R&A underwrite new all-weather greens

for SGU and SLGA for winter practice

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Scottish Golf has received close to £20,000 of support from The R&A to provide all-weather putting surfaces, including installing new outdoor greens in the north and south of the country to enhance its Academy coaching programme.
Based at eight different facilities around Scotland - Tower Wood (Dumfries), Mearns Castle (Renfrew), Brucefields (Stirling), Braid Hills (Edinburgh), St Andrews, Oldmeldrum (Aberdeenshire), Nairn Dunbar and Tain - chosen with the intention of minimising the amount of travel the selected players must undertake to attend coaching sessions, the SGU and SLGA Academies support around 80 players with each receiving 100 hours of coaching support per annum.
With the majority of coaching taking place over winter months a lack of quality putting surfaces during the winter had been identified as a major issue.
Consequently Scottish Golf has agreed, with full funding from The R&A, to enhance existing facilities, each of which has been individually assessed in close consultation with Scottish Golf’s preferred supplier Huxley Golf.
That will involve:
*Supplying a 8’ x 16’ modular green at each venue that can be used indoors and out which are large enough for a squad of six – the maximum number to be coached at any one time – to work on.
*Providing each Academy coach with 9 and 13 foot putting mats that can be rotated among the players for home use.
*Building 15’ x 25’ outdoor all weather putting greens at Tower Wood and Nairn Dunbar recognises these areas do not have such facilities currently available.

The facilities will not only be available for Academy and clubgolf programmes but also for any SGU or SLGA national squad member who requires access at no cost, as well as providing local golfers with facilities they would not otherwise have access to.
The SGU approached The R&A for funding to back the project which is costing a total of £19,430 and were delighted to be given their support for the full amount.
SGU CEO Hamish Grey said, "We are very grateful to receive this funding which further demonstrates The R&A's commitment to the development of golf in Scotland. The improved facilities will make a real difference to our Academies across Scotland enabling our players to practise meaningfully throughout their winter training programmes. They will play a vital part in our young golfers’ development.”
Director of Golf Development at The R&A, Duncan Weir commented, “Using money generated by The Open Championship, The R&A is delighted to support this new initiative which will benefit golfers all over Scotland. Twenty years ago it would have been fair to say practice facilities here in Scotland were generally poor but this situation has changed dramatically in recent times which must augur well for the future of our game.”