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.

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A   Prize money will be increased for the 2011 Open Championship, The R&A today announced. In 2011, the prize fund will rise to £5 million, with the Champion receiving £900,000. The Open Champion’s purse has been increased by over 5%, from last year’s figure of £850,000. The total prize fund remained at £4.2 million for 2007, 2008 and 2009, before being increased to £4.8 million for the 150 th  Anniversary Open, last year. "Each year The R&A strives to ensure that The Open provides the very best in all areas of the event,” said The R&A’s Chief Executive, Peter Dawson. “From spectator and media facilities, to player experience and performance reward, every aspect of The Open is under regular review to ensure it remains at the forefront of championship golf." There is less than one week remaining in which to purchase Open Championship tickets at advance-purchase prices. Until the end of June, daily tickets for the 2011 Champions...

Fantastic image of a rather angry sky that was developing as we were on the 7th tee, High Out. There had been a few rumblings of thunder over towards Dundee and at least x4 fork lightning strikes as we putted out on the 5th green and played down from the 6th tee... Golfers & caddies were beginning to get a little concerned but thankfully the storm flew past us though it was a little scary for 20 minutes. 

A postponed post from the St. Andrews Links Trophy held a couple of weeks ago. I went over to visit family in rural France immediately after tournament and did not have access to publish the update. A later tee time for our second round, 14.30pm on the Old Course, and we are looking for a solid performance to make the cut of Top 40 & ties. The final two rounds are played over the Old on Sunday. The temperature has dropped 12' degrees from yesterday's scorcher and an extra couple of layers are required to resist this cold easterly wind of 12-15mph. Swilken Burn running hard against 1st green Old Course After scoring a good par round of 71 on the New Course yesterday we continued along OK over the first eight having a few, good, opportunities for birdie but never capitalising on them and then a strong birdie putt from 15 feet on the ninth bounced out of the cup to 2 feet and the subsequent par putt got a bad 'kick' and spun out...resulting in a bogey from nowhere an...

The 2011 St. Andrews Links Trophy began today over the New Course. The second qualifying round will be played over the Old Course tomorrow, Saturday, when the top 40 golfers and ties will progress to playing two rounds on the Old Course on Sunday. The practice range adjacent to the 17th tee of the Old Course. My golfer, for the third year of this event, is James Frazer from Penard in Wales. James played a steady round of golf going out x35 and in with a x36, shooting a par71 round which places him, with quite a large bunch, at equal 10th. The best score was a x66 from one of his friends from Wales Rhys Enoch. The 18th green, Old Course, St. Andrews  It was a blisteringly hot day here in St. Andrews, brilliant sunshine and a gorgeous blue sky that acted as great back drop to watch these young amateurs blasting the wee white ball from the tee. We have an afternoon tee time, 14.30pm, and the weather is to be a bit overcast and possibly up to 12 degrees coole...

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....