Monday 30 August 2010

Gailes Links Great Ayrshire Golf Deal

Glasgow Golf Club's Ayrshire course, Gailes Links (known to many as Glasgow Gailes) are offering a great value deal with their Gailes Links offer  -  you can now book a tee time for only £160 up to 30th September which for four golfers represents a saving of £30 per person. The offer is available Monday to Friday between 2.00pm and 4.00pm.

From 1st to 31st October 2010 the price drops to £140.

You can book online at the Gailes Links website and reservations can also be made on  0141 942 2011 or email admin@gaileslinks.co.uk

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Prestwick Open Championship 1925 Canvases

A selection of canvases featuring images of The Open Championship 1925 at Prestwick Golf Club are available to purchase via the professional David Fleming at the Pro Shop. Canvases currently range from 40" x 20" inches to 40"x 30" inches for more information and to order please call +44 (0) 1292 479 483.

Monday 23 August 2010

Barassie Junior Champion Crowned


The image shows Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club's newly crowned Junior Club Champion, David Wilson receving the trophy from Captain David Miller. 

Superb rounds of 79 and 72 saw him tie on 151 with Euan Walker. However, one under par on the three-hole playoff, saw him take the title for the first time.

Sunday 22 August 2010

New Club Champion for Barassie


It was Club Championship weekend at Barassie and newly crowned Club Champion (and immediate past captain) Robbie Faulker is seen receiving the trophy from current Captain David Miller. 

It is also significant Los Hombres are partnered in the Coronation Cup (the foursomes competition) and are at the semi-final round. Another title for Robbie? ...don’t bet against it!!

Thursday 19 August 2010

Turnberry Green Fees - Ailsa and Kintyre

We've been asked a few times recently how you can get on to Turnberry's Open Championship course The Ailsa host of the 2009 Open Championship so we thought we'd publish a brief overview. You can always visit the Turnberry Resort site for further information

Now more than ever guests not staying at the resort will enjoy great special offers on afternoon tee times on The Ailsa. Visitors can now book Tee Times after 3pm any time in advance.

To make a reservation please call +44.1655.334.032 or email turnberry.teetimes@luxurycollection.com 

(H) Hotel Guest (V)Visitors

The Ailsa Course

1st of May - 31st of September - £150 (H); £190 (V)     
1st of October - 31st of October  - £90 (H): £110 (V)      
1st of November - 31st of March - £75 (H); £90 (V)       

The KintyreCourse

1st of May - 31st of September - £100 (H); £130 (V)     
1st of October - 31st of October - £65 (H); £85 (V)     
1st of November - 31st of March - £50 (H); £70 (V)    

Combination
Includes 1 round on the Ailsa course and 1 round on the Kintyre course. Applies to hotel guests only.One visit only and cannot be carried forward to the next visit
1st of May - 31st of September - £220
1st of October - 31st of October - £130
1st of November - 31st of March - £115


Other fees:
Caddie: £40 per person plus gratuity at own discretion
Club hire: £70 per person per day / £50 per person per round / £30 per person for 9 holes

The Ailsa Sunset Rates
What could be more perfect than a round on the legendary Ailsa in the pure, clear light of a long summer evening? Then, when the last putt has been sunk, head to the Duel in the Sun bar to reflect on the day's play.
  •     £90 per person on The Ailsa
  •     £50 per person on The Kintyre
  •     Available daily from 3pm onwards

Book any time in advance, call +44.1655.334.032

The Great Golf Experience
Turnberry is links golf at its most challenging, it's most exciting. And now you can experience it twice over on this special golfing package.The Great Golf Experience includes:

  •   Two nights accommodation
  •   Daily full Scottish breakfast
  •   Daily three course dinner
  •   One round of golf per person on both the Championship Ailsa and Kintyre courses
  •   Complimentary High Speed Internet Access
  •   Twin/double occupancy

The Links Unlimited
Ideal for a group of 12 or more golfers, The Links Unlimited allows exclusive use of a lodge at Turnberry offering six to eight bedrooms and a large living room area.Only a short chip away from the matchless Ailsa and Kintyre links golf courses. The Links Unlimited includes:

  • Overnight accommodation in a classic lodge room
  • Full Scottish breakfast in the clubhouse
  • Complimentary room hire for a private lunch or dinner
  • One pre-bookable round on The Ailsa
  • Unlimited play on The Kintyre Course

From £175 per person, based on twin occupancy

Family Golf Tuition
The Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy offers a unique teaching proposition: rather than impose a whole new way of playing on students the pros will nurture each individual's ability and concentrate on one or two critical areas.

Enjoy a one hour lesson with family or friends using the state of the art teaching and practice facilities of the Academy.
  • £99 for up to five people
  •  Available daily

Wednesday 18 August 2010

A Guide to Using Picasa

This is the first post in a new series of "A Guide To.." highlighting better practice or at worst opinions on how you might improve your profile online.

We hope that you find them useful and of course if you do you can always let your fellow businesses know!

First one to be published is about Picasa and Picasa Web Albums. We use the Google products widely for our own administrative and marketing purposes but also heavily for our web developments and our channle distribution sites. It's a great way of storing, editing and sharing your images for both Busines to Business and Business to Consumer.

Find out how we use the tools at The Edge Briefings: A Guide to Picasa

A Guide to Picasa

This is the first post in a new series of "A Guide To.." highlighting better practice or at worst opinions on how you might improve your profile online.

We hope that you find them useful and of course if you do you can always let your fellow businesses know!

First one to be published is about Picasa and Picasa Web Albums. We use the Google products widely for our own administrative and marketing purposes but also heavily for our web developments and our channel distribution sites. It's a great way of storing, editing and sharing your images for both Business to Business and Business to Consumer.

Find out how we use the tools at The Edge Briefings: A Guide to Picasa

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Home of The Open Seeks New Secretary

Prestwick Golf Club, the home of The Open Championship, is seeking a new Club Secretary ahead of the upcoming retirement of the current Secretary after 15 years.

The job, one of the most prestigious in golf, will be advertised from this week and applications are expected from across the UK.

With the current Secretary retiring at the turn of the year after 15 years at the helm, the successful candidate will take up the appointment at the start of 2011.
This summer, the world renowned golf club is hosting the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the first Open Championship which was played at Prestwick in 1860. Invited guests include all living Open Champions and Captains of all the Clubs which have hosted The Open.

Peter Graham, Chairman of Prestwick Golf Club, said, “This is one of the most prestigious jobs in golf and we are expecting a great deal of interest from across the whole of the UK. Having hosted the first 12 Open Championships, Prestwick has a special place in the history of golf and as such, the Club’s Secretary has a high profile role within the game.

“We are looking for someone who can represent Prestwick at the highest levels within the game at the same time as ensuring the smooth running of the Club on a daily basis and we are confident the calibre of applicants will be high.

“We are extremely grateful to our outgoing Secretary, Ian Bunch, for his dedication and commitment to Prestwick Golf Club over the last 15 years and for all his hard work on the 150th Open Championship Anniversary celebrations this summer.”

The advertisement for the Secretary can be downloaded here and is being advertised in numerous publications from this week.

Monday 9 August 2010

British Boys Championship Arrives in Ayrshire

The R&A have rolled into town with two of Scotland's West Coast Links golf courses joint hosting the British Boys Amateur Championships.

Practice started on Sunday morning at Barassie and Dundonald with the Strokeplay Qualifying teeing off on Tuesday morning.

Visitors are welcomed along to both clubs to watch the proceedings and you can download the full start list for Tuesday and Wednesday play here. The draw will be published on a daily basis on this blog for the Matchplay sections from Thrusday onwards.

Barassie are publishing their images from the event directly onto their Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/barassie

Friday 6 August 2010

Updating West Coast Golf Links

We've been working this week on updating the website and blog for Scotland's West Coast Golf Links - a collection of ten of Scotland's finest links golf courses.

We've done some updating of the group's homepage the most visible being the insertion of the news items directly from the blog to give the page more immediate interest to the visitor. We've also inserted the Facebook Connect button which should be interesting to monitor as it allows Facebook users to click Like directly from the page and post a comment without even leaving the site. Really cool little function that you should consider for your own website.

In addition the Blog has had a mini makeover with the addition of a dozen new posts, the addition of the search blog feature and the Share button to the articles allowing it to be published to the users own Facebook

The blogs get indexed very quickly indeed and should be seen as a positive distribution channel – for example open Google and search for “sunset golf Ayrshire” – it was only published at 12.15pm yet it’s indexed first and second on Google already and ahead of the Turnberry listing itself – this isn’t an issue as it has a direct link back to the website.

Prestwick St Nicholas - The Perfect 19th Hole?

Once you've finished your round at Prestwick St Nicholas - and particularly if the final three holes have left you traumatised - what better way to round off the day with a post match meal in one of the most splendidly located golf club restaurants in the country.

With views across the Firth of Clyde to Arran, the sunsets can be truly magnificent and are complemented by the excellent menu and wine list on offer.

So next time you're playing at Prestwick St. Nicholas, make sure you extend the dinner invitation to the non playing members of your group and be sure of an excellent dining experience.

Find out more about Prestwick St Nicholas with Scotland's West Coast Golf Links.

Sunset Golf on The Ailsa at Turnberry

What could be more perfect than a round on the legendary Ailsa Course at Turnberry on Scotland's West Coast in the pure, clear light of a long summer evening?

Sunset rates apply this year from 3.00pm daily from only £90 per person on The Ailsa and £50 on The Kintyre.

This represents truly wonderful value for money and an opportunity to play what is arguably the most attractive and scenic of all The Open Championship venues

Email Turnberry or call 00 44 (0)844 811 3311 to book your tee time and visit Scotland's West Coast Golf Links to discover more about the magic of Turnberry

Prestwick Pro Shop marks 150th Open Anniversary

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the first Open Championship that was played at Prestwick Golf Club. To celebrate the occasion The Professional's Shop at Prestwick Golf Club have introduced an exclusive Open Championship range of merchandise. 

This new range incorporates "Birthplace of The Open Championship" as well as the official claret jug logo only available at Open Championship host venues.

In addition David Fleming recently commissioned a series of 1925 Open Championship canvas prints representing the last time the championship was held at the course.

The images were lovingly recreated from original prints and now are available on 40" x 30" box canvas as a collectible piece of Scottish golf  memorabilia exclusively from the Pro Shop - telephone 01292 479483 or visit the Prestwick Pro Shop Store

Late Availability at Royal Troon

At the time of writing there's a late availability offer at the magnificent Royal Troon Golf Club on the Ayrshire coast next week for two four balls on the 17th of August playing both the Championship course and the Portland.

You can reserve these and other times on-line at The Royal Troon Bookings page or find out more about this famous Open Championship golf course at Scotland's West Coast Golf Links.

Afternoon Golf Offers at Barassie

Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club near Troon in Ayrshire are currently readying themselves for a week's hosting of the prestigious British Boys Championship with young golfers from across Europe descending on the course to vie for the title.

However whilst the course may be closed to visitors from the 8th to the 14th of August when it reopens you can take advantage of the fantastic condition of the course at a 20% discount on afternoon green fees.

Subject to availability golfers can get 20% off the green fee between 2pm and 3.30pm Sunday to Friday during August and September.

Simply call Barassie Golf Reservations on 01292 313920 and find out more about this great Ayrshire golfing venue on Scotland's West Coast Golf Links

Dundonald Links Last Minute Offers

Dundonald Links, the Kyle Phillips designed links course on the Ayrshire Coast will this week be hosting the qualifying strokeplay rounds along with neighbour Barassie Links for The British Boys Championship.

Whilst the course will not be availble fro play from the 8th to the 11th there are still available tee times at great special offer prices either side of the Boys' event

You can get a round on Dundonald Links at the following times for only £50.00 Per Player
  • Friday 6 August - 12.30 p.m. till 3.00 p.m.
  • Saturday 7 August - 1.00 p.m. till 3.00 p.m.
  • Thursday 12 August - 8.00 a.m. till 10.00 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. till 3.00 p.m.
  • Friday 13 August - 8.00 a.m. till 10.00 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. till 3.00 p.m.
Quote "Summer Web Offer" at time of booking and call 01294 314000.

Western Gailes Video

The importance of video footage is increasing dramatically in the hospitality sector and it can be seen in golf course marketing as well. What better way to showcase a links golf course than with a well produced video. In these days of increasing importance of social media video footage taken by your visitors can be loaded up onto YouTube and even embedded back into your own site without too much technical knowledge.

Anyway, Western Gailes have a great piece of video on their site which if you're thinking of visiting is well worth a watch.

For more information on Western Gailes visit their page on Scotland's West Coast Golf Links

Gailes Links Summer Golf Packages



Gailes Links is owned and managed by Glasgow Golf Club, the 9th oldest golf Club in the world. This Championship Qualifying course is well placed in Ayrshire, close to the legendary Turnberry, Royal Troon and Old Prestwick Golf courses.

The club created a completely new website for 2010 separating the Glasgow Golf Club site from the Gailes Links. The new site now offers online booking for Gailes Links course using the BRS system. The system allows visitors to book and manage their tee times and additionally gives tour operators access to do the same for their clients.


If your looking  for more information on the club you can visit the dedicated page on Scotland's West Coast Golf Links or perhaps you could take advantage of their summer golf package.

Thursday 5 August 2010

Good Use of Blog by Dornoch Hotelier

Grant Sword who's currently looking after the marketing and management of the recently re-opened Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch has takane advantage of the press furore about Alex Salmond's remark about choosing to go to Dornoch so he could play golf!

His recent blogpost and Facebook plays on the benefits of combining business with pleasure in The Highlands.

Ian McCaig of The Edge who looks after the on-line marketing for Grant's three hotels in The Highlands praised the hotel's understanding of what was needed, "It is a positive opportunistic use of social media to promote the business. Tourism operators across Scotland should be using current affairs to shape their own website content. If people are searching Google for "Alex Salmond dornoch golf hotel" then you want to make sure that you've got a chance to be found for those terms.

The very timely Escape to The Highlands blog on the visits helps achieve this and linking to it from the Royal Golf Hotel's Facebook page ensures that his industry and business contacts get the message directly. Within thirty minutes of publishing the Blog article this is what Google search for the above term showed up"


For a Guide to Blogging for the hospitality and Tourism sector contact The Edge Online

Scottish Highlands Year of Food and Drink Support

New funding for a series of events in the Highlands to mark the year-long celebration of Scotland's iconic produce has been announced.

As part of the national drive to promote Scotland as a land of food and drink, additional funding of £25,000 has been awarded to events in the Highlands. This funding, which is in addition to financial support already being provided to a wide range of events across the Highlands, will support activity showcasing the finest Scottish cuisine and encouraging greater use of local and seasonal produce.

The events aim to build on the success of Homecoming 2009, which generated an additional £53.7 million in tourism revenue for Scotland's economy and helped secure 372,000 more visits to Scotland than in 2008. As a legacy of Homecoming Scotland 2009, Scotland's Year of Food and Drink (May 2010-May 2011) is the first in a series of focus years highlighting some of Scotland's great assets. The year will help support two of Scotland's key sectors - tourism and food and drink.

More information on the Year of Food and Drink and how your business can get involved is available from teh VistScotland website or you can download the Food and Drink Toolkit here

Monday 2 August 2010

TM Briefing - Using Google Alerts

One of the least used tools in our experience by the hospitality sector is Google Alerts and in all honesty it should be up there as one of yur online marketing priorities.

If you search the internet you'll find loads about reputation management - roughly translated as the process of monitoring (and improving) how others view you, or your business and products. If set up properly, and by properly that equates to approximately ten minutes in the first place and some tweaking here and there, Google Alerts will keep you up to date hourly, daily or weekly on what the internet (or more accurately those on it) is saying about your business.)

And if you're smart you'll also use it to see what they are saying about your competitors. Of course it's not only about reputations and customer comments. Want to be kept up to date with what promotions your oppostion are running or planning. Well you can track that too.

Accessible and managed from your Google Account, Alerts works by tracking all instances your key phrases are mentioned online. It will then email you on a regular basis - you set the frequency - with refernces to your selected  phrases.

Start off your Alerts with some of the following for your own business:-

  • Your Business Brand Name- (hotel golf course, restaurant, etc)
  • Location Linked - (property name and town or area)
  • Location and event or activity linked - (eg Ayrshire Golf events, Speyside whisky trail)
  • Former names of your business
  • Names of your products - (restaurants, bars, golf courses)
  • Your owners or management company
  • Your competitors (repeat all of above even with their names?)
As said above constant tweaking is the best way forward. Add and delete phrases as required but do keep on top of what's out there. It makes clear sense to use the tools in front of you to better understand your business and the market place surrounding you.

Contact us for further information on how to build your online tourism marketing strategy

Scottish Enterprise - Value for Money?

In the light of all of the figures being pushed about about budget cuts and job losses across the public sector it would seem logical that tourism and hospitality will feel the pain in terms of budget reductions and staffing cuts. However there are arguments made that in fact these cuts may actually be of a benefit to the development of Scottish tourism and not a hindrance.

Over the next couple of weeks we'll try to explore the arguments further and identify just where the public sector should be spending its hospitality pound if anywhere. I've heard the argument made most strongly that there is very little that would not be taken up by the private sector in travel, tourism and event development should VisitScotland, the councils or the enterprise companies not have funds available to support.

Your comments on what role the public sector should be playing in the next five years in tourism and hospitality would be welcomed. In the meantime the polar opposites of the value of Scottish Enterprise were highlighted in the linked article from The Herald.

Who's right?

MTV Crashes into Glasgow

News release this morning from EventScotland who have been involved with MTV in bringing MTV Crashes... to Glasgow in late summer:-
 
"The event which will take place on September 29 is "to be headlined by global superstar Diddy’s new collective; Diddy – Dirty Money. This exclusive free concert will take place at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow; fans can apply for free tickets online at www.mtv.co.uk/crashesglasgow. The show will be filmed as a MTV Worldstage and broadcast via MTV channels in 161 countries and over 640 million households as part of MTV’s global Friday night live music programming."

The press release continues saying that "Working in close partnership, MTV, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and EventScotland will develop a 2010 exclusive, bespoke night of music; hosted by the world’s number one youth brand, bringing one of the world’s top artists to Scotland and reinforcing Glasgow’s style credentials to a global audience."
 
Kerry Taylor, Senior Vice President Content & Creative, MTV Networks UK & Ireland said: “Glasgow is the ideal destination for MTV Crashes... The city’s legendary venues and thriving music scene have already led to Glasgow being hailed as ‘Europe’s secret capital of music’ by Time Out and combining that with the unprecedented kudos that the MTV brand delivers will make this a gig to remember!"
 
In the Daily Record, Glasgow council leader and chairman of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Gordon Matheson, said: "Having an act of the magnitude of Diddy - Dirty Money performing in Glasgow not only represents a major coup for the city but also reinforces its style credentials."