie Golf Tours did get the luck of the draw in the St. Andrews Links Ballot, for three golfers playing on Friday 12th November at 9.50am. The three were Brophers and the brothers Thomson. Upon arrival at the Starters Box a single golfer Matt, a Canadian but now based in St. Andrews, asked if he could make up a fourball and was duly invited to do so.   The 50th Birthday 4ball on the tee, 17th Road    Brophers and the iconic 18th tee of Old Course The weather played a big part of the experience for Brophers with a real strong w...