2 OCTOBER, 2023 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: SO FINALLY THE TIME HAS ARRIVED, MONDAY OF THE 2023 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, AND WHAT IS FOR ME, AND FOR THE PLATFORM, THE BIGGEST WEEK OF THE YEAR. SHANK (FORMERLY ST ANDREWS GOLF MAGAZINE) LAUNCHED MORE THAN 10 YEARS AGO, IN FEBRUARY OF 2013, AND ITS MISSION FROM THE OUTSET WAS TO COVER ALL ASPECTS OF GOLF, FROM THE GRASSROOTS TO THE GREATS OF THE GAME, AND MUCH MORE. YEAR IN YEAR OUT THE PLATFORM HAS BEEN A SHOWCASE FOR LOCAL EMERGING TALENT, COVERING THE AMATEUR CAREERS OF THE LIKES OF CHLOE GOADBY, BEN CATON, JOHN PATERSON AND OTHERS WHO MAKE THEIR HOME IN ST ANDREWS. SHANK HAS COVERED MOST LOCAL AMATEUR EVENTS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS INCLUDING THE ST ANDREWS LINKS TROPHY, ST RULE TROPHY AND R&A LOCAL CLUBS' GOLD MEDAL, BUT TO GROW ITS AUDIENCE AND BECOME RELEVANT, THE PLATFORM HAD TO COVER MORE THAN JUST THIS.
WE WERE ACCREDITED TO OUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL EVENT IN AUGUST 2013, AT THE RICOH WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN, HERE ON THE OLD COURSE. THEN A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER, THE JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES, AND SINCE THAT MOMENT WE HAVE COVERED SEVERAL PROFESSIONAL EVENTS ACROSS SCOTLAND INCLUDING 3 AIG WOMEN'S OPENS, THE 2019 SOLHEIM CUP, THE ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPEN, DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN, BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN, 2 SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN, HERO OPEN, FINAL QUALIFYING FOR THE OPEN, AND THE ST ANDREWS BAY CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT SHANK HAS BEEN AN EVER-PRESENT AT THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP.
ST ANDREWS' ANNUAL DP WORLD TOUR EVENT IS A CELEBRATION OF LINKS GOLF, AND OFFERS A WELCOME UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN THE 10 YEARS OF OUR EXISTENCE. THIS EVENT HAS GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO COVER A SIGNIFICANT TOUR EVENT FROM A LOCAL ANGLE, A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE, AND THE EVENT HAS GIVEN US THE CHANCE TO INTERVIEW SEVERAL OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN WORLD GOLF, AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHING SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS CELEBRITIES. BACK IN 2013 I WAS PRIMARILY THE WRITER FOR SHANK, CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS AND CREATING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT, WHILST A LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURED IMAGES FOR US ON THE GOLF COURSE. 2013 WAS A PARTICULARLY SPECIAL EVENT AS IT WAS THE FIRST, AND EVERYTHING WAS FRESH AND NEW. THAT YEAR THERE WERE TWO MEDIA EVENTS - THE MEDIA DINNER IN THE ALFRED DUNHILL PAVILION ON THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT, AND A MEDIA PARTY AT HAMS HAME, ALONG WITH A TOUR OF HAMILTON GRAND, ON THE THURSDAY.
FOR ME, 2013 WILL ALWAYS STICK IN MY MIND DUE TO THE UNBELIEVABLE WEATHER AND THE FACT DAVID HOWELL WON. HOWELL IS FROM SWINDON IN WILTSHIRE, AND I AM FROM DEVIZES, ALSO IN WILTSHIRE, AND I HAVE FOLLOWED HIS CAREER CLOSELY FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS. IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO SEE HIM CLAIM THE DRAMATIC VICTORY OVER PETER UIHLEIN (BOTH ARE IN THIS WEEK'S FIELD), AND HAVING INTERVIEWED HIM AT GLENEAGLES AFTER THE FINAL ROUND OF THE JOHNNIE WALKER, THE FEATURE WAS INCLUDED IN THE VERY FIRST EDITION OF ST ANDREWS GOLF MAGAZINE.
OVER THE FIRST TWO EDITIONS I COVERED THE FOCUS WAS VERY MUCH ON WRITTEN CONTENT AND DOING INTERVIEWS OF PLAYERS, TO PROVIDE CONTENT FOR THE SMALL FOLLOWING WE HAD BACK THEN, AND PRODUCE CONTENT FOR THE MAGAZINE, AND OVER 2013 AND 2014 I INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF SIR NICK FALDO, RORY MCILROY, ERNIE ELS, LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN, DAVID HOWELL, DANNY WILLETT AND MANY OTHERS. COVERAGE CONSISTED OF UPDATES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, AND A REVIEW IN THE MAGAZINE, WITH PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY A LOCAL FREELANCER. AS AN EMERGING JOURNALIST IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO CREATE UNIQUE CONTENT FOR THE MAGAZINE, AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WHICH OUR READERS WOULD FIND INSIGHTFUL AND ENTERTAINING. I TOOK A PUNT DURING THE WEEK OF THE 2013 DUNHILL AND SENT A DM VIA TWITTER TO SKY SPORTS GOLF COMMENTATOR EWEN MURRAY, EXPECTING HIM TO NOT REPLY OR TO BE TOO BUSY TO DO IT.
AT THE TIME, AS A NEW RESIDENT OF ST ANDREWS, I LIVED IN THE TOURIST HOSTEL AS A 'LONG-TERMER', IF IT SOUNDS LIKE BEING IN JAIL, THEN THAT'S ABOUT ACCURATE! I RECEIVED A REPLY FROM EWEN TO MY INQUIRY, AND TO MY DELIGHT HE WANTED TO DO IT. SO THE FOLLOWING DAY WE FOUND A DISCREET SPACE IN THE MEDIA CENTRE, AND HE GAVE ME 15 MINUTES OF HIS TIME TO DO THE INTERVIEW. I PUBLISHED THE INTERVIEW THE FOLLOWING APRIL IN OUR SECOND EDITION, AND HIS FEEDBACK WAS TREMENDOUS, AND HE CONGRATULATED ME ON THE WAY I HAD WRITTEN IT, AND CALLED IT A "FINE MAGAZINE". THIS GAVE VALIDATION TO THE PLATFORM, AND TO MYSELF, AND WITHOUT THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE.
THE EMPHASIS SHIFTED IN 2015 TO ME BECOMING THE PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE PLATFORM, IN ADDITION TO MY OTHER DUTIES. ANYONE WHO RUNS A MAGAZINE OR SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK KNOWS THE COST OF PURCHASING IMAGES FROM THE LIKES OF GETTY, PA, PRO SPORTS IMAGES OR OTHERS, SO IN 2015 I DECIDED TO TAKE ON THE ROLE OF PHOTOGRAPHER, CREATING UNIQUE CONTENT FOR US.
THE 2020 cancellation DUE TO COVID19 LEFT A VOID, WITH THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER NOT BEING QUITE THE SAME WITH THE ABSENCE OF THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT IN 2021 THE EVENT RETURNED IN SPECTACULAR FASHION, WITH DANNY WILLETT ADDING VICTORY AT THE HOME OF GOLF TO WINS AT AUGUSTA AND WENTWORTH. ONCE AGAIN THE WEATHER WAS GLORIOUS AND THE GOLF COMPELLING, AND THE EVENT WAS CRUCIAL IN PROVIDING SHANK WITH CONTENT FOR OUR FOLLOWERS. THROUGHOUT THE LAST 10 YEARS I HAVE STRIVED TO GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO OTHERS TO JOIN ME IN THE MEDIA CENTRE, HELPING ME OUT AND GIVING THEM A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.
IN 2013 AND 2016 LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS JOINED ME TO BRING MY WORDS TO LIFE WITH STUNNING PICTURES, AND IN 2015 I HIRED A STUDENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GOLF EDUCATION TO HELP ME POST SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT, AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WHILST I WAS OUT ON THE COURSE. THEN IN 2021 I HIRED A SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER, RICHARD SWAN, TO HELP BROADEN THE COVERAGE AND ENABLE SHANK TO HAVE A PRESENCE AT BOTH CARNOUSTIE AND ST ANDREWS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, RATHER THAN ME GOING BETWEEN EACH OF THE THREE COURSES. WITH THE PANDEMIC STILL A BIG PART OF LIFE IN THE AUTUMN OF 2021, THE MEDIA DINNER DID NOT TAKE PLACE, AND IT LEFT A BIG HOLE IN THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR MOST OF US WHO ATTEND THIS EVENT ON A REGULAR BASIS.
THE MEDIA DINNER RETURNED IN 2022, ENABLING THE ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF JOURNALISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS TO COME TOGETHER ON THE WEDNESDAY EVENING AHEAD OF WHAT WAS AN EXCITING TOURNAMENT. RYAN FOX CLAIMED VICTORY, AND I MANAGED TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT WHICH HE SAYS IS HIS BEST EVER SHOT, AND EFFECTIVELY CLINCHED THE TITLE.
SO, TO 2023, AND THE 10TH ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS I HAVE COVERED AND ITS SET TO BE ANOTHER SPECIAL WEEK. THE PRIMARY REASON THIS EVENT IS SO SPECIAL IS THE WELCOME ALL MEDIA ARE GIVEN, REGARDLESS OF YOUR STANDING. WHETHER YOU ARE A TOUR REGULAR WHO WORKS AT EVENTS WEEK IN WEEK OUT, OR YOU COVER THE OCCASIONAL EVENT, OR YOU ARE A REGULAR AT JUST THIS EVENT. ALL ARE GIVEN THE SAME TREATMENT, AND SHOWN THE SAME RESPECT. THIS ALLOWS TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS AND JOURNALISTS TO CREATE UNIQUE CONTENT, AND SHOWCASE THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP TO PERHAPS A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE TO THE AVERAGE GOLF FAN.
FOR MY ACCREDITATION TO THE LAST 10 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIPS I OFFER WHOLEHEARTED THANKS TO IMG, RICHEMONT AND THE DP WORLD TOUR. I WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE TO PUT THIS EVENT AT THE FRONT AND CENTRE OF WHAT SHANK DOES, YEAR IN YEAR OUT, AND DO YOUR MAGNIFICENT EVENT JUSTICE.
