BIG SPONSORSHIP BOOST FOR ROOKIE PRO

                     A view of Meldrum House Country Hotel over the 18th green.

CHRIS ROBB TO PLAY OUT OF MELDRUM HOUSE


COUNTY HOTEL AS A TOUR PROFESSIONAL

 

NEWS RELEASE

One of Scotland ’s brightest golfing stars has rounded off a sensational year by teaming up with the country’s top golf hotel in a landmark sponsorship deal. 

Chris Robb, who won this year’s Scottish Amateur Championship, will use Meldrum House Country Hotel as his training base and will display the resort’s distinctive brand on this bag as he embarks on his professional career.

The 23-year-old from Banchory’s impressive win this summer - his third successive ranking victory - propelled him towards the top of the national rankings table and also netted him an honorary membership at Meldrum House. 

The sponsorship deal with the award-winning resort has completed a phenomenal year for Robb and set him up for his move into professional golf.

“It was fantastic and something I had always wanted,” said Robb commenting on the deal. “Meldrum House is a perfect place to practice – the course is phenomenal and the facilities are amazing. "Having access to those facilities is such a vital part of becoming a professional golfer, and it is also so important to have a great club behind you like Meldrum House. I am thrilled.”

Recently named AA Hotel of the Year for Scotland at the AA Hospitality Awards, Meldrum House Country Hotel is where Robb blossomed from a junior into one of the hottest golfers Scotland has produced in recent times. 

Working with the resort’s head professional Neil Marr, he developed his golfing skills at the 24-acre practice facility gradually dropping his handicap until he turned pro in October at +5. 

After spending the last four years at Chattanooga University in Tennessee , Robb said he always looks forward to playing and practising at the Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire course. 

“While I was in the States, I played some of the best courses in the world, but I also looked forward to coming back to Meldrum House,” he noted. 

“It is very enjoyable to play and it is always in fantastic condition. I love looking back down the fairway from the green to see how perfectly manicured the place is. It’s very special.”

Robb went on to explain that his appreciation of the championship course at Meldrum House Country Hotel went far beyond the aesthetics of the cross-cut fairways and hand-raked bunkers. 

“It is a challenging, but fair course,” he said. “There are so many tee boxes that I can play from many different positions and really challenge myself. 

"When I go out to practise, I generally play for a score so with all the variations, I can play off different tees which makes the whole course different. It gives me so much variety and an ideal place to test myself.”

Robb’s attachment to Meldrum House follows his honorary membership which he received alongside Barry Brooks who had secured the Scottish Senior Open Amateur Stroke play Championship for the club. 

The double celebration not only rounded off a momentous year for the players but also a golden time for the resort. 

“It has been quite a year for the club and the resort,” said Andy Burgess, chief executive at Meldrum House. 

“The standard of golf played at Meldrum is at a very high level, so seeing two of our members come home with two of Scotland’s most prestigious amateur trophies is especially pleasing.”

He continued: “The club took the decision to offer Chris and Barry honorary memberships in recognition of their stunning achievements this year. We wanted to take that acknowledgment a stage further by helping Chris in his transition from the amateur world to the pro circuit. 

"He has tremendous talent and has showed in the Scottish Amateur Championship a tenacious attitude that he will no doubt need. We look forward to supporting him in his endeavours and wish him the best of luck for his future career.”