DRiVE TO HAiL THE UNSUNG STARS OF GOLF; Record Major winner Nicklaus backs RBS and Record plan to honour sport's unheralded aces.

Record Major winner Nicklaus backs RBS and Record plan to honour sport's unheralded aces

THE word golf is synonymous with Scotland.We invented the game, our historic links courses reign supreme and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews is the place the sport calls home.

But while legends such as Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie and Sam Torrance have enjoyed the trappings of success through the years, what about the unsung heroes of Scottish golf who make a huge, and often unseen, impact on the sport on an everyday basis? The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Daily Record have joined forces to find 10 of Scotland's real golfing heroes.

We are asking readers to nominate anyone who they feel deserves to be recognised.

It could be a local greenkeeper, a club secretary or a grassroots golf coach. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they have made a real contribution to Scottish golf.

The successful nominees, and their nominators, will win tickets to all four days of The Open Championship, which is held at Turnberry in Ayrshire from July 16 to19.

When it comes to golfing heroes, they don't come much bigger than Jack Nicklaus, who has won a record 18 major titles as a professional, and two during his amateur days.

The Golden Bear - who won two of his three Open titles at St Andrews - knows that there are people all over the world who do wonders for the game but whose work often goes unnoticed.

Jack told the Record: "In life, you often come across people who make a huge, yet unseen, impact on their chosen profession or in the workplace.

"This is certainly the case in all sports, especially in the game of golf.

"Every person who stands on the first tee - be it at their local course or in a major championship, such as The Open itself - reaches into his or her golf bag to select a club, knowing that many heroes before them have paved the way to make this possible.

"Maybe it's an instructor who came up with that small piece of advice just when all seemed lost, or the young greenkeeper who got out of his bed in the darkness of the morning to prepare the course, or perhaps a parent who worked their fingers to the bone and sacrificed to buy that first set of clubs for their son or daughter.

"Recognising these 'unsung heroes' is a truly wonderful idea and I would like to congratulate The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Daily Record for taking this initiative."

Jack added: "Each year, I go to Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, for example, for the Memorial Tournament I founded. No one really thinks about the work the club and tournament staff do to get that course in perfect shape for the best players in the world.

"Whether it's in heavy rain or whipping winds, they work into the night to have the course ready. It's not something people think about, or perhaps they forget.

"You just get up for that 8am tee time, or whatever it might be, and, bang, away you go on a perfectly prepared course."

There are plenty of people who deserve to take a bow and enjoy some well-earned recognition. Former serviceman Bob Hanna played for the British Army golf team for 18 years, becoming Army golf champion in 1980. He also spent two years as captain of the 3000-member society.

Bob has spent his retirement coaching children on a purely voluntary basis and has been responsible for bringing through some of the finest talent the south-west of Scotland has produced in recent years.

He coached at Stranraer Golf Club for more than 20 years before taking on his current role as volunteer coach at Wigtownshire County Golf Club.

At Stranraer, he managed to increase the number of kids taking part from 20 to more than 100 and regularly guided the cream of his crop to qualification for the Scottish Boys' Championship.

Bob said: "I do it to put something back into the sport, because I've had an awful lot out of it. During my time at Stranraer, five boys I have coached have turned professional, and another five or six have category one handicaps.

"Each year, at least two or three would qualify for the Scottish Boys' Championship and I would go with them to help during the two or three days they were playing."

He added: "Wigtownshire County Golf Club is in a small area which doesn't have a huge population. The kids can join for only pounds 20 a year, which is tremendous, and the club does everything it can for them.

"Members help out by donating old balls and clubs, which helps greatly.We work on a shoestring, but have about 14 kids at the moment under the age of 12 - and there are a few promising golfers among them.

"I coach them on Tuesday nights, and on Tuesday mornings during the school holidays.

"I love watching their talent develop and I wouldn't take a penny for it. After all, I'm an amateur and if I received payment that would make me a professional.

"Golf is a wonderful game but there has been a worrying decline in the numbers of children taking it up because of computer games and so on.

"So I'm trying my best to reverse that trend in this area. Golf helps young people develop socially, teaches them to be honest and gives them a little bit of discipline, which is important."

Also nominated as a potential unsung hero is Royal Troon clubmistress Dorothy Maddison.

Former club catering worker Amy McLaughlan wasted no time in nominating her ex-boss.

Amy beamed: "Dorothy and her husband Dennis work tirelessly to keep all the members at Royal Troon happy.

"They care so much about the food, their staff and the members. Things would grind to a halt if they left."

Dorothy owned the catering franchise at the famous Ayrshire links for 10 years until April this year, when she gave it up to become food and beverage supervisor. She now looks after members, guests and visitors from the moment they set foot inside the clubhouse.

She said: "I find it incredibly rewarding meeting the interesting visitors from all over the world.

"Some days are longer than others but I like to think of myself as a team player and wouldn't sit back and watch my staff struggle when things get really busy.

"So, at the height of the busy period in the summer, I'm happy to work as late as necessary to make sure the work is done and all the members and guests are happy. I was here for The Open in 2004 and the British Seniors last year, which are wonderful events to be part of."

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group have enjoyed a long association with the game of golf, and their sponsorship programmes have helped the sport develop at all levels.

A spokesman said: "As patrons of The Open, RBS support golf beyond the boundaries of the professional game and acknowledge the hard work that goes on behind the scenes at community level.

"The professional golfers who will come to Turnberry all reached the top of their game through hard work and dedication. But crucial to their success is the unwavering support of coaches, caddies, parents and club staff.

"Unsung Heroes aims to identify the top 10 'Golfing Heroes' in Scotland who make a real difference - not only to the sport of golf but also in the communities and golf clubs that they are a part of.

"By recognising and rewarding golf's unsung heroes, RBS are looking towards the future of the sport, providing access and opportunities for those who are actively furthering its ongoing development."

Nominations should be made online at www.rbsgolfingheroes.co.uk and must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, July 3. Ten winners will be selected and they and their nominator will each receive four day passes for The Open. All winners will also receive a special goody bag in recognition of their achievements.

CAPTION(S):

BEHIND THE SCENES: Clockwise, from bottom left, Bob Hanna works on 13-year-old Adam McIntosh's putting stroke and coaches youngsters at Wigtownshire County Golf Club, Dorothy Maddison serves tea to a golfer at Royal Troon, and Jack Nicklaus helps a young boy with his set-up and casts an eye over a young girl's swing during a coaching clinic at Turnberry