New Chef at the Barceló Troon Marine Hotel

July 8, 2010June 14, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

The Barceló Troon Marine Hotel has appointed Robert MacGillvray as their new head chef in its Fairways Restaurant. It’s the first time in 42 years they’ve had to appoint someone to the position, so it’s bound to add an exciting and new aspect to the hotel’s restaurant. Kevin has been in the industry for 30 years and has a wealth of experience; having worked in some of Scotland’s best kitchens (including Lochgreen House and Ballathie House). He focuses on traditional Scottish flavours with a modern twist and has twice been voted Scottish Chef of the Year (2000 & 2002), as well as being the President of the ‘Federation of Chefs Scotland’…so it’s a move which can only be a good thing for the hotel.

The restaurant itself is in a spectacular location within the hotel; overlooking Royal Troon Golf Club, with great views over to the Isle of Arran; it’s the perfect place to enjoy the sunset and a fantastic evening meal after a day on one of the area’s great links courses. If you’d like to make a reservation in advance of your trip to Scotland, please don’t hesitate to contact your Golf Travel Specialist, who will be happy to do so.

By Keith Baird. Keith has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Prestwick, a great links experience

July 7, 2010June 14, 2010 Cameron Reid

Prestwick Golf Club is one of the most recognized names in the world of golf. A private members club founded in 1851 that become birthplace for the Open Championship when first played in 1860. Indeed this year marks the 150^th anniversary of the first championship being played and a members dinner is planned with past Open Champions in attendance to mark the occasion. A recent round over this wonderful links venue reinforced my belief that the members and club staff equally provide one of the friendliest visitor experiences you will encounter on a visit to Scotland. The Clubhouse is delightfully traditional and full of character with great memorabilia for those with a keen interest in the history of golf.

Prestwick is a course that needs to be played at least once in your life, it is traditional Scottish links and a monument to the game of golf. For the first time visitor a caddie is certainly recommended as there are a number of blind shots which without local knowledge you will struggle to pick the right line or club. The undulating greens are fast and true matching the curvaceous nature of the rolling fairways and despite a very hard winter in Scotland in excellent condition. Following a wonderful lunch, foursomes golf (alternate shot) was the order of play. A unique game that really tests you and the patience of your partner! On a dry chilly day with a stiff breeze blowing scoring was difficult. The only real highlight for our pairing was at the 8^th hole, a long testing par 4 at the far end of the course. A good drive chased over the hill between the fairway bunkers onto the flat leaving a mid iron to the green. The green was found following a good shot that deserved to chase up to the flag, but a soft bounce left a 30+ foot putt uphill, the long putt that followed disappeared into the can for a great birdie three!

For those with Prestwick on their schedule this year enjoy your day and if still in the planning stages be sure to include Prestwick as a must play. For further information this article in Links Magazine is a good read. Click here

A Day in St. Andrews

July 5, 2010July 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

I’m spending the day in St. Andrews today and the atmosphere around the town is fantastic. Everyone seems to be on a high with the Open Championship just around the corner. It’s a relatively calm day and about 60 degrees – but most importantly, it’s raining. Scotland has benefited from an extended period of nice weather and I believe the green staff at St. Andrews will be welcoming some rain. The course looks to be in great shape and will certainly be playing like a true links when the Championship kicks off in a couple of weeks. The tented village is almost complete, the grandstands are in place, and television camera stands are dotted around the course. Now we just need to sit tight and wait on the action unfolding.

Click here for the link to the live webcam on the Old Course.

By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

Ballyliffin to Introduce New Fairway Bunker

July 3, 2010June 10, 2010 Mhairi

Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Links course is to receive an upgrade on the bunkering to the right of the 13^th. The work is scheduled to be undertaken over two winters by the course’s own green staff (under the guidance of one the original architects, Pat Ruddy) and staff are keen to see the work reach completion by March of 2011. The aim is to fortify the course and improve the experience for golfers of all levels.

Open 2010 at St. Andrews

July 2, 2010 PerryGolf Staff

In just over 2 weeks time the Open Championship will once again return to the home of golf, and I personally cannot wait to attend. St. Andrews is a fantastic place to spend time during any summer, but when the Open is taking place there, the entire area explodes with excitement. Due to work commitments, I won’t be able to attend every day, but I do plan on being there for the past champions challenge and the 3^rd round at the very least. I’d say that this year’s championship promises to be more exciting than most as Tiger is no longer the dominant force that he once was and there are countless players at the top of their game. I still think he will feature on the leader board come Sunday…but he certainly won’t be winning by record margins like he has done in the past.

Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, and Paul Casey are the 3 Europeans that I am tipping to do well. As for the American hopefuls, I’d say that Phil Mickelson is the favorite. He always seems to be there or thereabouts in the majors these days and he’s also aiming to topple Tiger from the top of the world rankings. The Open is such a great championship and usually produces some sort of fairytale story; so maybe we’ll see an outsider take the title this year. Ben Curtis (2003) and Todd Hamilton (2004) would certainly fall into this category – so it can be done.

Regardless of who wins the Open in 2010, it is sure to be an exciting tournament and hopefully we will witness some more magic at St Andrews.

By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

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