Celebrity golf a turn off!

Celebrity golf a turn off!


Take the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns and add some of Europe's best players, writes Steven Bancroft.

Sounds great to me so why ruin it by adding 'celebrity' golfers to the mix?

Every year the Dunhill Links Championship takes place at the Home of Golf and every year I wonder why the organisers feel the need to invite the likes of Kevin Costner, Samuel L Jackson and Michael Douglas.

Not that I bear any grudges towards these stars from the world of sport and entertainment because given half a chance I would jump at the chance of teeing it up at three of Scotland's best courses.

But the problem as I see it is that I just don't want to watch hackers - celebrity or amateur - chopping their way over the hallowed turf.

If I really wanted to see 15-handicappers taking eight shots to get out of the Road Hole bunker or taking a drop from the Barry Burn, I'd go to St Andrews or Carnoustie any other day of the year.

So why is there such a fixation with celebrity golfers?

Maybe we can blame the likes of Jimmy Tarbuck and Bruce Forsyth who were pioneers in the world of Pro-Celebrity golf in the 1980s.

Come to think of it why do celebrities feel they have the right to change the traditional Pro-Am name to Pro-Celebrity?

Because from what I've seen they really are no better than you and me!