Golfers get on bikes, great golf train journeys and 59 talk at St Andrews - Martin Dempster's Open diary
Tit-bits from Royal Birkdale during the final men’s major of the season
The Scotsman’s golf correspondent, Martin Dempster, brings you his first The 154th Open Diary from Southport
Golfers get on their bikes
A group of golfers literally got on their bikes to get to Royal Birkdale, raising £34,000 in the process for junior golf.
The first 420km ‘Ride to The Open’ from Wentworth in Surrey to Southport involved 14 cyclists and benefitted the Golf Foundation.
The group pedalled for three days to complete the journey, which was made more difficult by searing heat.
“You put 14 riders together and by the end of it you feel like a team - it's been brilliant,” said Golf Foundation chairman Steve Day.
One of great golf train journeys
It’s a bit like being in Ayrshire if you take Merseyrail from a number of stations on the journey from Liverpool to Royal Birkdale.
This correspondent’s local station this week is Blundellsands & Crosby, with the 18-minute journey taking you past West Lancashire, Formby, Southport & Ainsdale and Hillside - a fantastic stretch of courses.
Think of being on a train from Ayr to Glasgow and seeing Barassie, Western Gailes, Dundonald Links and Glasgow Gailes and you’ll know what I mean.
It was almost a costly first trip, though, as I made my way to Ainsdale last night for dinner after running to catch a train that had just come into Blundellsands & Crosby and only being spared a fine for not buying a ticket by a friendly security person.
‘59 talk’ starts already for St Andrews
It’s started already. The 155th Open at St Andrews is still a year away but already we’ve had some talk of the Old Course being brought to its knees.
“If there's going to be one,” said Jordan Spieth of someone potentially breaking 60 in a major, “I could see it happening at an Open Championship over the other majors just because so much is dependent on the conditions and if the condition are calm.
“Like you would think there would be a 60 at St Andrews in calm conditions probably next year, just the way the game is going. People are just shooting lower and lower. So I think it's a matter of time, technology and depth of golf.”
Bryson DeChambeau said something similar in the build up to the 2022 Open at St Andrews, yet the lowest course that week was 64. Just saying!
Lost hole is now Skill Zone
The 14th hole from previous Opens here may have been dropped and replaced by a new par 3 on the back nine - the 15th - but it’s been put to good use.
The R&A has turned it into a Skill Zone this week, with youngsters getting the chance to sharpen their games through some expert tuition.
The Rod to The Opens Community Festival involved around 60 local kids, with former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland also joining in.
A separate group of schoolchildren were also treated to a chat from Nick Dougherty, the Sky Sports Golf presenter/commentator who is the president of the Golf Foundation.
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