By Amy Learmonth Juli 07, 2018

The Scottish Open add a little Doddie'5 to their Swing

This year the Scottish Open will be played at Gullane Golf Course (only a short drive from our Edinburgh store) between 11th July and 15th July. The tournament was first played at this prestigious club back in 2015 and will be returning for a second round next month. We provide a lot of our customers with kit for the course, so today I thought I would tell all you lovely readers about the history behind the Scottish Open and why this year will be one to remember.


Gullane golf club 053351 full

The very first Scottish Open was held at Gleneagles in 1935 and the prize money was only £750, just a little bit less than the monstrous £7 million up for grabs this year. The competition took a break between 1939 and 1971 and then again between 1974 and 1985, and has been played annually ever since, always held the week before the Open Championship. The tournament was first broadcast on TV in 1972 on ITV and eventually moved to SKY in 1994, where the coverage is still broadcast. Over the years there has been a whole range of stunning courses across Scotland playing host including; Loch Lomond,Castle Stuart Golf Links, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, Dundonald Links, Ayr Belleisle, Downfield Golf Club, and of course The Old Course St Andrews. Last year the Scottish Open joined the European Tour along with the BMW PGA Championship, Open De France, Irish Open and the Italian Open, among many others.

NINTCHDBPICT000419007353 800x1244 2

The event has been sponsored by Aberdeen Standard Investments since 2013, the company also sponsor events such as Melrose Sevens and The Ryder Cup, along with athletes such as our favourite Scottish tennis star Andy Murray. Each year the event supports local charities and this year the chosen charities are the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House, both amazing charities that do such important work for people with neurological conditions and delighted to have the opportunity to raise awareness of their work to a worldwide audience. The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation is obviously a charity that is very close to our hearts here at ScotlandShop and Doddie is extremely excited about the partnership:

This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in a major European Tour event and for the Foundation to benefit from the fun everyone will have at Gullane throughout the week. You may even see some of my tartan out on the course!

Some of the world's best golfers will be travelling to Gullane to participate in the competition; Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler are just a few of the big names. These are just a couple of the stars who will be wearing the special edition golf trousers that are being made for the competition in the Doddie'5 tartan. Each year the competition starts off with a Tartan Day, a day of fun and entertainment where all the golfers sport a bit of tartan and this year the course will be awash with the bright blue and yellow of the Doddie'5 Tartan.

Tartantrews 1024x682

You can still buy tickets for the Scottish Open on the website, so you can catch all the action. Make sure you remember to sport a bit of the Doddie'5 Tartan so you can support the Foundation, you can purchase your own tam or tie on our website or in our Edinburgh store. If you are lucky enough to attend we'd love to see your pictures so send them over to us, especially if you spot a bit of tartan!