St Andrews Magazine Edition 05

A ST ANDREWS CHRISTMAS

ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS REVIEW

ST ANDREWS REMEMBERS THE FALLEN

St Andrews MAGAZINE

GOLF. LIFESTYLE. MORE.

EDITION

05

Season’s Greetings

CONTENTS 64

CADDIE CORNER

70

ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS REVIEW

107

RORY CAUSES CONTROVERSY

110

GOLF’S GREATEST DISCOVERY

GOLF

CONTENTS 138

THE BEAUTY OF WINTER

148

COORIE IN THIS WINTER

156

YOGA FOR A FLEXIBLE WINTER

160

SUNDAY LUNCH BY THE SEASHORE

LIFESTYLE

CONTENTS 168

ST ANDREWS REMEMBERS

THE FALLEN

176

A ST ANDREWS CHRISTMAS

A GOLFER’S CHRISTMAS STOCKING BEST PLACES TO EAT OUT BEST SHOPS FOR THAT CHRISTMAS GIFT BEST ACTIVITIES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON BEST WINTER WALKS BEST CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS THE BELL’S ARE RINGING OUT FOR CHRISTMAS

MORE

GOLF

LIFESTYLE

MORE

Contributors John John is a St Andrews Links caddie, owner of Caddie Golf Tours and is a regular contributor to St Andrews Magazine. His knowledge of the Old Course and the St Andrews golfing scene is a great insight for readers.

Aileen Aileen is the owner of Vintage Beauty Box in St Andrews and is St Andrews Magazine’s Beauty expert. Aileen is an enthusiastic golfer.

If you want to contribute to St Andrews Magazine on any subject, then contact Matt Hooper via Mobile: 07943626295 OR

Tracy Tracy is the owner of Interiors by Tracy Smith in Cupar and is St Andrews Magazine’s property interior expert.

Email: standrewsmagazine@gmail.com

Editor Matt Hooper Design and production Matt Hooper Publisher Matt Hooper

Keryn Keryn is the owner and lead instructor at Hot House Yoga, in St Andrews. She also teaches Yoga at venues in the St Andrews area including local golf clubs and sports clubs. Keryn provides St Andrews Magazine readers with tips on how to stay fit, flexible and focused with the help of Yoga.

Director Matt Hooper

DO YOU Matt

HOOPER @matt.standrewsmagazine

BELIEVE? It is a question you may be asked a lot at this time of year, do you believe in Father Christmas? Well the answer is fairly easy as he is writing this piece and editing this magazine, the best Christmas present any of you could wish for!!

In all seriousness, do you believe?

Do you believe in yourself?

Do you believe in what you are doing?

Do you believe you will reach your goals?

Belief is the only thing which has got me through what I can only describe as the most challenging year of my life. Belief is also the only thing which got Tiger Woods through the most challenging period in his life and career and look at what he has achieved in this remarkable comeback season.

His win at The Tour Championship is the ultimate vindication of the belief he had in his game and belief he had he could still compete with the best golfers in the world.

So make your New Year resolution to BELIEVE.

ŠSt Andrews Magazine Ltd. 2018

This publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without the expressed written permission of St Andrews Magazine Ltd.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL AND THANKYOU FOR SUPPORTING ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE IN RECORD LEVELS THIS YEAR. 2018 HAS BEEN BY FAR THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN THE HISTORY OF THE MAGAZINE, WITH RECORD READERSHIP AND RECORD LEVELS OF INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE LOOK FORWARD TO A PROSPEROUS 2019 AND TO CONTINUING TO BRING YOU THE BEST OF GOLF, LIFESTYLE AND MORE FROM ST ANDREWS, THE HOME OF GOLF.

Image credits ALL IMAGES MATT HOOPER/ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE WITH EXCEPTION OF: 21 ROLEX/GETTY 61 PINEHURST MEDIA 124 FLICKR 138, 141, 144 ISTOCK/GETTY ADDITIONAL IMAGES ARE CREDITED TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER OR AGENCY ON THE IMAGE

Advertising enquiries Matt Hooper standrewsmagazine@gmail.com Mailing address: St Andrews Magazine Ltd. Chestney House, 149 Market Street, St Andrews, Fife Scotland KY16 9PF

St Andrews M A G A Z I N E

AWA

THE BEST IN #GOLF #LIFESTYLE #MORE

RDS 2018

IT’S BLACK AND WHITE THESE ARE THE BEST INTRODUCING THE WINNERS OF THE ST ANDREWS MAGAZINE AWARDS 2018 This year’s St Andrews Magazine Awards attracted a record number of votes via our Facebook page, and a record level of engagement with the community locally and globally. For that reason, there can be no doubt at all that this year’s winners truly are the best of the best in St Andrews. The Best Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, Best Beauty Experience, Best Visitor Attraction, Best Bar, Best After Dark Experience and Best Day Out in the St Andrews Area were all up for voting by the public.

As was the World Golfer of the Year and Golf Event of the Year.

An editorial decision was made on the St Andrews Golfer of the Year, St Andrews Young Golfer of the Year and a Special Achievement by a St Andrews Golfer.

BEST RESTAURANT IN ST ANDREWS

THE SEAFOOD RISTORANTE With over two thirds of the vote the 2018 Best Restaurant in St Andrews is The Seafood Ristorante, see our review of the restaurant for more information.

THE SAINT Replacing an old favourite is never easy, but by common consensus The Saint has proved a worthy successor to the West Port Bar and Kitchen.

A full refurb and change of focus has made The Saint the Best New Restaurant in St Andrews.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT IN ST ANDREWS

BEST AFTER DARK EXPERIENCE IN ST ANDREWS

THE VIC The most popular venue outside the Union for St Andrews Students, the most popular late-night venue for locals and visitors alike, The Vic has succeeded Forgan’s as the Best After Dark Experience in St Andrews.

It is the ultimate climax to a night out in St Andrews.

THE CRITERION One of St Andrews’ oldest bars, the Criterion has proved to be the overwhelming choice for Best Bar in St Andrews in 2018.

Established in 1874 the South Street institution has been around since the days of Old and Young Tom Morris, and you can feel the history oozing out of this local and tourist favourite.

BEST BAR IN ST ANDREWS

BEST VISITOR ATTRACTION IN ST ANDREWS

JANNETTAS Jannettas Gelateria on South Street is much more than an ice cream shop, it’s a café and restaurant and an institution. You only have to see the queues outside on a summer’s day to realize its popularity. Established in 1908 as a soda parlour and tobacconist, by Bennett Jannetta, Jannettas is one of St Andrews’ longest standing businesses.

BEST BEAUTY EXPERIENCE IN ST ANDREWS

THE VINTAGE BEAUTY BOX For the second successive year the Best Beauty Experience in St Andrews is the Vintage Beauty Box. Located in Sophie Butler Hairdressing on South Street, this is the ultimate town centre salon offering Makeup, nails, facials and massage among many other treatments.

The Vintage Beauty Box has won several awards and been nominated in the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards for the last two years.

BEST DAY OUT IN THE ST ANDREWS AREA

KINGSBARNS DISTILLERY & VISITOR CENTRE This year’s Best Day Out in the St Andrews Area was almost unanimous, just a few miles down the road and on the land of the Wemyss family and Cambo Estate, minutes from Kingsbarns Golf Links and the village.

Situated on the same land formerly used by the Haig Distillery, the Kingsbarns Distillery and Visitor Centre is a Whisky connoisseur’s dream.

Their first Single Malt Whisky was released earlier this year.

Tours start at £10 per person.

ST ANDREWS GOLFER OF THE YEAR

CHLOE GOADBY This year St Andrews Magazine is awarding a singular award to our winner, because nobody else came close. The St Andrews Golfer of the Year is ChloĂŠ Goadby.

Chloe won the Female award in 2015, 2016 and 2017, but her performances in 2018 have left all St Andrews Golfers in her wake.

2 wins and 9 top 10 finishes have seen her rise to 200 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, making her Scotland's fifth best female amateur golfer. A fourth-place finish at the St Rule Trophy was one of many highlights in a stunning year.

BEN CATON Ben won the 2018 St Andrews’ Boy’s Open title and qualified for the last 32 of the Scottish Amateur Championship.

ST ANDREWS’ YOUNG GOLFER OF THE YEAR

JOHN PATERSON John Paterson qualified for the last 64 of The Amateur Championship and won the Cameron Corbett Vase at Haggs Castle with a four-round total of 274, 14-under-par.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT BY A ST ANDREWS GOLFER

JUSTIN ROSE World Number One. FedEx Cup Champion.

Ryder Cup star.

Justin Rose has had the greatest year of his career and the stats from it are truly remarkable.

More World Ranking Points than any golfer in the year since January 1st 2 wins 3 runner-up finishes 3 third place finishes

7 other top tens Rose has displayed a level of consistency which has been rarely seen in this new era. A major champion, an Olympic Champion, a European Tour Number One, FedEx Cup champion and now World Number One. Wins on every continent and on every major tour.

All that he needs to do now is add gloss to the body of wrk of his career, and he will go down as a British Sporting Legend.

WORLD GOLFER

OF THE YEAR

THE RYDER CUP The 2018 Ryder Cup was historic. It was dramatic.

It is the biggest Ryder Cup that we have ever seen.

Record crowds who were more energized and more engaged than any other fanbase before.

As ever the level of golf played was extraordinary.

No Ryder Cup has ever had larger infrastructure and no Ryder Cup has ever had such an impact upon its host nation.

The scenes of engagement on the first tee is something which will live with everyone who was there and everyone who saw them, forever.

The Masters may well be more prestigious, but there can no longer be any question, the Ryder Cup is the biggest event in golf.

GOLF EVENT OF THE YEAR

GOLF

ST ANDREWS GOLF

THE WORLD OF GOLF

New Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Chris Hilton, drives in for his year in office.

St Andrews Links Caddie Olly Mennie caught the ball for the second successive year and won a Gold Sovereign, worth ÂŁ200.

ST ANDREWS

HOME FROM

PINEHURST

AWAY HOME

COMING IN

2019

THE

GOLF THE

HOTELS

THE

TOWNS

THE

BREWERIES

THE

MAGAZINES

CADDIE

CORNER

“It is the best environment in

my 17 years on the links.”

A CADDIE‘S YEAR ON THE LINKS Story and Images by John Boyne, St Andrews Links Caddie and Caddie Golf Tours

“Good morning Sir, I believe I am your caddie for your round over the Old today” An unexpected and early beginning to my 2018 golf season with a call from the St Andrews Caddie Department on Saturday, 10th February “John, can you get here for 11:20 for an 11:50 tee time”?

And so it begins…though my second caddie job did not actually appear until the following month of March, 3 weeks later...Fore!

The golfer, this mid February morning, has played the Old Course before. Good. I inform him that the 1st hole has not changed since he last golfed here 20+ years ago...we still have a 147 yard wide fairway, a burn (stream) at 238 yards down the right side and plenty of space to the left of it. A lot of fairway.

The golfer’s Titleist Pro V1x, no less, lands on the aforementioned fairway. It leaves just

over 165 yards to the front edge and 20 more yards into the centre of the green, total 185 yards...oh, and there is a 15-20 mph wind against. The fun starts.

2018 once again provided a busy season for the caddies across the St Andrews Links courses.

We had 170 registered caddies working at the height of the season through May, June, July and August and surpassed the 2017 record number of caddie assisted rounds of 33,000 by a good 500.

This is despite a week’s disruption due to snow in March and then a week slow down when the Old Course played host to the British Seniors Open in July. A number of returning golfers got in contact early in the year to let me know

when they were due in St Andrews and I also quite a few referrals. It can be rather flattering when a previous or referred golfer gets in touch to request your services and goodness I do hope it all goes well on the day. It was a joy to receive an email from my old friend DE, San Francisco, who I had caddied for 5 consecutive years at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It was 2013 since we had worked together. A couple of new knees and a hip had curtailed his golf.

DE was in St Andrews with a couple of friends during late August. It was lovely to meet up on the New Course 1st tee and be apart of his round. Though it began rather inauspiciously with some sloppy bogeys going out, it was clear that his putting eye was in with only 13 on that front nine score of 42. If I could get DE onto the back nine greens, quickly, perhaps good things can happen? It did.

A score of 34 and two good birdies, especially the 12 foot putt on the

18th, totaling an exceptional 76 with only 25 putts.

A couple of days later DE and I were on the Old Course in a howling westerly wind that played havoc with his usual ‘baby fade’ from the tee. This now turned into an enormous slice. The Old Course bunkering down the right on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and the 9th gathered in his drives scuppering any chance of a decent score: out 48 with 18 putts. It runs away so quickly and though we eventually finished with a 92, DE was not too disappointed. As he said “We will always have the New Course John”.

Arguably the most bizzare golf shot of my 2018 season, and we caddies have all had a few, was from a golfer from Maryland USA, who managed to strike the Ladies marker stone on the Old Course 2nd tee with his drive, and with a ferocious ricochet it fired back at him on his left side, over the tee and edge of 1st green, missing many legs, it jumped the Swilken Burn behind us.

We all thought it would stop on 1st fairway. It

did not. Agonisingly it kept rolling, slowly, and plopping into the burn over by the Swilken Bridge! Poor chap, obviously rattled by this, he took a tough 8.

This year we had the British Seniors Open on the Old Course for the first time. Many of our local caddies got ‘bags’ through their own contacts and via the St Andrews Caddie Master. I had been approached through a friend in Michigan to guide an American professional through qualification at the Fairmont Hotel’s Torrance Course. After a couple of decent practice rounds we began our qualifier from the 10th tee shooting a good 34 with a couple of birdies thrown in. Unfortunately three bogeys through our back nine had us chasing a birdie on our final holes at 16th (7th), 17th (8th) and 18th (9th). It did not materialise, and we missed qualification by 1 shot. A tough result.

The British Seniors Open did produce a round on the Old Course for me when I looked after ‘Mr Rolex’ in the Tuesday Pro/Am. His professional golfers

were European Tour legends and former Ryder Cup Captains Paul McGinley and Colin Montgomerie.

Both were polite and attentive to Mr Rolex who has invested and helped grow the European Tour.

Albeit this was a fun practice round Colin Montgomerie dropped in a few birdies on the 7th, 9th and 18th to win the pennies from Paul McGinley.

Thank goodness the horrendous winds and rain that the ‘Beast from the East’ brought disappeared early in the season to be replaced with a wonderfully hot, extended sunshine summer that I do not believe we had seen in St Andrews since 2009/10. It was brilliant!

There were fleeting mentions for this caddie in two golf books published this year. The first was in “A Course Called Scotland” by American author and golfer Tom Coyne who had visited St Andrews in 2015 when I caddied for him on the Old Course. He played over a 100

courses around Scotland on route to the 1st round 2015 Open qualifying at Bruntsfield Links.

The second reference is from Roger McStravick, local St Andrean author and historian, whose recent book “St Andrews A Comfort Blanket for the Hapless Golfer” offers a wry humorous account of the Auld Grey Toon...and me!

Cheers Roger, there will be a Christmas beer in the Dunvegan for you.

With my wee independent company Caddie Golf Tours I assisted with a number of golf tours visiting St Andrews and further afield in Scotland, west, north and south. It started in early April when the ‘Peters 4Ball’ arrived in Edinburgh from Sweden. They transferred directly to St Andrews, dropped luggage at Brownlees Guest House, a spot of lunch and straight out to golf the New Course with their pre-booked tee time. A great beginning and they continued the golf

week on the Jubilee and Eden courses before receiving a balloted Old Course tee time on Friday 12th April.

We had three more groups from Sweden arriving through the season, an Italian family and our regular English golfers visiting St Andrews, as well as six various sized golf parties from America with one those golfing the great links of Northern Ireland.

There was even our returning dozen adventurous Canadian golfers who self drove through Ireland...Fore!

Our thanks to all our Caddie Golf Tours clients - all a delight and we look forward to welcoming you all back. Our thanks also to our accommodation suppliers especially our favourite St Andrews hotels at Ardgowan, Rusacks, Hotel Du Vin and Fairmont as well as the Kingsmills Hotel Inverness and Kilmarnock Arms at Cruden Bay. The ever faithful Town & Country Taxis from Cupar were exceptional this year.

On a personal golf note I finally managed

to play a Sunday round on the Old Course. It was not in the Gold Medal, The Links Trophy or even the European Tour’s Dunhill Links Championship.

The ‘invitation’ came from the St Andrews Golf Club who celebrated their 175th anniversary this year, with the cooperation from the St Andrews Links Trust, were given access to the Old Course on a couple of Sundays. I got one of the slots. It was great fun.

Finally, great credit should be given to this current crop of caddies who over these last few years have been doing some exceptional work across the links, in all weather. Seriously hard-working guys and girls. The Caddie Department at The St Andrews Links Trust also deserve plaudits for improving the Caddie Pavilion and bringing in some really good caddies who engage with their golfers and colleagues. It is the best environment in my 17 years on the links.

My June on the Links 35 rounds

24 rounds

10 rounds

1 round

OLD COURSE

NEW COURSE

JUBILEE COURSE

I have closed my 2018 season with around 190 caddie rounds completed and above is a breakdown of the golfers’ nationalities and the courses I caddied during a very busy month of June.

The Old Course obviously dominates as do our American golfers who took advantage of the Dollar strength against the British pound. Brexit has at least done some good for our visitors!

2018 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

REVIEW

BY MATT HOOPER

Winning Probably the best feeling in the world

Young Danish star Lucas Bjerregaard wins the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as Hatton implodes and Fleetwood runs out of steam

The scene was set for Tyrrell Hatton to be crowned Alfred Dunhill Links Champion for an unprecedented third successive year, but in golf fairytales rarely come true, and ironically it was a man from the land of Hans Cristian Anderson who took the title on a dramatic day at the home of golf.

In what can only be described as the greatest time in Danish golf’s history, Lucas Bjerregaard continued the remarkable story by claiming his second European Tour title.

Bjerregaard made his breakthrough in the 2017 Portugal Masters, and since then has shown great consistency, culminating with his come from behind win in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

7 top ten finishes including a runner-up finish in the OMEGA European Masters were the bedrock of a season which had seen him move into the top 25 on the Race to Dubai, but victory here secured his place at season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The 27-year-old from Frederikshavn got off to a flying start over the first two days, and did so under the radar, as he played a different rotation of the three courses to that of the leading golfers.

Beginning at the home of golf Lucas made birdie on 15, 17 and 18 to rescue an opening 70. Bogeys at 6, 11 and 13 had threatened to put him out of contention, even at that early stage.

Then on Friday he burned up the Kingsbarns Golf Links, starting at the 10th hole he played the back nine in 33 before torching the front nine in 32 shots. A secondround of 65 put him at the top of the leaderboard, and in position to challenge for his second European Tour title.

Round Three saw Bjerregaard at Carnoustie, and it would prove to be the most challenging of his four days.

Pars at the opening five holes were followed by a double-bogey 7 at the notorious par-five sixth. This stumble saw him fall behind Tyrrell Hatton, who was

surging at the home of golf.

But Bjerregaard showed grit, determination and talent to fight his way to a 1-under-par round of 71, with 6 birdies on his card.

He had kept the deficit to Hatton at a manageable four shots, but in all honesty his name wasn’t on the minds of many entering the final round.

It would be a final round which not many people have ever experienced before, in fact on the European Tour it was to be the first shotgun start. It was a controversial and unpopular decision based on a weather forecast which predicted 40mph winds during the afternoon on Sunday.

The draw meant that Bjerregaard began his round on the 18th hole, as play began at 0830 on Sunday. Bjerregaard began the final round some four shots behind Hatton, and after a commanding front nine of 31 from the defending champion it seemed to be all over bar the shouting.

Hatton held a fivestroke lead and

Bjerregaard seemed to be in a battle for second place with four others.

Hatton’s birdie putt agonizingly missed and the Dane had conquered the Links.

Bjerregaard began with a birdie at the 18th and further birdies at 4, 6 and 8 put him in position to claim at least a share of second place,

Jubilant family and friends shouted out “he’s missed, he’s done it!” from the side of the Road Hole, and the celebrations could begin.

Then came the unexpected stumble by two-time defending champion Tyrrell Hatton.

Bjerregaard was understandably delighted to have claimed the biggest win of his career to date, the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Bogeys at 10 and 11 saw his once dominant lead shrink to just the two shots, this was the Dane’s opportunity. A birdie at the 13th saw him pull to within one and with Hatton bogeying 15 and 16 he suddenly had ascended to the top of the leaderboard.

A stunning birdie at 16 saw him extend the lead to two shots coming to his final hole, the intimidating Road Hole.

Hatton failed to birdie 17 and knew he must make birdie at least on the final hole to have any chance of retaining his title. A bogey from Bjerregaard at the 17th gave him a nervous few minutes before finding out the news.

“I'm getting a little emotional,” he said.

“It's been a great year and now it's just a whole lot better.

“It didn't really look like I was ever in it today, it looked like Tyrrell was going to take off with it.

I was trucking away at it. I've been playing well for a little while and I played really well today and I'm really pleased that it was enough.”

Lucas Bjerregaard became the second Dane to triumph at the home of golf, following on from Thorbjorn Olesen’s victory in 2015.

It was one of many highlights in a truly extraordinary year for Danish golf.

Thomas Bjorn led Europe to a rampant Ryder Cup victory at Le Golf National the week before, with the team including Thorbjorn Olesen. Olesen produced a dominant performance in the Sunday singles to crush former World Number One Jordan Spieth.

Olesen had earlier secured his place in the team in the Made in Denmark, an event which has become one of the best supported in European golf, and in 2019 will move to the date which was formerly filled by the BMW PGA Championship.

Olesen claimed his first ROLEX SERIES title earlier in the season at the Italian Open, defeating The Open and BMW PGA Champion Francesco Molinari on the Italian’s home soil.

Jeff Winther then finished third at European Tour Q School to secure his card for 2019.

If anyone is reading this script they would think it was written by Hans Christian Anderson, a fairytale year indeed for Danish golf.

The Old Lady’s Revenge.

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned".

Standing on the 10th tee on Sunday Tyrrell Hatton was in complete control of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and up until this point he was well and truly having his way with the Old Lady.

Four-under for the day through nine holes, and on the back of rounds of 66, 66, 68, 66 and 62 in his last five rounds on the Old Course, Hatton was set to make it a historic three successive victories in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

But no woman likes to be taken advantage of, and Hatton felt the full wrath of the Old Lady on the back nine during this year’s final round.

His tee shot at the tenth found sand and a bogey ensued, cutting his lead from five to four, and with Fleetwood birdieing the 11th it was soon to be down to three.

After safely finding the green at the par three eleventh Hatton took three putts and suddenly, his once commanding

advantage was teetering on the brink.

After a birdie from Bjerregaard at the thirteenth it was a three-horse race.

Hatton then failed to birdie the par-five fourteenth and successive bogeys at fifteen and sixteen saw him fall one behind Bjerregaard.

Once the Dane birdied the sixteenth he was two behind, and in need of a stunning turnaround.

Bjerregaard threeputted his final hole (17), but the Englishman failed to birdie the 18th and incredibly, shockingly, it was all over.

This Alfred Dunhill Links seemed to be following the same script as 2016 and 2017. Hatton built his lead over the first three days then put the hammer down on Sunday to claim the glory.

The thing is, golf and sport in general doesn’t have a script. It is unscripted drama at its very best, and once you get in the comfort zone it invariably bites you.

For Hatton winning has come relatively easy in the last three years,

and he hasn’t felt the disappointment of throwing a tournament away before. Despite his shocking capitulation he was philosophical about things afterwards.

“There's positives,” he said. “Obviously finishing second is a good effort. I tried my best to win it again. It would have been pretty special to have three in a row, didn't work out, wasn't meant to be.

“I started off well, scoring pretty well the front nine considering conditions were quite tough. Then just the momentum completely went after the tee-shot on ten.

“I guess my putt on the last to get in the playoff sums it up, really.

Just a massive gust of wind knocks me off, pretty much lose balance on a putt, which is unfortunate.

“I'm pretty disappointed because I had a five-shot lead at one point. It was in my hands.”

For everyone at the Old Course on Sunday it was a given that Hatton would win, except for an Old Lady, who had her revenge.

Fleetwood falls short in middle of gruelling schedule.

Lucas Bjerregaard stole the show on Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Links, shattering the dreams of double defending champion Tyrrell Hatton and confining Tommy Fleetwood to the role of St Andrews bridesmaid once again.

Fleetwood came to St Andrews off the back of a stunning Ryder Cup debut and during his greatest ever season. The Southport man won the 2017 Race to Dubai and has followed that up with a tournament victory in Abu Dhabi and 9 other top tens including a spectacular runner-up finish at the US Open.

It’s a measure of his status in the game today that a runner-up finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links is somewhat of a disappointment.

Rounds of 71 (Kingsbarns), 67 (Carnoustie) and 67 (St Andrews) put him in a position to challenge Tyrrell Hatton for the title.

The newest star in British sport was immensely popular with the spectators who visited this week, and he got off to the perfect start in the final round with

birdies at the second and fourth holes to close on the lead.

Hatton’s fierce start meant that the Merseyside star still had several shots to make up on the back nine.

A further birdie at the par three eleventh hole, coupled with Hatton’s poor start to the second nine put him right in the mix for the title.

A disappointing bogey at the thirteenth hole dented his hopes, dropping him to 13under-par, 2 shots off Hatton.

But he bounced back with birdie at the par four fifteenth hole, and with Hatton imploding on 15 and 16 Fleetwood briefly held a share of the lead.

However, nobody had reckoned on the stellar form of the Dane Bjerregaard, and Fleetwood came to the final hole knowing he desperately needed a birdie.

A fine drive just short of the green left him needing to get down in two putts to post 15under-par in the clubhouse. His first putt came up around five feet short of the hole,

setting up a shot at the mark he needed.

Alas, it was not to be for Tommy, as the ball didn’t break as much as he had reckoned on, and he had to settle for 14-under-par and a share of second place, his second runner-up finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links in the last five years.

At the beginning of the week he admitted that he had sat down with his caddie and team to “re-set” and look ahead to a frantic finish to the season.

His runner-up prize moved him ahead of Patrick Reed in the Race to Dubai rankings, and sets up a tantalizing possibility of ‘Moliwood’ going head-to-head for the season-long title on the European Tour.

“There's still tournaments left,” he said. “Keep your head down, keep practising and keep trying to improve.

We'll see at the end of the year what kind of chance we've got or where we are but it's nice to move in the right direction.

“It was nice coming down the stretch with a chance to win. I played some really good golf and fell just short. There was a lot of good stuff.�

There was a lot of a good stuff indeed, and on a day when a player with lesser abilities could have been blown away he showed resilience, especially around the loop, keeping his challenge together.

This is the mark of the golfer, whilst being exceptionally talented he is also very durable.

Something which comes from having to fight for his card six years ago and coming from outside the top 140 in the world just two years ago to just outside the top 10 now.

He also demonstrated remarkable powers of concentration when he must be drained from his Ryder Cup experience, and with having played in 10 of the last 12 weeks since The Open Championship.

Overshadowed. Koepka and co show how hard it is to win on the European Tour.

Three years have passed since Brooks Koepka last played in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, in that time he has gone from World Number 17 to World Number 3 and won 3 Majors.

In 2015 he had won once on the PGA Tour and once on the European Tour and was a rising star, now he is very much on course to be a modern great of the game.

So, when his participation in this year’s championship was confirmed it was a massive boost to the event.

that this beast of an athlete was now a peacock too, carrying himself, as a multiple Major champion should, with great confidence.

Koepka began his challenge for the Dunhill Links at Kingsbarns, and in a very tricky wind he kept his round together on his opening nine before making three birdies on the way in to post a very respectable round of 70 on the hardest opening day in tournament history.

A runner-up finish in 2015 was an indication that Koepka enjoyed the links, and he figured prominently in this year’s story.

A warmer and calmer day at Carnoustie yielded greater scoring opportunities, and after an eagle at the short par-five fourteenth Koepka looked set to enter the weekend in contention. However, the final four at Carnoustie would claim another victim, and the US Open and PGA Champion would bogey 15, 17 and 18 to leave himself with much work to do on the Old Course on Saturday.

The 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was the last time I saw Koepka in the flesh, and whilst he was a big, imposing figure then it was noticeable

With the major stars of the professional field assembling at the Old Course for the first time in the week the crowds were at their largest.

Koepka took much of

His wins in the US Open and PGA Championship made him the standout player in the field, and shortly after the championship he was confirmed as the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

the support out with him, and he did not leave them wanting more.

The US Open and PGA Champion thrilled the galleries with a stunning front nine which featured birdies at 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to go out in 31. Further birdies followed at 10, 11 and 12 and the Floridian was on course to shoot an extraordinarily low round.

His run hit the buffers at 13 though with a bogey, and despite birdies at 14 and 18 he would throw in bogeys at 15 and 17 and have to settle for a round of 65.

“A little disappointing actually, I felt like I played well enough to shoot 60 or 61. I gave away some easy shots, it could have been a lot better”, said a frustrated Koepka.

Sunday’s bizarre shotgun start meant that Koepka began his final round on the formidable Road Hole.

Starting seven shots off the lead he needed a fast start and signalled his intentions immediately.

After safely navigating the drive, his second shot spectacularly

glanced the pin, showing unerring accuracy and a focus to close the gap on Hatton.

His putt from some 20 feet came up short, but birdies at 18, 1 and 2 got him off to a roaring start. However, with Tyrrell Hatton’s birdie burst on the front nine, Koepka’s hopes of victory were slim, and pushing to try and get closer to the lead the American made four bogeys in his final eight holes, and he had to settle for a share of seventh place.

So, the wait for an American champion at the Alfred Dunhill Links goes on.

In contrast to the success the nation enjoyed in the old Alfred Dunhill Cup. The Americans won the cup on three occasions in 1989, 1993 and 1996 with teams of illustrious champions in an era when the Dunhill attracted many the world’s greatest golfers.

In 1989 the US team featured both the US Open and Open champions in Curtis Strange and Mark Calcavecchia, alongside Tom Kite.

Four years later it was Fred Couples, John Daly and Payne Stewart who walked away with the cup, and in 1996 Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Mark O’Meara were victorious.

In fact, these nine greats of American golf were joined by Raymond Floyd, Lanny Wadkins, Steve Pate, Davis Love III, Ben Crenshaw, Lee Janzen, Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman, Larry Mize and Tiger Woods, among others over the enormously popular 16 editions of the Alfred Dunhill Cup. Tony Finau was making his debut in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after a solid Ryder Cup bow and a consistent season. The World Number 17 was excited about playing the Old Course for the very first time and finished in a tie for tenth place.

Finau was thrilled to make his debut in the annual pro-am championship on three of the world’s great links courses: “They are great courses, you’ve got to golf your ball. I like the creativity which links brings, it is a lot

different from the golf we play in the United States. It’s fun to be here in the home of golf, I look forward to the final two rounds at St Andrews” Finau said on Friday.

Matt Kuchar also made his Dunhill Links bow and was blown away by the event: “My partner Ric (Kayne) has been asking me to come for a while.

“But the timing is difficult for the guys on the US Tour. It’s after major season, play-offs, Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, it’s just such a long stretch of golf.

“I had heard from friend after friend what a great event this is, how much fun they have. So I wanted to come for a few years.

“With the Ryder Cup being in Paris this year, I figured it would be easy to pop over so I was happy to make the effort.

“I played Kingsbarns for the first time yesterday and thought the course was beautiful. It was fun, it was fair. Today was totally different because there’s a lot of wind out there” Kuchar said prior to the tournament beginning on Wednesday,

Asian breakthrough in Team Championship

The Team Championship once again featured the usual old favourites, a mix of sporting stars, actors and performing artists from the world of rock and pop over the years.

The promoters boasted of a ‘super group’ of great music stars, past and present, including current stars - Keane’s Tom Chaplin, Linkin Park’s Dave Farrell, music giant Ronan Keating and Brian McFadden, former lead singer of Westlife, Mike Rutherford from Genesis, country and western star Clay Walker and hugely popular legends Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres.

Sports stars taking part included Sir Steve Redgrave, making his 18th straight appearance, cricketers Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen, Allan Lamb and Shane Warne, Irish rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll, 20-times National Hunt champion jockey Sir Tony (A.P.) McCoy and Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit. In reality the celebrity field was nothing different to past years and that was reflected in lower

crowds than usual for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Haotong Li and Allen Zhang became the first Chinese winners of the Alfred Dunhill Links Team Championship and afterwards revealed the secret of their success: eating a hotpot meal together on the eve of their 11under-par final round of 61 at the Old Course.

Rising professional Li and his amateur partner Zhang, the creator of WeChat, decided they needed to share a traditional Chinese dish as good luck ahead of the tournament’s last day.

It worked, too, with Zhang sinking the eventual winning putt – a five foot effort for a birdie on the 5th green, their penultimate hole after teeing off on the 7th hole in the shotgun start.

Li shot a six-under-par 66 to end the individual event in fifth place, and he earned an additional cheque of $50,000 for the 35under-par team score alongside Zhang. It gave them a one-shot victory over secondplaced Thai golfer Thongchai Jaidee and American businessman

Scott Desano. “My partner played very well today – and his birdie, on a hole when he did not have a stroke, was a great moment for us,” said Li. “It is also history, pretty much, with us winning this competition.”

In third place were Spanish professional Nacho Elvira and his amateur partner John van Wyk, a South African businessman who has twice represented his country in the World Karting Championships. They shot an eight-under par 64 for a 32-under-par total.

Among the 20 teams which made the cut in the Team Championship were Australian cricket legend Shane Warne and former Ireland and British and Irish Lions rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll.

Warne and New Zealand professional Fox shot a final round 66 to tie for 12th place, while O’Driscoll and his partner, Irish professional Robin Dawson, could only manage a level par 72 to end up tied for 14th at 23-under-par.

An unforgettable week at the Alfred Dunhill Links

Looking ahead to 2019

There was once a time that each October the world’s greatest golfers would make an annual pilgrimage to the home of golf.

From 1985 to 2000 the Alfred Dunhill Cup attracted a starstudded field of the best players from 16 countries across the planet, and in 1993 featured Fred Couples, John Daly, Nick Faldo, Payne Stewart, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Woosnam, David Frost, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ernie Els and Nick Price.

The field included 8 of the top 16 in the world including the World Number One. Fast forward to 2018 and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has attracted just 9 of the world’s top 50. Of course, much of this has to do with the changing landscape of the world tours over the last decade; the creation of the FedEx Cup has been detrimental to the European Tour in September.

This year’s field included the US Open and PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, American Ryder Cup stars Tony Finau and

Matt Kuchar, as well as European Ryder Cup heroes Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood.

But aside from these well-known players the field struggled for depth, with less than 20 top 100 players and several obscure invitees. However, with the upcoming changes to the worldwide golfing schedule, 2019 could be the year in which the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship once again attracts many of the world’s greatest golfers to the East Coast of Scotland.

The PGA Championship moving to May is central to a revolutionary set of changes for the 201819 PGA Tour and European Tour schedules.

THE PLAYERS is returning to March and the BMW PGA Championship is moving to September, just one of several changes the European Tour has made to its usual itinerary.

The PGA Tour playoffs will now conclude with The Tour Championship in the final week of August, which potentially means the European Tour could attract a much

stronger field to each of its events from midSeptember onwards.

With the Presidents Cup being played in December this means the American stars may find it even more attractive to come and play in a tournament which many have graced over a number of years.

Matt Kuchar spoke glowingly of the event in his first appearance, as did Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka (who appeared for the fourth time this year).

Dustin Johnson previously played in the event in 2011, and Justin Thomas made his professional debut here in 2015. Thomas has shown a willingness to play around the world, winning twice in Malaysia and once in Korea, as well as being the only US Ryder Cup player to compete in this year’s HNA Open de France.

Patrick Reed is a member of the European Tour, and for the last two years has played in the European Open in Germany.

Rickie Fowler has won the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship and Jordan Spieth has won

two Australian Open titles in the last five years.

And, what about the biggest draw card of all? Tiger Woods played in the 1998 Alfred Dunhill Cup, and his love for the Old Course is well-known.

Rory McIlroy skipped this year’s event due to the Ryder Cup, but in all likelihood will return in 2019, and his participation may encourage Europe’s most high-profile players to play.

The rest of Europe’s successful Ryder Cup team have all performed well on the links in recent year, and their inclusion in the field would strengthen the appeal for the golf fan from across Scotland and the rest of the UK. South African support for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has always been strong, mainly due to the involvement of Richemont owner, Johann Rupert.

Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els and Brandon Stone all teed it up in this year’s event and its almost certain they will

continue to do so in the future.

elevate this event immeasurably.

Japanese golfers have always had a close affinity with St Andrews, with the Japanese formerly owning the Old Course Hotel.

Many hundreds make the pilgrimage to St Andrews every summer to play the Old Course, and every effort should be made to encourage the likes of Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa to join Hideto Tanihara in the field for 2019.

Whilst the timing of the Alfred Dunhill Links may prevent current footballers from playing in the tournament, the likes of Paul Scholes, Jamie Redknapp, Alan Shearer, Phil Neville and his brother Gary all have played in the proams of the BMW PGA Championship and British Masters over the last few years.

With a strengthening of the professional field there is every chance that the stature of the celebrity/amateur field will improve too.

With respect to Tico Torres, Huey Lewis and Sir Steve Redgrave, today’s youth are not familiar with them, and the amateur field needs refreshing.

Can you imagine the interest if Tiger Woods played with Michael Jordan in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship?!

The likes of David Beckham and Justin Timberlake are known for their love of the game, and their presence would

The recent Celebrity Match at the Ryder Cup attracted the likes of John McEnroe, James Blake, Samuel L Jackson, David Ginola, Michael Phelps, Luis Figo and Condoleeza Rice to Le Golf National. This tournament has the power to inspire the next generation of golfers across the world, and 2019 could be the moment it realizes its vast potential.

THROWING THE MCIL-TOYS OUT OF THE PRAM

At November’s season-ending DP WORLD Tour Championship Rory McIlroy spoke freely, as he does, admirably. But on several occasions his free manner has caused controversy.

What about the time he said this about the Ryder Cup? "It's not a huge goal of mine," said the Northern Irish youngster. "It's an exhibition. In the big scheme of things it's not that important an event for me."

Following his dramatic debut in 2010 he soon changed his tune, later saying he regretted his choice of words in 2009. Then came the Olympic Games and his views on growing the game: “I don’t feel like I’ve let the game down at all. I didn’t get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and all of a sudden you get to this point and there is a responsibility on you to grow the game, and I get that. But at the same time that’s not the reason that I got into golf. I got into golf to win. I didn’t get into golf to get other people into the game.”

He made those comments at The Open in 2016, the final qualifying event for Rio, justifying his decision not to play in the first Olympic Golf Tournament for over 100 years.

Fast forward less than 3 weeks and Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson are taking part in an epic duel for the Gold Medal. Its almost certain that those who chose to skip Rio will tee-it-up in Tokyo.

Now Rory has spoken freely about his plans for 2019, and it seems they don’t include the European Tour, and perhaps more controversially, the Irish Open.

“Everything is going to be so condensed between March and August, and that is why I am taking a big offseason to get myself ready, and to have that break and impose an off-season on myself and then go at it hard from March all the way through to basically the end of the season,” McIlroy said.

“I’ve got two events on my schedule in Europe.

I am starting my year off in the US [ in Hawaii in January] and that

Tour will be the big focus of mine up until the end of August and then we will assess from there.

“I’ve a couple ‘pure’ European Tour events on my schedule up until the end of August.

I guess my thing is that I want to play against the strongest fields week-in and week-out and for the most part of the season that is in America.”

Those couple of events are said to be the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in the week preceding The Open, and the OMEGA European Masters, in the week following the PGA Tour’s season finale at THE TOUR Championship.

“If I want to continue to contend in the majors… and to continue my journey back towards the top of the game, then that’s what I want to do.

“If it were to be that I don’t fulfil my membership next year, it’s not a Ryder Cup year so it’s not the end of the world. I am always going to want to play the Ryder Cup, so if anything if that does happen so be it

and I will try and make the Ryder Cup team with a year ago.”

Firstly, not fulfilling the criteria of a European Tour member means McIlroy would not be considered for future captaincy of the European Team. To be honest I am not sure anyone considers him as a potential captainlike figure.

However, not being a member of a tour, which only requires you to play five events in an entire season is more than a little ridiculous.

Can he not surely find it in him to play in the five Rolex Series events which are played following the end of the PGA Tour season?

And missing the Irish Open, played at Lahinch, would be a huge kick in the teeth to the tournament and the host, Paul McGinley.

Much credit goes to McIlroy for the upward trajectory of the Irish Open over the last four years, but he hasn’t done it alone. Many players made a commitment to play in the Irish Open because of him, and surely he owes it to McGinley and Irish golf to play in

the tournament, on an iconic Irish links.

But for me, this decision is more illogical than it is immoral. His claim playing less golf and playing more on the PGA Tour will help him win majors is utterly flawed.

The two years in which Rory McIlroy dominated the Majors and reached World Number One were 2012 and 2014. In these years he played 7 European Tour events outside the Majors and WGC's (2014) and 8 (2012) respectively.

On average between 2009 and 2014 (without doubt his peak performances in majors and world golf) McIlroy played far more golf, making him sharper and his results on the PGA Tour were better as a result. Of his 14 PGA Tour wins, 9 of them came before 2015.

Being a regular member of the European Tour didn't harm his performances in Majors and on the PGA Tour, it enhanced them. Seve Ballesteros won five majors and was world number one, and is a world golf hall of fame member,

Of his 91 professional wins, only 4 came in regular PGA Tour events. Does anyone think any less of him for that and does it harm his legendary status?

It certainly didn’t harm his form in the majors.

He finished in the top ten at Augusta 8 times, including 2 wins.

Sir Nick Faldo won 6 majors among his 41 worldwide wins, with only 3 regular PGA Tour events in his career. He was world number one for 96 weeks. Do we think any less of him for not being a prolific winner on the PGA Tour? Of course not!

Keith Pelley has bent over backwards to try and encourage these pampered pillocks to play in Europe, and despite the creation of the expensive and rewarding Rolex Series they continue to shun it. And McIlroy is the highest profile European golfer.

I for one hope he sees sense, for himself, and willingly plays in our biggest events, otherwise we may see the Rolex Series disappear, and with it the entire European Tour is in jeopardy.

GOLF’S GREATEST

STORY BY MATT HOOPER Images: Getty

"A lot of people say that we're in the golf business. Yes, we are in the golf business, but I say that we're also in the content business and we're in the entertainment business, Golf happens to be our platform.

So, if we're in the entertainment business then our players are our stars” These are the words of European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley, and the world of Golf Entertainment is about to be shaken up like never before.

Prior to 1993 almost the only events seen on live television in the UK were the Majors and the European Tour events in the UK such as the British Masters and the BMW PGA Championship.

Then came Sky Sports, showing almost every European Tour event, the US Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and every PGA Tour event.

The last decade has seen Sky wrestle The Masters and The Open away from BBC, and now the only live golf shown on terrestrial television is the final

two days of The Masters.

2017 saw the creation of Sky Sports Golf, the first dedicated channel for the sport in the UK, and Sky seemed to have it all – all four majors, the Ryder Cup and every event on the PGA Tour and European Tour.

But times are changing and sadly for Sky, so is the sports broadcasting landscape and the way people consume content. This is something they have unfortunately not recognized and the people who run the sport have, leading to a seminal moment in the broadcasting history of the game.

Shortly after the unveiling of Sky Sports Golf at the 2017 Open Championship, the PGA of America announced that they were not renewing their contract with Sky to show the PGA Championship, as they looked to go in a different direction to grow their audience.

The 2017 PGA, the 99th edition of the storied major, was shown in the UK on BBC, GiveMeSport on Facebook and Twitter.

Then in 2018, for the 100th PGA Championship, Eleven Sports entered the equation, launching their online-only service with the golfing major.

But something much bigger was to follow.

Following the announcement that Discovery and the PGA Tour were entering into an international distribution partnership in July they revealed GOLFTV, powered by the PGA TOUR, the distinctive brand for the destination that will unite the community of golf fans around the world.

The brand will underpin the new live and ondemand international video streaming service, which will launch globally outside the United States on 1st January 2019.

GOLFTV will offer fans a one-stop destination to access the widest range of golf content.

With a growing portfolio of content, it will feature many of the sport’s most exciting moments, superstar players and tournaments on every screen and device.

Serving golf fans with an enhanced experience to both entertain and inform, GOLFTV will present more than 2,000 hours of live action each year as well as extensive premium content on-demand.

Live coverage* will include the six Tours operating under the PGA TOUR umbrella and nearly 150 tournaments annually – including THE PLAYERS Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup. Alex Kaplan, President and General Manager, Discovery Golf, said: “Our long-term goal is to create a must-have experience that truly enhances the way global fans watch, play and engage with the game every day.

Unveiling the new GOLFTV brand is an exciting next step in our journey.

“Building on Discovery’s heritage of real-life storytelling and directto-consumer platform experience, we’ve already established a world-class GOLFTV team. With work well underway, our carefully considered plans will allow us to continually enhance GOLFTV as

we roll-out and further develop the product.”

The launch of the GOLFTV brand follows the pioneering strategic alliance between Discovery and the PGA TOUR, announced in June. In addition to the GOLFTV service, the 12-year alliance will manage the PGA TOUR’s international multiplatform rights including linear TV rights.

Discovery is already working to execute on a robust distribution and broadcast partner strategy for the portfolio, optimizing reach across free-toair, pay-TV and digital, and will explore partnering with existing PGA TOUR and golf broadcasters to continue to grow the game. Live PGA TOUR coverage will become available via GOLFTV in line with the market-bymarket rights activation date This does not currently impact upon the main live coverage of the PGA Tour in the UK, as Sky are the rights holders for the PGA Tour until the end of 2021. However, the additional live coverage Sky provided

via PGA Tour Live’s featured groups and bonus coverage will disappear with immediate effect.

Then in December came news which, whilst not as eyecatching as the PGA Tour deal, could bring an end to live golf on Sky Sports and change the golf broadcasting landscape forever in this country.

Discovery and the European Tour have announced a new partnership that will see GOLFTV continue to expand its portfolio and move towards becoming the established ‘digital home of golf’ for fans around the world.

The wide-ranging agreement includes international multiplatform live rights, in selected territories,* to all European Tour events and the next two Ryder Cups**, as well as Discovery collaborating to further grow the European Tour’s digital platforms, showcasing the Tour’s innovative content worldwide.

The partnership will bring coverage of the European Tour and Ryder Cup together

under GOLFTV, the global live and ondemand video streaming service launching in January 2019. Fans will be able to follow all the world’s greatest players, week in and week out, with a growing portfolio of content that will make GOLFTV an unmissable destination for golf entertainment worldwide.

GOLFTV will carry more than 40 European Tour events per year starting in January*. These events will include: Every Race to Dubai event throughout the season.

All Rolex Series events, including the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, Aberdeen Standard investments Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship, Italian Open, Turkish Airlines Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge and seasonending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

All World Golf Championships (WGC)events, including the Mexico Championship, the Dell Technologies Match Play, the FedEx St. Jude

Invitational and HSBC Champions.

Golf Sixes and the Hero Challenge.

The European Challenge Tour and Staysure Tour.

Following Team Europe’s victory in Paris in September, live coverage of the next two Ryder Cups from Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, in 2020 and Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Italy, in 2022 will be available to fans in selected territories through GOLFTV. Sky signed a new deal with the European Tour in September, to run until the end of 2022, and includes the next two Ryder Cups, but after that it looks increasingly certain that their focus will fall upon Premier League football.

Alex Kaplan, President and General Manager, Discovery Golf, said: “Welcoming the European Tour and The Ryder Cup into the GOLFTV world is a significant step in our journey to becoming a premier global destination for golf entertainment. To offer fans the chance to watch some of the

biggest tournaments of the year week in and week out, featuring the world’s greatest players and their national heroes, is the perfect foundation of musthave content that fans can’t live without.”

“To become the true ‘digital home of golf,’ we know we must think differently and go further than anything that has been done before,” Kaplan continued.

“Forging a deeper relationship with the European Tour to help develop and grow its digital assets is a perfect example of that, and it highlights our long-term aim to build a true ecosystem around golf, leveraging Discovery’s global presence and expertise to achieve this at scale.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive, European Tour, said: “Discovery has a very a strong vision for GOLFTV as a multi-platform destination for golf and we are delighted to be combining our global reach in 2019.

“Our partnership with Discovery, combined with our other broadcast deals,

means that every fan in every territory will now be able to watch the European Tour. This new partnership is therefore an exciting move for us, allowing us to showcase the stars of the European Tour and our innovative content to a new audience,” Pelley concluded.

For Pelley this is another landmark in revolutionizing the European Tour and the way it is seen in the UK, Europe and around the world.

It brings the Tour onto the same platform as the PGA Tour, and has the potential to drive sponsors to the tour like never before.

Moving beyond a traditional rights agreement, Discovery will partner with the European Tour on the operations of its digital platforms from 2019.

Leveraging Discovery’s proven record in maximizing multiplatform engagement and commercialization around the world’s biggest and most watched sports events, the partners will work together to grow the European Tour’s digital assets, including the

global website, the European Tour apps, and exploration of new local websites and local European Tour social media accounts, helping to showcase the Tour’s innovative digital content to a global audience.

Discovery will focus on developing and optimizing key aspects of the European Tour digital operation, such as technology, monetization and advertising.

The European Tour will continue to provide content and editorial services for the digital platforms, and service its existing news and media clients.

The final part of the announcement could be massive for the exposure of the game.

Under the agreement, Discovery will also have the ability to sublicense TV and digital coverage, in the markets for which it holds exclusive rights, as part of a broader strategy to grow viewership of the European Tour.

Pelley has previously stated his desire to upgrade the offering from European Tour productions, and to

make the tour more visible, whilst at the same time being magnanimous about Sky Sports coverage of the European Tour.

This partnership makes it very possible for the European Tour to return to free-to-air television in the UK on a large scale for the first time in decades, perhaps in a bigger way than ever before.

It also doesn’t necessarily have to be BBC which is the freeto-air sub-licensee. If Pelley is looking to maximise commercialization of the tour, then the likes of ITV and Channel 4 could very well enter the market.

GOLFTV also has announced an exclusive deal with Tiger Woods to provide unique content featuring the 14-time major champion and former world number one.

Among the plans, Woods and GOLFTV are collaborating to develop weekly practice and instructional videos to improve your game; Exclusive access into Tiger’s preparation routines; Behind-the-

scenes access before and after PGA TOUR rounds and Unique & exclusive post-round commentary.

With three enormous deals in place, and the global footprint to achieve their goals, there appears to be no stopping GOLFTV from becoming the ultimate, global home of golf on all platforms.

That is the key word – PLATFORM. This is, primarily, about the ways in which we consume content, and that is changing rapidly. Simply, the screen is getting smaller.

This is something Discovery, through Eurosport, has recognized and acted upon in a much quicker fashion than Sky. It is far easier to subscribe to and watch Eurosport Player on your phone than it is Sky via Sky Mobile TV. Eurosport Player is also available via Amazon Prime. This makes it much more accessible to a wider audience.

And there is another key to why Discovery have made such gains in the sport so quickly.

ATTITUDE.

Discovery and Eurosport are not obsessed by exclusivity.

Sky’s business model is broken.

The last couple of years has seen their once great relationship with Augusta National and The Masters sour. All because Sky want exclusive live coverage of all four days of The Masters.

They believe, perhaps with some justification, that the vast sums and hours they put in to producing the great coverage of the event, they deserve to have it exclusively.

However, this shows a distinct lack of trust in their own subscribers.

They are worried that if all four days are shown on BBC then their viewing figures will dip.

Speaking as someone who appreciates great coverage of a golf event, I can guarantee that I would never watch BBC’s coverage over Sky’s. As a subscriber I would always watch their coverage.

But it is this apparent fear of losing viewers which could, and likely will, see Sky lose it all in 2022.

Discovery acquired the rights to the Olympic Games but is completely open to sub-licensing coverage to BBC. Eurosport held the rights to most Tennis but was completely open to sub-licensing it to BBC. And it goes on.

BT Sport enjoy the same relationship with other sports and BBC too.

Legislation from government ended Sky’s monopoly on coverage of the Premier League, for the better. I say that not because I am anti-Sky, I am the most pro-Sky person you will meet, but it is positive for any sport to be seen by as many eyes as possible.

The thought that Sky would consider sublicensing golf back from GOLFTV is laughable, it simply will not happen.

Another reason for this is they are stripping down their rights profile in order to make a significant bid to regain live UEFA Champions League Football. They have also just agreed a huge deal with F1 and a vastly increased deal with the Football League.

Something had to give.

With the loss of both the PGA Tour and European Tour virtually secured, it is now predictable that the 2021 US Open and 2021 Open will be the last majors shown on Sky. Both the USGA and R&A will want to be part of the worldwide rollout of GOLFTV, and it makes perfect sense for the majors to follow the tours to the network.

For GOLFTV to become a true home of golf it would have to acquire the LPGA and women’s Majors, and surely nobody would put it past them. This however should not be seen as a negative move for the game, as previously stated, it gives a great opportunity for golf to return to free-to-air television in the UK. Perhaps in as little as five years we could see The Masters, PGA, US Open, The Open, World Golf Championships, PGA Tour FedEx Cup, European Tour Rolex Series, the Women’s Majors and the Ryder Cup on BBC, ITV or even Channel 4.

Sky have done some tremendous things for the visibility of golf in the UK, showing more

golf than any network in the world, becoming the first network in the world to broadcast the Ryder Cup in its entirety and many other innovations.

After 25 years as the home of golf on UK television though it is perhaps time a new network put its weight behind the sport, one which doesn’t have to bid for Premier League football and can commit to the sport we all love. The youngster of today, even the 35year-old adult, consumes the vast majority of their content on a laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

Discovery are set to utilize that on the greatest scale we have ever seen in sport, and with Tennis now almost exclusively on Amazon Prime it seems only logical that another sport which uses the term “GRAND SLAM” would follow suit.

After years of debate as to whether golf is suffering from a lack of exposure, and searching for answers, perhaps this is GOLF’S GREATEST DISCOVERY.

A C E N T U R Y O F M E M O R I E S AT

PEBBLE

BEACH COMING IN

2019

COMING IN

2019

100 YEARS OF

GOLF

AT GLENEAGLES

THE MECCA

COMING IN

2019

INTERIORS

YOGA

LIFESTYLE

BEAUTY

FOOD&DRINK

The Beauty of

BY AILEEN WALLACE-EDGAR

The signs are all around us that winter is well and truly here, and we aren’t talking about the shorter days and trees becoming bare. Think tighter skin, chapped lips and rough skin on the hands and feet.

These common symptoms of a skin well and truly in the grip of winter are easy to combat though, and the quicker you begin the sooner you will have that gorgeous, party ready skin!

One of the main concerns my clients have during winter is that their skin looks dull and feels tight. It is important to remember that what works for you in the summer months may not be the most suitable for you in the winter.

Just like your wardrobe we need to tweak things seasonally. Your skin care specialist is the best person to discuss individual needs with but here are the usual suspects when treating winter skin.

Firstly look at what’s being used. If your desperately reaching for your moisturiser after cleansing its probable that your skin barrier is disrupted. I would suggest switching to a more hydrating cleansing lotion. Lotion based cleansers will always be more hydrating than gel washes. Look for ingredients like hydrolysed oats which lock in moisture to the skin.

Many skincare ranges have hydrating serums which can be amazing for helping winter skin. My favourite hydrating ingredient is Hyaluronic Acid which, while sounding scary, actually holds up to 10,000 times its weight in moisture.

Which makes it the perfect underwear for

your moisturiser. Pop it on before your moisturiser and then top off the daily routine with your SPF. Yup, you read that correctly, SPF. Its not just for when the sun is beating down and toasting our skin.

Use it in winter as an added barrier to central heating and biting North Easterly winds. Many sunscreens now include ingredients like Vitamin E which is renowned for its moisturising and protecting abilities.

Remember your SPF should be used like a jacket so it should be applied after all your serums and moisturiser.

Your SPF can also be used to treat dry chapped lips and hands but I personally prefer Dr Paw Paw Original Balm.

Suitable for using on the hands, face and lips it provides relief for dry

irritated skin. You can even use it on your feet to treat cracked heels!

Just pop it on and then some socks over it before bed and wake up to softer skin on the feet. How does it work?

Its key ingredient Pawpaw contains lots of Vitamin C and B which helps aid skin repair and adds moisture.

Teamed with another important ingredient, Aloe Barbadenis Leaf Juice, it retains and restores moisture to lips and skin.

We swear by it in salon to treat dry, cracked hands and feet. But remember a little goes a long, long way!

Winter is also a great time to address your professional skin treatment regime. The lack of strong UV rays mean it can be an ideal time to have a course of mild peels.

These peels are super mild but super effective at addressing ageing concerns as they work to boost the production of collagen which is responsible for firm tight skin and reducing wrinkles.

My top-rated mild peel is from Environ Skincare.

Designed by plastic surgeon Dr Des Fernandes these peels are mild enough to have one a week but effective enough to reduce wrinkles and lines.

If you are more concerned with problematic skin never fret as these peels are great for treating bacterial issues on the skin and minimising scarring from breakouts.

So, while winter can play havoc with our skin it doesn’t have to. The key is to be prepared to tweak what has been a trusted routine all summer long.

Coorie In with our

STYLING TIPS

BY TRACY SMITH

When the book ‘How to Hygge’ came out two years ago it took the world by storm which made me realise that the Scottish term to ‘Coorie ’ was very similar to Hygge.

The word means to snuggle in or cuddle in. There has now been a book published by Gabriella Bennet called The Art of Coorie. This book looks at how in Scotland we like to embrace the outdoors and return home to snuggle in front of a fire with a hot drink or maybe even a whisky and to live a much quieter life.

With this in mind I thought I would take a look at some home accessories to help you ‘Coorie In’ this winter.

There are so many great textile designers in Scotland and we are very lucky to have some great weavers still going strong. I recently visited Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers and had a look around their small artisan mill.

They have two looms and produce yarns

from their own sheep and others around Mull which reflect the natural colour of their fleeces. The also like to use a mix of old and new patterns to produce bespoke fabrics for their customers

Marii Helena designs the most gorgeous fabric and wallpapers based on Scottish landscapes. Her designs are heavily patterned and are great for introducing another layer to your interiors. It Is important not to be frightened of patterns and colours when designing rooms and Mairi’s designs are one way of introducing both to your design scheme.

I have chosen some muted tones for this article but if you visit Mairi’s website you will see that the Scottish landscape has inspired her to create some beautiful designs.

Another mill I have visited is Loch Carron they produce the most beautiful lambswool throws and blankets which are perfect for snuggling into on a cold winters’ night.

These can be used at the end of a bed for styling, over a chair or on a sofa.

Of course you cannot Coorie without a candle and again we have some wonderful candle makers in Scotland. Jo Macfarlane candles based in Anstruther is just one option, you can even go to one of her candle making workshops and create your own.

I love her candle called Haar which if you live on the East Coast of Scotland you will know this term well, it means the low mist that rolls in from the North Sea. The fragrance will fill your room to give a feeling of well being, also candle light is a great way of creating ambient light to a room.

As we approach the end of the year we are also starting to think about Hogmanay New Years Eve. This used to be a huge night in Scotland where you would stay up for the bells to welcome in the new year, you would then go first footing around the streets and the first person over the door to bring you luck for the year had to be tall, dark and handsome.

They would usually bring a dram, a lump of coal and a piece of cake, usually clootie dumpling.

The coal represents long and healthy life and is where the term ‘Lang May Yer lum Reak’ comes from.

Of course it would not be New Year without singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ by the Scottish Bard Robert Burns.

Local ceramic designer Susan McGill Designs incorporates his words in her designs. Her trays ,tea towels and art are a great gift to take to a new year party or remind someone of their Scottish Heritage.

So that’s a quick look at some ways of bringing Coorie into your home this Winter.

Remember that just as you layer up in winter clothes you can do the same with interiors and add in additional accessories. Always try to stick to three colours and that will avoid anything looking mismatched. As William Morris would say ‘have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’.

2018 has been another busy year for us.

If you are looking to update your home in 2019 please get in touch with us. www.interiorsbytracysmith.co.uk.

As I sit here writing in my woolly jumper and socks next to the fire, I find myself amazed at how fast this year has flown in.

Here we are, once again wrapped in our winter coats and scarves preparing for the holidays but we must remember to take time for ourselves amongst the madness.

Winter is a time for reflection, rest and contemplation as nature and hibernating animals retreat to conserve resources through the frosty cold days and long dark nights.

The energy of winter is very slow and ‘Yin’ compared to the active ‘Yang’ energy of summer and your exercise routine should reflect this ebb and flow of nature.

Slowing down the pace to conserve energy and safely stretch joints and muscles can play an important part in both physical and mental wellbeing at this time of year and at the studio, our Yin yoga classes are especially popular in winter.

Yin yoga is a much slower practice which allows for gentle but effective stretching into connective tissues by remaining in a posture (often supported by blocks, cusions, blankets etc) for 2-5 minutes.

This passive stretching gives time for the body to relax and the mind to clear which can be a great way to alleviate stress and find some peace in between the Christmas shopping and mince pie cooking!

Have a look below for a few simple Yin Yoga postures and don’t forget to include a savasana, no matter how short your practise is.

I hope everyone can look back over 2018 with a smile and sense of achievement.

Have a fantastic holiday season and I wish everyone the very best for 2019.

Sunday Lunch by the

Seashore THE SEAFOOD RISTORANTE

BY MATT HOOPER

Winter in St Andrews can be wild, with the wind and sometimes the rain, and this woolly-hat weather can be dramatic, especially by the seashore.

But there aren’t many better activities to do in St Andrews during the colder months than a brisk walk along West Sands.

It well and truly blows the cobwebs away and makes you appreciate a cosy evening by the fire.

It also builds an appetite and readies you for a sumptuous roast. In a town which is now renowned for its dining options it is sadly lacking in the Sunday Roast department.

This gap in the market has now been filled.

Gloriously, Introducing The Seafood Ristorante.

The architecture in St Andrews is largely Victorian and Edwardian, and when a modern building is constructed it invariably causes commotion among the locals. The Café at the British Golf Museum

and the Links Clubhouse are two such examples which saw many St Andreans get their knickers in a twist about ‘compromising’ the view.

Tucked behind the British Golf Museum and adjacent to the St Andrews Aquarium, in the shadow of the magnificent houses of The Scores is the unique Seafood Ristorante.

Opened as The Seafood Restaurant by Tim Butler in 2003, it was purchased by 22-yearold entrepreneur Stefano Pieraccini.

Stefano is the son of Adrian, former owner of the Rocca Restaurant at the Rusacks Hotel, and family invested over £100,000 into the business to boost the number of covers to 80 and to increase staffing to around 30.

After a short closure for refurbishment, the restaurant reopened as The Seafood Ristorante, serving seafood with an Italian twist.

The shape and look of the building did not change during the refurbishment, and hence, as someone until this review had never stepped foot

inside, I had not changed my expectations.

I had thoughts that being in the restaurant I would feel ‘exposed’ or ‘cold’ and ‘soulless’.

The reality was nothing like that, and the refurbishment has made it feel intimate, comfortable, fun and relaxed.

The new layout has made best use of the building’s floor space and the furniture is comfortable. Whilst I am certain dining here during the summer is spectacular, with a sunny day and a flat calm sea I have to say that on a winter’s day this was a dramatic experience with the tide rushing in and the waves crashing against the rocks.

This made the experience a little like being on a ship in the ocean, which just added to the image of this being the best seafood restaurant in Scotland.

A highly talented team is led by head chef, Davy Aspin, who previously worked with Gordon Ramsey. The Michelin Star chef also ran the kitchen at the

Rocca Restaurant at the Rusacks Hotel.

They launched the Bollinger Sunday Lunch menu in October and we visited on Remembrance Sunday, 11 November, We were given a warm welcome by Stefano and his team and the service throughout was first class, without being overbearing.

We were seated at a sea-facing table and began with a glass of Bollinger Champagne and Home Baked Bread & Cicchetti to share. This gave us the opportunity to peruse the menu.

On the subject of champagne, I have had an interesting experience with it in the past. When I worked at the New Golf Club we had a grand reopening following refurbishment of the clubhouse after the fire which forced closure and refurbishment in 2016.

We provided champagne for those attending, and with a full tray left over at the end of the night me and two colleagues sat down at the end of a hard night’s work for a sip.

Somehow my colleagues had just six of the eighteen glasses between them, leaving the remaining twelve for me. Yes, I am sure you can guess what happened next. When we left the club and went out into the rather fresh air, I almost instantly threw up what I had drunk, at the entrance to the club.

I received a large amount of stick from my “more experienced” colleague, and very little sympathy!

Thankfully this time it was one glass and no ‘accidents’ on this occasion!

To start my companion for the meal had House Smoked Salmon & East Neuk Crab served with caviar and sour cream bilini's. This tasty, meltin-the-mouth dish tickled her taste buds.

I had the Shetland Mussels served with a white wine and garlic cream sauce.

British Mussels are at their most succulent during the winter months, and these

were certainly no exception! However, I would say for a starter portion there were a few too many, I couldn’t finish the dish, but this is a minor point.

Following our Bollinger Champagne, I had a bottle of Bright Spark IPA and my companion had a glass of Castel Firmian Sauvignon Blanc from Trentino in Italy. Now, following from my champagne story my companion will be reminded to in future bring her pillow as afternoon drinking makes her a little tired!

For mains I went for the Roast Rib of Scotch Beef served with a Yorkshire Pudding, Cauliflower with a cheese and white wine sauce, Broccoli and a sweet gravy sauce.

This was the embodiment of a good Sunday roast, but served with a modern twist. The portion size complimented the slightly larger starter and left me feeling all warm and relaxed.

My companion had the Scrabster Plaice served with"potted shrimps", sprouting broccoli and blade mace. This was a

delicate dish and the shrimps were tasty and full of flavour.

The mains left us feeling full and satisfied, but I couldn’t resist a pudding, to complete a perfect experience. It leapt out at me from the menu, mainly because so few places do it anymore. Bread and Butter Pudding.

But this wasn’t any ordinary Bread and Butter pudding. This was exquisite and delightful. The sweet toffee top melts in the mouth and the poached apricot and clotted cream complimented it splendidly.

Splendid! I got it in, it’s a word I have become renowned for using, and gives my friend a good laugh. But its too true, the Seafood Ristorante is Splendid.

For those who got their knickers in a twist about a new building in an ancient town, I suggest you put them on your head, as your opinion is pants! The Seafood Ristorante is a perfect place to enjoy a splendid Sunday afternoon! Oops there it is again! Splendid!

Review by Matt Hooper accompanied by Claire Campbell with thanks to James Cantlie.

Sunday Lunch Menu £29.50 - 2 courses

£35 - 3 courses

12:30 - 15:00 Home Baked Bread & Cicchetti to share & Glass of Bollinger Champagne* Additional Oysters 3.5each

Starters Smoked Haddock & Clam Chowder, pancetta & sweetcorn House Smoked Salmon & East Neuk Crab, caviar, sour cream, bilini's Shetland Mussels, white wine, garlic, cream Coarse Pate of Scottish Game, foie gras, Agen prunes, sage Crown Prince Pumpkin Agnolotti, ricotta, pine nuts, sage

Mains Roast Rib of Scotch Beef "all the trimmings" Shetland Cod, glazed chicken wings, girolles, coco beans Scrabster Plaice, "potted shrimps", sprouting broccoli, blade mace "Classic Fish Pie", fennel, anchovy, preserved lemon Wild Mushroom, Leek & Anster Torte, salt baked celeriac, shaved porcini

"Puddings" Bitter Chocolate Fondant "oranges & Grand Marnier" Bread & Butter Pudding "Paul Heathcote" poached apricot & clotted cream Apple Tart Tatin (to share for 2 & must be pre-ordered) vanilla ice cream, butterscotch sauce Selection of Ice Cream & Sorbets Scottish & Italian Cheese Selection (£2.50 supplement) acacia honey Menu available from Sunday 28th October. Please notify us in advance of any allergies or dietary requirements. * = complimentary glass of Bollinger for reservations made in advance and over the age of 18.

ST ANDREWS REMEMBERS

A ST ANDREWS CHRISTMAS

MORE

St Andrews Remembers

The Fallen

On Sunday 11 November St Andrews remembered the fallen and marked 100 years since the end of World War 1.

organisations, started on Church Street and took a route via Market Street, Union Street and North Street to its final destination.

They did so with the traditional parade of the armed forces from Holy Trinity Church to the War Memorial at the Cathedral.

The parade was led by the St Andrews City Pipe Band.

The parade, featuring each of the local regiments in the Army, Navy and RAF, along with family members, MPs and representatives of several local

Representatives from each regiment and the local organisations present then laid wreaths around the St Andrews War Memorial.

They were joined by pupils from Madras College and St Leonards School.

Around 200 people joined the parade in walking through the streets of St Andrews, and most stayed to observe the formal part of the event at the memorial.

This was the first time that I had attended the parade, and it was an impactful event to walk through the ancient streets of St Andrews and pay respects to those who died to keep us free from the terrors of the enemy.

St Andrews also took part in Danny Boyle’s nationwide event – PAGES OF THE SEA – a first of its kind, national beach sculpture event staged at numerous beaches across the UK. Volunteers were on West Sands at sunrise to begin sculpting the image of suffragette Dr Elsie Inglis into the sand.

Then from 12pm hundreds of members of the public congregated on the beach to see it and carve their own sculptures of a Tommy into the beach,

As the tide came in it washed away the image of Elsie Inglis, as a final goodbye to a woman who played her part in the war effort.

Elsie Inglis was an avowed suffragist and ally of campaigner Millicent Fawcett, who combined her medical background with a yearning for social justice. Born in Naini, India, she came to Scotland with her parents when still young. Inglis trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh and Glasgow, at first seeking to improve facilities and

healthcare for women.

In 1901, she founded a maternity hospital for the poor in Edinburgh – The Hospice – staffed only by women.

At the outbreak of war, she was instrumental in setting up the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service Committee, a body funded by the suffrage movement to provide all-female care.

Rebuffed by Great Britain’s War Office, which told her to “go home and sit still”, Inglis’s help was accepted by the French, who sent her unit first to Serbia, where she was instrumental in improving hygiene to reduce epidemics such as typhus. Despite being captured and repatriated in 1915, Inglis then went to work in Russia before she was diagnosed with a terminal illness and returned to Britain in November 1917. She passed away the day after she arrived home.

A specially commissioned poem

by Carol Ann Duffy was made available for the public to read during the event.

A

ST ANDREWS CHRISTMAS

ST ANDREWS A COMFORT BLANKET FOR THE HAPLESS GOLFER

BY ROGER MCSTRAVICK

£9.99 TOPPING AND COMPANY

A Golfer’s Christmas Stocking OLD COURSE ST ANDREWS WINTER BEANIE GIFT SET £55.99 THE PRO SHOP

CHRISTMAS TREE BAUBLES TEE PLAQUE OLD COURSE

BONKERS ORIGINAL GIFTS

£300.00 ST ANDREWS LINKS

STAY & PLAY ONE

ROUND £180.00 FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS

CLASSIC SPA DAY £180.00 OLD COURSE HOTEL KOHLER SPA

12 GINS OF CHRISTMAS £50.00 EDEN MILL

THE ADAMSON Arguably St Andrews’ most renowned restaurant is offering a classic Christmas menu which is affordable and is sure to be popular with many Lunch Monday – Thursday £16.95/£19.95 Dinner Monday – Thursday £22.95/£25.95 All day Friday – Sunday £25.95/£29.95 Christmas menu runs until 24 December

T HE B E S T

PLACES TO EAT OUT OVER CHRISTMAS IN ST ANDREWS KINNETTLES If you fancy treating yourself and friends or family to an exquisite dining experience this Christmas, then look no further than 127 North Street.

Lunch 2 courses £24.95 / 3 courses £29.95 Dinner 2 courses £34.95 / 3 courses £39.95 Christmas menu runs until 24 December

MITCHELL AND CO. Mitchell and Co. is the place to be this Festive season, as one of the few St Andrews restaurants to open on Christmas Day offers a variety of festive dining options.

Their Festive Fayre Menu runs throughout December and is priced at £24.95 Christmas Day dining is £39.95

DOLL’S HOUSE The Doll’s House is open throughout the festive season including Christmas Day. This most central of St Andrews restaurants sits in the shadow of Holy Trinity Church.

Festive lunch £16.95 Festive dinner £19.95 Christmas Day £45.95

T HE B E S T

SHOPS FOR THAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IN ST ANDREWS BONKERS BONKERS is a unique gift shop located on the corner of Church Street and Market Street, selling cards, soft toys, stationery, jewellery and personal accessories.

You are sure to find a quirky stocking filler in this popular store.

TASTE OF SCOTLAND TASTE OF SCOTLAND has opened both a liquor store and a gift shop in Market Street over the last two years, and both could be options for you to get that last-minute gift for a loved one.

FARMORE INTERIORS Whether it is something for the home or for your Christmas tree, or a little nugget for a family member, old or young, FARMORE INTERIORS is a Christmas wonderland and a must visit for that unique gift this year.

TOPPING AND COMPANY If it is a book you are after, then you are sure to find it in St Andrews’ most popular and well-stocked bookstore. TOPPING AND COMPANY are located on Greyfriars Gardens.

T HE B E S T

ACTIVITIES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON IN ST ANDREWS GO FOR A WALK See our best Walks on page 309

EAT AND DRINK OUT See our Best Places to eat out on page 301

GO TO THE CINEMA NPH Cinema has all the latest blockbuster releases over the Festive season for you and your family and friends. Check the website for more details.

GO TO THE THEATRE Pantomime season is underway and this year it is Sleeping Beauty at the Byre Theatre. This year’s spectacular is proving to be very popular and tickets are selling fast.

FAIRMONT ST ANDREWS SKATING RINK The Skating Rink at the Fairmont St Andrews returns for a second year. Open to hotel residents and the public, the rink is by reservation only. Check out Facebook for more details.

T HE B E S T

WINTER WALKS IN ST ANDREWS THE HARBOUR TO THE SCORES This walk takes in most of St Andrews’ historic landmarks and both of its remarkable beaches. Starting at the ancient pier you walk up the steep incline to the Cathedral before taking the path along the cliff edge to the Castle, then along the Scores passing the St Salvator’s Hall.

With West Sands now in sight you have the magnificent Martyrs Monument ahead of you, along with the R&A Clubhouse and British Golf Museum. To your right you have the Aquarium and your left the splendid architecture of Gillespie Terrace, the Scores Hotel and the iconic Hamilton Grand.

Take a seat on one of the benches and take a few minutes to take in the splendour of the view down West Sands.

LADE BRAES Lade Braes is the ultimate place in St Andrews to take in each season, from spring to summer, and autumn to winter, this oasis in the middle of urban sprawl is in many ways St Andrews’ hidden gem.

This walk takes you from central St Andrews to suburban St Andrews, you can even forget you are in St Andrews at all!

T HE B E S T

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN ST ANDREWS THE OLD COURSE HOTEL The Old Course Hotel’s Christmas Decorations are unparalleled in St Andrews, and a true winter wonderland awaits any visitor to the world-famous resort.

THE SAINT BAR AND KITCHEN Its bar frontage is like the entrance to Santa’s Grotto, enticing you to go in and see what presents are in store.

FARMORE INTERIORS If there is one shop window you have to see, and one shop you have to go in just for the festive feel, it is Farmore Interiors, on South Street

The

BELL’s

are ringing out for

WHY BELL STREET IS THE ULTIMATE LOCATION FOR YOUR FESTIVE VISIT TO ST ANDREWS

BY MATT HOOPER

Christmas time is always a busy period for our shops, bars and restaurants and if you are in St Andrews during the festive period there perhaps isn’t a better destination to spend a day in than Bell Street.

Situated in the heart of the town Bell Street has the complete collection of facilities, shops, bars and restaurants to make it the perfect festive day.

You’ll begin your day with Breakfast at the popular GORGEOUS Café. Gorgeous is an independent, 1940’s style café with upstairs seating and opens at 9am (10am Sunday).

for your festive adventure.

“The London Fog tea latte was delicious and warming on a cold morning. The bacon roll and mixed berry white chocolate scones were good too. Great price point too. Thumbs up!” says a reviewer on TripAdvisor.

This morning you will enjoy a festive pampering, with a Swedish full body massage at FRESH LOOKS, just next door to Gorgeous.

The massage will relax you and prepare you for your “retail therapy” later in the day. Then you’ll head across the road to BOBBI BROWN

Whether it be the latest makeup or nail product from Bobbi Brown or that must-have fragrance or scented candle from Jo Malone, both are a must-visit in your festive day on Bell Street.

Now you have begun your shopping for Christmas on Bell Street it’s time to find that special gift for a loved one, and what better than Jewellery?

MATTHEW M HENDERSON have been established since 1937.

While specialising in all types of jewellery, they also offer an excellent repair service. Whether you are looking for rings, necklaces or pendants, they are certainly worth a visit.

As well as providing a reliable service, theiir skilled jewellery experts are able to offer professional advice, if required. With a wide variety of rings, necklaces, watches and gift items, you will be spoilt for choice.

The café is renowned for its tea, so why not start off the day with a traditional Scottish breakfast and a cup of tea to get you ready

and to JO MALONE LONDON to purchase those beauty items you need for gifts or just for yourself.

With it being winter it may be high on your list to get someone, or yourself, something cosy to wear.

PITLOCHRY OF SCOTLAND (part of Edinburgh Woollen Mill)

sell a wide variety of coats, jackets, knits and undergarments to keep you warm during the colder months. They also have a wellstocked gift department which you could find something that catches your eye.

It’s now approaching 12 noon and its lunchtime, and its high time you paid your first visit of the day to AIKMANS. Aikmans Bar is a local institution of renown, in the same ilk as The Keys or the Jigger Inn, and for many it is a must visit on their trip to St Andrews.

This artisan butcher has six stores across Fife, but its flagship is on Bell Street. They take immense pride in supplying some of the very best locally sourced Scottish produce. They achieve this by Stuart Minick visiting farms in person and handpicking the best livestock available.

Their butchers love their work, and train apprentices from scratch to preserve techniques and traditions handed

ones, with clothing high on the agenda.

JOULES, CREW CLOTHING and JACK WILLS provide contemporary options for all.

Now if you are after a bargain to complete your list, then look no further than the charity shops. You will be helping someone in need in the process!

For that good book at bedtime, or even a coffee-table classic, the charity shops of St Andrews sometimes provide the shopper

An old-style bar with a cellar bar too, Aikmans offers inexpensive food options and a wide selection of beers and spirits from across Europe. This winter it is the perfect place for a hot bowl of soup and some crusty bread to set up the afternoon ahead.

After a couple of hours, a couple of nips of whisky and your hot soup it is time to pop across the road and place your order for your Christmas Turkey at MINICK OF ST ANDREWS.

down over generations. For top quality, affordable meat this Christmas, pop and see them.

Once you have placed your order its time to carry on shopping for that gift for your loved

with a little nugget, a novel or reference book which may have originally cost over £40 can be picked up for as little as a few pounds. Recently on an impromptu visit to BARNARDO’S BOOK STORE I picked up two

volumes of PLANET GOLF for £7 each, making a saving of £46.

At BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION I also spotted a superb winter coat for £12, making a saving of over £50.

Many of the charity shops are ideal for picking up that lastminute Christmas gift, or decorations for the house, office or workplace.

Along with making a significant saving, every purchase is helping someone in need this Christmas. Whether it is the ill child in desperate need of treatment and support, or the malnourished person from a war-torn, poverty-stricken nation in Africa, by buying that Christmas gift from a St Andrews charity shop you are helping to provide an even greater Christmas gift to someone else less fortunate somewhere else in the world.

If you still are in search of a special gift for someone this Christmas, then you must pop in to THE HALCYON. The Halcyon are picture framers and stockists of Annie Sloan paints. Interiors, gifts and Jewellery. Inspired

by Scandi neutrals and rustic industrial style.

OLIVER BONAS is an independent British Lifestyle store, and offers gifts, jewellery, clothing and accessories, and is another store on Bell Street you must visit on your festive day in St Andrews.

If you are after something to keep a young one warm this winter, then ALPACA LINKS is the perfect place to find it. Alpaca Links features the best of alpaca clothing and accessories so soft and warm and natural eco-friendly Amazonian jewellery.

as well as a wide selection of beers and spirits.

Peter Wood and his knowledgeable staff will be able to guide you in the right direction. With your Christmas shopping done its time to look towards next summer, so why not pop in to THOMAS COOK and get a load of brochures to Perouse over the left-over Turkey on Boxing Day. After a busy day shopping, relaxing and walking Bell Street it is time for dinner and an

There is one more item you may want to purchase for Christmas on your festive day out in Bell Street – WINE! ST ANDREWS WINE COMPANY must be your destination for wines from across the globe,

evening of drinks and live music.

MOZZA is your destination for dinner, and some Neapolitan pizza, this is no ordinary pizza. The real deal comes from Naples, the best taste, the best flavour and the perfect fusion of ingredients. At MOZZA we only make the finest Neapolitan pizza. Wood fired my skilled Pizzaiolo, every pizza is cooked to perfection in just 60 passionate seconds.

Once you are feeling all full and cosy it is time to conclude your day in Bell Street with a few drinks and some live music. Aikmans has a wide variety of live music on offer throughout the week including jazz, blues and folk music.

This most traditional of St Andrews bars is busy and bustling during the evening, with a mix of locals, students and visitors from out of town and across the world.

And it happens to be right next to the taxi rank for when you are wanting to bring your festive day to an end!

So, if you are paying a visit to St Andrews this Christmas, then there’s no doubt the BELL’s are ringing out for Christmas on BELL STREET.