Golf Communications International (GCI) is a relatively young business which was started at the beginning of these tough economic times. Despite that it is still here living and breathing and entering its third year in business. And that is one positive thing to feel happy about. Also, in the two years of its existence GCI has helped number of clients facing difficulties and budget cuts but at the same time wanting to do their best in the area of promotion of their products. GCI has been able to meet their demands in this challenging situation, deliver top class service and press coverage worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

And how do we look ahead into 2012? Well, not sure if the end of the world is coming or not but certainly not for us. We are entering this year with our chin up and the following resolutions:

- remain positive and optimistic regardless of what they say on the telly
- keep working hard for our existing clients
- fight fiercely for the new business
- turn the challenge to our advantage
- and … keep smiling !

We simply believe that 2012 is going to be a good year. So cheers to that, folks, and we look forward to working with you!

www.golfcomms.com

GCI has been able to provide tailor-made solutions for all sorts of clients, great and small, meeting their demanding requirements as well as tight budgets. Based on individual approach to every single product GCI promotes, the agency managed to secure editorial and PR coverage worth tenths of thousands of pounds saving its clients vast amount of resources on advertising.

GCI´s clients have been delighted about the company´s dynamic, energetic and creative attitude and by its ability to quickly react to their needs. Whether it was delivering a strategic approach to social media to engage with their customers, developing business relationships with key golf tour operators or generating media coverage GCI has always been there to provide excellent service to its clients and make a real difference to their business.

Throughout the year GCI has also received fantastic feedback from golf journalists from all over the world who appreciated the high standard of press materials they receive from the agency as well as the speed and diligence with which their enquiries are being handled.

GCI is currently enjoying an extremely busy autumn season working on number of projects for 2012 and preparing for the World Travel Market in London where Helena travels on Sunday, November 6.
GCI would like to take this opportunity to thank all its clients, journalists and industry partners for their business and support and looks forward to making even bigger difference to golf businesses in the years to come.

www.golfcomms.com

Helena will be representing Golf Communications International (GCI) at this travel extravaganza. She will attend WTM London from November 7 – 9 meeting existing as well as potential clients and discussing how GCI can help golf resorts build profile, raise awareness and secure adequate attention i.e. business from travelling golfers.

GCI is a specialist golf PR and marketing agency based near St Andrews in Scotland. It provides expert support and delivers a raft of golf PR and marketing services for tourist boards, destinations, hotels, golf courses and resorts around the world. The current economic crisis has seen many marketing and advertising budgets slashed which means there is greater need than ever to increase awareness of your product through targeted and strategic media activity is the most cost effective way.

GCI will deliver a solution tailored to your requirements and your budget. For less than the cost of a full page magazine advert you can begin to achieve a dramatic increase in the profile and customer recognition of your product. The value of editorial in the right publication for your customers is infinitely greater and more impactful than standard advertising.

World Travel Market – the leading global event for the travel industry – is a vibrant must attend four-day business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and International travel professionals. It is a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business. By attending World Travel Market, participants efficiently, effectively and productively gain immediate competitive advantage for their business and stay abreast with the latest developments in the travel industry.

http://www.wtmlondon.com

Sunday was a tough day for the golf photographers as well. Keeping the lens dry in a downpour isn’t easy. As I said before, I do believe they deserved to win the Dunhill quiz for the hardship they have to go through doing their job! The rest of the journalists were typing up the latest from the course in the comfort of the media centre and even though it was not particularly warm inside the tent it was at least dry. Conditions more like the ones we are used to at the Dunhill made everyone exchange the same knowing glances as the queue was forming at the coffee machine.

The St Andrews night sky came alive once again last night with a dazzling fireworks display to mark the eve of the final day´s play. The stunning fireworks spectacle – an annual favourite with golfers, spectators and St Andrews residents alike – consisted of shells up to 12” in diameter, roman candles, mines and rockets, which were all detonated electronically and synchronised to music.

From the point of view of the golf it was a very exciting day. With seven players in contention in the middle part of the day and big names such as McIlroy, McDowell and Oosthuizen in the hunt it set up an exciting finish. Most exciting of all for Fifers was the presence of two locals high up the leaderboard.

Alasdair McDougall, the 14-year-old St Leonards high school in St Andrews student and the winner of the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) Order of Merit this year played fantastically with his pro partner Joost Luiten from Holland to finish tied for third place in the pro-am team event with an impressive team score of 35 under par.
Alasdair said: “It has been much, much better than I expected or hoped for. I’ve had really good fun and loved every minute of it. It has been amazing. I want to have this all day, every day, so I’ve definitely got the bug.”

George Murray, from just down the Fife coast at Anstruther and an ex Kingsbarns caddie, has played excellent golf all week at the championship and had his best week of the year. After his round at Kingsbarns yesterday he said: “I´ve been around this course more than any other course, used to caddie here since I was about 16 through about 23, I know it like the back of my hand.” George was in contention for quite a while and in the end managed to finish tied for third place alongside the US Open Champion Graeme McDowell with a score of 18 under par. He thus managed to win his European Tour card for next season and a healthy pay cheque.

The glory and the title of the Alfred Dunhill Links Champion 2011 goes to Northern Irish player Michael Hoey who kept his cool and signed off at 22 under par for his final score finishing two shots ahead of second Rory McIlroy. It is Michael´s third victory on the European Tour and his second one this season after the Madeira Islands Open. This victory makes history for Northern Ireland because it is the first time the country has recorded five victories in a single European Tour season. The 2011 wins are: Darren Clarke (Iberdrola Open and The 140th Open Championship), Michael Hoey (Madeira Islands Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship) and Rory McIlroy (US Open Championship).

A little extra celebrity glamour has been added to the event by the engagement of the glamorous Estée Lauder model and actress Liz Hurley and Australian cricket international Shane Warne. Shane proposed to Liz over a dinner at the Old Course Hotel and in front of all the celebrity guests prompting them to applaud. Shane and Liz also posed for photographs at Kingsbarns. After all, where could possibly be more romantic to get engaged than the Kingdom of Fife?

The 2011 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is over and what an event it was. We have had some great and some not so good weather but above all we have seen some excellent golf and some real celebrity glamour at the Auld Grey Toon. We are all looking forward to next year already!

Today was the decision day when the playing field was cut with leaders qualifying to play the final round on the Old Course. It was absolutely fantastic to see Alasdair McDougall, the local youngster from St Andrews Links Junior Association (SALJGA), make the cut with his playing partner Joost Luiten finishing with a team score of 11 under par. Alasdair has been playing well all the three days and even managed a birdie on the legendary 17th hole of the Old Course on Thursday.

Alasdair said: “The 17th hole was a real highlight. My caddie said ´hit it over the hotel´ and I just pulled it a bit and he said ´that´s not over the hotel!´ I then hit a perfect six iron right up to the right edge of the green. I was then standing over my putt and said to myself if I hole this it will be the best moment of my life and then I holed it. I was so happy and it just felt amazing.”

As you would expect there was a party to go to last night. The Scores Hotel organised a Media Happy Hour and all the journalists were invited to pop in, have a drink and a bite to eat. Eric Brown, the General Manager of the Scores Hotel, was in his usual good form chatting away about the improvements which have been made to the hotel so far as well as the ones in the pipeline. The Scores Hotel has a special status as the closest hotel to the first tee of the Old Course. The view from their front rooms and the Scorecards Bar especially is simply breathtaking and if you are into golf memorabilia you will not be disappointed either. The walls of the bar bear a unique selection of scorecards from the past Champions and are really interesting to go through. There is one more thing about the Scores Hotel which has to be mentioned here and that is their seafood. If you love seafood you should pay a visit to the Scores. The lobster is just heavenly.

It was expectedly busy at the bar with a lot of the journalists turning up for yet another night of socialising. There is no rest for the wicked during the Dunhill week! For the celebrities and players the Saturday night is the big one with an official dinner organised for them at the Dunhill marquee behind the 17th green. It is a very glamorous event followed by a fantastic firework display which is visible from all over St Andrews. The Dunhill firework display is legendary and it is well worth popping out to see. It starts at 8:25pm.

Later in the afternoon the weather started to cause a bit of a problem when thick haar (or sea mist) at Kingsbarns resulted in play being suspended early in the afternoon. One thing about Scotland is that the weather can change quickly and fortunately things brightened up again and play resumed an hour later. I spoke to Don, Felder, the former member of the Eagles rock band, after his round at Kingsbarns and he said: “It was spectacular, my favourite course of all the courses we play here at the Dunhill. I hit the ball really well today and Kingsbarns was really kind to me.”

The last day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is upon us and tomorrow we will learn who will win the magnificent trophy and the all important points in the Race to Dubai. To keep up with the latest from the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship please follow this blog.

Many of the leading players were at Carnoustie today and the good conditions certainly helped them shoot some low scores. The joint leaders at 12 under par are at the end of the second round were Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Hoey closely followed by Louis Oosthuizen at 11 under. Defending champion Martin Kaymer is keeping close to the leaders just three shots behind. Plenty of players are within five shots of the lead including Graeme McDowell on 10 under par.

Tomorrow they will be at the Old Course following in the wake of some of the most famous celebs today. I saw Hugh Grant and Tico Torres playing the 18th hole of the Old Course at different times of the afternoon. The Four Weddings and a funeral star found his way into the infamous Valley of Sin with his second shot but then recovered with a great chip leaving him a tap-in. Tico holed a long putt earning cheers from the crowd gathered round the green. Most of the celebrities were in high spirits and after handing in their cards they were happy to have their pictures taken with the fans waiting behind the green and to sign a few autographs.

It will be a busy weekend on the courses at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. But should you wish to squeeze in a round in yourself there are 45 golf courses in Fife to choose from. As well as the famous links courses there are plenty more outstanding course in Fife where you can simply walk on and pay and play. Whatever your ability and whatever your budget, there is a round of golf in Fife that’s guaranteed to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.

Last night the Old Course Hotel put on a wonderful party at the Duke´s Course making the most of the opportunity to introduce some of their local food and beverage suppliers. The clubhouse restaurant was adorned with displays from different suppliers. We were given a flamboyant introduction to whisky tasting by a representative of a company called Whisky Mad. There was an opportunity to have a chat with master brewers of the Belhaven Brewery and learn more about the Old Course Hotel´s very own Jigger Inn Ale or sample different wines presented by Forth Wines.

Alongside the drinks there was a presentation by Clarks Foods – the Old Course Hotel´s supplier of original Scottish organic farmers´ cheeses. The stories of the origin and production of some of the cheeses were fascinating. For example the cheddar from the Isle of Mull is produced on a farm which uses only renewable energy and it is made with the milk of cows that eat grass and whisky grains. It then matures in the farm´s own cellars for several months. It is true that the cheese left a very tickly taste on the tongue, almost the same feeling as after you have taken a shot of whisky.

Another presentation which received a lot of attention was that of the Highland Chocolatier. If you are like me, chocolate is probably not the first thing that you associate with Scotland. But having tasted the produce of this Grandtully-based business I will never look at chocolate in the same way again. Iain Burnett, who owns the business and has become known as The Highland Chocolatier, is an award-winning artisan chocolatier of rare quality. He has trained under Master Chocolatiers of the Belgian, Swiss and French schools and now creates his own renowned range of fresh cream chocolate truffles, spiced pralines and spectacular chocolate wedding cakes. The truffles the Dunhill media guests tasted last night were rich and creamy and really did melt on the tongue. They were made of only three ingredients: cocoa and Scottish butter and cream. Incredibly, there was no sugar in them!

So after the party it is back to the golf and round three is coming up tomorrow. To keep up with the latest from the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship please follow this blog.

Last night all the journalists were treated to a lovely dinner at the marquee behind the 17th green. Beautifully laid tables were prepared at 6:30 pm and after the drinks reception everyone was invited to help themselves at the warm buffet. On the menu were exotic dishes such as Moroccan spicy chicken, a cous cous salad as well as delicious Scottish fish pie. You could not possibly resist the plum crumble and the panna cotta with raspberry coulis either. Plenty of refreshments were available for the thirsty media types with the champagne and wine proving particularly popular. It must be said that the journalists receive the royal treatment from the Dunhill team. The media dinner is a really nice way of thanking the journalists for covering the event. And you will have hopefully seen the fruits of their labour by now.

The highlight of the media dinner is always the legendary media quiz. The quiz is prepared every year by the Dunhill PR Person Roger Kelly to the delight of all the journalists. It is a fiendishly difficult set of 20 questions testing the most in-depth sports and course knowledge as well as the personal/career background of the players taking part in the tournament. Incredibly enough it is also won by the same table every year: the photographers. So it was last night and yet again the photographers managed to prove that they know the answer to the trickiest questions prepared by Roger. We have to give them credit because they are always out there in sun, wind or rain and capture the magical moments.

To switch our attention from the socialising back to golf, there has been a lot of focus on Martin Kaymer as last year´s champion. At his press conference Martin paid a fantastic tribute to St Andrews saying: “For a lot of players Augusta is their paradise – for me St Andrews is a paradise. I´m very rarely excited about playing a golf course, but here you want to play 36 holes every day. This is home for me. When I was standing on the first tee today it felt so peaceful. This is the home of golf and it is where I feel the most comfortable.”

Joining the famous golf stars was also a local 14 years old student of St. Leonard´s High School St Andrews. Alasdair McDougall, who hails from Drumoig near St Andrews, is a promising young golfer who won the St Andrews Links Junior Golf Association (SALJGA) Order of Merit this year. He teed off on the Old Course today in the same group as SALJGA´s honorary president Paul Lawrie and partnering Dutch professional Joost Luiten.

Alasdair said: “It is a fantastic opportunity for me. I love playing golf and the chance to play in the same event as some of my heroes is just unbelievable. The Dunhill is a great event and it doesn´t get any better than playing in a championship on The Old Course. It will be a bit nerve-wracking but I am really looking forward to it.”

After the first round the excellent conditions were reflected in the scoring with four players tied on six under par – 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Rafael Cabrera-Bello from Spain, Michael Hoey from Northern Ireland and Austrian Markus Brier. With big names such as Graeme McDowell, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood not far behind it is not just the weather that is hotting up!

To learn more about the happening at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship please follow this blog.

The popularity of the event seems to grow every year. It is a real draw to the Kingdom of Fife bringing in celebrities and famous golfers and attracting visitors and locals in good numbers to sample the atmosphere and rub shoulders with some famous faces. With cocktail parties and dinners and the golf itself you never know quite whom you might spot.

Everything seems much more relaxed than other golf championships and with free entry on the first three days you really can get close to the action. While the likes of Hugh Grant, Michael Douglas and Tico Torres add a little glamour it is the pro golfers who are the real stars this week. The field could hardly be much stronger. There are 15 players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, 13 Major Champions, eight European Tour Number Ones and 99 winners of European Tour Events. Three Scottish players, Paul Lawrie (2001), Stephen Gallacher (2004) and Colin Montgomerie (2005) have won the championship which is pretty good going for the country which gave us the game.

It is undoubtedly the magic of St Andrews as the Home of Golf, the stunning beauty of Kingsbarns and the true challenge of Carnoustie that have a huge role to play in the overall significance of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Last year´s winner Germany´s Martin Kaymer summed it up at yesterday´s press conference: “I think the Dunhill was my last win in the last year so to be able to finish off the season winning at St Andrews was kind of like a fairy tale. It was beautiful.”

Martin Kaymer will aim to become the first player to successfully defend the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He has already defended the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this season. Should he win again in Scotland, he would become just the fourth golfer in European Tour history to successfully defend multiple tournaments in the same season following giants like Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Tiger Woods.

It will be an exciting few days ahead of us when the tournament officially starts tomorrow. The glitzy opening reception took place last night at the marquee behind the 17th green of the Old Course. The stars were out in force and if it wasn’t quite the red carpet it was certainly high on glamour. The well-appointed marquee offered champagne, exotic cocktails, comfy sofas, beautiful decorations and a never-ending stream of delicious canapés. The 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen was in pretty relaxed mood having a lively chat with a group of friends and the American film star Michael Douglas showed all the signs of being happy to be back at the Dunhill Links jumping cheerily into the arms of a friend of his to give him a welcome embrace.

Unlike last year, when countless layers were necessary to survive in the coldness of the media centre and outside, it was a distinctly Mediterranean climate in the Auld Grey Toun. Apparently it is warmer here than New York, Berlin and Istanbul – which certainly makes a welcome change! Long may it last!

To learn more about the happening at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship please follow this blog.

The last time the Walker Cup was contested, at Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania, in 2009, the USA defeated Great Britain and Ireland 16 ½ to 9 ½ – the Americans have now won the last three matches home and away. Notable USA performances came from Rickie Fowler, now professional, and his former Oklahoma State University team-mate, Peter Uihlein, who both took four points from a possible four.

The tournament will be played on the Balgownie Links of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, the sixth-oldest club in the world. Founded in 1780 the club was for the first 35 years known as The Society of Golfers at Aberdeen. The Aberdeen Golf Club was formed in 1815 on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, and its members continued to play on the Queen’s Links, a strip of common land between the Don and Dee Rivers, until 1888 when they migrated to the current links at Balgownie. While the club received the patronage of Prince Leopold in 1872, it wasn’t until 1903 that the club officially used the “Royal” name, which was bestowed upon the club by His Majesty King Edward VII.

The Balgownie Course is a classic links layout that goes out through the dunes and returns along a plateau.

Ronnie MacAskill, Royal Aberdeen’s director of golf, lists his three favourite holes as the par-3 eighth, the par-4 17th and the par-4 18th.

“The 18th is probably the most difficult hole on the course,” writes MacAskill on Royal Aberdeen’s website. “Into the prevailing wind, it is often out of reach even for the low, single-figure handicap golfer.

“With bunkers left and right and the added attraction of out of bounds to the left, a long straight drive is the only option. The second shot to yet another well-bunkered and elevated green is everything in the bag unless you are very well through the valley. Very rarely do you find the club golfer firing their second shot to the heart of the 18th green. A true classic to the finish.”

www.walkercup.org
www.royalaberdeengolf.com

A two-year Visit Kent campaign promoting the county as an international golfing destination is establishing a legacy that will provide support to local tourism businesses for many years to come.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, Chief Executive at Visit Kent, said she was delighted that the Open Golf at Sandwich had been a major triumph offering outstanding golf and achieving thousands of hours of global media coverage for the course.

And she was particularly pleased when, as the tournament reached its final stages, BBC commentator Peter Alliss complimented Visit Kent on air for its hard work not only in attracting people to the competition but also making them feel so welcome during their visit.

“However, an even more important goal for us has been ensuring that this four-day event is not a one-off success story,” she said.

“Throughout our marketing campaign to develop Kent as a top European golfing destination, launched at the European Golf Championship atLondon Golf Club in 2009, we have been working closely with all our golf courses, accommodation providers, international golf tourism providers and the global golf media. We have been building awareness of the fantastic courses and facilities available in our county. And the interest has been phenomenal.

“To date we have hosted more than 100 specialist press trips focusing on Kent’s golf and tourism offer – generating press coverage valued at more than £500,000 – and we have ensured all marketing activity for the campaign has been backed by website and e-marketing initiatives.”

“Our fully-integrated golf marketing campaign has been, and continues to be, partnership-working at its best,” said Mrs Matthews-Marsh.