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Stuart is currently Performance Coach with the women and girls’ squads, and returns to a leadership role, previously held in 2018.

“I can’t wait to get started in the new role to help develop and enhance the environment and opportunity for all golfers in Scotland. The vision that Scottish Golf has for the future is something I am proud to be part of and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that there is a fantastic pathway for golf for all.”- Stuart Clayton

Stuart is a PGA Fellow professional with over 25 years’ experience around the globe coaching golfers and developing coaches. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to further enhance the performance pathway for all golfers. His professional journey started in 1995 and he has since gone on to work with players of all levels from Major winners, Collegiate players, amateurs and beginners across Europe, Asia, USA and (most recently) Scotland. Stuart has mentored and trained over 75 coaches around the world, helping them refine their own coaching skills and helping Federations such as Spain and Egypt develop their education and training programmes. In 2020 Stuart was recognised by Golf Digest as a Top 75 International Teacher.

“To have someone of Stuart’s calibre and experience coming into this newly-created role is a real bonus. The role deliberately extends beyond the performance programme, and as such, Stuart will have the opportunity to engage with the wider membership – and other key stakeholders – to develop a more cohesive pathway and increase opportunities for all ages and abilities to engage in the great game of golf in Scotland.”- Karin Sharp, Chief Operating Officer

Joining Stuart in the performance team will be Rachel Knight as Performance Programme Manager, a key performance-focused role within Scottish Golf.

Rachel’s passion for golf began in Cardiff, Wales. As an amateur she won the Welsh Girls’ Championship (2010), which secured her a place in the performance programme for the Welsh Golf Union.

In 2014, Rachel graduated from Nova Southeastern University, Florida, with a Bachelors in Psychology, where she attended on an American golf scholarship. It was here Rachel was awarded the 2013 Sportsmanship Award for her positive and enthusiastic personality: the first nominee in the history of the award to be submitted by a competing institution.

Fuelled by her passion to provide others with the opportunities to get into golf, Rachel returned to the UK and turned professional after representing Wales in the Ladies Home International Matches. She began her PGA training while based at the Vale Resort and four years later, after running a successful junior program, Rachel accepted a position at St Andrews Links and moved to Scotland.

At the Home of Golf, Rachel became an experienced operational specialist for the Academy, also taking on the role of the Coordinator for St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) – a program that dedicates itself to providing golf opportunities to children who reside in St Andrews.

“I am delighted to join the Scottish Golf Team. The vision and dedication that the team has inspires me to help develop winning golfers through implementing a world class performance programme.” – Rachel Knight

 www.scottishgolf.org

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Alexander MacKenzie ( 1870 to 1934) Was born in England, but his parents were Scottish and the family holidayed every year close to where his father was raised the traditional Clan MacKenzie lands of Sutherland.

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The first-ever virtual Scottish Golf Show promises to be a real feast for golf fans with loads to see and do on 27th – Sunday 28th February. The event runs from 11 am to 6 pm each day with a golf packed schedule for each day and the full weekend is FREE to attend.

With no ability to stage our regular event at the SEC in Glasgow due to Covid-19, this virtual first, free for anyone to attend anywhere in the world, will give visitors the chance to hear directly from some of the leading names in golf. Colin Montgomerie, Greg Norman, Stephen Gallacher, Catriona Matthew and Gary Player have all confirmed and will be joined by many more already announced.

Get a free golf experience

Don’t forget to join in in our very own Scottish Golf Show leaderboard game. Get points for visiting virtual booths and chatting with exhibitors. The more points you rack up, the more prizes you could easily win, including:

• a FREE £5 voucher to spend at Affordable Golf
• a FREE £25 money off voucher for bunkered Golf Breaks
• a FREE round of golf at a top Scottish golf course

Our online show auditorium, meanwhile, is the place to see and hear from those big-name players and celebrities from the world of golf. It will play host to interactive chats, interviews and even golf tuition from the IMG golf academy in Florida throughout the show. You’ll even be able to pick up tips from Sky Sports Golf’s, Claude Harmon coach of current world number 1, Dustin Johnson!

So, whether you want to hear about the latest equipment releases from the biggest brands in golf or chat with someone about that next golfing holiday, the virtual Scottish Golf Show is the place to be this weekend.

For full details, Sign up now and be part of this amazing weekend of golf!

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Renowned as a true test of Scottish links golf and located close to Inverness, Nairn has undergone a major two-year course redevelopment that has elevated its already lofty reputation as one of the best courses in the country. And golfers can now enjoy the full ‘Nairn Experience’ for themselves for the discounted fourball price of £380.

Available from April 1st, the offer represents the perfect opportunity for golfers to enjoy a golf break without the difficulties currently associated with foreign travel. The special rate is fully refundable if circumstances mean that golfers are unable to travel.

“We are delighted with the results from the two-year remodelling of our Championship Course and we want to make sure that Nairn is accessible as possible, even in these unprecedented times,” commented Colin Sinclair, Chief Executive of The Nairn Golf Club.

“There are understandable difficulties with foreign travel at present, so our special fourball rate means that golfers can still enjoy a golf break while experiencing everything that our club has to offer, including the wonderful highland hospitality.”

Investing £900,000 into the course remodelling project, Nairn enlisted the expertise of world leading golf course architects, Mackenzie and Ebert, who made significant alterations to the layout of the course, making it a tougher test for elite players while still offering an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for golfers of all abilities. 

“The Championship Course has always been synonymous with quality putting surfaces and incredible views of the Moray Firth, but now we have a course that will ask many questions of the elite golfer and at the same time offer a fun experience for the higher handicapper,” added Sinclair.

Investment in the project totalled close to £900,000, with Mackenzie and Ebert tasked with elevating the course offering, while at the same time reflecting the ethos and history of the club. 

The architects recommended a move away from revetted bunkers on the fairways to a more naturalised style so that the fairway hazards would be less daunting. 

The project also included the decision to move the bunkers up and in to make Nairn a much tougher driving test for the game’s elite players, allowing it to continue to host major events such as the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup which it staged in 1999 and 2012, respectively and this years Amateur Championship in June.

Additionally, the course now boasts three new greens and 13 remodelled green surrounds. A total of 39 rough-edged fairway bunkers have been installed and 27 greenside bunkers remodelled and revetted, while a selection of remote bunkers have also been removed.

Along with three relocated teeing complexes at the 2nd, 7th and 8th holes, there were a further 11 tees added to give the course a variety of yardages for players of all standards. Open sand areas have also been introduced at various parts of the course to incorporate biodiversity with the natural environment.

Commenting on the project, Tom Mackenzie said: “The course at Nairn has long been a respected tournament venue, and rightly so. 

“However, when we first visited, all was not quite right, and a survey of the members highlighted how tough the course was for the shortest players. At the other end of the game, everyone knows the how much the longest players have benefited from technological and swing advances. 

“Our study recommended that the shortest players needed to be looked after better, so we added forward tees, shortened carries and removed some steep, deep bunkers that only hampered the less strong.

“It is tricky to find the right balance, but we are confident that we have found it,” added Mackenzie. “New greens on the 1st, 7th and 14th holes also help to make the most of the wonderful views.”

Nairn consists of the renovated 18-hole Championship Course, a 9-hole Cameron Course, a traditional clubhouse and well-equipped practice facilities.

To find out more about the club, visit www.nairngolfclub.co.uk/

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Golf courses across the UK have been told they must close immediately after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown last night. Picture by ANDY HISEMAN

GOLF clubs have been told they must close with immediate effect after the UK Government announced a complete national lockdown on Monday night.

Golf clubs, golf facilities – both indoor and outdoor – and driving ranges will be required to close during the new full lockdown. Coaching will not be permitted the government has confirmed.

Golf retailers will be able to operate a click-and-collect service where goods are pre-ordered, and either collected off the premises – or delivered.

England Golf  – as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf, along with other leading industry bodies – said today it was extremely disappointed by the news.

The group has made a strong case in recent months to keep golf open during the national lockdowns – and under the regional tier system introduced in the autumn.

An England Golf spokesman said: “It is with great regret that we share this news with you.

“But please be assured we will continue to make the case for golf to reopen whenever possible.

“England Golf’s website and social channels are being updated regularly, and we will communicate any new information as soon as it is available.” the spokesman added.

Full UK government guidance and details of the national lockdown in England can be found here.

The first lockdown which forced the UK’s near 2,000 golf clubs was announced at the end of March.

Clubs in England were allowed to re-open with certain restrictions in place, while clubs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland came back into play at later dates after the devolved governments in the Home Nations managed their restrictions differently.

*The All Party Parliamentary Group for Golf (APPGG) consists of MPs and Peers from any political party working with industry bodies during the COVID-19 crisis.

The group is chaired by North Warwickshire MP Craig Tracey. The industry is represented by: American Golf; The Belfry; British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGA); British Golf Industry Association; England Golf; Golf Club Managers’ Association; Golf Ireland; Golfing Union of Ireland; Irish Ladies’ Golf Union; IMG; Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA); Ping; The R&A; Scottish Golf; Syngenta; UK Golf Federation; Wales Golf.

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Royal Troon will welcome back the Open Championship in 2024 the R&A has announced today, having originally awarded the 2032 Major Championship to the Ayrshire links course

ROYAL Troon will miss out on plans to host the 151st Open Championship 100 years after the famous Ayrshire club first staged the world’s oldest Major championship.

The R&A announced in February that Royal Troon was to host the 152nd Open to mark the historic centenary – but the subsequent cancellation of the 149th Open at Royal St George’s in July has forced the game’s ruling body into a rethink.

With the 150th Open Championship originally due to be held at St Andrews in 2021, the R&A has decided to push its rota back by a year in each case of the venues already announced.

So with Sandwich set to stage The Open in July 2021, and preparations for the Home of Golf to welcome the world’s best players to St Andrews now being readied for 2022, Hoylake will host the event in 2023.

The R&A confirmed today that The 151^st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool, from July 20-23, in 2023, while The 152^nd Open will be played at Royal Troon from 14-21 July 18-21, in 2024.

The famous Claret Jug will be contested at the Kent links from July 15-18, in 2021.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said, “We have been working closely with Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon – and the relevant local agencies – to reschedule the championships.

“We are grateful to everyone involved at the clubs and at our partner organisations for supporting our plans and showing flexibility to adapt their own schedules.

“We can now look forward to seeing the world’s best players competing at these outstanding links courses in 2023 and 2024.”

Royal Liverpool captain Michael Johnson said: “Without doubt the golfing world greatly anticipates the return of The Open after the hiatus of 2020, and Royal Liverpool Golf Club is delighted to fit into the revised schedule alongside our friends at Royal Troon.

“We must thank The R&A for its continued support and look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators alike to Hoylake in 2023.”

Royal Troon captain Desmond Bancewicz said: “Following the most unusual circumstances this year, affecting all our lives, Royal Troon Golf Club looks forward with eager anticipation in hosting The Open in 2024 for a 10th time – and sends their very best wishes to The R&A and Royal St George’s Golf Club for 2021.”

The famous Postage Stamp hole at Royal Troon, the shortest par three on the Open rota.

Hoylake ready for ‘lucky’ 13th Open

ROYAL Liverpool will host The Open for a 13^th time in 2023 – the first time since Rory McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug at Hoylake in 2014.

That was also the last of the four Majors won by the former World No. 1 from Northern Ireland, who turned 30 last year and become a father for the first time at the end of August.

There was a 40-year gap between Argentinian Roberto de Vincenzo’s victory at Hoylake and Tiger Woods’ memorable Royal Liverpool win in 2006 – and his emotional celebration followng the death of his father Earl earlier that summer.

The Open will return to Royal Troon for the 10^th time following Henrik Stenson’s memorable final round duel with Phil Mickelson before claiming victory in 2016.

The first winner of The Open at Troon was Arthur Havers – the Norwich-born pro who was the club pro at Moor Park and Sandy Lodge in Hertfordshire, and Coombe Hill, in Surrey – as well as spells at West Lancashire and Frinton, in Essex.

Havers, who would go on to play in three of the first four Ryder Cups, as well as the first unofficial match at Wentworth in 1926, beat the USA’s defending champion Walter Hagen by a shot.

Future venues:–

• The 149^th Open will be played at Royal St George’s from July 15-18, 2021
• The 150^th Open will be played at St Andrews from July 14-17, 2022
• The 151^st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23, 2023
• The 152^nd Open will be played at Royal Troon July 18-21, 2024
  

  The 2023 Open Championship will return to Hoylake’s links on the Wirral. Royal Liverpool hosted the 2006 Open won by Tiger Woods, while Rory McIlory lifted the trophy in 2014. Picture by The R&A

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