Golf for Argyll

Loch Lomond Golf Club avoids receivership

Lynda — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:23:18 +0000

We’ve known Loch Lomond Golf Course was in trouble for a while and we;ve talked about it before. Now, on the brink of receivershsip, its American owner has called in the Bank of Scotland (or HBOS as we;ve got used to calling it these days) to run the club. There was £40 mill of members subs at stake.

Isn’t there something ironic about HBOS coming in to run a business to save it from receivership when it’n only avoided the same thing itself because of a state bail-out? But - hey, if they’ve saved the golf…

So Jack Vettriano snubs Monty…

Lynda — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:05:30 +0000

OK. Jack Vettriano has refused to paint a portrait of felllow Scot and top golfer, Colin Montgomerie because: ‘I don’t do men with breasts’.

Don’t give it another thought, Colin. What he really means is that he hasn’t got a painting-by-numbers book to cover the subject of men with clubs.

If he had any imagination he have done the painting and surprised everyone by putting Colin into one of his rightly famous moody scenarios a million miles from a golf course. Sounds more to us as if the brush-wielder is suffering from artist’s block.

Exciting new golf development for Kintyre

Lynda — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:08:40 +0000

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.

Well - Poulter came through the challenge but result showed Faldo didn’t cut it

Lynda — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 08:58:24 +0000

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.

So - it’s Poulter and Casey for the Ryder Cup

Lynda — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:20:43 +0000

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.

Ryder Cup Wild Card - will it be Monty?

Lynda — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:01:58 +0000

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.

So Kenny did the deed at Askernish

Lynda — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:22:00 +0000

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.

Congrats to South Uist on opening the restored Tom Morris course at Askernish

Lynda — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:12:31 +0000

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.

Standaloft Open Greensomes at Port Bannatyne Golf Club

Lynda — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:27:57 +0000

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

Two Lochgilphead Opens still to go

Lynda — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:52:42 +0000

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.