GOLF
STAR TEES OFF AT NEW WEST LOTHIAN COURSE
Golf
star and former Ryder Cup Captain, Bernard Gallacher, will help
proceedings go with a swing tomorrow as he tees off at a brand
new pay-as-you-play golf course in West Lothian.
The
nine hole golf course, situated at Oatridge Agricultural College
near Broxburn, was built with the help of sportscotland Lottery
Fund award of almost £250,000 and will include a reception and
changing area, greenkeeper store, car park facilities and practice
area.
“I
am delighted to encourage something like the Oatridge facility”,
Bernard Gallacher commented.
He continued: “Such
is the explosion in golf everywhere nowadays we can never have
too many courses. And it’s nice to see a project coming to fruition
like this in the area I learned my own golf. The pay-as-you-play format gives people the opportunity to try the
game, who might have been put off by exorbitant costs in times
past.”
As
well as providing a much-needed golf facility for the area, the
course will provide a training ground for students studying greenkeeping
at the college.
The
course will be available for players of all standards, from basic
to advanced levels, and will also act as a residential coaching
facility for junior participants outside term time. It has the potential to be extended to 18 holes in the future, and
it is hoped that these new facilities will go some way towards
meeting the increasing demand for golf in the area.
Chris
Nixon, Principle of Oatridge Agricultural College, said:
“ We made the decision to take 100 acres of our 750 acre
farm to build this course and give realistic work situations to
our greenkeeping students. Within
seven weeks of the plans being submitted we had the OK from the
local authorities and then it was all go – and it has been ever
since.
“We
are also on the point of completing our start facilities which
include changing facilities for players.
I am sure, in time, though, season ticket holders will
be keen to organise themselves into a club.”
Allan
Alstead, Chief Executive of sporstscotland, said: “This new pay-as-you-play course will not only
provide easy access to golf, particularly to newcomers to the
sport, but will also help to preserve the reputation of Scottish
golf courses by training the next generation of skilled greenkeepers.
“I
am delighted that sportscotland has been able to support this
project through its Lottery Fund and I hope that this excellent
new facility will encourage more people of all ages to participate
in sport.”
