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Brian_Ewen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Loch Lomond to play like a links
« on: April 26, 2005, 03:56:46 AM »
From Todays Scotsman :

Loch Lomond aims to develop feel of a links course

MIKE AITKEN

WHILE an increased prize fund of £2.4 million - the winner will take home a cheque for £400,000 - and a field expected to include three of the world’s top five in Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson are sure to enhance the latest staging of the Barclays Scottish Open from 7-10 July, organisers have also revealed long-term plans to turn Loch Lomond into more of a links-style course befitting the home of Scotland’s national championship.

Even Loch Lomond’s most ardent admirers would have to concede the texture of the course built on soggy ground is more like warm butter than frozen yoghurt. However, after years of sanding the fairways, work started last November on a new drainage system costing £750,000 which it’s hoped will switch the emphasis at Tom Weiskopf’s masterpiece from an American-style target golf course to a firmer and faster layout in the tradition of the Scottish linksland.

Ken Siems, the course superintendent at Loch Lomond, said yesterday: "Our biggest issue here is drainage and this year we’ve put in around 12,000 metres of drains, which are part of a 100,000 metres programme we’re looking to install over the next three years.

"We’re also still carrying out sanding work and eventually hope that Loch Lomond will almost play like a links. The only way we can do that here is with sand and drainage.

"If you don’t have excellent drainage then Mother Nature controls what you can do. Our aim is to control Mother Nature. In my opinion, most top parkland golf courses around the world now want firm and fast fairways. Here, we have to work harder to achieve that. Our goal is to have Loch Lomond play more like Dundonald. We believe it’s achievable, but will take time and a lot of money."

The latest programme of improvements at Loch Lomond are intriguing because there has been much speculation in recent years about switching the tournament in the week before the Open to the links owned by the club at Dundonald. However, if Loch Lomond itself plays more like a links would there be the same debate over switching venues?

The contract with Barclays Capital to sponsor the Scottish Open has another year to run after this summer and if a change in site is going to be considered, it won’t happen until 2007 at the earliest.

In the meantime, Keith Williams, the chief executive of Loch Lomond, has revealed that talks with the sponsors to discover if they wish to continue as backers of the championship will start this year.

"We hope to have discussions soon with Barclays about the future of the event," said Williams. "What we want to avoid is getting to next year’s event and finding we don’t have any time to deal with this important issue. Our understanding is that Barclays are also keen to start negotiations."

More immediately, as far as Loch Lomond is concerned, the world’s best players will notice a change at the par-3 eighth hole, where the green has been softened and extended to increase the number of pin positions. The key improvement in 2005, though, is on the 18th. A new championship tee has been built on this demanding closing hole which increases the length from 525 yards to 555. Perhaps more significant than added distance is a change in the angle of the tee, which means the player will now line up more towards the water.

As for the prize fund, there’s another £200,000 in the pot compared to last year and the winner’s reward rises by £33,340. Given the favourable dollar exchange rate, the Scottish Open is now approaching the $5 million mark on offer at the leading US Tour events.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2005, 04:49:12 AM »
I will believe that when I see it, or when one of the players actually says it's playing like a links.  But there are limits to what artificial drainage can do.

moth

Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2005, 04:56:37 AM »
Without design and grading changes more like a dry or drier parkland course?

Would they not also need to change the grass mix for it to play like a links?
« Last Edit: April 26, 2005, 04:57:38 AM by Brett Mogg »

ForkaB

Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2005, 05:11:19 AM »
The phrase "pigs flying" comes to mind.

I thought they (Lyle A. and Co.) were going to try to move the venue to Dundonald?

Philip Gawith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2005, 05:14:48 AM »
Brian - I am a bit confused about the lengthening of the 18th from 525 to 555 yards. I was under the impression that it was a par 4. ??? By that token, either yardage looks a bit curious.

I also agree with Tom Doak - when a greenkeeper says something like "Our aim is to control Mother Nature" that is when I as a member would start to smell trouble!

Of course the ambition is laudable, and the course is fabulous, but it does feel like a recipe for potentially pouring a lot of money down the drainage system. ;)

David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2005, 08:40:58 AM »
All I can say is 'good luck.' I recall reading that Loch Lomond GC is located in one of th wettest micro-climates in central Scotland. If they can get that course playing firm & fast on a regular basis, that would indeed be a triumph of man over nature.

Brad Klein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2005, 08:43:55 AM »
A soil geologist/consultant, when asked to comment on the course, told the owners they put it on the wrong side of the Loch - on the rainy side, with nearly 90-inches of rain a year. The other side, less accessible to Glasgow, has about 1/3rd of that rain, I was told.

Good luck sand capping from here to the Sahara.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2005, 10:43:51 AM by Brad Klein »

jeffwarne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2005, 08:51:15 AM »
Wouldn't it be easier to move the tournament?
The clientele that I know that frequent Loch Lomond wouldn't like or appreciate true links course conditions(that's why they're members of Loch Lomond)

If the players and organizers want a venue "befitting the home of Scotland's national championship" they might try one of several hundred actual links courses located in the country. ;D
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

ForkaB

Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2005, 01:43:54 PM »
This is all about money.  Loch Lomond has the money and wants the exposure.  The European PGA wants the money and doesn't really care where they play their tournaments as long as condition #1 is fulfilled.  However......

Some players are rebelling at playing at a wet inland course the week before the Open, so this seems to be a PR attempt to stem that hole in the dike.

In an ideal world, they'd send the Scottish Open back to Carnoustie, where it sat proudly and rightly for a few years in the late 90's.......

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2005, 01:50:08 PM »
Wouldn't it be easier to move the tournament?
The clientele that I know that frequent Loch Lomond wouldn't like or appreciate true links course conditions(that's why they're members of Loch Lomond)

If the players and organizers want a venue "befitting the home of Scotland's national championship" they might try one of several hundred actual links courses located in the country. ;D

Jeff
the members at Loch Lomond ARE also members of a Links course. They bought the Dundonald course a year or two ago - and bunged a £10,000 levy on the members for the pleasure!!

FBD.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Sam Sikes

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Loch Lomond to play like a links
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2005, 06:46:08 PM »
I think enough sand and enough drainage can make a significant impact.  Through the winter at Kinloch they put in over 2 miles of drainage pipes in notably moist areas.  In addition they put down 800 tons of sand in the fairways.  The results have been remarkable.  Kinloch has been playing firmer and faster than ever considering the ridiculous amount of rain we had in February and March.  I talked to Pete Wendt, the super, about this and he said that this was the long term plan, specifically citing Sahalee, where "they have built up a sand base on the fairways of about 8 inches, and the fairways are hard as a rock".  Additionally, Sahalee gets about as much rain as any course in the country.  I haven't played Loch Lomond so I can't relate to it specifically, but it sounds like a plausible plan to me.  

100,000 meters, wow!!!

I can attest that Kinloch gets back to firm and fast in about three days of no rain, whereas it used to take at least 7, which is rare in Virginia in the summer.