74 - Ten Times Better...

So the 138th Open took place at Turnberry this year. For those that don’t know, the course is on the west cost of Scotland around 30 minutes drive south from Glasgow – easily reachable from Liverpool (I’ve lost count of the number of times I have driven to the ‘Second City of the Empire’, nice journey once you pass Carlisle) which got me thinking, could the likes of me play at this iconic course?

A quick look on the internet shows that, depending on what time of year it is, you can turn up with your tatty Hippo bag filled with mongrel clubs, some second chance Titleist’s and play for as little as £100. Initially, that sounds quite expensive considering it is just £10 to play the local municipal, so is Turnberry 10 times better than the local track? Well yes, I guess it is.

The blurb on the official site says “For those to whom golf is a religion, Turnberry is a cathedral” and they are probably right. The resort is one of those awe inspiring, magical places that you imagine should always be played at first light with a slight mist on the fairways. It is steeped in history and legend and is widely regarded as being one of the best links courses on the planet, being graced by some of the best players in the world.

Conversely, your average municipal is a series of shaved fields dumped on the outskirts of a town on a site that used to be a munitions factory in the 1940’s. The most famous person to ever head down those fairways was ‘Johno’ in a robbed Renault Clio Sport and he was more infamous than famous. He was on TV though - Crimewatch.

Hmmm, hard to separate the two isn’t it?

One of the great things about golf is that any Tom, Dick or Harry can play the same course as your Tiger’s, Padraig’s and Sergio’s. What other sport gives a complete novice a chance at playing one of the iconic venues of the sport? Fancy a kick about at Wembley? No chance. A quick rally at Wimbledon? I don’t think so. A spot of army golf at the venue for this years Open? Certainly! Give us your ton, the first tee is over there…

Playing the famous courses around Britain is one of my golfing ambitions (along with driving the ball straight and long). With a lot of practice, a few bob in my account and a bit of planning I can achieve this ambition, something I could never do in the likes of football, tennis, cricket or rugby. In the meantime I’m going to continue to hone my skills on the converted waste grounds that litter Merseyside.