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RESPONSES TO "TALKING POINTS"
Why is the Moray Open match-play draw unseeded?

FROM BRYAN FOTHERINGHAM
Moray Golf Club have an auction for players before the draw takes place. If you were to seed it then the mystic of the auction goes out the window.
It's very rare the top qualifiers play each other so early (Editor: As happened this year when Bryan, joint third best qualifying aggregate,  was drawn against the leading qualifier, Kyle Godsman - and beat him!). 
For me you either have the auction or you seed the draw. Some people think if it is seeded, then people will buy the seeded players at a higher price. Some clubs have defending champion and top seed as qualifiers.
It's a good debate, but I would rather it be unseeded.
Bryan


TALKING POINT: BUCHAN FIRKIN ENTRY FEE TOO HIGH AT £40 ?

 

RESPONSE FROM NEAL STEWART

Interested in the debate re the entry fees for the Buchan Firkin and Iain Taylor's response (scroll down to read it, alongwith the "Talking Points".}

I would just like to mention that according to the SGU website the entry fee for the Buchan Firkin did include a soup and sandwich lunch and therefore on a straight like for like basis the extra cost is simply the £10 difference in entry fee and does not include the cost of food and drink as seems to be implied in Iain's response.

Having not played Fraserburgh I cannot comment whether the extra £10 is justified on the basis that the course is a better course or not but you also get for that entry fee a chance to win vouchers.  

I consider that the £40 is good value for what you get, the reputation of the course involved and compared with the weekend green fee.

While, for Iain, playing Newmachar is more convenient, there will always be an element of travel involved, depending on where you are based. The golfers who live in the Fraserburgh/Lossiemouth area have a similar decision to make for tournaments in the Aberdeen area. 

If you simply wish to have the ease of travel within your own close local  area, then fine, stick within that comfort zone.  

Surely, however there must be ways that Iain can reduce the cost involved?  Can he share the travel with a clubmate or friend from Aberdeen and thus halve the petrol cost?  

I have seen at some open tournaments golfers arriving in a minibus - presumably hired and cost split among those golfers. 

While I am not at Iain's level and thus not entering the 36 holers, I do play a fair number of 18 holers each year (eight so far this year) and I am not commenting from a base of ignorance.

I always take 1 trip away from my Glasgow base each year.  I am coming up to Fraserburgh next week and I am playing Longside Open on Sunday and Fraserburgh Seniors Open a week on Tuesday. 

 I will stay up for four nights and play a few more courses while I am there and thus have the cost of accommodation as well as food/drink/petrol etc.  This will amount to a significant amount and I can empathise with Iain's point to a small extent although the price of the entry fees is a very small element and well worth the amount involved.  

Neal Stewart

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original Buchan Firkin "Talking Point" concerned the fact that only one professional entered this year's 36-hole event which is open to pros and amateurs, compared with years gone by when there might be at least a dozen or more pro entrants.

I doubt very much if a £40 entry fee scared off the professionals. There must be another reason.

Perhaps some North-east pros such as Gary Forbes (Murcar Links) can tell us.