Scotland inspired by new battle of Hastings

Mike Aitken, The Scotsman, 8 February 2001

With compatriots Ken Scotland and Andy Irvine, Gavin Hastings enjoys a deserved reputation as one of the most ebullient full-backs to play international rugby. One responsibility as captain of Scotland and the Lions was to turn defence into attack, a trick he hasn’t forgotten now his job is to mastermind Scotland’s bid for the 2009 Ryder Cup.

While one argument emerging from Wales and the north-east of England suggests their need for the money-spinning biennial match between Europe and the USA is far greater than that of Scotland, Hastings begs to differ, and launches a counter-strike as stirring as any on the Murrayfield turf.

"I think if I was in the shoes of the Welsh and the north-east of England, I would say exactly the same thing. Frankly, it’s the only thing they’ve got to say. It’s all very well them claiming the Ryder Cup would mean more to them, but the fact is that Scotland is known for golf the world over. And you mustn’t think of the Ryder Cup as just another golf tournament. It’s become one of the foremost events in world sport. And it’s the prestige of the Ryder Cup which makes it all the more important the match comes to Scotland.

"With all due respect to the other bidders, they don’t have the facilities, the infrastructure or the quality of venues that we have. Let’s not be afraid to shout from the rooftops how great a destination Scotland is.

"Our venues are without comparison. They’re at the heart of our bid. They’re a strength, not a weakness. That’s why I’m confident Scotland will host the 2009 Ryder Cup. And why, on a personal note, I’m glad I’m behind the Scottish bid rather than either of the others."

Apart from bringing in an estimated £100 million for the Scottish economy, the 2009 event is expected to galvanise golf tourism and put Scotland in the shop window of world sport. Committed to spending £24 million on golf through a combination of private and public-sector spending, Scotland intends to give every child in the land the chance to play by the age of nine. Seven-figure sums will also be spent on supporting a network of professional events on the men’s, women’s and seniors’ tours.

It’s a Tiger Woods’ drive away from the fragile state in which Scottish golf found itself before the Scottish Executive and its partners agreed to fund the bid for 2009. Losing out to Ireland in the worldwide competition for golf tourism, complacent in the area of tournament golf and divided over how best to foster junior golf, the game’s home was in need of significant renovation.

"I suppose there was always a danger of complacency creeping in here," Hastings recalls. "We have the Open on a regular basis, we have Loch Lomond, we have the Alfred Dunhill, and now the Scottish PGA. But if you looked beneath the surface, there was also a danger Loch Lomond might not happen, no- one knew quite what was in store for the Dunhill, the McDonald’s ladies’ event at Gleneagles had ended, and the Scottish seniors was going through a rough time. In terms of events, it was a time for concern.

"As far as junior golf was concerned, the various governing bodies were all doing their bit, but they were operating independently of each other. There was even a wee bit of friction between a couple of organisations: we resolved those difficulties and, now everyone has come together, there’s a concentrated level of investment into golf.

"Part of the Ryder Cup effort was about sorting out the top end of the professional game. But there was also work to be done at the grassroots. Through the common interest of the Ryder Cup, all the different organisations were able to re-emphasise the fact that Scotland is the home of golf."

A positive mentality was one of Hastings’ assets in sport, and he exudes optimism in business, and remains as unaffected as anyone can be by celebrity status. Unlike many Scots who make a name for themselves abroad, he was not tempted to leave home, and the Watsonian still lives in Edinburgh, and enjoys an intimate relationship with his homeland.

At yesterday’s Ryder Cup press conference in Edinburgh, appropriately, he sported a tie bearing the words of Flower of Scotland. "I feel passionate about my country, and always regarded myself as a positive person. What I’ve tried to do in this bid is engender the same kind of passion among those we work alongside. I’d like to think we’ve been successful in that respect since, in all honesty, I can’t see how we could have improved our bid by an awful lot.

"You can take analogies from sport which are just as appropriate in business. The more I go on in business, the more I realise that my experiences in sport have stood me in good stead. And this bid is a team effort."

It’s not overstating the case to suggest that, without the Hastings input, Scotland’s bid for 2009 might never have got off the ground. "I recall going to see Alex Salmond just after the [Scottish] parliament opened, and he decided to raise a question during First Minister’s question time about the Ryder Cup. That was probably the start of it," he notes. "Obviously I’d seen the golf columns which appeared in The Scotsman pointing out why the politicians needed to do their bit if the match was ever to return to Scotland.

"After reading those articles, I couldn’t think of anyone else who was going to run with the torch, so that’s when I decided to become involved. I must have spent a good 15 or 16 months after that running around the country on a speculative basis trying to drum up interest from the private sector as well as the public.

"But we’d done our homework with Scottish Enterprise, sportscotland and the Scottish Tourist Board, and there was a realisation that this could happen - once people understood that, then the hard work really began.

"We were only officially appointed last July. During the week of the Open, we had a number of meetings with Henry McLeish and what we like to think of as Scotland’s Ryder Cup committee - representatives from Scottish Enterprise, the Tourist Board, sportscotland and the Scottish Executive. In those early months it was about firing commitment and guiding people on the way to go - fortunately everyone bought into that."

A member at Gullane and Loch Lomond, Hastings has a single-figure handicap, and is a favourite partner in pro-ams. "My parents were both keen golfers and past captains at Murrayfield and Bruntsfield. Coming from a family of four boys, you can imagine how competitive we were. We played golf a lot as a family: I probably first picked up a club at five or six, and took it from there.

"Living in Edinburgh, I played with my friends during the summer, when we would catch the bus to the Braids. We’d spend all day there, and then get the bus home in the evening. And, yes, we did get the bus, unlike youngsters today who rely on their parents to be driven everywhere.

"I joined Gullane when I was around 14. My first year’s sub as a junior was £5; I’ve been a member there ever since. Golf was a part of my life well before I played rugby, and it’s still a part of my life now I’ve retired.

"I’ve still got a newspaper cutting from when I led the qualifying as a 15-year-old in the Edinburgh Boys’. I had a 68 and a 74 round the two courses at the Braids. I was good enough to play team golf at Watson’s, but my handicap was never lower than five."

Hastings would delight in bringing America’s best here in 2009, to face a couple of home-grown talents, at least. "I’m a great believer that sportsmen who reach the top are born with their ability. But the more you give people a chance, the more you increase the likelihood of unearthing that talent.

"If you look at the top 70 players in the world right now, only the US and Japan have more golfers than us in that ranking. Our best golfers are all passionate Scots. None of them are foreign bodies who came here from overseas. Securing the Ryder Cup will give the next generation of Scottish golfers an even better chance."