Golf for Argyll

A new links course, desined by David McLay Kidd is to open in May 2009 at Machrihanish. Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club is an 18-hole links course beside the Machrihanish Golf Club. The two courses, a plush clubhouse for the new course (due 2010) and some luxury accommodation will put together a fantastic golfing complex for Argyll - at the north west head of the Mull of Kintyre near Campbeltown.

The new course will be 7,300 yards long and will make full use of its ocean-side position with six greens and five tees shore-side. Sounds great - and it’ll be the first course to be built on Scotland’s west coast for over a hundred years. What an attraction for golfers and for golf tourism. And it’s in Argyll. Hats in the air.

We all know the gory details - a glorious and feted European team snatching, as they say, defeat from the jaws of anticipated victory. Nuff said. But look at the Zinger’s tactics. Magic. A new logic altogether and what a successful one. He put - and kept - groups of players together on the basis of their temperaments and playing styles. This kept them all motivated, made strategic deployment so easy and built a strong team spirit that saw them take the Claret Jug. Why do we keep wasting what we’ve got? The Yanks’approach was inspirational.

Faldo has spoken. The wild cards go to Ian Poulter and Paul Casey. The rumour mill’s been saying they’d both been given the nod in advance - explaining why Poulter went to the States instead of proving his place at Gleneagles. Darren Clarke’s got reason to feel put out. He’s done the business. Poulter and Casey had better be good. Sorry Monty. But wait for Valhalla and see who gets the last laugh.

Open champion, Padraig Harrington has asked to have Coin Montgomerie as his partner but what will Europe captain Nick Faldo do? Justin Rose has had the bottle to go to Gleneagles to prive his worth. Ian Poulter has preferred to look after his own interests, has cancelled Gleneagles, where he was down to play and gone off to play in America. He’s assuming he’s done enough for Faldo to give him a Wild Card anyway. For my money, this rules him right out. Top line is he’s out for himself. Fine, nothing wrong with that. But it doesn’t suggest that hels the sort of bloke who’ll then give his all for the team. Whereas Monty can be a pain in the bum but when he’s a member of a team, he’s magic. Go on NIck. You know what to do. He’s got eight Ryder Cups behind him too - and with some rookies on the team, this experience could count big tine.

Yesterday was the day. Old Tom Morris would have been relieved to see the course he designed at Askernish on South Uist and described as ’staggering’, now back from serial use as croft and airfield and restored as one of the world’s best links courses. Kenny Dalglish, beloved of Scotland’s football fans, opened the course and agreed to be the Club’s Honorary President. Being a celebrity has a lot to commend it if you get to do things like this.

It’s not Argyll but it’s a big addition to the Scottish Golf scene. The lost eighteen-hole links course designed in 1891 by the legendary Old Tom Morris at Askernish Golf Club on South Uist has finally been restored and is to be opened by Kenny Dalglish on Friday 22nd August. The discovery and the restoration has attracted world-wide attention in the golfing world and one of the club’s sposors Is Toronto’s Angus Glen Golf Club. (No Scottish connection there then?) On launch day next week there will a live webcast from the club, enabling the Old Tom Morris fanbase everywhere to see it for themselves. the initiative is likely not only to contribute significantly to the economy in the Western Isles but to the wider interest in the provision for the sport of golf in Scotland. And it’s a pretty neat website so click on the club link above and see it for yourself.

Bute’s Port Bannatyne Golf Club hosts its Standaloft Open Greensomes on Sunday 17th August.

With the Gents Open in July and the Ladies Open last weekend, The Gents Open Doubles (the Medal Doubles)  is on Sunday 17th August and the Mixed Doubles Open on Sunday 7th September. Entry forms available online.

You can check the results of golf competitions at Islay Golf Club online now. Great initiative. Have fun.

Just time to enter for Helensburgh Golf Club’s Ben Bouie Mixed Foursomes competition on Sunday 24th August.