David Drysdale rules out crossing border for game of golf in England

David Drysdale lives in Cockburnspath, close to the border on the east coast, and is a member of Goswick Golf Club, which sits to the south of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Picture: Getty Images

European Tour player David Drysdale will not be making a secret trip across the border to be among the first golfers back on UK courses following a seven-week lockdown due to the c

The 45-year-old lives near Cockburnspath, less than 20 miles from the border on the east coast, and is a member of Goswick Golf Club, which sits to the south of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Drysdale has been travelling to the English town to do his shopping since lockdown restrictions were introduced and would only be faced with a slightly longer journey to get to Goswick.

However, he has decided to resist the temptation to get straight back out on the golf course when English venues reopen tomorrow as Scottish courses remain closed for the time being.

"I'm a member at Goswick and have been for a long, long time," Drysdale, who finished runner-up in the Qatar Masters, the final European Tour event before the circuit shut down due to the pandemic, told The Scotsman.

"It takes about half an hour straight down the A1, which is pretty cool, but I won't be tempted to go there for a game tomorrow or any day soon.

"For starters, reading between the lines, I don't think you would be able to leave Scotland to go and play golf in England.

"I go to Berwick for our shopping because it has got all the main supermarkets and it takes 20 minutes' maximum.

"But going into England just for a game of golf is different when getting this crisis sorted out is the most important thing.

"And, you know what, I can't see Scotland being too far behind England when it comes to opening the golf courses."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director