While the pros and cons of where to play the week before the Open Championship will continue, with no finite conclusion I might add, one thing is certain, the new venue at Castle Stuart Golf Links on the Moray Firth at Inverness is breathtaking.
Lorne Rubenstein who spent a summer just a wee drive further up the firth at Royal Dornoch GL, which resulted in his fine book "A Season at Royal Dornoch, Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands" told me "I walked the property with the principals when it was being over seeded and it's a beauty"
There are several greens perched right on the firth, lots of thorny yellow bracken bushes in particular along the slope separating the upper and lower levels, the course like most links is routed with 8 holes going out, play around the turn and then head 9 holes coming back in. Also like most links it's degree of difficulty is determined by the wind, and there is plenty of that in this week's forecast.
Click http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/ for an aerial tour.
The Scottish Open has been held a the very private Loch Lomond GC for the past 15 years, but it is a parkland style course, nothing like the links courses the Open Championship are played on.
4 of the world's top 10 are in the field, Donald, Westwood, Mickelson and Kuchar
"I love playing the week before a major and getting acclimatised. I feel my game is right there and Loch Lomond was great. But playing at a links-style course the week before the British Open is an ideal way to get ready."said Phil Mickelson.
"If the wind keeps going, it's going to be a decent test of golf," reigning champion Molinari said. "It's not going to be level-par winning, but it's not going to be 25-under par winning either."
We hardly ever play links golf and it's very different to what I play week in, week out," Luke Donald said. "It takes some time to adjust to where to land the ball, those chip-and-run shots you get a lot.To get in an extra week of practice on links in tournament conditions under pressure is very helpful. I'm sure it will be good preparation."
The Open returns the Royal St Georges down at Sandwich on the south coast of England. You may remember Ben Curtis winning there in 2003 in very dry windy conditions, when Thomas Bjorn took 3 to get out of the greenside bunker on the par 3 16th, the costly 5 let the famous Claret Jug slip from his grasp.
Tiger won't be there due to injury, by the way in 2003 he lost his ball with his first drive of the tourney, but how about Thomas Levet who could miss the Open after breaking his shin jumping into a lake to celebrate his famous victory at the French Open on Sunday. He is in a cast and can't play this week..
If you have never been to Scotland, tune in this week, starting tomorrow, you won't be able to smell the salt sea air, nor taste the fresh fish and chips with a pint of Tennants lager to wash them down, but the pictures will give you a feel for what that part of the country is all about, and with the wind blowing, this beauty of a links course, will give the players a feel for what the Scottish Championship is all about !!
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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