Courses | Alistair Tait Golf

A good walk unspoilt

Alistair Tait

Aug 21

Don't return Postage Stamp to sender

The world’s best women didn’t tear Royal Troon’s shortest hole asunder in the opening round of the AIG Women’s Open. The Postage Stamp mo...

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Alistair Tait

Jul 27

No rakes, no excuses

Former European Tour pro Ricky Willison wants to start a campaign to get golfers to take better care of bunkers even if we can't use rake...

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Alistair Tait

Jul 17

The Open’s lost links

Royal Portrush’s return to the Open Championship rota last year must’ve had members of other former Open venues pining to see the game’s ...

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Alistair Tait

Jun 22

The Machrie: quintessential links golf

Walter Hagen never did make it to The Machrie. Shame. That goes for anyone else who hasn’t played golf on Islay. Quite simply, The Machri...

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Alistair Tait

May 26

Get away from it all on Arran

The elderly man stuck his thumb out just after I left Shiskine Golf Club. Anywhere else in the world and I’d have driven on by. Not on Ar...

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Alistair Tait

May 22

Time to grab a golf gem

There’s never been a better time to play the numerous hidden gems dotted around the United Kingdom. Especially with the eye watering gree...

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Alistair Tait

May 15

Save golf has to be the new mantra, not grow the game

Grow the game has been the mantra in golf for a long time. The coronavirus pandemic has changed that. The key now is to save the game, to...

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Alistair Tait

Apr 30

Take the long and winding road to Machrihanish

You can get to Machrihanish a lot faster than Old Tom Morris did in 1879 when he agreed to improve Machrihanish Golf Club. However, to ex...

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Alistair Tait

Apr 18

Wonderful West Lancs

How West Lancs managed to stay off my radar screen for so long is still a mystery. It’s somehow the forgotten links in the string of grea...

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Alistair Tait

Apr 17

Why golf is where it is

As far as I know Mike Clayton and Guy Singh-Watson don’t know each other. They have a lot in common: they’re both trying to figure out how...

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Alistair Tait

Apr 10

Fantastic Fortrose & Rosemarkie

Somewhere on Fortrose & Rosemarkie’s back nine I felt like slapping myself around the head. How I had been travelling to the Inverness re...

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Alistair Tait

Mar 16

How will golf clubs survive Coronavirus?

You don’t need to be a Mensa member to figure out golf clubs are probably going to struggle in the upcoming weeks, perhaps months, becaus...

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Alistair Tait

Mar 9

Is the “Golf Club” past its sell by date?

I’m a big fan of Golf at Goodwood even though I’ve never been there. Whoever came up with the brilliant idea to drop the words “golf club...

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Alistair Tait

Mar 3

666 stands for golf heaven, not hell

The numbers 666 stand for the sign of the devil and conjure up images of hell. Not at The Berkshire they don’t. They signify a little bit...

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Alistair Tait

Feb 27

Royal Lytham on course for 2026 Open Championship

Start making plans to attend the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Lytham. The Lancashire course is sure to see the game’s greatest tournam...

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Alistair Tait

Feb 26

R&A boss sounds golf club warning

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has delivered a strong message to golf clubs: become more businesslike or continue to lose members. T...

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Alistair Tait

Feb 22

Muni golf matters

Why lament the pending closure of municipal golf courses in Scotland, as I did in yesterday’s blog? Simple. It cuts off a vital route fo...

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Alistair Tait

Feb 21

Is golf still part of Scotland's fabric?

Golf seems to be fighting for its life in its spiritual home. The news that Ayrshire council is considering closing five municipal golf c...

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Alistair Tait

Feb 18

Fabulous Formby

Formby Golf Club doesn’t get the plaudits of nearby Royal Birkdale and Hillside. It is sometimes overlooked when people talk about the go...

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Alistair Tait

Jan 29

Lovely Littlestone: a links gem with par-3 excellence

The British Isles is strewn with golf courses practically no one knows about that qualify as true hidden gems. Littlestone Golf club is j...

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Matthew belongs in the class of 2020

PGA Cup deserves Ryder Cup boost

DJ Russell will captain the 2022 Great Britain & Ireland PGA Cup team. Never heard of the PGA Cup? I’m not surprised. That’s why it deser...

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8,000-yard golf courses? Bring them on

Just as one swallow does not a summer make, perhaps one demolition of Winged Foot doesn’t mean we need to take drastic measures to reign ...

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