You’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you?  I had a few days up in Nairn last week and – guess what?  I didn’t pack any shorts!!  What was I thinking?  It’s September, as you know, I had 36 holes to play, and with the temperature soaring up in to the 20-something degrees centigrade I knew I’d made a mistake.

I had been invited up to play in the Ladies Pro-Am in aid of Marie Curie by longtime friend and erstwhile England golf coach, Pat Smillie, along with her fellow Ganton member Jo Davy.  Our team was rounded out by former ladies’ captain of Nairn, Jane Rhodes, who was ever ready with lots of local advice, some of it even useful.  Despite Jo’s best efforts at singlehandedly carrying the three of us round we failed to trouble the prize table, as we did the raffle table also.  It was a brilliant day, however, and the golf course had on its best bib and tucker as we three visitors saw its much talked about changes for the first time.

The changes have certainly toughened the course up and I’m a big fan of the siting of the new 7th green, set back closer to the water and with wonderful views down the Firth.  I also like the removal of the cross bunker at the downhill, par 3, 14th hole, as I’m a firm believer in every hole on a links course offering the player a channel through which to run the ball up on to the green.  Expanding the back of that green has also created the opportunity for many more pin positions, while still maintaining the character of the putting surface.

Opinion is divided over the planting of clumps of heather atop the bunkers.  It seems to be a purely cosmetic move, which for me is unnecessary.  You have cosmetic gorgeousness all around you if you deign to lift your eyes and it’s not as if the bunkers and rough aren’t penal enough already.  Anyway, in my opinion, fairway bunkers should be just that – in the fairway.  No need for any rough or heather on top of them at all.

It’s impossible to be a golfer and not love Nairn and I love clubs with a diverse range of age in the membership.  However, it’s important not to forget our less skilled and/or older members.  As long as there is still a challenging, and not overwhelming, test for them, golf is in a good place.  We mustn’t design courses simply for the better player.

My second round of golf at lovely Nairn was in the company of Gillian Stewart, multiple winner on the Ladies’ European Tour, and Gordon Moir, recently retired director of greenkeeping at St Andrews.  It was the first time for a long time that I’d played a late afternoon/early evening round of golf and I had forgotten how delightful it is.  Gordon was on his way up north to meet up with some American friends who were flying in for their annual golfing odyssey, which was to comprise a mere seven, or was it eight, rounds in five days!  If I play that much in two months I think I’m doing well!

As we left the course that evening the club was readying itself for an influx of more female visitors, some from home and some from abroad, all arriving to play in the Women’s International Team Challenge, an event started in 2010 by pioneering women members of the Olympic Club in San Francisico.  There are ten clubs competing this year, four from the USA, one from Canada and five from Great Britain and Ireland.  The roster is as follows:  the Olympic Club, Southern Hills, Merion, The Country Club, St George’s Golf & Country Club, Lahinch, Royal Portrush, Royal Liverpool, Aberdeen Ladies and Nairn.

By the time you read this Nairn will have been wonderful hosts, starting with each visitor having a designated, named locker awaiting them on their arrival.  The welcome will have been warm and the hospitality unparalleled with the craic mighty and the competition keen.  I have no doubt the players in the WITC will continue to uphold the ideals in their mission statement, namely to bring women together “to share their passion for golf and to enjoy serious competition, and relish the joys of friendships made through the game of golf”.  With all the fracturing going on in the world we could do with more of this.

Turning my eyes south and towards next week there is a wonderful festival of golf about to take place at my own club, Delamere Forest in Cheshire, namely the England Golf County Finals.  The best counties  have earned the right to compete there, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire (their 9th consecutive appearance in the finals), Surrey, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and ever present Yorkshire. One of the Norfolk players, Tiffany Mills, is acting as an assistant greenkeeper at the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles and will have a mad dash to Cheshire on the Sunday night to tee it up for her county on the Monday morning!  The teams will play each other on a round robin basis and the victors will be crowned National Women’s County Champions for 2019.

The club has been a veritable hive of activity for weeks now with all hands to the pumps, but I must make special mention of Andy Ralphs, our head greenkeeper and his team.  The course looks sublime and the greens are superb.  I’m sure the players will really enjoy and appreciate all their hard work, as do we on a weekly basis.

I hope the Solheim Cup inspires you and if you’re in the vicinity of Delamere from 16th to 20th September, please drop in.  A great course, a warm welcome and some fierce, competitive golf await.

Life throws up a few unexpected surprises now and again and that was the case this past week.  I received a call asking me to go over to my home town of Portstewart to do a little bit of filming for a Northern Ireland Tourist Board documentary that will be coming out next spring.  Obviously there are tons of attractions that hook in the visitors to Norn Iron but golf is, predictably, a big part of it all and the brief included a retrospective look at the Open Championship.

As I was winging my way on my orange-and-white-liveried flight from Liverpool into Belfast I was thanking my lucky stars that everything was up to time.  I was on a tight schedule to pick up a hire car and get down to Portstewart strand where the rest of the crew would be waiting for me.  Hold on, I thought, as I looked out the window and saw we were coming in to land at Aldergrove – I’ve not brought my driving licence with me.  I’d changed handbags, as you do, and my licence was residing in my bag at home.  So, after four decades of being a seasoned traveller here was a real rookie error.  I knew a passport wouldn’t cut it and that, essentially, no driving license meant no hire car.

So, in a nanosecond, an easy, enjoyable trip suddenly acquired high stress levels because of my own oversight.  I hot-footed it to the car hire desk and was more than a little gratified to discover that one phone call to the DVLA would sort it all out and I was assured that “this happens every single day”.  Phew!

As I waited for everything to be processed I had time to cast my eye around the airport.  On my last visit in April I had grumbled profusely about the state of the place, so it behoves me now to say how pleasantly surprised I was to see it spruced up, a lot cleaner and a great deal more welcoming.  It obviously had nothing to do with me but a hearty well done to all concerned.

It was more than a little strange for me to find myself an hour later down on the beach at Portstewart in Harry’s Shack, one of a growing band of eating establishments acquiring a sound reputation.  The last time I’d stood in that building was more than fifty years ago and Mum and Dad were buying me a bucket and spade, a plastic windmill and a 99 cone.  If only they could see it now!  A bustling, beach bistro reminiscent of the Riviera with the sun making an appearance and periodically splitting the skies.  What a great way to spend a Monday!

My colleagues for this round table discussion were producer and presenter Graham Little, of NPE Media Ltd; Wendy Gallagher of Causeway Coast Foodie Tours; and long-time friend, fount of knowledge of all things golf and esteemed broadcaster,Shane O’Donoghue.  Harry’s Shack served us a delicious lunch – we all chose different seafood dishes – and the weather played ball as regards the filming.  It was great food and great company and gratifying to learn of the positive drive and enthusiasm being harnessed in order to continue bringing visitors in to this wee corner of the world.  It’s nice to be in the news for the right reasons after so many decades of making the news headlines for the wrong ones.

The following day I had the opportunity for a quick catch-up with Michael Moss, former secretary manager of Portstewart Golf Club, now retired and masquerading off a 13 handicap when he was off four a blink of an eye ago.  He joined forces a couple of years ago with Peter and Jackie Alliss in their continued quest to raise funding in order to present wheelchairs to disabled children during the Open Championship.  This year there were three proud recipients and this will have been life-changing for them all.  Congrats to Peter and Jackie for such a sustained, long-term, personal effort.

On my way back to the airport at the end of my whirlwind trip I was interested to see some yellow AA signs appertaining to the Open still in place.  There weren’t many, just a few, but these were superseded by a plethora of new yellow AA signs for this week’s ISPS Handa World Invitational taking place at Galgorm Castle and Massereene Golf Clubs and backed by Niall Horan’s Modest! Golf management company.  This event sees men and women competing on the two courses over four days for equal prize funds.  It’s impressive to realise that the success of the Open a mere four to five weeks ago does not mean it’s time to rest on our laurels.  There’s much to be proud of on this island of ours.

A final postscript, which I know many of you will enjoy – a picture of my latest Irish discovery.

Unfortunately, it can only be bought in Ireland and I was unable to bring any home as I was travelling with hand luggage only.  Next time……

 

The golf season has a different rhythm this year – and if it is noticeable to me, a somewhat part-time member of the media, it certainly will be noticeable to the top male players also.  The principal reason for this is the change of date of the PGA Championship from August to May, which basically means the men have one major a month from April to July.  So, for me, it feels as if the passport is in constant use and lots of other, more home-base commitments are squashed into little slithers of time.  It is also the season of speaking at lunches, dinners and celebrations of one sort or another.

A couple of days ago I was at the delightful Shifnal Golf Club, nestled in deepest Shropshire, invited there by longstanding friend and erstwhile pupil of mine, Jackie Taylor.  The great thing about golf is that it doesn’t actually matter how long it is since you have seen someone, the connections remain strong and it is oh-so-easy to pick up from where you left off.  And so it was with Jackie.

The ladies’ section, under the stewardship of captain Shirley Mathews, was running a charity coffee morning, raffle and lunch (at which Yours Truly was speaking) in aid of Parkinsons UK and Alison Knott, regional fundraiser, was on hand to help co-ordinate everything and educate us all in the important work the charity does.  The morning raised quite a bit north of £1000, a terrific effort from all involved and will provide an injection of cash for this very worthy cause.

This time last week I was back in Norn Iron, at Newcastle, for a fixture that has been in my diary for well over two years – the 125th anniversary celebrations of Royal County Down Ladies’ Golf Club.  It wasn’t the greatest start to the weekend when my Easyjet flight from Liverpool to Belfast International unloaded the already boarded passengers and sent them all back to the terminal building.  The reason – no captain!  Thank God they noticed.  An hour later, however, we were on our way and I was met at the airport by the indefatigable honorary secretary of the club, Kathleen Calvert.

I must digress here to say that it’s a wee while since I flew into Aldergrove and to say I was appalled at the state of the airport would not be an exaggeration.  It was dirty and unwelcoming with an unpleasant aroma in the background.  I looked around for the expected welcoming posters and banners proclaiming the arrival of the Open Championship in a matter of weeks –  there was nothing, absolutely nothing.  I tried to see the place through the eyes of visiting golf fans, players, their families and the International press.  It didn’t make for a pretty picture and unless something is done, and quickly, we can expect to be embarrassed and ashamed in equal measure.  You only get one go at making a first impression.

That disappointment was swept aside by the welcome I received from all at RCDLGC.  A lovely catch-up dinner that evening at the home of captain Christine Crockett set the tone.  We played on the same Ulster teams together back in the day and once again the years just dropped away and we quickly bridged the decades of non-contact.

In this part of the world nothing is done by halves and the following morning Storm Hannah arrived.  The weather was so vile – torrential wind and rain – that the course was closed and we couldn’t even start the planned five-a-side, one-club competition.  Secretary Kathleen came to the rescue with a five-part quiz which tested our golfing (and other) knowledge to the limits.  It was a salutary lesson to get so many of the rules questions wrong.  Mutterings all round the room could be heard:  “Is that the old rule or the new one….?”  More golf chat, with a few tips thrown in, was rounded off with a tasty lunch and the morning was a success despite being confined solely to indoor activities.

 

The dinner was a triumph but the undoubted highlight of the evening was the singing chef who came to serenade us all at the end.  I had forgotten how, in Irish clubs, there’s always the chance of a sing-song at the drop of a hat.  Throw in an unexpectedly sedentary day (no golf) and even the oldest members were soon up on their feet throwing a few moves.

I must give special mention here to Bunny MacGreevy who has been brilliant in providing the above photographs from the evening.  There is one of mine (below) which may surprise her, however.

Later, as I crawled into bed at 3am my first thought was, “Now THAT was a good day!”  My second was, “I’m out of training.”  My third was, “Thank God Easyjet found a captain.”

Only one question remains – “Who’s going to sort the airport?”

Normally the week leading up to the Open Championship is a very enjoyable one for me – golf watching usually comes high on the list, all in the name of research.  This week it’s been a little different.  Hours in an overcrowded, hot, fracture clinic full of short-tempered people, followed by the news that my nearest and dearest’s elbow surgery is not to take place for another three days.  And then, agonisingly, news that the op won’t be happening today after all because it’s all hands to a more complex case.  Ah well, at least I’ve had ample time to write this week’s blog in waiting rooms, sorry, waiting corridors, in between appointments of one sort and the other.

My first visit to Carnoustie was in the spring of 1999 when I went to play the course with Lawrence Farmer, redoubtable coach and mentor and my late brother-in-law, Dai Davies, golf correspondent of The Guardian.  Ah, those were the days when there were newspapers and they actually had correspondents!  It was one of the few courses on the Open rota that I hadn’t played and as I was going to be part of Radio Five Live’s Open coverage that July I wanted to see for myself why it was hailed as the most difficult test of all.  We teed it up on a pet of a day and the three of us set off.  Dai found the greenside bunker on the right at the 1st, a devilish pot bunker from which he found it difficult to extricate himself never mind the ball.  When he did emerge from the bunker, he discovered to his horror  – and our amusement – that he had split his trousers from stem to stern and a speedy return to the clubhouse was required to effect a repair.  (The weather was so lovely none of us had any waterproof trousers with us.)  So, Lawrence and I continued on our way and the full majesty of Carnoustie unrolled before us.

Dai rejoined us after a few holes and the three of us arrived at the 16th tee facing the hardest trio of finishing holes in the game.  I always feel when you emerge onto the 16th tee at Carnoustie, it’s like a marathon runner entering the Olympic arena for the last couple of laps.  What an amphitheatre!  You are within sight of the finishing line but there are many tests to be faced in the final moments before victory can be claimed.  As a spectator it is possible to position yourself in one spot and watch the denouement of the Championship unfold around you without moving.  And, rather unusually, the combatants themselves can actually see the shots hit by players in the groups around them.  It’s all right there in front of you – no hiding place.

And there was certainly no hiding place a few months later for Jean Van de Velde who came to the 18th tee needing “only” a double bogey 6 to win the Claret Jug.  I had been out with Justin Leonard in the last round and when he finished the 17th hole I hopped over the wall at the 18th tee and went to our HQ in the adjacent TV compound.  Two of our team were in the commentary box overlooking the final green so our work was done after 17 holes.  As is the way with these things, once your duties are over you can scarper and most of the guys had already left, trying to get ahead of the Open traffic that would shortly be streaming out of Carnoustie.  Alan Green and I were the only two who stayed and we had our little portacabin to ourselves as we settled down to watch the Frenchman’s triumphant progress down the last.  We watched with a mixture of horror and disbelief as the events of that final hole unfolded and ultimately Van de Velde made a good up and down from the bunker for a seven and a place in the play-off with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard.

With that came the realisation that we would be continuing on air for the four-hole play-off and we had nowhere near enough commentators to cover the climax of the Open.  Who was going to tell the producer who was locked away in his studio directing the broadcast?  Alan or me?  We were the only ones on site who knew the situation.  At that point, through our headsets, we were given our duties and were told the players were already heading to the 1st tee.  At that moment there was a roaring of engines as several cars raced into the compound.  The troops had returned!  Listening disbelievingly to our own broadcast as they whizzed down the road they deduced that a play-off was looking likely and got back just in the nick of time.  The producer never knew and the Five Live crew moved seamlessly on.  But it was a close run thing!

The next time we were back at Carnoustie, in 2007,  I was working for television and boy, was it a good Open for the Irish!  There was another four-hole play-off with Padraig Harrington getting the better of Sergio and a youngster with a mop of curly hair won the low amateur honours.  It was Rory McIlroy’s last Open before turning pro and he opened the week with a 68, Thursday’s only bogey-free round.  He finished the week volunteering to mind the Harrington’s young son, Patrick, so that mum Caroline could walk the four holes of the play-off with her husband.  During that play-off Paul McGinley trotted round in support of his fellow Irishman and alongside him strolled Miguel Angel Jimenez, Cuban cigar clamped between his teeth, in support of Sergio.  It was the first time I can recall other players following golf out on the course.

So, what lies in wait for my third Open at Carnoustie?  Undoubtedly, the course will be a triumph and the weather looks set fair.  Nine out of the last eleven major winners have been first timers – I wonder will that trend continue?  Will Tiger challenge or is his time gone?  How will Phil be received after his rules performance at the US Open?  Will Rory rediscover his putting form or is Sergio due a little revenge for that play-off loss back in 2007?  So many twists and turns will unfold before we know the answers and I predict another great Open at a truly great venue.