USA Update

GOLFERS at one of Scotland’s most historic Open Championship courses have been promised that their playing rights won’t change if the venue comes under new management.

The famous Angus links has hosted golf‘s oldest major on eight occasions, the most recent occasion coming in 2018.

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Plans are afoot to transform Carnoustie Golf Club with £100m of investment[/caption]

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The Carnoustie Hotel will be overhauled as part of the plans[/caption]

Times Newspapers Ltd

The upgrades are aimed at bringing The Open back to the venue[/caption]

But the current management group fear The Open won’t be back any time soon if the facility isn’t overhauled and transformed to become more modern.

Indeed, the next two confirmed hosts of the tournament are Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland and Royal Birkdale near Liverpool.

The host for 2027 hasn’t been announced yet but The Old Course at St Andrews retains an agreement to stage The Open every five years, so barring any obstacles it will return to the Home of Golf in three years time.

Beyond that, one of the worst-kept secrets in golf is that the R&A are exploring bringing The Open to the Republic of Ireland, with Portmarnock pencilled in as a possible host for 2028.

That could leave the likes of Carnoustie on the outside looking in and the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee (CGLMC) want to avoid that happening.

The CGLMC want to transfer control to a new body – Carnoustie Golf Heritage and Hospitality Group Limited (CGHH) – for the remainder of their contract with the council, which runs until 2033.

Chief executive Michael Wells is hoping for £100m to be spent upgrading the hotel and spa, which will in turn make it more attractive to golfers and the R&A.

Wells said earlier this year: “If Carnoustie doesn’t secure its future as an Open Championship venue, it will very slowly, over a period of time, start to lose visitors and income.

“And it reaches a tipping point where it becomes unsustainable to employ as many staff as we do.

“Then we’d start to see a gradual erosion in the amount of investment we can make in the golf courses.”

He added: “The reason for change, is to secure the return of the Open Championship and create a sustainable business.

“We want to lock in for future generations local access to golf at a fair price.

“We are also making sure the charity can be the maximum beneficiaries of this change as well.

“Golf is going through one of the biggest booms globally right now.

“We’re looking at NFL franchises coming to London. We’re looking at Champions League potentially going to the States.

“The world is becoming much more global. Sponsors want that. TV wants that.

“We need to make sure we’re in the stable looking out and not the other way around. That’s what we want to deliver for Carnoustie.”

However, locals remain sceptical of what the changes could mean for them.

At the moment there are no restrictions to playing Carnoustie when compared to any other regular course.

The facility houses three courses: the Championship, the Burnside and the Buddon and all are open to the public.

Some local players fear that the tee-sheets could be ripped up to make way for hotel guests and overseas golfers in place of members (just like at Trump Turnberry).

But perhaps the biggest fear is what could happen financially.

If the venue is radically transformed then it could lead to price hikes for current members.

Of the near-200 responses to a public consultation this week, 78 came from season ticket holders at Carnoustie.

But Angus Council finance director Ian Lorimer has promised locals their access won’t be curtailed and that any adjustments to membership costs or season ticket prices would be “controlled”, according to The Courier.

Mr Lorimer said: “78 STHs (2.8%) of all STHs at Carnoustie registered their objection to the proposals put forward by CGLMC.

“Those who did object tended to have strong views in that regard.”

He added: “The GARA (Golf Access Rights Agreement) sets out a much clearer and stronger position than exists under the current agreements,” he said.

“This is legally-binding on Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, and ultimately the contractor they’re proposing to manage the courses.

“It covers things like how season ticket prices would be adjusted.

“We’re really worked very hard to make sure the GARA is as clear as possible and the protections are there.”

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WITH elves around every corner and festive tunes blasting out, Bluestone’s Kingdom Of The Elves is the perfect destination for Christmas-crazy families.

From early November until the New Year, the 5H resort in Pembrokeshire gets a snowy makeover.

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A graduate from the Elf School, a lovely little multi-activity experience[/caption]

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Elves find studying tricky at Bluestone[/caption]

With so many seasonal special treats, there’s almost too much to choose from. Happily, there is a good mix of free and paid activities.

Bluestone offers similar holiday resort facilities to a Center Parcs, but at a more affordable price.

Included in all Kingdom Of The Elves breaks is entry to the Snow Globe — a huge adventure dome that has been transformed into a huge snow globe — Santa’s VR Sleigh Ride, where riders take in the sights of the Snow Globe and experience life as one of Santa’s helpers.

Also in the price is the Elf Lagoon swimming pool, complete with fantastic slides and outdoor swimming sections and The Hive, home to various indoor activities.

Little ones can get stuck into complimentary activities including Jingle Jive, a celebration of Christmas characters with festive games, disco and singalongs.

And Polar Postal will see those elves collect children’s special letters.

We stayed in one of the Carningli Platinum Lodges which can comfortably sleep eight.

Walking into the brilliantly designed building it was easy to see how Bluestone got its 5H status.

Free golf buggies

The upside-down design has the open-plan kitchen and living and dining room on the top floor to take advantage of the gorgeous views.

There’s also a sunroom balcony and even a cosy cwtch — or snug. Perfect for our large group.

Downstairs, the bedrooms were just as impressive. Two double rooms came with top-notch en suites and the two twin rooms shared a bathroom.

But the biggest draw about these lodges has to be the two complimentary golf buggies, which gives exploring the resort another layer of convenience and adventure.

We visited just before Christmas with my three children, 15, 12 and 10, who were beyond excited when we told them they could each take a friend.

Within minutes of arrival, you realise most guests are big fans of Christmas. People bring their own trees and decorations and most golf buggies were decked out in tinsel and baubles.

There were whole families dressed up as Santa or elves and I spotted some very fine Christmas suits. Wherever you go, the standard greeting is, of course, ‘Merry Christmas’.

A lot of the activities are pitched at children younger than mine, but there was still more than enough for my lot to get stuck in to.

The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill

The kids absolutely loved the Elf Lagoon and would have happily stayed there drifting around the Lazy River and zipping down the various slides all day if hunger hadn’t beaten them.

The two youngest also went along to the Elf School, which was a lovely little multi-activity experience that they were probably a year or two too old for.

Our whole group went to the Christmas Show: Snow White And The Seven Elves, where even the moody teens cracked a smile at the jokes.

The production was great fun and perfectly pitched for families and we were all really impressed with the vocals.

The big highlight for everyone was dinner at The Black Pool Mill.

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Kids meet Santa at the impressive holiday park[/caption]

It’s an impressive former Flour Mill that Bluestone bought and renovated. They have done a great job with all the old machinery which is perfectly preserved throughout the building.

Every single dish was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented and the kids haven’t stopped talking about their meals.

We also booked the kids on the Sky Walk, which was a huge hit.

It’s a really creative multi-level, bespoke aerial adventure course that has enough flexibility to focus on the stations you enjoy most, or spread your time across everything.

Watching the kids scoot across the wire sitting on a bike or riding a surfboard was hugely entertaining — especially from the vantage point of the nearby bar and cafe.

Bluestone boasts 500 acres of wild Welsh countryside in the middle of a National Park, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and our weekend away only scratched the surface of all that this beautiful area has to offer.

One thing is for sure, it’s absolutely impossible to visit Bluestone Kingdom Of The Elves and not get totally immersed in the Christmas spirit.

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A juggling elf in Bluestone’s festive show[/caption]

EMMA PATON has hit back at Gary Anderson and James Wade after defending Sky Sports’ coverage of Luke Littler.

The teen sensation burst onto the scene at last year’s World Darts Championship, going all the way to the final before losing to Luke Humphries.

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Emma Paton has defended Sky Sports’ coverage of Luke Littler[/caption]

PA

Despite being just 17-years-old, Littler has since wrapped up several stunning victories including the Premier League.

And he kicks off his second Ally Pally campaign tonight in a bid to secure darts’ top prize.

• Follow all the action from the World Darts Championship as it happens with SunSport’s LIVE blog

However, fellow slingers Anderson and Wade reckon too much media focus has been on Littler.

On previous occasions, they have both expressed concern over how the teen has taken on so much attention – simultaneously drawing the limelight away from world champ Humphries.

But Sky Sports ace Paton has fired back at Anderson and Wade in a robust defence of her broadcaster.

The fan favourite hosts live coverage of the WDC on TV.

Paton has enjoyed interviews with Littler and Humphries on multiple occasions.

And she believes Sky Sports’ coverage of both men has been fair, with both aces achieving so much in the past 12 months.

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Paton told The Mirror: “Yeah, I do (think Humphries has had enough credit). And I think he’ll be happy with it too. I can only talk for our Sky coverage.

“He’s been a fantastic world champ, and if you speak to people, it’s 50/50 over who their favourite (Luke) is for the World Championship.

“I don’t think there’s been any question marks over his year. For large periods he (Humphries) has been the best on the planet.

“I would say he’s been the most consistent and most reliable. I think we talk about him at length.

“I think for some people, the Littler stuff gets a bit convoluted. We’re talking about an incredible sporting story.

“If we go back 12 months, he was ranked 164^th in the world and had barely played on a big TV stage. Then, at 16, he goes and makes the World Championship final.

“I know he didn’t win it but 12 months on he’s up to fourth in the world. I can’t think of a comparison in another sport about how ridiculous it is.

“It’s really hard to put into context that achievement. It’s one you don’t see often, maybe ever. It’s his impact on the sport.

“He’s taken it to places it’s never been to before. The interest from last year hasn’t dwindled. I think what Anderson and Wade got confused about was we’re talking about this in the context of sport and what that means.”