Montrose – Medal Course

Montrose Golf Links has announced details of one of the largest investments ever made in the celebrated east coast course. Completed earlier this year, the new, far-reaching irrigation project will enable significant improvements to be made across the links and coincides with Montrose receiving the most comprehensive sustainability award in golf.

The new automated irrigation system addresses a swathe of issues that have affected the presentation of the course, which twice hosted Final Qualifying for the Open Championship. It replaces the previous system that had been in situ for more than 30 years and suffered from insufficient pressure, poor and uneven water coverage and limited irrigation options.

“The new irrigation system is a significant improvement on what we had before,” said Jason Boyd, PGA professional and operations manager at Montrose Golf Links. “It addresses a lot of on-course issues and will enable our greenkeeping team to present the 1562 course like never before. This is a massive investment that will have a huge impact on golf at Montrose.”

The introduction of the £100,000 irrigation system follows the renaming of the world’s fifth oldest golf course in 2018. More importantly, it will free up the Montrose greenkeepers to present the 450-year course to the highest possible standards.

“Because so much time was spent hand-watering greens, the new system will have a number of knock-on effects, especially for the greenkeepers,” explained Boyd. “The time released by the new system will now be spent improving greens, tees, fairways and approaches as well as focussing on smaller, detailed jobs that are so important.”

Although largely unaltered, the classic Scottish links at Montrose has been adapted and tweaked by the likes of Willie Park Jr, Old Tom Morris and Harry Colt. With a run of seven spectacular cliff-face holes, it has also become a destination course for many visitors to Scotland and is widely regarded as one of the country’s most natural links.

According to Darren McLaughlan, head greenkeeper at Montrose, the addition of the new irrigation system is hugely significant. “The need for a fully functioning irrigation system was overwhelming,” he says. “The new system will not only allow greenstaff to concentrate on course improvements while reducing disruption to play, it will also provide the foundation for producing true and consistent putting conditions and a more sustainable approach due to using less water.”

Towards the end of 2018, Montrose Golf Links was awarded the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) certificate – an accreditation the club had been working towards since 2007. Mike Wood, GEO accredited verifier, highlighted a number of key strengths during Montrose’s verification process. These included “committed ecological stewardship of an authentic setting of duneland topography and landcover, within which the high-quality playing surfaces harmoniously fit”.

McLaughlan, who has a wealth of links golf experience after holding the position of course manager at Machrihanish Golf Club, says the new irrigation system ties in perfectly with the new CEO certified status at Montrose. “We are committed to delivering a world-class golfing experience that is sympathetic to the surrounding environment and spectacular coastline,” he said. “Montrose is a special place full of history and outstanding golf holes. We want people to enjoy Montrose, but we want to achieve that responsibly. This latest investment in the infrastructure that supports the course will help us do just that.”

The Medal course was renamed The 1562 Course during the 2018 season and is the fifth oldest golf course in the world. It has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments including the World Hickory Open (2013); The Europro Tour (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and Final Qualifying for the Senior Open Championship held at Carnoustie (2016).

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Forfar Golf Club

Forfar Golf Club has confirmed it has engaged the services one of Scotland’s premier sport and leisure marketing agencies. As the fourth oldest 18-hole golf course in the world, this is the first time the club has brought in an agency to handle its promotional strategy marking a step-change in its 148-year history.

The agreement between Forfar Golf Club and The Word Association marks the start of initial preparatory stages for the club’s 150^th anniversary in 2021 which will coincide with the 150^th Open Championship at St Andrews. Covering communication, marketing and branding, the tie-up heralds a new era for one of the world’s oldest golf courses.

“Much of the attraction of Forfar is tied to its history and the championship course designed by Old Tom Morris, but the club also has important years ahead of it,” explained Forfar Golf Club’s managing secretary Stuart Wilson. “Bringing in The Word Association to help us tell our story is a game-changer. It represents a new approach for the club and an important step in reaffirming Forfar’s formative role in the development of golf.”

Wilson, who won the Amateur Championship at St Andrews as well as the coveted Silver Medal at The Open in 2004, played in The Masters in 2005 – the last time Tiger Woods triumphed at Augusta before his extraordinary 2019 win. Following his visit to Georgia, Wilson took the reins at Forfar Golf Club and has been there for 14 years. He says the new arrangement has already brought renewed focus and energy to the club.

“I’ve known Mark for a number of years,” he explained. “Last year we worked together on a separate project in the run-up to The Open at Carnoustie. We got chatting and it became apparent The Word Association could help us communicate Forfar’s incredible story to a broader audience. We’ve already discussed some exciting ideas and are working together on a new strategy. We’re looking forward to what happens next and collaborating during the build-up to our 150th centenary. It should be fun.”

The unique heathland course which is known for its unusual ‘rig-and-furrow’ topography and undulating fairways was initially laid out by Old Tom Morris with 13 of his greens remaining in their original positions today. The fact it was re-designed by five-times Open Champion James Braid in 1926 only adds to the aura around the club says Mark Alexander, founder of The Word Association.

“Forfar Golf Club is special not only because of the fantastic heathland course and the amazing environment surrounding it, but also because of the significance of the place in terms of the history of golf,” he noted. “We’ve already started working with Stuart and the team to present the club with consistency and integrity, but our job is also to create a buzz about the club so golfers from around the UK and further afield want to experience one of golf’s most important layouts.”

One of the leading marketing consultancies in the golf industry, The Word Association was formed by husband-and-wife team Mark and Yvonne Alexander who work with private clubs, golf resorts and tourism businesses as well as hotels and industry trade bodies. According to Alexander, the tie-up with Forfar Golf Club was a natural fit.

“As well as helping to develop its marketing collateral, branding and communication, the attraction of working with a club like Forfar is the fantastic stories waiting to be told,” he said. “Forfar played an important role in the development of golf. Its connection with Old Tom Morris, for example, is a key aspect we will be communicating. This is an exciting project that will help reaffirm Forfar’s position as a linchpin in the growth of the game. Watch this space!”

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Mark and Yvonne Alexander

While Scotland reflects on an extraordinary year of golf, one of the sport’s leading photographers has rounded off the season by receiving an unexpected honour. With a roster of work including course and lifestyle shoots as well as a high-profile tie-up with Sky Sports, Mark Alexander has ended the year on a high after a Scottish private resort named a golf hole after him.

Based in Fife, the award-winning photographer and journalist travels the world capturing golf courses and carrying out lifestyle photoshoots for clients and magazines. Over the last 18 months, however, Alexander has been commissioned to deliver projects closer to home, including imagery for a campaign for Carnoustie Country and multi-course project in Perthshire as well as writing articles about the host venue of this year’s Open Championship; Carnoustie Golf Links.

While researching one such story, Alexander visited Turin Castle near Forfar – a luxurious, five-star resort set within 20 acres of lawns and woodlands which recently added a short golf course to its impressive grounds. Owner Yvonne Corbett explained the addition had been requested by a guest but perfected by Alexander.

“One of our clients from California asked if we could create some golf holes, so we did. We like to react at Turin,” she added. “During Mark’s visit, he suggested adding a sixth hole as it would offer up the possibility of playing multiples of six, as golfers had done in the past. As he is one of the world’s leading golf course photographers, we thought it was a great idea and decided to name the ultimate hole after him. It turned out to be a great addition and our most challenging hole.”

Turin Castle

Turin Castle sleeps up to 20 guests in 10 large bedrooms all of which are fitted with Clive Christian furniture and accessories including three four-poster suites. “The castle has been beautifully restored and it is hard not to be impressed when you visit,” said Alexander, who has more than 20 years of experience in the media sector. “But having one of the new golf holes named after me was extraordinarily flattering. It’s an accolade not many photographers receive and certainly one I didn’t expect, but am delighted to accept.”

Earlier this year, Alexander completed a multi-course shoot in Perthshire to support an ambitious family orientated promotional campaign. “After rating him as one of the world’s leading golf photographers, I was delighted to commission Mark to photograph our golf courses for Golf Perthshire’s Family Golf initiative,” commented Allan Minto, project manager at Golf Perthshire. “We are using the images on our digital networks and as a result have already seen a significant increase in engagement and traffic visiting our website.”

One of the clubs to benefit from the initiative was the impressive Blairgowrie Golf Club which boasts two 18-hole championship courses and a nine-hole layout. “Mark was presented with a challenging brief and managed to produce simply stunning imagery of our courses,” said Steven Morgan, managing secretary at Blairgowrie.

Alexander had a chance to familiarize himself with some of the views in Perthshire a few years earlier while photographing the famous Gleneagles resort. As he explains, the Golf Perthshire shoot was an opportunity to return to one of Scotland’s most photogenic locations. “Perthshire has some wonderful courses set in stunning landscapes,” he said. “I had been commissioned to photograph the courses at Gleneagles a couple of years ago and through that assignment had developed an understanding of how magnificent Perthshire can be. Working with Allan and Golf Perthshire gave me the opportunity to explore the area and its courses in more depth, which did not disappoint.”

Carnoustie – Championship Course

Alexander reached a high point this summer when Sky Sports used his image of the 16^th hole at Carnoustie as the main holding graphic for the broadcaster’s week-long presentation of The Open. Although his images have graced many magazine covers, this commission brought his work to a mainstream audience. “It was particularly pleasing to work with Sky because they have access to a range of image providers, but opted to use my work as a linchpin in their programming,” he said. “I received a lot of messages from friends about that, which was great.”

The photographer, originally from St Andrews, had earlier marked the 10th anniversary of the golf, food and tourism marketing and PR agency that he established with his wife Yvonne. Now in its second decade and one of the sector’s leading marketing consultancies, Alexander noted The Word Association was set for more exciting times ahead.

“It has been a tremendous year culminating in the naming of the Turin Castle hole,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to work with some great clients helping them to tell their stories and strengthen their brands. It’s been busy, eventful and rewarding all at the same time. But Yvonne and I are always looking at ways to improve, and plans are already well advanced for next year which should be equally as busy.”

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