Scotland’s pubs & bars tee off Ryder Cup

A major digital initiative has revealed that pubs and bars throughout the country are celebrating The 2014 Ryder Cup (23 to 28 September) at Gleneagles with a range of events, competitions, golfing packages and themed menus.

Showcasing the great golfing stories that pubs & bars have to tell year round, Scotland’s Pubs & Bars: A Story to Tell (a not-for-profit digital initiative which is part funded by VisitScotland’s Growth Fund) will feature details of just some of the events and offers on their website: www.scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk  

Paul Waterson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association explains:

“From themed menus and competitions to golfing packages and special screenings of the tournament - Scotland’s nineteenth holes are the ideal place to tee off any Ryder Cup experience and discover the warm welcome for which Scotland The Home of Golf is renowned.

“Our phone app, which is free to download via iTunes and Google Play, will also help visitors to find some of the premises close to them and learn about the fantastic stories they have to tell – from those playing an important role in our golfing history to those with serving some of the country’s finest locally-sourced food and drink produce.”

Events and offers included:

The Old Clubhouse Pub at the Machrihanish Dunes Golf Resort

• Their story: In the nineteenth century, the pub was the original Club House of the Machrihanish Golf Club. Today the pub is part of the prestigious Machrihanish Dunes seaside resort and its interior has been restored to recreate a look of one hundred years ago, but with all the modern comfort and amenities. Visitors can enjoy the pub’s highly acclaimed food and drink, while overlooking the historic first tee of the course.
  
• Their Ryder Cup celebration: To celebrate The Ryder Cup The Old Clubhouse will:
• offer a specially created menu from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September; and  
• hold a charity raffle over the duration of the weekend. 

Meanwhile on the resort’s golf course there will be a “stableford” competition where, for an extra £5 on the normal green fee, golfers can enter a competition to win a night’s stay in the Ugadale Hotel (all proceeds go to the Kintyre Club Charity).  Early in the month the course was visited by The Ryder Cup trophy as part of the official trophy tour.

The Golf Hotel, Crail, Fife

• Their Story: The Golf Hotel is a Coaching Inn which dates back to 1721, making it one of the oldest bars in Scotland. Crail Golfing Society was formed here in 1786 and is the seventh oldest Golfing Society in the world. Located close to St Andrews and with two golf courses in Crail itself, the hotel often offers specially tailored golf packages, while the bar screens most major golfing tournaments on Sky Sports.
• Their Ryder Cup celebration: The Hotel will be showing The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in its entirety in their public bar. Their Ryder Cup offers include free Stovies in the bar on 28 September.  

Cheers Café, Bar and Tavern, Fraserburgh 

• Their story: Widely recognised as one of Scotland’s most innovative bars and winner of the Sky Sports Preview Live Magazine’s Ultimate Venue Award for Scotland and Northern England, Cheers is an accessible and family friendly pub. Their award-winning beer garden (which is sheltered, covered and heated) is the perfect venue to watch sporting events with its several outside televisions and bar. They also have a special VIP 3D Sky Sports room.
• Their Ryder Cup showcase: Cheers will be dedicating their cosy snug bar to full time coverage of The Ryder Cup. And for golfing widows or widowers, music will be played in the main bar.

City Walls, Stirling

• Their story: The only way into this large and lively bar is through the city wall itself. An archway through Stirling's sixteenth century defences leads you into a fascinating conversion of what was once an ironmonger's warehouse. Screening all major sporting events, it was recently revealed as the local of Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winning swimmer Ross Murdoch.
  
• Their Ryder Cup celebration: From 5 September, they will be celebrating with one of the Ryder Cup sponsors, Johnnie Walker. Customers who buy Johnnie Walker Red or Black Label can enter an exclusive draw (taking place on 28 September) for the chance to win official Ryder Cup merchandise. Johnnie Walker Black label will also be the pub’s whisky of the moment. 

Speaking about the pubs and bars Ryder Cup events and celebrations Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:

"With not long until Scotland hosts one of the world’s biggest sporting events, it’s really encouraging to see the whole of Scotland coming together to celebrate The Ryder Cup.

"It’s great to see pubs and bars throughout Scotland making the most of this momentous occasion. Having just completed the Ryder Cup Trophy Tour, which took the world-famous trophy to the ‘four corners of Scotland’, the turnout at each stop was incredible, and it’s clear that there is a real excitement and buzz right around the country just now.

"Hosting The 2014 Ryder Cup will not only further enhance Scotland’s position as The Home of Golf, but the legacy and economic benefits are set to be felt right across Scotland, not just in the accommodation sector but also travel and transport, Scottish food and drink suppliers, attractions and a wide range of businesses throughout the industry. Tourism is one of the country’s most important industries and we must use major events, like The Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games, as a springboard for economic success in the future."

For more information and details of other pubs and bars celebrating The Ryder Cup visit www.scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk, like their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/scotlandspubsandbars) or follow them on @ScotlandsPubs.

ENDS

For further information or free to use imagery of any of the pubs featured contact:  Kirsty Innes, Tel: 07790 910 646. Email kirsty@kirstyinnespr.com