Sam Torrance Golf Day

On Monday, Connoisseur Golf were invited to take part in The Sam Torrance Golf Day at The Fairmont St Andrews. A fun and memorable day seemed to be had by all 72 competitors. This was the first tournament to be staged on the new and improved Torrance Course - which is next year hosting final qualifying for the 2010 Open Championship.

I always felt that the old Torrance was an under-rated golf course. But the new changes, most notably the addition of 59 new bunkers, have transformed this layout into one of the premier venues in the St Andrews area. They have also re-routed the course, and the modifications have been a huge success. We played from the whites, and it felt demanding to say the least. But when the pro's tee it up next July in an attempt to qualify for The Old Course, the back tees will provide an even more severe examination of their skills. Unlike many of the other championship courses in St Andrews, The Torrance puts a premium on hitting fairways. If you're not driving the ball well then you better hope your golf bag is packed full of Titleists. After a few wayward drives, I realised mine was not, and I became very thankful for the sleeve of balls which came in the welcome pack earlier that day.

The course is tough, but exciting at the same time. The par fives are definitely open to birdies, and there are a couple of really good short par fours that give risk-reward options from the tee. These are joined by a series of long demanding par fours and a great set of short holes.

On the seventh, a 168 yard par three, we were greeted on the tee by former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance. He offered us a cold beer and we had a chat about the changes to his new course. Perhaps this little refreshment was just what the doctor ordered, because in a closest-to-the-hole challenge my seven-iron never left the pin and for a brief heart-stopping moment I thought it was about to drop in the hole. Sam hit a nice high fade with a six-iron to 20 feet, but it wasn't enough and I walked away from the day with a signed ball and a rather tasty bottle of Laurent-Perrier. I'm still convinced I could've been a multiple major winner if the governing bodies allowed alcohol on the course!

The day was capped off with a wonderful buffet and barbecue at the clubhouse. The resort GM, Charles Head, was at our table and it was very refreshing to hear a hotel boss talking with a genuine love for golf. He sees the Fairmont St Andrews as one of the premier golfing destinations in Scotland, and after my round on the new course I had no reason to disagree. Not only is The Fairmont a perfect base for playing the top major championship courses in the east of Scotland, but now it also has a layout on-site that merits a place in this most esteemed of categories.

Head of Golf & Leisure Sales, Graeme Dawson, can be congratulated for organising an extremely impressive day of hospitality (even if it was a little depressing to hear he had come out of golfing retirement to post a one-under par 71...). The Fairmont is the ideal venue to host a large corporate golf outing. Logistically and financially, it is definitely the most impressive product in Scotland, and I for one look forward to promoting it amongst my clients for many years to come.