The Turnberry Suite

Connoisseur Golf were delighted to accept an invitation on Friday evening to celebrate the launch of Turnberry's new flagship reception space - The Turnberry Suite.

With far reaching sea views, The Turnberry Suite is a unique gathering space where floor-to-ceiling windows open up to an extensive terrace - perfect for summer barbecues or evening drinks. With a capacity of 200 banquet-style, this fresh, spacious room is ideally suited for wedding receptions, corporate dinners and social events. The adjacent kitchen allows for full catering while staging and dance floor alike can be easily accommodated. With its location by The Spa at Turnberry, guests can have exclusive use of the 14 Spa bedrooms, perhaps for the wedding party or conference speakers.

The reception night itself was everything we have come to expect from Turnberry - lavish, professional, fun and delivered with an incredible attention to detail. Expertly prepared gin cocktails were on offer from the Hendricks bar, with the 'Ailsa Breeze' in particular going down a treat. The casual barbeque and finger buffet format worked perfectly for this particular occasion. The wide range of summery offerings included scallop ceviche, lemon sole, lamb cutlets, caesar salad and foie gras. Amongst the desserts, the tiramisu was a fine finish to a great evening of gourmet food.

It was a showcase of what can be achieved by hosting your event at Turnberry, and the reception only served to cement their place at the top of the very best five star establishments in Scotland. An exceptional evening!

Rathmore in full swing as McDowell wins US Open

As Graeme McDowell kept his composure coming down the stretch at Pebble Beach... Jim Blee, the barman at Rathmore Golf Club in Portrush, was busy chilling the champagne. That was of course in between all the Guinness, Bushmills, Gin, Vodka and Rum he was being asked to serve at an alarming rate by the club members...

This would be the mother of all parties. Graeme is idolized at Rathmore Golf Club, and rightly so. From the year he almost made a clean sweep of Irish amateur events, to representing GB&I in The Walker Cup, to winning his first professional tourney, to playing in The Ryder Cup... but a Major Championship? Was he destined to go down in history as the first European golfer to win the US Open in 40 years?

When Havret missed from eight feet at the last, Graeme knew he needed a five to win. Under normal circumstances he would've had a pop at the green in two, but this situation could not be remotely described as 'normal'. After laying up, an approach shot from 99 yards found the middle of the green and left him with the old chestnut of two putts to win. It was cool, controlled golf and decision-making from start to finish.

Back in Rathmore, the drink was going down quicker than it could be bought and poor old Jim was having to translate orders that were being delivered in a very broken, slurred form of the English language. Not that it mattered though because the sense of taste usually disappears around the same time as speech, balance and sight. The roar from this tiny golf club in Portrush may have been heard on the Monterey Peninsula itself.

Graeme was US Open champion, and it was great that his dad Kenny was there to share in the moment with him.  'You're something kid' was the line to his son, and who could disagree. I'm sure Rathmore will enjoy looking after that little silver trinket for the next twelve months, my only worry is that it may be returned to the USGA smelling a little of alcohol (cleaning products of course).

Oh and at Rathmore, the party is still going. It will most likely hit fifth gear when Graeme arrives with his new shiny toy. Does anyone know the number for the Guinness man?

CONGRATULATIONS GRAEME McDOWELL!

Fairmont right on cue

Some of snooker's top stars took part in the 2010 Scottish Snooker Golf Day held on 6th June in association with Connoisseur Golf and The Fairmont St Andrews. The Torrance Course, which will be used by The R&A as a final qualifying venue for The Open Championship, proved a huge hit with all the players. Marcus Campbell's team won the overall scramble event with Alan McManus' team coming in second. Three time world champion - John Higgins - showed a glimpse of his golfing prowess on the eighth hole by hitting his tee-shot to within inches of the cup and claiming the nearest-the-pin prize. Almost £2000 was raised for the development of junior snooker in Scotland, and a fantastic day was had by all who supported the event!

Scottish Snooker Golf Day

Sunday 6th June is your opportunity to play alongside some of the world's top snooker stars at The 2010 Scottish Snooker Golf Day. The event is being organised by Connoisseur Golf in association with Scottish Snooker and The 5* Fairmont St Andrews. Three times World Champion - John Higgins, Alan McManus, Graeme Dott and Marcus Campbell are among the confirmed entrants.

The format is a 4 man team Texas Scramble over the fabulous Torrance Course in St Andrews. This is one of the toughest and most beautiful links tests in Scotland, backed up by the fact that it plays host to Final Qualifying for The 2010 Open Championship.

The event also includes a two course lunch and the opportunity to bid in a silent auction consisting of snooker memorabilia and golfing merchandise. All proceeds from the day will be invested in junior snooker across Scotland.

To find out further information and details on how to enter, visit http://www.scottishsnookergolfday.com/

Inverlochy Castle

It takes something special to be a recipient of Travel and Leisure's 'Best European Hotel', but Inverlochy Castle is not your typical 5* accommodation.

Situated in the foothills of Ben Nevis, Inverlochy Castle is set against some of Scotland's most beautiful highland scenery. It was built in 1863, and ten years later hosted Queen Victoria, where she penned in her diary "I never saw a lovely or more romantic spot". The hotel boasts 17 wonderful individually styled rooms, and a Michelin Star restaurant.

The hotel's Rolls Royce parked adjacent to the main entrance immediately gives you a sense of the sophistication that is associated with Inverlochy. The warm personal welcome that follows is greatly appreciated, and your eyes begin to roam around the magnificent reception hall. The service is impeccable. On Sunday I dined with a couple of Connoisseur Golf clients in The Red Room, and it was without question one of the finest lunches I have experienced in Scotland. Looking out across the estate, the views were spectacular.

Although it may not be the most accessible address in Scotland, Inverlochy is worth every mile of the journey. It is the most serene and idyllic venue imaginable. This particular stretch of Scotland is not particularly blessed with world-renowned golf courses, but who cares.

Watson to play at St Andrews

Tom Watson has this week confirmed that he will be in St Andrews in July for the 150th staging of The Open Championship. Last year at Turnberry he came so close to becoming the oldest ever winner of The Claret Jug, but eventually lost in a play-off to fellow American Stewart Cink.

Watson is known as one of the all-time great wind and links players. He has won a staggering five Opens (four in Scotland), and almost made it 6 down on the Ayrshire coast last year. He has never won at St Andrews, and believes that his chances are a little slimer now that many of the holes on The Old Course have been lengthened. The 4th worries him in particular, because if it plays into the wind, he may not be able to reach the wide part of the fairway off the back tee. But if his game clicks into gear, he is still a wonderful ball-striker, and it would be great to see him involved come the back nine on Sunday.

One thing is for sure, there would be no more popular a champion at St Andrews than Tom Watson.

Caddies

The caddie fee in Scotland or Ireland is possibly a little higher than you would pay at your local country club (£60 GBP including tip is generally expected), but in return you will receive the advice which could define the overall enjoyment of your golf trip. Most of the top courses now have caddy programmes in place where only the best local caddies are bestowed on the visiting golfer. Some even impose exams and entrance criteria before admittance to the caddyshack is granted. It has become such a sought after profession by members of the local communities that the lazy and those without a keen golfing brain need not apply. The window of the caddyshack at St Andrews displays a large number which signifies the number of caddies sent out on that particular day. Demand is such that during the summer months, this number often reaches the 100 mark by lunchtime.

In the nearby bars, you will always hear the conversations of 'who is the best caddie in town'. In my experience, the true contenders never seem to enter these fiercely contested debates. Their slightly more reticent retort usually goes along the lines of, "...I've been walking this course for 40 years, but I'm still learning new things every day...". However, as a general rule across the links courses, you are more likely to receive one of the better caddies through a morning tee-time. An earlier start (and more importantly, an earlier finish) seems to be the reward for climbing the caddiemaster's ranking list.

There are some courses where I would say taking a caddie is almost compulsory. Not because the club force it upon you, but because of the difficulty of the course. Take Royal County Down for example. Even a scratch handicapper would have no chance of breaking 80 round here on his debut without the help of a caddie. Blind tee-shots, hidden bunkers, and severely sloping greens are something that a newcomer cannot overcome without the aid of some local knowledge. Another great example is the 12th hole on the Old Course at St Andrews. From the tee it looks like a wide open fairway. But the contours cleverly disguise half a dozen nasty bunkers that can easily turn a 4 into a 7.

But a caddie is so much more than a directional aid. Aside from reading greens, his most important job is course management. This is where a caddie can really set about lowering his employer's score. A great example of this is on the 14th of The Old Course. Many golfers go straight for the green with their second shot on this par 5 hole, without realising they are attempting a 200+ yard carry over the unseen Hell Bunker. Unless the caddie feels this shot is well within the golfer's capabilities, he will often suggest a lay-up down the 5th fairway. This leaves a longer approach, but it takes Hell Bunker out of the equation and provides the best angle into the green.

Although the stereotypical image of the drunk and dishevelled caddie is slowly changing, you only have to look to a request made by Old Tom Morris in 1864 asking for caddies to "...appear clean and moderately sober..." to realise that some things will never completely change.