2019 Season Update

SEASON UPDATE & NEWS FOR 2020 AND BEYOND

Well, 2019 was yet another fantastic year on this side of the Atlantic and once again we thoroughly enjoyed welcoming a number of fantastic visitors to our shores, both golfers and sightseers.

2019 was a landmark year for golf and for Bonnie Wee Golf. A particular highlight was the return of The Open to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951. In Scotland the Bonnie Wee Golf team is extremely proud to have successfully launched the inaugural Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am tournament in early May, which will now be an annual event. We also recorded our largest number of golf tours to England, which is something we’re very keen to continue to develop.

As 2019 draws to a close, we’d like to pause to reflect on the last 12 months and extend our absolute gratitude to all the wonderful people who have travelled with Bonnie Wee Golf. Thank you.

Wishing you and your family all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and prosperous New Year in 2020.

Best wishes,

Dave & The Bonnie Wee Team.

THE INAUGURAL ABERDEEN GOLF LINKS PRO-AM, 1 -3 MAY 2019

Our inaugural Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am generated a spectacular early season buzz in the North East of Scotland at the start of the 2019 season.

Staged over 3 days & 54 holes of incredible links golf land (Trump International, Royal Aberdeen & Cruden Bay) leading order of merit professional Paul O’Hara and his team, Damian Simpson, Gordon Simpson & Ken Gold emerged victorious in the team event. In the professional event amid testing conditions on the 3rd and final round, O’Hara came from 9 shots back to claim the top prize, edging out Graham Fox, Christopher McDonnell and European Tour winner David Law.

The international field comprising of teams of 39 teams of 4 (1 Pro & 3 amateurs) gathered in Aberdeen to celebrate golf in the north east, and the inaugural tournament officially started at 8:00am on Wednesday 1st May 2019.

The scoring format was simple – the best 2 stable ford scores on each hole counted.

After round 1, an evening of entertainment at McGinty’s Pub included a drinks reception, champions league semi-final football and live music from band Big Mountain. This allowed competitors to relax and enjoy a drink or two in each other’s company.

Link to view the event photo gallery – www.aberdeengolflinks.com

The prize-giving banquet dinner took place at the magnificent Marcliffe Hotel. Those in attendance were treated to an evening of delicious food & top notch entertainment including 3 comedy videos from the Tee Video team.

The after-dinner entertainment shifted gears with distinguished guest speakers with iconic sports broadcaster Dougie Donnelly and Scottish golfing legend Sam Torrance, who delighted the room with a fascinating Q&A session. The prize-giving followed and the evening concluded with Paul O’Hara receiving the famous ‘Scurry Cup’, presented by Sam Torrance.

Teams are already signing up for next year’s event which will take place 29 Apr – 01 May 2020.

To join in on the fun email us for more details on getintouch@aberdeengolflinks.com

THE OPEN, SCOTTISH OPEN & SOLHEIM CUP

The 149th Open

The 149th Open will be held at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, south east England where Shane Lowry will defend his title. The Open was last held at Royal St George’s in 2011, when popular Irishman Darren Clark put on a links golf masterclass and triumphed in classic blustery Open conditions.

South East England is a popular destination for golfers to visit. Located just 2 hours from London the area is blessed with top quality links golf courses such as Royal Cinque Ports, Princes and Rye Golf Club and Littlestone Championship.

The 150th Open, St Andrews Old Course

When Musselburgh’s Willie Park Snr rolled in a 30-foot putt to win the 1st Open at Prestwick Golf Club in 1860, the Earl of Eglington and Colonel James Fairlie surely could not have foreseen what would become of the tournament they had just created.

Roll the clock forward 149 years, and the same tournament that 8 golfers contested back in 1860 has become one of the most prestigious and historic sporting contest on the planet. As we enter 2020, the 150th edition of The Open in 2021 starts to come into focus when the eyes of the world will cast towards St Andrews, The Home of Golf.

We are delighted to be regional Authorised Providers of tickets for all four competition days at what will be a once in a generation event.

Please feel free to get in touch to enquire about The 150th Open golf tour packages.

The Scottish Open | 2019 & 2020

The Scottish Open will once again return to The Renaissance Club in East Lothian in 2020. After the success of last year’s tournament which was won by Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, the Tom Doak designed course design will host a second consecutive Scottish Open. The course has only been open since 2008, and many people expect it could become a regular venue for this event. Now a part of The Rolex Series, and played as the tournament directly prior to the Open, the Scottish Open draws a strong contingent of players from both the European Tour and PGA Tour.

You too can play the Renaissance Club. Visiting golfers are permitted to play the Renaissance Club in a one-time experience, and being located in East Lothian there are multiple other first class courses available for visitors to play while visiting the area. Perfect for a golf trip!

The Solheim Cup

In mid-September 2019 the best players in the world gathered in Gleneagles to contest the Solheim Cup. The best golfers from US took on the best European players in a memorable and dramatic match. This was one of the sporting highlights of 2019 as the entire 3 day match went down to the final putt of the final match. Suzanne Petterson held her nerve to hole the final putt of the match to seal a stunning 14.5 point to 13.5 point victory for team Europe.

Scotland and North Berwick’s Catriona Matthew captained Team Europe to this famous victory, and has since been selected to lead the team again to defend the Solheim Cup at Inverness Club, Ohio.

NEW GOLF COURSE DEVELOPMENTS IN SCOTLAND

In Scotland, we’re fortunate to have an abundance of classic, historic links golf courses as well as some of the best modern golf courses in the world. We’re very happy welcome the following exciting new links golf developments to our coastline!

Dumbarnie Golf Links

Scheduled to open for play in May 2020, Dumbarnie Golf Links is the latest high profile addition to the golfing landscape in Scotland.

Located in Leven in Fife just a few miles south of Kingsbarns and Crail and 25 minutes from St Andrews, Dumbarnie Links is in a prime location. The course, designed by former Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, offers commanding views over the Firth of Forth towards the capital city Edinburgh and East Lothian and is likely to be a huge success.

The course is scheduled to Open on 16th May 2020, and promises to add a great deal of value to an already magical golfing.

Ardfin Estate

The Isle of Jura on the west coast, is now the location of one of the most remote golf courses in Scotland. The course has only recently opened its doors to welcome visiting golfers prepared to travel a little further to reach this new golfing paradise.

Bob Harrison designed the course, which is his first project in Scotland. He is an eager admirer of the work of legendary designer Alistair Mackenzie, whose influence is there to see on the course which has been designed along the most rugged of coastlines. Par 72 and 6,800 yards in length, the layout of the course offers golfers dramatic sea views from each and every hole. There’s no doubt that Ardfin is the latest ‘must-play’ Scottish golf course.

Coul Links

The development plans for Coul Links, an environmentally friendly golf course, just north of Dornoch are extremely exciting for Highland golf tourism and when final approval is confirmed, work will begin to implement Coore & Crenshaw’s first Scottish golf course design.

Mike Keiser is the man behind this project and he is no rookie when it comes to golf course developments. Bandon Dunes and Cabot Links are both in Keiser’s portfolio and are fantastic success stories.

It is expected that Scottish Government Ministers will approve the development plans for Coul Links in the coming weeks. Exciting times lie ahead in the Scottish Highlands.

ENGLAND GOLF TOUR

Have you considered a golf trip to England? If you appreciate the majestic links land of Scotland and Ireland, then a visit to the north west of England should certainly be on your radar.

Liverpool is the 9th largest city in England and is a fantastic place to visit as part of a golf trip. Named as the 2008 European Capital of Culture due to its music scene, performing arts, museums and many art galleries, there is plenty to see and do off the golf course including a superb range of bars and restaurants where you can refuel after a day on the links.

There are a number of places you might wish to consider being based during your trip. The three places we recommend are in Lytham & St Anne’s, Southport and the City of Liverpool.

Manchester airport, which is just a one hour drive from Liverpool offers direct flights to multiple international destinations including the USA (New York, Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Orlando), increasing accessibility of this wonderful area.

The area boasts a number of exceptional links golf courses including three Open Championship venues. Royal Lytham & St Anne’s, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool have all hosted The Open since 2012. In addition to these wonderful major venues, many other incredible links courses can be found nearby including Formby, Hillside, Southport & Ainsdale and West Lancashire.

All these are traditional British Golf Clubs, where visitors will receive genuine warm and friendly welcomes in traditional golf clubhouses, full of historic artefacts and golfing memorabilia. Perfect for all golf enthusiasts.

When visiting the area, we recommend spending a few nights in the city of Liverpool. The Titanic Hotel, located on the iconic Royal Albert Dock (a UNESCO world heritage site) and Malmaison Hotel, which offers modern luxury in the heart of Liverpool are both terrific hotel options. In Southport, The Vincent Hotel offers accommodation in close proximity to the Southport courses, while there are excellent and traditional Dormy House lodgings at both Royal Lytham St Anne’s Golf Club and Formby Golf Club.

If you’d prefer to minimise hotel changes during your trip, it’s possible to be based in Liverpool for your entire trip and travel to each golf club each day. All of the courses are easily accessible from the city centre.

Off the golf course, Liverpool is a wonderful city to visit and most famous for being home to The Beatles. While in Liverpool you can visit the Cavern Club, where the Beatles rose to prominence. Why not let us set up a private guided Beatles Tour through the City of Liverpool including a visit to Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and also a visit to the homes of all four band members.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 | Arrive in Manchester and transfer to Lytham. 2 nights in Royal Lytham Dormy House
Day 2 | Play Lytham St Anne’s
Day 3 | Play Hillside, 2 nights in Southport
Day 4 | Play Southport & Ainsdale
Day 5 | Play Royal Birkdale, 3 nights in Liverpool
Day 6 | Play Formby
Day 7 | Play Royal Liverpool
Day 8 | Depart from Manchester Airport

For more information on a golf trip to England’s Golf Coast, please feel to get in touch with us by emailing bookings@bonnieweegolf.co.uk

HELIGOLF

Heligolf is undoubtedly the premier way to explore golf in Scotland. Heligolf allows you to elevate your game and play all those legendary but hard to reach championship golf courses while staying in one location for the duration of your trip.

The south-west coastline of Scotland is arguably the most beautiful anywhere in the world, so it will come as no surprise there are many first-class links golf courses on its shores. On the mainland in Ayrshire: Prestwick, Royal Troon and Turnberry Ailsa enhance the area by providing a superb Open Championship pedigree. Across the Firth of Clyde and over the Irish Sea lie more links courses, equal in stature to those in Ayrshire where golfers worldwide travel thousands of miles to play.

Royal County Down and Royal Portrush are the two most iconic courses in Northern Ireland and can be reached in a short hop in a helicopter from Scotland. Meanwhile, Machrihanish, The Machrie and Ardfin are all courses located in remote areas on the Scottish west coast. From Ayrshire by road, travelling to all of these courses requires long drives and /or car ferry rides

If you like combining golf with Scotch Whisky, then look no further than Islay, Jura and Campbeltown. The Isle of Islay where The Machrie is located has no fewer than 8 distilleries including Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. The Isle of Jura, where the wonderful Ardfin Estate has recently been constructed has a world-famous distillery named after the Island. Campbeltown, a former whisky capital of Scotland near the links at Machrihanish, is home to Springbank and Glen Scotia.

Ordinarily, you would need more than one, and maybe more than two separate trips to play all of these incredible courses. With a Heligolf trip, you can play all of these courses in one trip, without even having to change hotel.

Turnberry is located perfectly in South Ayrshire, just over an hour from Glasgow airport and this 5-star luxury collection resort can be your home away from home for your entire trip. The Turnberry Resort overlooks The Open Championship Ailsa course on the south Ayrshire coast of Scotland and is one of the most iconic hotels in Scotland. The resort offers luxurious ocean-view bedrooms, luxury lodge accommodation, fine dining options and full Spa facilities.

A FEW VIDEO TESTIMONIALS…