Drive away from Belleisle estate
Why have others been excluded?
Claiming that golf in Ayrshire will “die” if Ayr doesn’t get a new golf academy is a bit like taking the driver out your bag to sink a four inch putt.
It’s . . . er . . . just a wee bit of overkill. I could do down the road of listing Prestwick’s twenty four Open championships, Troon’s nine, Turnberry’s four - throw in the popularity and quality of Ayrshire’s other courses – and then counterclaim that only a tactical nuclear device could wipe out golf in Ayrshire.
But I’m not going to bother. Instead, I’m going to give Councillor Brian Connolly the benefit of the doubt and accept his
remark may have been taken slightly out of context.
I wasn’t at the Alloway and Doonfoot Community Council meeting – but I believe Brian was
making a point about “growing the game – or it will die”.
Those are maybe not the words I’d have chosen – and I doubt Brian Connolly will ever use
the analogy again – but I’m sure he was referring to the development of local golf from grass roots level.
If he really did mean “build this – or the game’s a bogey” – then he’s a bigger fool than I gave him credit for!
My point here is that Brian Connolly isn’t a fool. He’s an experienced businessman, a
seasoned councillor and chairman of Ayrshire Golf Trust.
Here’s a man who loves the game and has golf’s best interests at heart.
Which makes it all the harder to understand why he’s so passionately in favour of a project that hundreds of people - perhaps even thousands – are so passionately against?
If there’s a single word that instantly grabs the attention of almost everyone in South Ayrshire – it’s “Belleisle”.
Anyone over twenty five can compare what Belleisle was to what is has been allowed to become. And the blame for that lies squarely with the local council Brian Connolly represents as an independent. Most people I know wouldn’t let another councillor – even fitted with a bargepole – near the place.
But along comes Mr Connolly who not only wants to tinker with it again – he wants to cut a swathe off the publicly owned Old Racecourse as well.
And having seen the public light flaming crosses over the Ayr Renaissance inspired “carbuncle” at the riverside – he should have anticipated a firestorm of Californian proportions over Belleisle. And that’s exactly what he’s got now.
In all the arguments “for” and “against” the proposed golf academy – I’ve yet to hear from the Connolly camp why they’ve selected THIS hugely controversial site - to the exclusion of all others?
If the answer is simply that Seafield’s opening holes are the perfect place for a golf school – I
would argue that it is also the perfect place for a pub, a community centre or a Tesco!
And let’s not forget Brian Connolly still faces the small matter of convincing the majority of South Ayrshire Council to support him.
If he can get this past a full council meeting – Theresa May will be on the blower offering him the job of Brexit secretary!
To use Brian’s words – we do need a “pathway to golf”.
Things have moved on since I trekked from Belmont to Seafield with a pencil bag of five clubs and a half crown season ticket in my short trousers.
But to “grow” the game – we need to take it in to our schools – not out to a designer driving range.
And if we MUST have driving range . . . please God, just not at
If he can get this past full council Theresa May will be offering him Brexit secretary