News
Latest > Traigh Bien!
Jul 29th, 2015
Traigh Bien!
7th at Traigh gets a new look
Words: Sandy Carlisle Photography: Traigh Golf Course
An enormous sinkhole that hit the news across the globe after appearing on a beautiful 9 hole golf course in Scotland has now been mended and had the hole named in its honour.
A crater-like hole 23ft long by 10ft wide, opened up after a period of torrential rain in November last year, in front of the seventh green on the scenic Traigh Golf Course, near Mallaig, Inverness-shire, named by The Scotsman as “probably the most beautifully sited 9 hole golf course in the world.”
In splendid optimism the club said at the time of the planned renovations,
“All being well, we might even have a new feature to make the seventh more interesting.”
Initially there were concerns that the large hole might create bog-like conditions across some areas of the course, but co-owner David Shaw Stewart has revealed the course will be officially reopened this week after £10,000 of repairs were carried out. Good news.
Captain of Traigh Golf Club, Roddie Burgess, said the hole is going to be formally reopened on August 1st, the day of the Traigh Open competition, and said it has been renamed ‘The Sinkhole’ or ‘An Sloc’ as is the tradition at Traigh of naming the holes in both English and Gaelic.
"We felt that it would be appropriate to preserve the memory of the sinkhole though we certainly don’t want to see it back again."
David Shaw Stewart added: “We were amazed how our sinkhole suddenly seemed to appear in news reports all over the world. It certainly seemed to grab the attention of golf fans across the globe."
The story made the news in the USA, Canada, China and closer to home in Germany and Holland. Golf fans took to Twitter and Facebook to offer their support to the hidden gem of a club.
Certainly an unusual way to carry out course modifications, but we’re sure that the new look 7th has probably moved up the Stroke Index rankings a few points.
Go play it.
