Letters: It's nonsense to say that golf is for the elite

Within a few miles of Royal Troon we have six excellent municipal courses, the equivalent of affordable golf. It’s still the case that if someone wishes to pay extra for a higher quality of course then they can do so.

I grew up playing on a municipal course called Littlehill GC in Balornock where a Walter Lyle was the professional. His nephew went on to become quite famous if I recall correctly. There was nothing elite about Littlehill.

On a personal note last Tuesday I had the pleasure of having lunch in Royal Troon as a guest of a member, who like me grew up in Springburn. The clubhouse was full of members and guests or their families including females and even weans were scampering about.

Ms Goring’s references to golf are so out of touch as to be a wee bit silly.

John Gilligan, Ayr.

Degradation of the Open

SADLY, I think I have had my last visit to the Open Championship and fully agree with the observations of reader DH Telford (Letters, July 19).

The R&A has allowed golf to fall into the insatiable maw of the bloated corporate leviathan, thus betraying the very reason for its existence, which is to promote and protect the traditions and values of golf. It has sold its soul to the devil in the pursuit of Mammon.

It has overseen the transformation of the Open from a great sporting occasion where the spectators have a chance to see the best exponents of the game in the flesh to just another corporate event designed solely to generate money for sponsors.

I am fortunate enough to be a member of Royal Troon and attending on Thursday along with my two sons we agreed that unlike previous Opens this became an ordeal not to be repeated. Vast overcrowding made viewing (always difficult on links courses) well-nigh impossible. Cost of entry to the course for members of the public and food and drink prices once inside were exorbitant.

Whilst it used to be a bonus to be a member of the host club my impression this year was that members and staff were treated as second-class citizens confined to their clubhouse and warned against interfering with R&A operations. Inevitably the clubhouse (never designed to accommodate its whole membership at any one given time) became full every afternoon with members and their guests advised to use the public Links Pavilion or other on-course facilities. So despite the fact that the members had provided the venue there was little reciprocity in the arrangement. One possible solution might have been to allow a temporary marquee extension to the clubhouse but presumably this would have meant the loss of a site for another burger van or erosion of spectator stands.

I appreciate that the foregoing could be dismissed as a classic “first world problem" and indeed there were no protest marches, assassination attempts or climate activists glued to the greens, but the degradation of the Open shows where we are going as a society in which everything has a monetary or brand value to be exploited at the expense of traditional values which have hitherto underpinned and enhanced our quality of life.

Keith Swinley, Ayr.

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Wrong turns on public transport

GEOFF Ellis makes some very good points ("No transport from TRNSMT: Scotland needs to do much better than this", The Herald, July 20), so let's consider all the things that have been talked about for public transport, particularly in the Glasgow area.

I remember that back in 2007, there was much talk of a second Subway loop being built out to the east, to venues such as the Emirates stadium, in time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Sadly, that's all it was, just talk.

We've had the bus link to the new Southern General, ie the QEUH, built but it's a shadow of what we were led to expect. The publicity gave us modern, almost tram-like buses, but the reality gives us old diesel buses that don't even get priority at traffic lights.

There's the relatively new Riverside Museum, replacing the old Transport Museums, first at the old tram depot, next to Pollokshaws East railway station and then at Kelvinhall, on a bus route. I don't even think there are signs at this new museum directing people to Partick for the city's only train, subway and bus interchange, but the car park gets very full, with visitors choosing to drive there. What happened to the Metrolink tram scheme?

The Crossrail scheme, to link trains from the southside of Glasgow to the low-level lines north of the river, raises its head every so often, only to get pushed back into its box. Likewise, what's happened to the rail link from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Airport?

Recently there has been a big push to get our bus services back into public management, but it's all gone very quiet.

Finally, from me, but I'm sure there's more, ScotRail's challenges with drivers and rest-day working, harks back to the days of British Rail, when most staff were rostered Monday to Friday, with weekends and night working being overtime. Much of this has been addressed but for some reason, some has escaped change.

Yes, there is plenty of action needed as far as public transport is concerned, but one thing Mr Ellis could do, for those of us who live near Glasgow Green and TRNSMT, is to ensure that not only the National Cycle Route along by the Clyde is kept open for as long as possible before the alternative route must be used but that safe routes for active travellers (ie people who walk and cycle) on the north side of the Green are provided.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow.

Geoff Ellis (Image: Kirsty Anderson)

Like ... not like

JOHN Ireland-Matthew (Letters, July 20) is not alone in being driven mad by the constant use of " you know". Using these words is known as filleritis, other examples being "ah", " um", and the particularly annoying "like".

It's not, you know, like, that I really believe that you know. I just like need time like to know what to say next.

David Miller, Milngavie.

Lawn order

AS an act of selfless benevolence, I wish to donate the substantial quantities of moss that grow annually in my lawn ("Inside the magnificent world of Scotland’s crucial moss species". The Herald, July 22) , to Benmore Botanic Garden. It’s the gift that keeps on growing, so come and get it you guys.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.