Martin Dempster: 'Complete Package' for golfers must be real deal

Published on Monday 8 March 2010 20:05

THE announcement, we are told, will showcase the steps being taken to support Scottish talent and to build on the country's proud golfing heritage. Sounds exciting and there will certainly be keen interest in what First Minister Alex Salmond and Louise Martin CBE, the Chair of sportscotland, have to say this lunchtime at a briefing being held at North Berwick Golf Club.

• Vikki Laing

While the exact details have been kept under wraps, it is believed the announcement is to reveal new funding for Scottish golf and, more specifically, the transition of our top amateurs into the professional ranks. In effect, it is an attempt to create what the SGU and sportscotland have tagged as 'Scottish Golf: The Complete Package'.

Catriona Matthew, the Ricoh Women's British Open champion, will be at her home club to help herald the announcement and there is no-one better who can be held up as an example when it comes to a gifted Scottish golfer showcasing the talent this country is able to produce.

Sadly, Catriona hasn't received a fraction of the support she deserved over the years and it's a credit to her that she has never once moaned about that, going about her business quietly and efficiently.

As a host of talented young Scottish golfers try to take steps at various heights on the golfing ladder in their bid to back her up on the world stage, Catriona will be delighted to see tangible proof of help being forthcoming and, on the bare surface, today's announcement should certainly be a cause for celebration.

At long last, something looks as though it is going to be done to help players at a vital stage in their career. Instead of being left to fend for themselves, there should be a support system in place to make that difficult switch from amateur to professional much smoother and, of course, that will be aided presumably by monetary support.

In addition to Matthew, Martin and Salmond, we're told the guest list at today's announcement will also include Douglas Connon, the SGU chairman, his SLGA counterpart Shona Malcolm, clubgolf's Torquil McInroy, Scottish international Ross Kellett and three young members of the Scottish Golf Academy.

No mention at all of any PGA representative and, if that is indeed the case, then the SGU and sportscotland will, in my opinion at least, have scored an own goal right at the outset of this initiative. Sorry to be blunt here, but what's the point of such a project if it's not going to involve the body that has the single biggest involvement with golfers once they turn professional?

The PGA's role in this initiative will undoubtedly be one of the questions aimed at either Salmond or Martin today and they'll also be asked what discussions, if any, have taken place with Iain Stoddart and Ken Lewandowski, who have been working on their 'Fusion' project for the past three years and have the expertise to help players make the transition.

It is absolutely crucial that an initiative as important as this is the right one and not something that could end up creating friction we could do without. Our young professionals certainly need more help than they've received in the past but, in the absence of a federation, one suspects the dishing out of money is going to be the subject of intense scrutiny from those within the game.

How, for example, are the SGU and the SLGA going to decide who should get support? Will it be based purely on the fact the players in question are the ones who've received coaching and playing support as they've come through the amateur ranks and, therefore, deserve to retain some backing once they switch to the professional game?

Of course it will and, in most cases, rightly so. However, what about those players who can just as easily develop into good players without being part of the SGU set up? Paul Lawrie, for one, is a prime example and so, too, is David Drysdale. Who's going to put their cases forward?

Today's announcement can, indeed, be a significant one for the future of Scottish golf but only if it really is 'The Complete Package'.

Shoots of promise for Scottish women

IT WENT largely unnoticed, no doubt, but a new era in the Scottish women's game may have been spawned by the promising performances of Vikki Laing and Krystle Caithness in Australia over the weekend.

The duo tied for 19th behind Karrie Webb, the former world No 1, in the Australian Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast, finishing ahead of players like Laura Davies, Sophie Gustafson and Gwladys Nocera.

For too long now Catriona Matthew in particular and also Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay have had to carry the expectations of a nation on their shoulders and it's high time that we saw some new talent showing they can also mix it with the best women players from around the world.

Laing, who has turned her attention to the Ladies European Tour after returning from America, may have struggled so far in the paid ranks following her glittering amateur career but certainly has the talent to start making her presence felt.

Caithness, by comparison, is still something of a rookie in the professional ranks but she, too, could be in for an exciting season if this most recent effort is anything to go by.

With Carly Booth and Kylie Walker set to bolster the Scottish contingent on the LET, this year, in fact, could be a hugely exciting one for our women golfers.