23 JULY, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: A HEATWAVE IN SCOTLAND AND THE REST OF THE UK IS SOMETHING WE USUALLY WELCOME, BUT THE TEMPERATURES REACHED EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND ACCOMPANYING TERRIFYING SCENES IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND WILL SURELY BE A WAKE UP CALL TO MOST THAT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE REAL, AND THEY ARE HERE. OUR LIVELIHOODS AND EVEN LIVES DEPEND ON HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS IN REDUCING EMISSIONS AND SLOWING GLOBAL WARMING, AVOIDING AN APOCALYPTIC CATASTROPHE. AND GOLF MUST PLAY ITS PART, IN MORE WAYS THAN JUST REDUCING WATER USAGE ON GOLF COURSES.
THE RECENT 150TH OPEN STAGED IN ST ANDREWS ATTRACTED OVER 290,000 SPECTATORS TO THE EVENT, AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT WAS USED EN-MASS THROUGH THE USE OF PARK AND RIDE SYSTEMS FROM DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS AROUND THE AREA. FIELDS NEXT TO LEUCHARS TRAIN STATION, SEGGIE FARM AND ONE SOUTH OF THE TOWN WERE USED FOR PARK AND RIDE, AND WHILST THIS REDUCED THE TRAFFIC IN AND AROUND THE TOWN IT STILL MEANT THOUSANDS OF CAR JOURNEYS HAD TO BE MADE EACH DAY OF THE 8 DAYS OF THE EVENT. THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN USED FOR MOST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS THE UK OVER THE LAST DECADE, WITH THE ORGANISERS WISHING TO MINIMISE THE DISRUPTION CAUSED IN THE LOCALITY OF THE COURSE.
SIMILAR SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN USED FOR THE RYDER CUP AND SOLHEIM CUP, AND ONE IS IN PLACE THIS WEEK FOR THE SENIOR OPEN, BUT THE PARK AND RIDE SITES ARE STILL WITHIN THE LOCALITY OF GLENEAGLES, INCLUDING ONE AT THE TRAIN STATION ITSELF. SO THIS DOES VERY LITTLE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CAR JOURNEYS, OR THE DISTANCE PEOPLE HAVE TO TRAVEL BY CAR AND THEREFORE THE EMISSIONS EACH CAR JOURNEY CREATES.
GOLF IS ALMOST UNIQUE IN THE FACT THAT ITS VENUES FOR MAJOR EVENTS TEND TO BE IN A RURAL SETTING, UNLIKE A FOOTBALL, RUGBY OR CRICKET STADIUM, WHERE TRAVEL BY FOOT AND SOLELY BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT IS A REALISTIC AND MUCH MORE PRACTICAL OPTION. GLENEAGLES IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THAT, BEING SITUATED SOME 3 MILES OUTSIDE AUCHTERARDER BY FOOT IN THE PERTHSHIRE COUNTRYSIDE, BUT IT DOES HAVE ONE MASSIVE ELEMENT WHICH LENDS ITSELF TO CREATING AN EVENT WHICH COULD BE ALMOST ENTIRELY ATTENDED WITH THE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT - GLENEAGLES STATION.
CURRENTLY THERE IS ONLY ONE TRAIN PER HOUR WHICH GOES FROM DUNDEE TO GLENEAGLES, THE DUNDEE-GLASGOW QUEEN STREET ROUTE, WHICH ALSO DOES NOT ALWAYS# STOP AT GLENEAGLES STATION. THIS MAKES IT HARDER FOR FANS, MEDIA AND TOURNAMENT STAFF TO ATTEND THE EVENT USING SOLELY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT A RELIABLE SYSTEM. IF WE ARE TO REDUCE EMISSIONS IN A SERIOUS WAY THEN EVENTS ORGANISED BY THE LIKES OF THE R&A, DP WORLD TOUR AND LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR NEED TO BE STAGED AT PUBLIC TRANSPORT FRIENDLY VENUES, AND GLENEAGLES LENDS ITSELF TO THAT. THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM ALSO NEEDS TO IMPROVE AND BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE, WHICH MEANS MORE TRAINS AND BUSES COMING FROM MORE TOWNS AND CITIES WITHIN A 100-MILE RADIUS OF THE HOST VENUE.
THE ORGANISERS OF THE EVENT NEED TO WORK WITH SCOTRAIL, OR THE RAIL PROVIDER IN ENGLAND OR WALES AND BUS COMPANIES, TO CREATE A SYSTEM WHEREBY TICKETHOLDERS, MEDIA AND TOURNAMENT STAFF GET TRAVEL ON THE SYSTEM. THIS WOULD ENABLE THEM TO GET TO AND FROM THE VENUE, FROM POINT OF ORIGIN TO THE VENUE WITH THE COST OF TRAVEL INCLUDED IN THE TICKET OR FREE FOR THOSE WORKING IN THE MEDIA OR TOURNAMENT STAFF. THIS WOULD MEAN FOR EXAMPLE I COULD SHOW MY ACCREDITATION TO THE BUS DRIVER OR TRAIN STAFF AT CUPAR, AND THEN IN DUNDEE TO GET TRANSPORT FROM CUPAR TO GLENEAGLES FOR THE DURATION OF THE EVENT. OF COURSE THE SYSTEM HAS TO EXPAND AND BECOME MORE RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT, WITH MORE TRAINS AND MORE BUSES AT CONVENIENT TIMES TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITHIN THE LOCALITY OF THE EVENT VENUE A PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM USING BUSES WOULD OPERATE, SO FOR EXAMPLE THOSE LIVING WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS OF GLENEAGLES, WHERE TRAIN TRAVEL TO THE VENUE IS OUT OF THE QUESTION, INCREASED BUS SERVICES WOULD BE PUT ON TO MAKE IT A REALISTIC OPTION TO TRAVEL ONLY BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
GLENEAGLES COULD LEAD THE WAY IN THIS MISSION TO MAKE GOLF EVENTS ACROSS THE UK A LOW-CARBON OR ZERO-CARBON EVENT, WITH THE USE OF ITS ELEGANT AND SOMEWHAT ICONIC, AND UNDERUTILISED TRAIN STATION, AND THIS COULD HELP HERALD ITS RETURN TO THE SCHEDULE PERMANENTLY.
