My Open Championship preparations are going well

LloydSaltman_202845My preparations got the Open are going well. The R&A have been good in letting me go down there a couple of times earlier this week. To be honest, the course was a little bit alien to me. I’d only been there in the winter in the past, so I’d never seen it set up like it is at the moment.

It’s been good to get familiar with the holes and how the course is playing. It’s been great to be able to do that while I’ve been staying at home. But, while I want to be able to take advantage of being able to prepare on the golf course, you don’t want to spend too much time there as it can start to drag. I want to keep it fresh as well so that I am champing at the bit when I tee up on Thursday.

It’s great to know that I’m going to be playing in an Open just ten minutes from home. I normally drive through Drem when I’m going down to Archerfield but, on Monday I think it was, I decided to go through Gullane so that I could soak up the atmosphere. The first official practice is Sunday. I’ll probably go over to register on Monday and look forward to getting a player pin again.

I spoke to a couple of guys who are greenkeepers and they say the way the course is playing just now will be the same for next week. The greens aren’t going to get any quicker and, though the rough might be a bit thicker, overall it’s pretty much how it’s going to be next week and that’s great when you’re getting the chance to prepare as I am.

There are areas where you almost have to walk on top of it to find it and are going to be fortunate to advance it very far. But I’d say it is playing fair. It’s an Open Championship after all and the rough is bound to be thick.

It’s nice that I’m on form. I’ve been fortunate to play in a couple of Opens before and know you’ve got to be able to stand up to big crowds. That’s something I mentioned to Craigielaw amateur Grant Forrest when we played a practice round together at Muirfield, having gone out myself on the other occasions I’ve played so far.

MY brother Zack will be on the bag, which is good. He’s someone I’d always choose first to be on the bag and it was great that he offered his services.