The roads to Turnberry have been improved since then, to the satisfaction of the R&A, but accommodation is still in short supply. Even Turnberry's own hotel will not be operating at full capacity due to renovation delays.
Consequently, I shall watch events unfold from the comfort of the clubhouse bar and my living room, rather than listening to the radio while twiddling my thumbs on the A77. Such a course of action (or inaction) would have been unthinkable for a trade journalist a short while ago because there were few other opportunities during the year to discuss marketing strategy, examine the latest equipment or swap gossip with contacts.
The Open has been a gathering of the clans for golf manufacturers, their retail clients and the media since the halcyon days of Dai Rees, Bobby Locke and Peter Thomson. Out of this tradition grew the tented village and, in particular, the exhibition centre which many of us of a certain age remember fondly. Every sales team worth its salt was there: presenting wares, offering bargains, telling stories, hooking up with staff players and rubbing shoulders with the Bullet girls.
But all this changed with the introduction of the official merchandise pavilion less than a decade ago. Needless to say, nearly all official merchandise is apparel and the hardware brands have found themselves banished off-site. Those that wish to make presentations during Open week are forced to do so from obscure locations which involve dozens of extra miles on the clock and advanced map-reading skills. Not surprisingly, the number of these events has dwindled and, I suspect, only a few will take place this year.
Of course, the economic downturn provides the perfect excuse for companies to pull in their horns, but overall this is a shame. Editorial budgets notwithstanding, trade journalists can still attend Golf Europe in Munich along with the TGI and Foremost/Alliance shows in Harrogate, but the Open is really the only opportunity for the industry to rub shoulders with golf correspondents from the national and regional press - people who should be targeted at every opportunity in the interests of growing the game. In general, though, these reporters can no longer leave the premises due to the ubiquity and oppression of deadlines.
As far as the trade is concerned, there are now only three viable meeting points on-site - the Junior Golf Centre run by the Golf Foundation and its stalwart volunteers; the PGA pavilion where familiar, friendly faces abound; and the Bollinger tent where glasses (actually, they're plastic) are raised in fellowship and common cause.
At least this year I'll spend more time with Peter Alliss and co. Gary Lineker will still make my teeth grate, but it won't be long, surely, before the BBC replaces this wooden, costly fixture as anchor with the admirable Rishi Persad.
* One of the highlights of Open week will be the annual industry party hosted by Jackie Wurr and Annie Harper of the Trinity Partnership. This year's knees-up - at Maybole Town Hall on Wednesday July 15 - will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of local poet Robert Burns' birth, so expect more rhyme than reason on the night. For details and tickets (£50 a head) call Jackie on 01780-729248 or email pr@jackiewurr.com.
Cornish caper
No, I haven't morphed into Judith Chalmers - but I was recently whisked on a flying visit to Plymouth (from London City airport with Air Southwest, to be precise) to sample the newly opened hotel at St Mellion. This £20m refurbishment has increased the bedroom count to 80 and brought Crown Golf's flagship property more into line with what will be required when the Nicklaus Signature Course, which originally opened in 1988, hosts the English Open from 2011. Meanwhile, the Old Course, which first hosted a European Tour event in 1979 - the Benson & Hedges International Open - has been re-named the Kernow Resort Course.
Swing for Sammy
Trick-shot king Jeremy Dale will be performing at the ‘Swing for Sammy' golf day at north London's Muswell Hill on Friday, July 31. Held in memory of Samantha Trow, who died in February 2008 aged 26, last summer's inaugural event, which benefited from generous support from the golf industry, raised nearly £17,000, mostly for Cancer Research UK.
It is a Stableford team competition open to pros, amateurs, ladies and juniors (£200 per team of four or £50 per individual) followed by a barbecue, prize giving, auction, raffle, disco and late bar. To enter, contact Adrian Hobbs on 020 8888 1764 or mhgcclubsecretary@btconnect.com. To offer prizes or hole sponsorships, contact Paul Trow on 07973 862747 or ptrow76780@aol.com. Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/bentrow
