| |
| |
|
Free Golf Tips | Sponsored by GreatGolfGizmos.com - Click Here to Shop for Great Golf Gizmos | Article List |
|
|
|
Returning Home: Scottish Golf Breaks
July 2005 sees the return of the world's greatest golf tournament to its spiritual home on the Scottish East Coast. With the 27th staging of the British Open taking place on the Old Course in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more often than anywhere else which has reinforced its strong reputation as the "Home of Golf". This year's event comes at a period of time where the Scottish Golf Industry is enjoying something of a renaissance, with more and more people choosing to visit the country for golfing holidays and test themselves on some of the world's most famous courses. The Old Course at St.Andrews, where this year the world's greatest golfing talent will compete for the famous Claret Jug, originally consisted of 22 holes - eleven out and eleven back. However, in 1764 the local society of St.Andrews Golfers decided that the format of the course needed to change as the many of the holes were simply too short. As a result the total number of holes was cut to 18 - which is now synonymous with golf courses around the world. However, despite the now settled structure of the course many in the town felt the links would be better served as a commercial opportunity rather than a playground for golfers. This combined with the local councils financial difficulties led to the links being sold in 1799 to a rabbit breeding company! This proved to be a very controversial move which essentially led to what is known locally as the "Rabbit Wars" for the best part of twenty years. Eventually, in 1821 a gentleman called James Cheape bought the links for the sole use of local golfers - which essentially led to the great golfing legacy which still exists to this day. While in many countries golf is seen as a game for the financial elite, it has always been a sport that was accessible to all levels of society in Scotland. The popularity of the game continued to grow and in 1860 Prestwick Golf Club held the first Open Championship and won by Willie Park. St Andrews first held the Open in 1873 when Tom Kidd claimed the title and more than a century later the course has seen some of the most exciting opens including the famous Tiger Woods victory in 2000 where he set a low-scoring record of 19 under par while becoming the youngest player to have achieved a career "grand slam" of golf's four major tournaments. In addition to the famous win by Tiger Woods the winner of the 2005 Open will be following in the footsteps of other legends such as Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Locke and James Braid who have all won over the famous links. Put simply winning the Open at the home of golf is the absolute pinnacle of achievement that any golfer can hope or even dream to achieve. It seems hard to imagine that a country with the rich history of golf that Scotland enjoys could lose its way in terms of promoting itself as a great golfing destination. However, during the 90's this was certainly the case. Countries such as Portugal, Spain and even Ireland worked tirelessly to sell themselves to the outside world as the ideal destination for a golfing holiday. Scotland was perhaps guilty of arrogance thinking that it could survive on its historical reputation alone. However, the last four years has seen a definite shift in the market with large amounts of (particularly English, American and Japanese) golfers once again visiting Scottish shores. Helped by the publicity surrounding this years Open at St.Andrews more and more golfers are looking for golfing breaks and have a large number of companies competing for their business. One such company is the short break specialist www.superbreak.com whom offer a range of golfing breaks to top Scottish resorts such as Marriott Dalmahoy which is set in 1000 acres of wooded parkland at the foot of the Pentland Hills and has hosted both the Solheim Cup and the Scottish PGA Championship. In St.Andrews itself the relatively new St.Andrews Bay Golf Resort provides 5 star luxury that rivals the best of golfing hotels anywhere in the world. Sitting amidst the rugged coastal landscape of East Fife the hotel is within a short distance of all the St.Andrews courses as well as other top local courses such as Lundin Links, Leven Links, Scotscraig and Ladybank. It seems despite heavy investment in promotion of golfing resorts in other countries Scotland will always command a very special place in the global golfing community. Lessons seem to have been learnt and the Scottish golfing industry is unlikely to rest on its laurels again. While a rich history and flagship tournament are important, if the industry is to continue to flourish then continued and focussed investment most remain a priority. Richard currently lives just outside Edinburgh, working hard for a leith based media company, and writes occasional articles for web sites.
MORE RESOURCES:
Golf - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Jet-Lagged Golf Swing The golf travel industry is huge. Destination resorts such as Myrtle Beach, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Phoenix are springing up all over. Golf Driving Tips To Correct A Common Mistake One of the most common mental errors golfers make when driving the ball is to try and hit it as hard as possible.This article will deal with golf driving tips to help you correct this problem that is hampering many golfers and greatly hindering them from making any progress. Ratings and Ranking Golfers Who's the best?Who's the best golfer in the world? Not such a difficult question. You probably only have to choose between a handful of golfers - Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson. Fitness For Golf Is The Key To Rejuvenating Your Golf Game Fitness for golf is prevalent at every level. You hear about it all the time on the television and even teaching pros are talking more about the importance of fitness for golf. Golf Equipment - The Most Expensive Is Not Always Correct For You The essentials of golf begin with the clubs you choose. Shopping on the Internet will save you time and money but choosing can be difficult, as there seems to be endless options. Finish Your Round of Golf with Birdies All the major tournaments, especially the U.S. Golf Tips - The Secret and Crucial Role of Alignment in Supercharging Your Game! The alignment is an absolutely crucial and vital part to any golfer's game. You swing round your body, therefore if your body is offline, your swing in turn will be off line and out of sync, resulting in a poor swing and a poor shot, usually ending up deep in the rough. Why Exercise Is The Key To The Correct Golf Swing Release A poor golf swing release has been one of the factors responsible for dozens of injuries that have kept many golfers off the course, some of them for good.Failure of applying the correct technique, apart from giving you poor results in your game can also result in all manner of injuries. The Best Golf Aids You are an avid golfers always looking for the best golf aids. So where do you find the best golf aids?Some of the best golf aids can be found by talking to your fellow golfers. How Different Courses Can Help You Become a Good Golf Player Golf is an fulfilling and absorbing sport but, even so, there is a risk that you may become stale or bored if you do not change the place where you play. This makes golf different from other games, but the reason for this is the very nature of golf. What Do the Core and the Golf Swing Have in Common Part II? In part one of this article we discussed the core and its relation to the golf swing. A quick review of the information in article one will indicate a definitive connection between the "athletic movements" of a golf swing and the core section of the body. Mental Toughness Training for Golfers: How to Conquer Pre-Game Jitters The first tee shot can often make or break a round because it sets up your performance on the first hole, which can have a bearing on your attitude and score on the opening holes. Retief Goosen, who won the US Open, said that most good players get the first tee jitters and a good shot can settle you down quickly. Benefits of A Golf Fitness Stretch Trainer Hardly any professional worth his name today will dare approach their game without a golf fitness stretch trainer of sorts.The game of golf has changed tremendously in recent times. The Biomechanics Of A Golf Swing Can Teach You Plenty The biomechanics of the golf swing can be very revealing about the game of golf and specifically the scientific difference between amateurs and professionals, winners and losers.But what is biomechanics?Biomechanics or Motion Capture Technology (MOCAP) is the mechanical analysis of body motion. How To Get Your Golf Technique Right There is really no doubt about just how important the correct golf techniques are to playing a consistently good and yet enjoyable game. Actually ever since the inception of this wonderful game of golf, emphasis has always been on getting your golf technique right. What Impact Does Exercise For Golfers Have In spite of numerous assurances some golfers still dread and fear joining any exercise for golfer programs. So as a last line of defense, they pop up the question of wanting to know just how effective exercises for golfer are on improving a person's game. Golf Industry Insights The time and effort for due diligence prior to the launch of Prescription Putting has provided a number of insights to the golf industry. The following are some of the things that we learned and ones that help shape what we do here at Prescription Putting. 5 Sure Fire Ways to Build a more Powerful and Pain-FREE Golf Game Until recently being physically fit was of little concern to most golfers, but the tides of changes have recently taken hold of the golf world and only the strong will survive this tidal wave. Many of today's golfers are not only working with instructors but they also seek out assistance from strength and conditioning coaches or personal trainers to help them improve their physical skills, in hopes of being able to blast that little white ball a few more yards down the fairway. Have A Golf Fitness Expert In Your Home The term golf fitness expert has grown in popularity for the last few years thanks to Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh and many other tour players.They all have a golf fitness expert who actually travels with them to every tournament to keep them in top shape throughout their season. Can a Stability Ball Help You Strengthen Your Core For Golf? Some call it a Swiss Ball, some call it a fitness ball, others use the more modern term 'stability ball.' Whatever you call it, the stability ball has been used in exercise and rehabilitation for years and has recently been adopted by personal trainers and fitness instructors for use in strength training and muscle development, especially when it comes to exercises designed to strengthen the core muscles.
|
| home | site map | Sponsored by GreatGolfGizmos.com - Click Here to Shop for Great Golf Gizmos |
| © 2006 |
