Ayr Advertiser | Sport | Look out Tiger - our Stewart's on the prowl

Friday, 29th August, 2008

Published: Tuesday, 17th June, 2008 10:30

Look out Tiger - our Stewart's on the prowl

By Stewart McConnell

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SPORTS reporter Stewart McConnell played Royal Troon recently with mixed fortunes — Here is his golfing tale.

DESCRIBED as one of the toughest courses in golf, Royal Troon offers a challenge for anyone visiting the links, from top professionals contesting the Open Championship to amateur visitors determined to make an impression.

When the gauntlet was thrown down to me to play this legendary links, I must say as a total golf nut who loves watching the game and playing when I can, I was honoured and delighted although admittedly a great sense of trepidation filled me.

But I knew in just six weeks’ time I would be standing on that celebrated first tee basically hoping to produce a passable drive to help avoid embarrassment.

However no amount of preparation can really get you in the frame of mind to tame this stunning but fearsome course.

I headed down to the driving range for some practice sessions before embarking on a not particularly testing round on municipal course Fullarton although I knew the challenging lies I found myself in would be nothing compared with those on Royal Troon.

My hour of reckoning finally dawned following a briefing on the Senior Open Championship and I teed off with a group Trevor Peake of the Liverpool Echo and Brian Donaldson of the Senior Open Championship committee.

Fortunately my tee shot, while not straight down the middle was in playable position in the rough at the opening hole.

But I had a nervous start, hitting some awful shots on the way to a double figure score.

Much of the front nine was like that although admittedly I did have a couple of sevens and one of my worst moments was at the legendary Postage Stamp, a hole I had always dreamt of birdieing, where I found the greenside bunker and ended up playing the ball over the green and losing it.

The back nine saw a distinct improvement and I was delighted to earn a couple of Stableford points (my only ones) for the team with two four nett threes in succession.

Pity my hero Tom Watson wasn’t looking on.

I did struggle at the 18th which is another hole you hope to do well on but hugely enjoyed the experience.

My team were edged into third place on the countback in the four-team event with sports broadcaster Dougie Donnelly in the winning group. At least we didn’t come in last!

The course is in superb condition thanks to the greenkeeping team headed by Billy McLachlan and Royal Troon is a course which will reward you for inspired shotmaking (I played a couple of great approach shots) and punish you when you make an error (I twice took a couple of shots to emerge from a bunker).

But next time if I’m lucky enough to be invited some more preparation will be needed.