Paul Lawrie on Castle Stuart

[David_Tepper]

From today's Scotsman:

“I know everyone enjoyed Castle Stuart last year, despite the awful weather we had. I love the concept of the place, with minimal rough. There’s a lot of strategy on almost every hole, a bit like there is on the Old Course at St Andrews. Hitting the fairway is easy. But hitting the right part of the fairway, one that gives you a chance to get the next shot close to the hole, that is the difficult part. If we get some wind and the course is running it will be a proper links challenge. And links golf in its purest sense.

“Those watching this week should pay most attention to the shots we will be allowed to play around the greens. When there is long grass close to the putting surfaces, it takes almost all of the skill out of chipping and pitching. Anyone can grip a sand wedge tight and give the ball a bit of hit. That’s pointless, eliminates any skill and reduces everyone to the same level.

“So it is rough that only gives the poor chipper a chance. If you want to see the really skilled players separate themselves from the rest, you need grass cut as short as possible. Really tight lies are the ultimate test of nerve, execution and technique, as well as giving us choices about what sort of shot we want to play. Again, introducing touch and feel to the equation is what proper links golf is all about. I love situations where I have to hit a 5-iron to what would normally be a 7-iron distance. I love hitting ‘soft’ shots to keep the ball low in a wind. That’s when you find out who can really play and who can’t.”

Underline added by me.

[Brian_Ewen]

I think if there is one thing Mr. Lawrie has learned these past few years is always say the right thing, whether you believe it or not.

[Mark Woodger]

3 delightful paragraphs that sums up links golf and why so many of us enjoy it.

Including The Open we have three European Tour visits to links courses in a 4/5 weeks period. A real treat for those of us watching at home.

[Wayne_Kozun]

And the Senior British Open, which is usually partially on TV in the US, at Turnberry and in mid September the Women's British Open at Hoylake.

[DMoriarty]

I think if there is one thing Mr. Lawrie has learned these past few years is always say the right thing, whether you believe it or not.

I generally agree that some of these guys know to say the right thing, or at least to avoid saying the wrong thing, but his statement seems way too detailed and expressive to be dismissed as the usual lip service.

Are you suggesting he doesn't really believe these things about the course?

[Brian_Ewen]

..... and lets not forget that its a John Huggan article.

http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/sport/golf/interview-paul-lawrie-golfer-1-2399629

[JMEvensky]

PL's comment about greens surrounded by rough taking away all the skill in chipping and pitching should be read to every Green Committee.

[Simon Holt]

David, I agree with everything apart from the off the tee section.  Judging by the scoring last year all those guys were hitting it in the right place on the fairway!  Seriously, they are too good not to be able to get close from almost anywhere on the short grass.

I really like CS, I think it is a fantastic course, but there is little interest off many tees for the low handicap or pro golfer.  Around and on the greens the place is a world beater.

[Tom_Doak]

Does anyone see the irony here?

Paul Lawrie is famous only for winning one tournament -- the brutal narrow-fairway-and-long-rough Open at Carnoustie.  And if he hadn't won there, no one would pay any attention to what he said about architecture.

[David_Tepper]

Simon H. -

No doubt the scoring at Castle Stuart was low last year. Hopefully, the course will be firmer this year and the wind will blow a wee bit. Let's see how the scores come in if those conditions materialize.

Don't forget the scores were low at Portrush the week before last. These guys are indeed good and they can eat up a soft course with relative ease.

P.S. Low scores don't bother me. I only wish they were mine!

DT  

[Simon Holt]

Ha!  Indeed.  Dont we all!

[Kris Shreiner]

While there is some irony, I do believe he's won more than once. I find his comments about the higher rough near the green surrounds illuminating. He skipped the U.S. Open...doesn't suit his game was his reasoning. There is skill that can be demonstrated hitting recovery shots from penal rough near green surfaces. Mr. Lawrie clearly isn't comfortable hitting those shots. They are foreign to the type of golf he's played most of his life.
Certainly, links golf shouldn't have hippy-long rough cloaking every green. That Open at Carnasty he won was contested over a set-up that got away from the R&A a bit, as it was a SUPER wet Fall and Spring heading into the event that year. We played there in late October of the year prior, and it had haymaker rough up to 2 feet in height THEN. It looked to be juiced as well. A deep, queer green shade was visable, such as I've never seen before or since, for a links sward.  

Cheers,
Kris

[David_Tepper]

"Castle Stuart ready to bare teeth"

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/friendly-welcome-guaranteed-but-castle-stuart-is-ready-to-bare-teeth-1-2401768

[Niall C]

I think if there is one thing Mr. Lawrie has learned these past few years is always say the right thing, whether you believe it or not.

I generally agree that some of these guys know to say the right thing, or at least to avoid saying the wrong thing, but his statement seems way too detailed and expressive to be dismissed as the usual lip service.

Are you suggesting he doesn't really believe these things about the course?

David

One thing you should know, the events new sponsor is Aberdeen Asset Management who's main sponsorship in golf prior to this was/is the sponsorship of Paul Lawrie. A bit like Mickelson last year. He's also as close to being the local lad as you're going to get in this event so no danger of him not taking the party line. It will be interesting what he has to say on twitter or on his blog at a later date after the event.

BTW, quite a few of the players who are not commercially affiliated to either the course or the sponsor are saying, yes its a nice course BUT huge wide fairways, wide open greens, its a putting comp. Westwoods not showing for that reason, he reckons he can get better links practice elsewhere.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

"Westwoods not showing for that reason, he reckons he can get better links practice elsewhere."

Niall C. -

Westwood did not play in the Irish Open at Royal Portrush and apparently is not playing in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart. Yet he did play in the French Open in suburban Paris. Interesting prep schedule for the British Open, don't you think? Kind of like skipping 2 grass court tennis tournaments to play a clay court event just before Wimbledon.

DT

[DMoriarty]

It seems like everyone is reading in what they want to believe, which I guess is to be expected.  

I haven't played Castle Stuart but enjoyed seeing it a bit of it last year on television and look forward to watching this year.   I very seldom watch golf on television unless the course really holds my interest, and from what little I have seen Castle Stuart looks like a fun place to play golf.  I'd like to see some wind this year and firmer conditions, but even last year there were plenty of shots where the angle seemed to matter.  

[Sean_A]

"Westwoods not showing for that reason, he reckons he can get better links practice elsewhere."

Niall C. -

Westwood did not play in the Irish Open at Royal Portrush and apparently is not playing in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart. Yet he did play in the French Open in suburban Paris. Interesting prep schedule for the British Open, don't you think? Kind of like skipping 2 grass court tennis tournaments to play a clay court event just before Wimbledon.

DT

DT

The French Open has long been one of the premier events on the Euro Tour with consistently one of the highest purses of non major/WGC events.  Westwood has been very consistent supporter of top Euro events.  The Scottish Open has been far from premier until very recently when its purse has gone way up and the Irish Open has long been a back- water event.

When you look at how many majors, WGC events and the odd other big world wide events, there is little time or incentive for a guy like Westwood to show up at the Scottish Open being held on a course which will not play like a far tighter and much more demanding Lytham.    

Ciao

[Sean_A]

Brian

The Irish Open has never been a top flight event.  That said, I think it a good idea for the Tour to use links for the Scottish and Irish Opens and be right before The Open.  I would also urge the Tour to play the Welsh (though I accept there may be difficulties find a venue each year for this) and a revived English Open on links quite near the The Open.  There could be a rotation of if it isn't feasible to have four links tournies prior to The Open, but it would be great if 4 links tournies existed after the US Open and prior to The Open.  This would be great scope for players to prepare and it would serve as a great tourism advertising tool.  Shit, the Tourism Board should be putting up money to make this sort of thing happen. 

Ciao   

[Sean_A]

Brian

The Irish Open has never been a top flight event.  That said, I think it a good idea for the Tour to use links for the Scottish and Irish Opens and be right before The Open.  I would also urge the Tour to play the Welsh (though I accept there may be difficulties find a venue each year for this) and a revived English Open on links quite near the The Open.  There could be a rotation of if it isn't feasible to have four links tournies prior to The Open, but it would be great if 4 links tournies existed after the US Open and prior to The Open.  This would be great scope for players to prepare and it would serve as a great tourism advertising tool.  Shit, the Tourism Board should be putting up money to make this sort of thing happen. 

Ciao   

Like David said - almost like a grass court tennis season immediately after clay. It would be cool. Maybe it's my Irish pride suggesting the Irish Open was a top flight event - grantred it was never at the level of the Volvo Masters or the Volvo PGA (or of course the Open) but wasn't it one of the leaders of the other mainstream events in the 80s and 90s?

Brian

Maybe you are right.  I never really followed the tours that much, but even so I don't recall a lot of talk about the Irish Open. 

Getting back to the Links Season, it would also be very cool if ladies, seniors, juniors and amateur events could take place alongside the pros.  I am of the opinion that golf desperately needs a shot in the arm regarding how the tours operate.  I see no reason for the Euro Tour not to be aggressive in thinking outside the box.  Every year I watch Wimbledon and think golf doesn't have anything close to the spectacle of this event, but why not?

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

I was always of the opinion that The Irish Open was a big event in the 70's to 90's (regardless of purse) just by the list of winners which beats all tournaments on the European Tour for quality (The Open possibly included)...

I wrote a column once about a mini-links tour within a tour lasting for 4 weeks... I had it going Irish, Scottish, Open, Dutch... I think it would be a real shot in the arm if the marketing men / sponsors could make it work...

[Tom_Doak]

I wrote a column once about a mini-links tour within a tour lasting for 4 weeks... I had it going Irish, Scottish, Open, Dutch... I think it would be a real shot in the arm if the marketing men / sponsors could make it work...

The problem with all these ideas is that PGA Tour members have to get a hall pass (exemption) to play overseas instead of in the regular Tour event.  They are granted exceptions for one event before The Open [with some grousing], but they are NOT going to be granted exceptions for two or three consecutive events ... the event sponsors in the U.S. would throw a fit.  Of course, the European Tour players could play them all, but most of them don't like links courses!

[Ally Mcintosh]

I wrote a column once about a mini-links tour within a tour lasting for 4 weeks... I had it going Irish, Scottish, Open, Dutch... I think it would be a real shot in the arm if the marketing men / sponsors could make it work...

The problem with all these ideas is that PGA Tour members have to get a hall pass (exemption) to play overseas instead of in the regular Tour event.  They are granted exceptions for one event before The Open [with some grousing], but they are NOT going to be granted exceptions for two or three consecutive events ... the event sponsors in the U.S. would throw a fit.  Of course, the European Tour players could play them all, but most of them don't like links courses!

True Tom... I was thinking more about the Euro Tour players... My paragraph about pro's being pampered and not liking links courses was cut by the magazine unfortunately... But money talks - and packaged the right way it would offer something different that the other tours don't have the ability to do...

But hey, it's a pipe dream... Last month, the day after I wrote that at least amateur golf was still played on our classic courses, the 2016 Curtis Cup was awarded to yet another middle of the road new Irish parkland course...

[Tom Kelly]

"Castle Stuart ready to bare teeth"

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/friendly-welcome-guaranteed-but-castle-stuart-is-ready-to-bare-teeth-1-2401768

Has anyone got any pics or plans of the changes made to the course? I would be really interested to see the new bunkering on 5 & 14. I'm glad they have added to 5 as I thought it could do with some more interest from the tee.

I loved the course but my first thought upon hearing they would be holding the Scottish Open was that the pro's would rip it to shreds, it wasn't really designed for them after all. Personally I don't really care what they shoot if they are playing interesting golf shots.

[DMoriarty]

I love the spin and speculation on this website when it comes to Castle Stuart.  To summarize, we've been told that Paul Lawrie couldn't possibly actually mean what he said about the course, and even if he did mean it he has only won a single British Open so why should we care?  As for Lee Westwood, he is skipping the Scottish Open because knows he is better off playing real "links golf" somewhere else in preparation for the Open.

Reportedly Westwood injured his groin and knee last Saturday in France and is taking the week off so as to allow the minor injuries to heal prior to the Open. But let me guess . . . . those posting here know better just as they know to ignore Lawrie's praise.  Is the "injury" just a ruse to mask the real reason Westwood is not playing?  Does he want to avoid Castle Stuart prior to the Open at all costs?   Did he purposefully go into his tailspin at the French Open after the  supposed "injuries" to better sell his lame excuse for skipping the Scottish so he could hide out somewhere more suited for Open preparation?

By the way, was that why Westwood spent all those years past playing the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond the week before the Open?  Did Loch Lomond prepare him for the links conditions he would face the next week in the Open?   Give me a break . . .

I agree with Tom Kelly. I don't really care what the pros shoot if they are playing interesting golf shots, and last year they seemed to be.  

____________________________________________________________

Tom Kelly,

I don't have any pictures but from what has been reported it doesn't sound like the changes have been too major.  Four new bunkers and a few new tees adding 150 yards to the course.  That and some invisible drainage changes.    

The reported cost is interesting . . . I've read the cost of the changes was $110,000 but I assume that figure was supposed to be pounds. Either way, in the era of millions of dollars being spent on drainage issues and "improvements" to courses, that figure strikes me as almost reasonable.

[George Pazin]

I love the spin and speculation on this website when it comes to Castle Stuart.

So you expect Castle Stuart to be treated differently than everything else on here?

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In regard to last year's scoring, no course in the world can defend itself against the best players when it's softened greatly by rain.

Didn't they also play lift clean & place last year, for at least one round?