COUNTDOWN TO SOLHEIM
Gleneagles gets prepared for cup tournament in 2019
Excitement is building following the official handover of the Solheim Cup to Strathearn.
For Gary Silcock, the director of golf at 2019 host venue Gleneagles, there comes an evident sense of pride in representing and again pushing Scotland’s name onto the world stage.
The most talented women golfers on the planet will descend on the picturesque resort in two years’ time, from September 13-15, with Team USA set to defend their Des Moines Golf and Country Club trophy triumph from Iowa.
The baton may now have officially been passed on to Gleneagles but preparations for the prestigious event have been long under way.
“I think what people would be surprised with is that we started two and a half years ago,” Silcock explained. “Visit Scotland are very happy with where we are, and so are we.
“The Solheim Cup has Visit Scotland as the backing. You have Scotland supporting, as they did with the Ryder Cup and that makes a very unique event. It’s a great driving force for success. In Des Moines, it was a private members’ club and was really the LPGA putting on a show. We have the strength and size of Scotland behind us.
“We are really proud to represent Scottish golf. Gleneagles is iconic but Visit Scotland has put us up there to represent the country. From a local, I’m really proud to say that we are representing the best of what Scotland has.”
Silcock has attended the previous two Solheim Cup events, Germany 2015 and America 2017, so has a taste of what to expect when September 2019 rolls around.
Having hosted a successful Ryder Cup in 2014, Gleneagles will be more than ready to impress again.
“One of the big positives from the Ryder Cup was the travel and parking. Gleneagles is tried and tested. It’s a tournament venue and has that DNA running through the whole resort, not just the golf element,” Silcock said.
“I left Scotland 18 years ago and came back, and I was brought up 20 miles from here.
“During my seven years at The Belfry I saw the impact of what tournament golf does. It put The Belfry on the map so it definitely puts Gleneagles on the map - and Scotland too.”
The staging of The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles is being led by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s events directorate.
Paul Bush, director of events with VisitScotland, said: “We have witnessed a truly world-class exhibition of golf in Des Moines for The 2017 Solheim Cup with huge crowds supporting both teams and a massive worldwide TV audience.
“I hope this success has whetted the appetite of spectators for Gleneagles and demonstrated the sheer scale of the event coming to Scotland in 2019.”