ALAN TAIT, MAN OF MANY PARTS, NOW AN AFTER-DINNER SPEAKER

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Is there anything Alan Tait doesn't do?
Former Scottish and world boys golf champion ... beaten in the final of the Scottish men's amateur championship ... a winner more than once on the Tartan Tour ... BBC Radio golf pundit .. satellite tour founder ... director of golf at Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel ... gourmet golf tour host.
Have I missed anything out?
Yes, I certanly have. Alan's got a burgeoning career on the side as an after-dinner speaker, and not just for all-male gatherings, who is also available for prizegivings, open days, corporate and charity events.
Compared with the four-figure fees commanded by the top men in the field, Alan's a snip at £450 + overnight accommodation if he has to travel some distance to an engagement.
The captains of such a diverse range of golf clubs as Royal Troon, Old Ranfurly, Whinhill, Cathcart Castle and Peel, Isle of Man, all sing the praises of Alan's performance at their dinners - "the best speaker we've ever had!" says one.
By this time next year, Public Speaker Tait may well be in the £1,000+ class.
"I only have a few available Fridays and Saturdays left in October-November this year, due to the amount of prizegivings in Scotland at that time. However, I am available throughout the rest of the year," says Alan who has his own website - http://www.alantaitgolf.com/ - and can be contacted at 07734 207119 or by E-mail at golfprotait@btinternet.com and you can look at his website http://www.alantaitgolf.com/

EVERYTHING - WELL, ALMOST EVERYTHING -
YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ALAN TAIT

Ayrshireman Alan has been a PGA Professional for 22 years and is also The Director of Golf at The Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club. He is a former PGA Scottish Region Order of Merit Winner and played on The European Tour in 1997.
By his own admission, his season playing in the Big League was not a very successful one but it left him with a huge fund of stories with which he regales his audiences. And he is not slow to poke fun at himself.
A Tartan Tour Order of Merit winner in 1996, Alan showed his skills early as an amateur and won the Doug Sanders World Boys' Championship at the Aberdeen Links in the 1980s and the Scottish boys' title at Dunbar in 1986 before losing to another man from Ayrshire, Alan Thomson, in the final of the Scottish Amateur Championship at Lossiemouth in 1989.

Alan commentated for BBC Radio Scotland at the 2011 Barclays
Scottish Open at Castle Stuart and is pictured right with Scotland's top Olympic
Curler, Eve Muirhead, an accomplished golfer in her own right.
Alan is a top golf pundit and weekly co-hosts "The Golf Show" with Sportscene's Rob McLean on BBC Radio Scotland.
Alan also does on course commentary as The Barclay's Scottish Open and, The Open Championship, also with the BBC.
As an amateur golfer, Alan played for Scotland from 1987 through to 1989 before turning professional in 1990 and starting his PGA apprenticeship in the Cawder Golf Club pro's shop.
In 1994 he was the first player to shoot 64 at the famous Carnoustie championship course – regarded as one of the toughest in the world. This is still a joint course record to date.
In recent years, he has also found the time to have three attempts at founding an independent professional tour within Scotland, latterly open to women as well as men pros, and some leading amateurs.
The Optical Express Tour is expected to be back in action this year. Alan Tait is in action all the time.
Does he run on batteries? Hire him for the day/night and judge for yourself.