Summary: An interview with the 'American Caddie in St Andrews' Oliver Horovitz as he reveals the secrets to playing the Old Course and how much a caddie can help lower your score! We couldn't have Oliver on the podcast without sharing some of his secrets. Here are 5 tips to play better golf around The Home of Golf, St Andrews; Tip #1 Keep it Left "All the danger is right of the tee here in St Andrews. If the ball is going left 9/10 times it will be on a fairway on the Old Course perfectly unharmed. Right however is another matter, gorse, rough, bunkers out of bounds and even Grannies Clark Wynd are all potential homes for an errant sliced tee shot. at The Home of Golf!". Tip #2 Ban your Lob Wedge "The hard links makes for playing a traditional lob wedge shot very difficult. The bounce off the turf makes thinning a chip likely and without conviction a 'chunk' almost a certainty. Leave the lob wedge at home for this trip." Tip #3 Putt. Putt and Putt Some More "As suggested chipping is not the easiest way to score on the links so putt when you can, even when you would usually think to chip. Some of these greens are huge so expect some of the longest lag putting you'll ever experience! Some can be as long as 80 yards! Tip #4 No Heroics From the Rough "End up in the rough or heather then take your medicine. Scottish rough is really nasty so grab a wedge and get back on the fairway. Find the shortest route back, grip down the shaft and get out of there first time, No hero style golf here please." Tip #5 Take a St Andrews Caddie, it's Dangerous Out There "A caddie can save you 10 shots minimum round the Old Course, St Andrews so take one if not for your wager then just for safety! Numerous double greens, adjacent fairways and bad golf means balls are flying about in all directs, crisscrossing the course.Above all else a caddie can ensure your emotional round on the Old is special, not just sentimentally but on the scorecard too!" A caddie since he was twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year in St. Andrews where he enrolls in the St. Andrews Links Trust caddie trainee program. The story of the caddie shack and life growing up in St Andrews is a thrilling read. For more information check out Oliver's website. In Other News: Kingsbarns Golf Links Reveal Bumper 2014 Sales One of Scotalnd's best golf courses has reported huge interest ahead of the 2014 season as golfers from around the world plan to descend on Scotland. Alan Hogg, Kingsbarns Golf Links Chief Executive commented, “We are extremely excited about 2014,We have already seen an upsurge in bookings around the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, and if the sun shines, as it did last year, this will only help with last-minute bookings and additional replay rounds.” Regular fans of the podcast will already know that Kingsbarns is highly regarded by your host and it is little surprise that this golfing experience is a must play for so many of you visiting golfers in 2014. Trump Scotland Update The circus which is Donald Trump was part of his Scotland development from the get-go however no more so than this week where Mr Trump halted work to his second golf course on site and erection of his luxury hotel. This at the same time he purchased Doonbeg Golf Resort in Ireland. To explain the timeline of events the Scottish Golf Podcast earlier this week produced '5 Golfing Analogies Explaining Trump Scotland'. Read it here.
