St Andrew's Day

St Andrew's Day is celebrated on 30th November.

Andrew was said to have been a disciple of Jesus, and brother to Peter. He was a fisherman from the town of Galilee. On one of his missionary duties, he was reportedly crucified by the Romans at Patras in 69 AD. Apparently he did not feel worthy to have been put to death on the same cross as Jesus, and so asked to be bound to a different shape. This x-shaped frame is the one we see on the logo of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and also the white cross of The Saltire Flag.

In the fourth century, some of his remains were said to have been removed from a tomb in Constantinople to a Pictish settlement on the east coast of Scotland by Saint Rule. He was told in a dream to take the bones to the end of the earth for safe keeping, and this settlement went on to become known an St Andrews.

The colours of the Scottish Flag, or The Saltire, are known to have stemmed from a ninth century battle in East Lothian. The Scots were entrenched in a showdown with Northumbrians. The night before battle, St Andrews was said to have appeared in a vision to The High King of Alba. During the fighting the following day, a large cross-shaped cloud appeared in the sky, which encouraged the Scots - who eventually triumphed despite the fact they were outnumbered.

Today, St Andrew's Day is an opportunity to celebrate Scotland, it's culture and it's heritage. The 30th November is a day for bagpipes, thistles and haggis. It is also an opportunity to have a look around the clubhouse of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club which stands proud behind the 1st tee of The Old Course. Non-members are allowed in for a short visit of the club rooms and trophy room.

So although St Andrew himself had nothing to do with golf, his bones have named a town that has become almost as spiritual to golfers as the relics themselves were to the medieval religious pilgrims. Slainte Mhath!

The Torrance Course

If courses in Scotland were to be judged by scenery, course layout and quality of greens, then The Torrance Course at The 5* Fairmont Resort would be challenging for one of the top spots.

It may not share the history associated with one of it's close neighbours in the St Andrews area, but this is a serious contender among it's more contemporary peers. This was highlighted by it's selection to be one of the qualifying venues for The 2010 Open Championship at The Old Course. At 7230 yards, it's no pushover, and the scores at the Final Qualifying reflected this. Only a fifth of the players broke par over the 36 hole event, and Competition Standard Scratch was calculated at 75 (3 over par).

The Torrance also holds down a regular place on our screens each August when it hosts The Scottish Seniors Open sponsored by Cleveland Golf / Srixon. This year a four round total of -4 proved good enough for Barry Lane to capture the title.

The greens at The Torrance are magnificent. They run fast and true all 12 months of the year, but particularly in the summer season when they are undoubtedly amongst the best putting surfaces in Scotland. The course was re-routed a couple of years ago, and a multitude of Scottish revetted bunkers were added. It's a challenging but fair course from the tee. The par 5's are a classic blend of risk and reward, and the par 4's are an exciting mix of birdie opportunites and tight demanding holes.

It's definitely a course that should be added to any week long itinerary in Scotland. For corporate events, there is probably no better venue in Scotland. When you add a luxurious purpose built clubhouse to the adjacent 18 holes on The Kittocks Course (which is also a championship standard Fairmont course), you have all the ingredients for the perfect days golf.

Connoisseur Golf offer The Torrance Course and The Fairmont's 5* accommodation at preferred rates, and are also available to host corporate events of any size. For further details, visit our main website at http://www.connoisseurgolf.com/.

Drouthy Neebors, St Andrews

Many of our clients ask me where is the best bar and best place to eat is in St Andrews. The answer could well be under the same roof. Drouthy Neebors in St Andrews is owned by popular local golfer Kenneth Phillip, and is taking over as the place to be for a cold beer after your round on The Old Course.

He has created an atmosphere that attracts all three main components of the town - visiting golfers, locals and students. As with most of the main bars and restaurants in St Andrews it's standing room only during the major tournaments, but throughout the season Drouthy Neebors is one of the few bars that maintains a steady crowd. It's rare that you would walk in and not find yourself having a chat to the neighbouring table about how their golf went on that particular day.

Head chef Martin Reid has grabbed the town's attention with a reasonably priced menu boasting a selection of local dishes and themed specials, all created with locally sourced produce. Very popular among the golfing fraternity is his steakhouse offering. Here you can decide on the cut and weight of your steak, which is then chargrilled to your particular preference. Martin has previously worked as head chef at one of the prestigious golf clubs in St Andrews, and knows exactly what is needed by players, pre and post round.

Located under the ancient landmark of the Westport on South Street, Drouthy Neebors is only a few minutes walk from the course. After you sample one night here, I am sure it will soon become your local for the rest of your trip to The Auld Grey Toon.

White Tees at St Andrews

This was the first season that visiting golfers were permitted by The Links Trust to choose which tees they wished to play from. Any visitor could play from the white tees on The Jubilee, The New, The Eden and The Castle; while any single-figure handicapper could play from the whites on The Old Course.

Rangers had the authority to move golfers to the yellow tees should they lose their position on the course, but overall the new protocol seemed to work fine. One advantage of this new system was that wear was spread more evenly across the tee boxes, but most importantly it allowed golfers to experience more of The Old Course.

Playing it in excess of 7000 yards affords players more of the experience that a pro would encounter - i.e. having to avoid more bunkers from the tee, longer approach shots, and generally playing a tighter course. Some of the pin positions look a lot more tricky when you're standing with a four-iron in your hand!

For 2011 packages including guaranteed Old Course tee-times, contact us at info@connoisseurgolf.com.