Blair golfers hook-up with Crail

Jan 28 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Blair golfers hook-up with Crail

BLAIRGOWRIE golfers in cold storage are being given a chance to tee-up golf at the famous Crail links on the Fife coast.

While the famous Lansdowne and Rosemount courses are no-go zones in the aftermath of the worst winter weather in living memory, yesterday managing secretary Douglas Cleeton had some news to warm the heart of members missing their golfing fix.

For the first time, Blairgowrie Golf Club has agreed a reciprocal arrangement with a Scottish club.

And that has paved the way for Blair members to enjoy rounds at Crail, which is the world’s seventh oldest golf club. Old Tom Morris created the first nine at Balcomie in the late 19th Century and the modern Craighead Links is also highly rated.

The East Perthshire club has similar arrangements with clubs in Australia, South Africa and Hong Kong but is now experimenting with a hook-up on the domestic scene.

Douglas said: “Following a meeting with Crail representatives it has been agreed that up to eight members can book midweek times – two tee-times a day – and play on the courses free of charge year-round. It provides added value for our membership and it is sure to prove popular, especially with the coast tending to escape the worst of the winter weather.

Douglas is fast approaching the end of his first year at the helm and he laughed: “I came in during the worst ever winter – and now it is being followed by another record breaker! Let’s just say it has presented challenges.”

Blairgowrie Golf Club, with 1200 full members, is the biggest in Perth and Kinross but the waiting time has been trimmed in recent years.

This season, Lansdowne will host The Scottish Amateur Stroke-Play Championships from May 27-29 and a PGA Sprint Series event on June 27, when a £5,000 pot is teed-up for Tartan Tour and other pros.

But right now, that’s a long way off for Douglas and the 15-strong green-keeping team.

He said: “There is still ice and snow across the courses. It is lingering longer than ever before. Head greenkeepers Brian Scott, Craig Stewart and Bruce McLaren and their team are being pushed to the limit and there will be extensive snow and frost damage.

“But when the growing season begins there will be a rapid transformation and they have been digging out ice to lay the groundwork for projects out on the course. They have also been working around the clubhouse.”

To entice members to Blair during the prolonged cold snap, Douglas and pro Charles Dernie have cleared part of the driving range and a Huxley indoor putting surface has been rolled out to pose a challenge.

“We are doing everything we possibly can to keep our members occupied while we wait for a prolonged thaw,” he said. “We have fantastic facilities here for an annual membership subscription of £672.”

For details of joining, or visiting, see www.theblairgowriegolfclub.co.uk