Praise for Nairn following Curtis Cup team trial
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OFFICIALS at Nairn Golf Club have been delighted with the "positive" feedback received from the players following last month’s Curtis Cup team trial weekend for the Great Britain and Ireland squad.
Over the space of three days, players vying for a place in the team, including Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald, took to the course as they were put through their paces by captain Tegwen Matthews.
MacDonald may only have been named fourth reserve for the biennial event, but there was unanimous praise all round for the state of the course itself.
Having only just completed the final stages of a three-year improvement programme at Nairn, the clubs marketing convenor Andy Burgess was happy with the response he received from the Great Britain and Ireland team ahead of the Curtis Cup taking place between 8-10th June.
"It was a wonderful weekend with all the players showing off their formidable skills," he said.
"We started preparing for the Curtis Cup over three years ago. Since then, a lot of work has been done on the course including the revetting of 60% of the bunkers.
"This was the first time a lot of the players had seen the course with these improvements and without exception the feedback has been very positive."
As it turned out, the weekend proved to be the perfect testing-ground for both golfers and the eight-man greenkeeping team at Nairn.
"The comments we received have been tremendous, which is a great accolade for our greenkeeping team who worked tirelessly to get the work done in time," said Burgess.
"Not only that, but the greenkeeping team was able to prepare the course as closely as possible to the tournament conditions we will have in June.
"Of course this is weather dependant, but hopefully without too much rain we will have a testing links course to decide the destination of the Curtis Cup."
Ladies Golf Union chief executive Shona Malcolm was full of praise about the condition of the course, insisting it will be a stern test for both Great Britain and Ireland, and America come June.
"The course was in magnificent order over the weekend and all the players appreciated the chance to familiarise themselves with the famously testing greens, tight fairways and punishing hazards," she said. "The match itself can’t come soon enough now."
As well as hosting the Curtis Cup, Nairn is also celebrating its 125th anniversary this year with a series of events planned for the summer.
As part of the festivities, it has been announced that a limited edition whisky has been distilled and will go on sale to both club members and the general public.
