THE BRITISH BLIND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
Supported by the IBGA, The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and Scottish Borders Council
CARDRONA HOTEL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Sunday July 1 - Thursday July 5, 2012
The 2012 British Blind Open Championship will be held at the 4 star Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Country Club near Peebles. This modern hotel in timeless natural surroundings is set on the banks of the River Tweed amidst the peaceful Scottish Borders countryside, making it easy to forget you're just 40 minutes outside Edinburgh and 90 minutes from Glasgow and the North of England.
Scottish Blind Golf look forward to welcoming you to this exciting new venue which will provide quality accommodation and a testing championship golf course of 6555 yards from the yellow tee boxes, rolling gently through the river valley, surrounded by stunning scenery that'll simply take your breath away.
Hotel accommodation
Postal address: Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Country Club, Cardrona, Peebles, Scottish Borders EH45 8NE, GB.
Telephone: 0844 879 9024 from within the UK.
Telephone: +44 [0] 1896 833 600 from outside UK
Facsimile: +44 [0] 1896 831166
Website: Click here...
The 3 storey building has 99 standard executive twin rooms, all stacked to one side whilst the swimming pool, Spa, restaurants and function suites are stacked on the other wing of the hotel, ensuring a peaceful sleep away from the public areas. As you approach the front door, you enter on the middle floor, go downstairs to the rear of the hotel and you find Spikes Bar, locker rooms and leisure facilities, with the golf course opening up in front of you.
You will enjoy taking breakfast and evening dinner in the Manderston Suite on the top floor but Spikes Bar downstairs will be the hub of the conversations and golfing post mortems in the afternoon as you come off the course. There's a good selection of snacks and of course, a well appointed bar to satisfy your needs and you can even sit outside on the large patio in the glorious Scottish sunshine..... honest!
Please do not contact the hotel with any enquiries on the British Blind Open, you should contact any one of the organising team listed below, or Send an e mail to the Open organising team here
The Course
A backdrop of beautiful Borders hills skirted by the famous River Tweed has created a very unique setting for the Cardrona championship golf course. Designed by former Ryder Cup player Dave Thomas in 2001, the Par 72 parkland and woodland course nestles into the surrounding countryside. Wide undulating USGA greens and a distance of 6555 yards from the yellow tees make Cardrona a truly enjoyable challenge for golfers at every level.
"The Cardrona course will excite, challenge and thrill. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."- Sandy Lyle MBE
You can check out a hole by hole guide here - but please note, it's done from the medal tees!
Scorecard:
| Hole | Yellow Tees |
Par | Stroke Index |
Red Tees |
Par | Stroke Index |
| 1 | 521 | 5 | 5 | 497 | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | 272 | 4 | 13 | 267 | 4 | 17 |
| 3 | 406 | 4 | 3 | 388 | 4 | 14 |
| 4 | 443 | 4 | 9 | 363 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 186 | 3 | 11 | 175 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | 513 | 5 | 1 | 503 | 5 | 10 |
| 7 | 392 | 4 | 7 | 383 | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | 338 | 4 | 15 | 323 | 4 | 15 |
| 9 | 174 | 3 | 17 | 140 | 3 | 11 |
| OUT | 3230 | 36 | OUT | 3039 | 36 | |
| 10 | 391 | 4 | 6 | 380 | 4 | 8 |
| 11 | 199 | 3 | 18 | 161 | 3 | 9 |
| 12 | 479 | 5 | 4 | 470 | 5 | 16 |
| 13 | 173 | 3 | 12 | 145 | 3 | 12 |
| 14 | 550 | 5 | 2 | 460 | 5 | 2 |
| 15 | 357 | 4 | 14 | 348 | 4 | 18 |
| 16 | 372 | 4 | 10 | 364 | 4 | 7 |
| 17 | 417 | 4 | 8 | 402 | 5 | 3 |
| 18 | 387 | 4 | 16 | 370 | 4 | 6 |
| IN | 3325 | 36 | IN | 3100 | 37 | |
| OUT | 3230 | 36 | OUT | 3039 | 36 | |
| TOTAL | 6555 | 72 | TOTAL | 6139 | 73 |
Travel & directions
Geographically, Peebles lies approximately 30 miles due south of Edinburgh and 60 miles south east of Glasgow. For those coming to Scotland by air or rail, we would strongly recommend you make Edinburgh your target destination. We will be organising pickup transfers to and from the Cardrona Hotel and these terminals so please contact us with your flights and train times by the end of February so we can make our plans.
If you cannot arrange your travel into Edinburgh, contact the team and we may be able to pick you up from another location.
If your only option of travel to the UK is Glasgow, Prestwick or even into Newcastle, England, you are a long way from the venue, a hire car is really your best option for your onward journey. You could also consider flying into London and catching an internal flight up to Edinburgh from where we will be arranging transfers.
By Taxi
A taxi from Edinburgh airport or either of the main rail stations will cost you £45 each way, a seven seater for 2 players and 2 guides with your gear will cost you £60 each way. If we can arrange to have groups assembling at airports or rail stations we may be able to spread the cost a bit more economically for you all with the possible hire of mini buses or small coaches.
By Road
From the north, make your way to the Edinburgh City Bypass and exit at the Lothianburn Junction, following signs for Penicuik and Peebles. After you pass through the quaint little village of Eddleston, make your way through the heart of the town of Peebles and look for a small roundabout with a left turn to Galashiels on the A72. 3 miles out this road and Cardrona comes up on your right hand side. If you are travelling from Glasgow or the west, you might arrive into Peebles via Eddleston as well, or you could approach more from the west and find yourself already on the A72 for Galashiels, so continue through the town and out the other side for those 3 miles.
From the south, M6, Carlisle, leave the motorway at Junction 44, take the third exit at the roundabout and follow the signs for A7 Galashiels. After around 50 miles, you will come on to the A707, signposted Moffat/Peebles. Seven miles or so on and you will turn onto the A72 signposted Peebles. Eleven miles along this road and the Cardrona comes up on your left.
If you are coming from the east side, perhaps even Newcastle airport in a hire car, take the A696 signposted Ponteland, Jedburgh, Hexham. Follow signs for Jedburgh merging on to the A68, then after about 60 miles, look for the A6091 signposted Melrose, Galashiels. Follow signs for Hawick, Galashiels for about six miles then at Kingsknowe roundabout, turn left onto the A7 signposted Galashiels. At traffic signals, continue forward onto the A72 signposted Walkerburn, Innerleithen. Keep on this A72 following signs for Peebles and Cardrona will appear on your left after about another 13 miles.
For an accurate mileage and complete route, you can enter your own postcode and the hotel postcode of EH45 8NE into this AA Route finder.
By Rail
Plan your rail journey and check out the facilities at Edinburgh Waverley Station . If your best bargain takes you to Glasgow, you can get the Scotrail shuttle through to Edinburgh which runs every half hour on a Sunday and every 15 minutes during the day for the rest of the week.
Edinburgh Waverley is served by Virgintrains, East Coast and Cross Country so you can check out all your train times and schedules on the National Rail website
By air
As already mentioned, you should check out flights to Edinburgh International Airport which is served by a multitude of airlines including Easyjet, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, BA, BMI, Flybe, KLM, Lufthansa, Continental and many more.
Car Hire:
There are a number of car hire options available at all UK airports, some have differing discounts and special offers. These links will take you to Glasgow International, Prestwick and Newcastle Airport where you can browse for the best deal.
The event Programme at a Glance
SUNDAY, JULY 1:
- Arrival day, hotel rooms available from 3pm in the afternoon. You will receive an itinerary by e mail approximately 2 weeks prior to the event but an updated hard copy will be provided to you when you check in. Postal copies will be sent to those without access to a computer.
- A short welcome and briefing meeting will take place at 7:15pm in the reception area outside the Manderston Suite on the top floor. This will be followed by a hot and cold buffet dinner with the rest of the evening at your leisure.
- An updated list of practice day tee times will be displayed at designated points around the hotel.
MONDAY, JULY 2:
- Full Scottish cooked breakfast is served in the Manderston Suite from 7 o'clock in the morning
- Practice day, tee times from 9:30am
- Pairings will be specifically arranged with a view to a home based player playing with a guest from another country in the interests of introducing them to our golf course and providing a warm welcome. The format of your game is entirely your choice, though we obviously cannot permit four balls.
- There is no set competition on this day, no prizes, so relax and get a look at the course, and make some new friends
- Snacks and refreshments in Spikes Bar are at your own expense, dinner will be taken in the Manderston Suite from 7:30pm
- An updated list of Round 1 tee times will be displayed at designated points around the hotel.
- NB: After this practice round, you will have the option to change your original decision on which competition you wish to enter.
TUESDAY, JULY 3:
- Full Scottish cooked breakfast is served in the Manderston Suite from 7 o'clock in the morning
- Official Tournaments, Round 1, tee times from 9:30am. You should register for your game in Spikes Bar at least 30 minutes before your allocated time. This will allow you time to arrange your buggy if applicable, have a practice putt and find out which tee you are starting from.
- Snacks and refreshments can be found in Spikes Bar at your own expense, dinner will be taken in the Manderston Suite from 7:30pm
- An updated list of Round 2 tee times will be displayed at designated points around the hotel.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4:
- Full Scottish cooked breakfast is served in the Manderston Suite from 7 o'clock in the morning
- Official Tournaments, Round 2, tee times will be in leaderboard order from 9:30am. You should register for your game in Spikes Bar at least 30 minutes before your allocated time to allow for buggies and practice putts.
- Snacks and refreshments can be found in Spikes Bar at your own expense.
- Time and weather permitted, a short presentation will be made beside the last green in the afternoon, all cameras welcome
- A drinks reception will take place on the top floor at 7pm, folowed by the Championship Gala Dinner in the Manderston Suite at 7:30 for 8pm. The dress code for gents is jacket & tie please.
THURSDAY, JULY 5:
- Full Scottish cooked breakfast is served in the Manderston Suite from 7 o'clock in the morning
- Transport information to air and rail terminals will be detailed later
- Hotel rooms to be vacated by 12 noon, please ensure you clear any additional accounts before departure
- The organising team will only be available up to 10:30 am
- Safe journey home, Haste ye Back!
Competition Rules & format
- All competitors must hold a valid IBGA handicap at July 1, 2012
- The outright British Blind Open Champion will be the best nett score over 36 holes medal play from the Gents yellow tee boxes.
- Ladies handicaps will be adjusted upwards by 5 shots in line with the IBGA handicap policy
- The Peebles Plate will be a combined stableford competition over 36 holes with Gents playing from the yellow tee boxes and Ladies from their own red tee boxes. No handicap adjustments will be applicable.
- In the event of tied scores, a full countback calculation will be applied
- Any player who suffers an NR on day 1 of the British Blind Open medal play competition will be invited to take part in the Peebles Plate on day 2 but will NOT carry forward any stableford points accumulated from their first round score card
Awards
- Players & Guides finishing 1st, 2nd & 3rd in the main medal play event will all receive an award
- Players with the best gross score in all 3 categories will receive an award
- The overall best gross score will receive an award
- Players & Guides finishing 1st & 2nd in the stableford event will all receive an award.
- A Ladies Trophy will be awarded at the event
NB: In the unlikely event of serious adverse weather or thunderstorms, the organising team reserve the right to re schedule play and/or revise the competition format.
How to apply
Sorry, the form below has now been disabled, applications are now closed. Please contact the organising team if you would like to make an enquiry
Payments & deadlines
- Jan 31: Applications closed for the event
- Feb 13: Information on entry fees, methods of payment and other details e mailed and posted out to all competitors
- Feb 29: All who wish to be considered for transport must provide air and rail information to the organising team by this date.
- Mar 31: The £100 GBP entry fee must be paid by this date
The field!
Last updated at: 08:57 13/02/2012
- Kurt Lirussi, Austria, more to follow
- John Scappaticci, Canada, B2, DBL, Open, Buggy3
- Neil Baxter, England & Wales, B2, DBL, Open, Buggy3
- Steve Beevers, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- Simon Cookson, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- John Eakin, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- Chris Evans, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- Derek Field, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- Peter Hodgkinson, England & Wales, B2, TW, Open
- Pieta Le Roux, England & Wales, B2, TW, Open
- Mike Loten, England & Wales, B3, TW, Open
- William McAllister, England & Wales, B1, TW, Open, Buggy3
- Nicholas Mills, England & Wales, B1, TW, Open, Buggy3
- Jim O'Brien, England & Wales, B1, TW, Open
- Frances Radford, England & Wales, B3, DBL, Open
- Bryan Richards, England & Wales, B2, TW/DBL, Open, Buggy3
- Derrick Sheridan, England & Wales, B2, DBL, Open
- Ron Tomlinson, England & Wales, B1, TW, Open, Buggy3
- John Williams, England & Wales, B2, TW, Stableford, Buggy3
- Andrea Calcaterra, Italy, B1, DBL, Open, Buggy3
- Chiara Pozzi Giacosa, Italy, B1, TW, Open, Buggy3
- Andrew Cochrane, Northern Ireland, B2, TW, Open
- Jan Dinsdale, Northern Ireland, B2, TW, Ladies Open, Buggy3
- Danny McIlroy, Northern Ireland, B3, DBL, Open
- Tommy Reidy, Northern Ireland, B2, TW, Open
- Sam Smyth, Northern Ireland, B2, TW, Open, buggy3
- Paul O'Rahilly, Republic of Ireland, B2, TW, Open
- Adrian Downey, Republic of Ireland, B3, TW, Stableford
- Robin Clayden, Scotland, B2, TW, Stableford, Buggy1*
- Charlie Forbes, Scotland, B3, TW, Open
- Barry Hampton, Scotland, B3, TW, Stableford, Buggy2
- Darren Healey, Scotland, B2, TW, Open
- Gerry Kelly, Scotland, B2, DBL, Open, Buggy1
- Cameron McDiarmid, Scotland, B3, TW, Open
- John Miller, Scotland, B3, TW, Open, Buggy3
- Ian Moncrieff, Scotland, B2, TW, Stableford, Buggy3
- Allan Morgan, Scotland, B3, DBL, Stableford
- Alistair Reid, Scotland, B3, DBL, Open, Buggy3
- Sam Sloan, Scotland, B2, TW, Open
- James Watt, Scotland, B1, TW, Open
- Millard G Reed, USA, B3, TW, Open, Buggy3
* = Registered as B1 but playing as B2 without blackout glasses.
Your organising Team
Here are the people on our team with their contact information. They will be there to help you enjoy the event, answer your questions, help you resolve any problems, and they will be the sole arbitors and ruling Committee for the golf tournament itself.
General admin, Applications, hotel accommodation and website:
- Robin Clayden, SBGS Secretary, E-mail: open@scottishblindgolf.com
- Telephone: +44 0 1383 737 717, Mobile/Cellphone: 07895 083 217
- Address: 5 The Round, Dunfermline, Fife KY12 7YH, Scotland
For all financial matters:
- Barry Hampton, SBGS Treasurer, Click to E-mail Barry
- Telephone: +44 [0] 1382 543 234
- Address: 24 West Acres Drive, Wormit, Fife DD6 8NR, Scotland
The Tournament, rules, format, tee times and decisions etc:
- Ally Reid - +44 [0] 1569 762 046, Click to E-mail Ally
- Allan Morgan - +44 [0] 1698 852 801, Click to E-mail Allan
- Sam Sloan - +44 [0] 131 258 0685, Click to E-mail Sam
- Darren Healey, Click to E-mail Darren
Buggy information
Buggies will be provided for all who requested them at a charge of £16 per day. This can be sent with your entry fee if you wish. Details are included in the information letter E-mailed and posted out on Feb 11
Please note, it is the responsibility of buggy users to ensure they have adequate insurance in place to guard against any accident or damage caused, either to the vehicle, property, the users or any third party. The hire contract is between the individual user and the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel.
Buggy users should be aware that for example, in the unlikely event of serious heavy rain causing flooding, the Professional at Cardrona may be forced to refuse the use of buggies on the course for reasons of health and Safety.
Pull trolleys are also in good supply at only £3 per day from the Pro Shop
Stroke savers at £4.50 can also be purchased from the Pro shop
Sight testing info
Sight testing will be carried out at this event by qualified opthalmologis Charles McKinnon on the morning of Monday July 2. Candidates selected for testing will be informed in advance.
In International Blind Golf Association sponsored events, it is a requirement that Blind golfers in the B1 category wear blackout glasses during the 2 championship rounds. They can only be removed temporarily on completion of a hole and en route to the next teeing ground.
Weather forecast?
Just for your interest, here's what happened with the weather at Cardrona for July 1 - 5, 2011. You should search for PEEBLES if you want to check your own internet weather programme.
- July 1:
A fine day averaging 62ºF dropping to 49ºF through the night. Sunny intervals throughout the day, light breeze from the NW at only 7mph, with humidity at 72% & pressure at 1027Mb - July 2:
Another dry day with light cloud cover. Warm 62ºF dropping to 48ºF during the night. Light southerly breeze at 9mph with Humidity at 69% & pressure at 1019Mb - July 3:
Glorious day with temperatures up to 80ºF dropping down to a sultry 52ºF at night. Little wind to speak about, SW at only 3mph. Humidity was 57% with 1016Mb pressure - July 4: Another fabulous sunny day with steady temperatures around 73ºF dropping to 54ºF during the night. Little or no wind again with humidity at 66% and pressure at 1012Mb
- July 5:
A day of light rain showers but still a warm 68ºF dropping to 55ºF at night. Breezy with southerly winds at 24mph, humidity at 64% and pressure at 1011Mb
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