GCA Ryder Cup Matches

[THuckaby2]

Lou:

That does make good sense... I just thought the dates were already set for the most part for this international official Ryder Cup, and they are basically the same as when we'd do TKP III.  Given the magnitude of this - I can't see many of us taking international travel lightly - this just ought to be the preferred event, that's all.  So TKP becomes part of this for 2004, and we resume in 2005.  I wouldn't even want to make TKP in fall 2004, because then some who might go to this might then decide not to, in favor of TKP...

We can also always set up TKP III for those who didn't make it to this (and those who'd want to do both), later in 2004, if enough people are interested.  But my thinking is this event is first priority and if we do that, we don't start the planning until after this is complete.

TH

[ForkaB]

Tom

Do bring this up with Ran et. al. in New Mexico, in between tequila's.  I personally do not care whether or not it is an "officially" sanctioned event (whatever that might mean), or when or where it is held, as long as we can get people together at a rasonably intersting venue and have some good golf and good craic.  But, we need to get started, if we want to do it.

Report back, please, and enjoy!

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I am one that would like to do both very badly and hope they are not in the same month, much less at the same time. I fell KP is a major now and the Scotland event could become one.

[THuckaby2]

Rich/JB:

I'm sure most of us want BOTH TKP and this event to occur...

So OK, we'll make sure that such happens, spreading them as far apart as possible.  I just don't want anyone who MIGHT go to Scotland for this not to go thinking they'll just do TKP...

And yes, I worry way too much.  

Rich remains correct though - if we're gonna get a large contingent to do this Scotland event, now is not too soon to make concrete plans.  

TH

[Darren_Kilfara]

If Machrihanish is still being considered as a venue, I'm happy to put things in motion on my end...

Cheers,
Darren

[THuckaby2]

DK:

I vote VERY strongly for that as the venue.  VERY VERY VERY strongly.  This is gonna be my one and only chance to make Machrihanish happen for a good long time... I can use this as an excuse most definitely... "honey, I got invited to an international golf event involving influential people from all over the golf world..."  

Seriously though, it seems to me that would be the perfect place.

And if so, given we're talking potentially a large group, during a rather prime time, definitely on a weekend, wouldn't it behoove us to set a date and reserve it pretty damn soon?

I've heard your little hideaway is becoming more and more popular with visitors....

TH

[Michael Whitaker]

I also STRONGLY vote for Machrihanish as the venue. Great idea!!!

[THuckaby2]

Michael:  can't you picture Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun there?  Perhaps make Thu "practice" rounds, then have matches tracing the exact format of the real Ryder Cup on Fri-Sat-Sun?  Those who want to extend the trip either before or after... Would Machrihanish be fun in a foursome format or what?  Damn I am getting excited just thinking about it!

TH

[ForkaB]

I'm in for Machrahanish, particularly if we can fix a date prety soon.  Huckster, sorry to bust your balloon, but I suspect we won't be able to play on a weekend.  True, Darren?  Also, can we fit in a game at Dunaverty?  And get Paul McCartney to compose and sing the offical GCA song at the prize giving ceremony?

[THuckaby2]

That's why I said we need to plan this far ahead.  

So are visitors just plain not allowed at Machrihanish on weekends?  It's likely the same thing everywhere... big groups anyway.

OK, fine, so make it Wed-Thu-Fri, then I can play somewhere else on Sat (Machry?) and fly home, catching the 5:30pm flight to Glasgow and then a redeye home.  That also works very well.

And McCartney prefers to play on Fri nights anyway.  

TH

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I could have sworn I played Mac on Sat and Sunday, then drove to Troon to play Monday AM then Aisla Mon PM and flew to the US oh I mean Newfoundland tuesday the 11th of September. Days like that are easy to remember. lol I think Mac would be a great venue. I am for Dornoch too. Rich and Darren, would Mac be a lot less expensive than say
Dornoch or a St. Andrews combo of TOC, NEW, KingsBarns or Carnouste or Gullane 1, N Berwick, and say maybe Muirfield.

[THuckaby2]

JB:

All of that sounds great, just remember this is likely to be a pretty large group and combinations of courses complicates the planning process a LOT. And if anyone has the power to get a large group like this on Muirfield, well... they ought to be anointed as a saint right now.  Same goes for TOC really.

Of course, I know a travel company which can make things like this happen... just say the word....

One other reason to stay at one place:  transportation to and from courses ceases to be an issue.... With the likely participants on this, I REALLY don't think we're going to want to be driving.    Of course one can get a bus and a driver as my buddies and I did for our recent trip, but that too complicates the planning.

I'm thinking for something like this, it works best to just have one common venue, stay there for a few days, however long people want to make it.  Then whoever wants to broaden the trip and go elsewhere does.  

Make sense?

TH

TH

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Tom, just asking more so than suggesting. Size probably would put the kill on TOC or Muirfield, both of which have fairly tight limits on players per day. OH AND THANK YOU FOR THE LSU NOTATION. It was a great night to be a Tiger. Those Arizona folks do not take football nearly as seriously as we do. We do seem to have an ok to good team. Like last year though, an injury to the QB will kill us in the conference games.

[THuckaby2]

TIGERS TIGERS TIGERS TIGERS...

They take hoops pretty seriously down there in AZ.  Football just kills time till basketball starts.  Kinda like Kentucky.  

 

TH

[Bill_McBride]

John, Darren, Rich et al:
What are the accommodations at Machrahish?  

[THuckaby2]

Bill:

A couple of my buddies spent a few days there in July and they said the accomodations were very cool... they stayed at the White Hart, right on the course, right up the road from Springbank distillery... of course Darren lives there, he can tell us all we need to know... but my thinking is accomodations will be a positive.  The only question is if the volume of people will all be able to stay there... from the looks of things on the club web site it wouldn't appear to be a problem.  It'll just be first come first served for the White Hart.  

http://www.machgolf.com/accommodation_hotels.htm

TH

[ForkaB]

Tom

I know you weren't there, but your buddies must have known that the White Hart is in Campbelltown, which is 6 miles from Machrahanish, and "right on the course" only in their dreams!

Bill

I'm not a real expert on Machrahansih accommodation but I do know that all accomodation in the area--except for a B&B or two--is in Campbeltown, a slightly seedy mid-sized old fishing village of about 10,000 people.  No way we could get 24 people staying at or near Machrihanish unless we tried to cut the razor wire fences to pitch tents on the US Navy Seal training base that adjoins the outward bits of the course.  Even if were all able and willing to sleep on Darren's couch, my understanding is that he lives somewhere on a hill between Mach and C-Town.  My preference would be to stay in the Springbank distillery, but that might no be possible......So....if we are talking about a 2-3 day event there, we'd better get our act together and snaffle up the best rooms in Campbelltown.  All that being said, we should understand that, at least compared to St. Andrews and even Dornoch, accomodation and apres golf night life in Machrihanish/Campbelltown will be more working class than upper class, but then again, as JL once said:

"A working class hero is something to be!"

Darren, please feel free to contradict me if I have it wrong!

Rihc

[peter_p]

Try the Hunting Lodge Inn (hotel?), which is about 10 miles north of Campbeltown, but you can shortcut to Machrihanish past the airport. One of the best single malt bars in Scotland, good food, about twenty rooms.
I'll have to pass this time as I overexpensed my last trip.

[Darren_Kilfara]

Responses to questions/points made recently, in no particular order:

--Machrihanish will be significantly cheaper than the Old Course, Muirfield, Dornoch or pretty much any other good course in Britain you can name. The current going rate is £30 for a round and £50 for a day (excluding Saturday, where the prices rise by £10 each); the price falls to £5 per round if you're the guest of a member, so if we have a few members coming we might be able to spread the bargains around.

--Accommodation: there are a few B&Bs in Machrihanish itself, within walking distance of the course, but some of them are seasonal (and only really operate in the summer). What time of year are we talking about for this? Apart from that, there's Campbeltown, and there's Peter's Hunting Lodge (which is a little too far from Machrihanish for my money, although I'm glad it worked for Peter). I don't know what you mean by "working class accommodation", Rich - Machrihanish/Campbeltown isn't really any different to Dornoch in this regard.

--Re: playing on Saturday - it depends which Saturday. Machrihanish allows guests every day of the week, but when there are competitions scheduled for Saturday (i.e. nearly every week from April to the beginning of October), the number of guest-available tee times is becomes limited or occasionally nil. And of course the price rises that little bit.

--We don't have to be in THAT big a hurry to arrange tee times. I'm not even sure they're taking tee times for 2004 yet.

--Rich, Dunaverty is very easy to get on - it's about 12 miles from Machrihanish, or 10 miles from Campbeltown. Cost is £15. I don't know if it's worth a group outing there, but if there's enough interest, I doubt this would be something we'd have to plan too far in advance. (Dunaverty gets rather less play than Machrihanish, which is saying something...)

--Re: "apres golf", Rich, I personally don't see why you'd need to stray too far from the Machrihanish clubhouse in any event. But there are plenty of pubs in Campbeltown for anyone who's into that sort of thing...

Anyway, the long and short of it is that Machrihanish would be a perfect venue for this sort of thing, and I imagine it would be fairly easy to sort out. (The only marginally tricky thing might be getting everyone a room in Machrihanish, but there's plenty of space in Campbeltown if it's needed.) Note, however, that I'll no longer be living here next year, so anyone hoping to sleep on my couch may have another thing coming, unless they're looking to commute five hours each way from North Berwick every day.

So - anyone care to nominate a time of year for this? That's the next logical step, methinks.

Cheers,
Darren

[ForkaB]

Darren

Since you're planning to be in North Berwick next year, why not make the venue there!  Far more accessible, more comely and propinquitous accomodation, better overall golf and great access to Edinburgh for the apres golf.  What think all of ye?

[THuckaby2]

Rich:

My buddies said they stayed at a hotel where they walked to the golf course.  Obviously it wasn't the White Hart - that just sounded familiar and I didn't check any further.  Not sure which it is... point is to make this work best, transportation needs to be made as little of an issue as possible.  Any place where one can walk from course to clubhouse to pub to hotel is really what we want here.

And I still vote for Machrihanish.  North Berwick would be fine golf-wise, but no way am I gonna be wanting to drive into Edinburgh post-golf, although it is a great city... I really vote for the one-stop shopping idea.  NB might work for this also, but Machrihanish intrigues me.

As for timing, I nominate May 3-9, 2004.
TH

[Michael Whitaker]

I like the North Berwick idea... NB provides a variety of courses and accommodations. And, for those of us who want to make this part of a longer trip, it would be easier to incorporate NB into the big picture.  But... Machrihanish would be so COOL!!! We can't go wrong with either choice. The question is: should we choose with our heart or our head?

I'd like to go when there is a reasonable chance for good weather. Early May seems a bit iffy to me. July and August are crowded and the prices go up. Mid to late June or perhaps early September might be better.

Tom - You don't need to drive from NB to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is only a 30 minute train ride from North Berwick and the trains run every hour as I remember.

[ForkaB]

Tom

One of the beauties of NB is that you can take a train in and out of auld reekie........

[THuckaby2]

Michael:

I guess I have a different thought as to how this will go.  I don't anticipate wanting to take any 30-minute train rides, either.  I'm thinking 36 holes for the "official" matches, then some severe drinking and crap-giving, followed by the inevitable challenges being settled by a late 3-4 holes back out on the course... I just don't see leaving or sightseeing being part of this gig.

But that's just me....

Thus my vote!  Which continues to go to Machrihanish, btw, only because I've never been there and if it's there, I can really sell it as a must-do... if it's NB, that becomes a very hard sell given I've been there three times already.  So this is wholly selfish!

As for timing, well... whatever works, as long as it is shoulder season one way or the other.  I shudder to think of the difficulties of trying to schedule this in summer, for a group of any size anyway.

TH

[Bill_McBride]

I support the May dates.  I'm thinking of two or three nights at Mach followed by travel to Fife.  The travel approval department has already approved!