PGA SCOTLAND HONOUR RENTON LAIDLAW FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN GOLF JOURNALISM

Renton Laidlaw received a Lifetime Achievement Award from PGA Scotland at a lunch at the Hilton Hotel today. Colin Montgomerie, who was the PGA Scotland's Guest of Honour at the annual lunch in Glasgow, made the presentation
                  PICTURE BY ANDY FORMAN

Born in Edinburgh round about the outbreak of World War II - the two events were not related -  Laidlaw, now 73 but definitely not retired, spends a lot of his time at his Drumoig, Fife residence less than 15minutes from St Andrews. He also lives on and off at Sunningdale, Berkshire.
Renton's career spans more than 50 years in covering golf in print, radio and television.
"I've had an amazing life travelling the world doing something I enjoy. I've been very lucky. Golf is a great sport to be involved with. I have been in the right place at the right time," says Laidlaw.
"When The Golf Channel came along, I was fortunate enough to be selected by them to front the European golf each week."
Laidlaw began his professional career in 1957 as a junior reporter for the Edinburgh Evening News, where he was first given the opportunity to cover golf. A decade later, while working in a freelance capacity for Reuters covering golf worldwide, he switched to television. He began as sportscaster for Scottish Television in Glasgow, and later with Grampian TV in Aberdeen where he became an evening news anchor. 
Later, the BBC recruited Laidlaw to return to his hometown of Edinburgh as news anchor.
Laidlaw returned to print journalism in 1973 when he was offered a golf writer position with London's Evening Standard. 
By 1975, he was combining television and BBC radio assignments on weekends. For 15 years, he was BBC Radio's golf correspondent. In 1990, Laidlaw was spending his full time in broadcasting with British Satellite Broadcasting, which was later taken over by SKY.
In 1995, Laidlaw broadcast his first European Tour event for The Golf Channel from Dubai, site of the Desert Classic.
In November 1997, at the conclusion of the golf season, Laidlaw underwent double bypass heart surgery but was back on assignment by the following January at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia.
"I was hardly gone and nobody had missed me," laughed Laidlaw. "I had gone in to have my gall bladder removed and the specialist discovered that I had an 85 percent blockage. I never had a heart attack, but it must have been close. 
"I consider myself lucky to have been able to continue covering events worldwide."
Laidlaw, a former long-time secretary and past chairman of Great Britain's Association of Golf Writers, has been president of the AGW since 2004.
He is also editor of The R and A's Golfer's Handbook, which originated in 1899 and is published annually. It is still considered The Golfer's Bible as a reference book by many golf writers.
"I think that everyone in Europe has benefited from the tremendous working relationship between the golf writers and the various ruling bodies over the past 25 years," said Laidlaw.
 "Because of the close cooperation, the working conditions for journalists covering golf are superb and that helps us all cover the game to the very best of our ability."