R&A offers Open transport to offset effects of the recession

THE ill wind of the recession may not have blown much good news towards the Royal and Ancient, as the organisers prepare for the return of the Open to Turnberry after 15 years, but the spectators who attend the 138th staging of golf's oldest championship at the Ailsa in July are set to benefit from various incentives which add value for money during the economic downturn.

In a bid to avoid the austerity Open, the R&A hope to encourage golf club members in Scotland and the north of England to travel in groups by subsidising coach transport. Each bus which carries 30 spectators or more to Turnberry will receive £250 towards the cost.

Some 800 clubs on both sides of the border will shortly receive letters from the R&A encouraging them to arrange day outings to Turnberry. If every club participates, the scheme could cost the organisers as much as £200,000. Although only clubs located within an approximate three-hour drive of Ayrshire will be targeted, the R&A would be glad to hear from those located further afield who also wish to make the trip.

"We've taken the initiative and we will be writing to all golf clubs in Scotland (and the north of England] encouraging them to bring the juniors, the ladies and let's make a day of it," said director of championships David Hill. "The R&A will pay £250 towards the cost of the coach to Turnberry and we'll ask them to bring 30 golfers to the championship. So we're trying to reach out to the golf clubs and get them to work as a group. If they want to bring six coaches, that's fine. We'll be contacting them later with final details."

Because the daily adult ticket price of £55 was set before VAT was reduced to 15 per cent, every spectator will also be handed a refreshment voucher for £1.50 on entry to the course. It's expected catering prices will be kept at a reasonable level while an added attraction in the tented village will be a cinema showing films of past Opens.

"We will be looking at catering prices," confirmed Hill. "The committee are very aware of the current economic condition. We have a loyal base of spectators that come to the event every year, and we certainly don't want to have spectators who come to the championship feeling they haven't had reasonable value for the money.

"But I would stress that the £55 admission charge is, when compared to other major sporting events, fantastic (value]. You see the top players in the world. As matched against other sporting events, we are on the lower side.

"Since the price of £55 included VAT at the higher rate, we will be handing out catering vouchers for every spectator that comes to the championship."

As Padraig Harrington seeks to become the first golfer since Peter Thomson in 1956 to win three consecutive Open championships, not to mention growing interest in the performances of teenager Rory McIlroy, the R&A hope to capitalise on attention from Ireland by running extra ferry services to Scotland and laying on transport to the course from the terminals. Within Scotland, there will also be extra rail services to nearby Girvan.

Like every other business in a recession, the R&A is having to work harder to generate income. Spending on corporate hospitality is down by nearly 20 per cent and take-up for the most expensive packages at £322 per person has slumped.

"We're probably about 15 to 20 per cent down (on hospitality spending], but everyone has suffered from that," added Hill. "It reflects the world that we're currently in. I think it's fair to say that the premium price of the corporate hospitality package has not been taken up. Those at a lower price are still pretty acceptable to those who want entertainment at the Open championship.

"The difficulty we faced was we had to set those prices a year out. Then, once a company has paid that price, it's unrealistic to offer discounts to other companies. We're quite relaxed about it."

Bearing in mind Turnberry's remote location in south Ayrshire, the R&A say they will be pleased if the attendance figure for this summer matches the total of 115,000 spectators who watched Nick Price's triumph in 1994. That figure is just half the 230,000 who flocked to Hoylake in 2006 and is also well short of the 154,000 who saw Padraig Harrington win his first Claret Jug in 2007 at Carnoustie, a turn-out which was generally regarded as disappointing.

The R&A can afford to maintain an even-keeled perspective on reduced spectator numbers, as well as a significant drop in corporate hospitality revenue, because the bulk of their profit from staging the Open is generated by global TV deals.

Any negative for the Open in the fall of sterling against the dollar as far as raising prize money is concerned will be more than offset by the rise in international TV revenue. No decision on the prize fund will be taken until nearer the championship when it's likely the pot will show an increase in sterling but decrease in dollar value compared to 2008.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson insists the organisers will stand by any of their long-term sponsors who are currently experiencing difficulties. While acknowledging RBS spending on hospitality at the Open would be significantly reduced in July, Dawson said the contract with the R&A which runs until 2010 will be honoured.

"The R&A have a relationship with the Royal Bank going back over 150 years," he added. "They have been supporters of the Open for a long, long time. And I know that RBS are going to continue in sports sponsorship in years forward. We very much hope the Open remains part of that.

"I hope the pendulum stops swinging and companies will continue to see the Open championship as good value for the money."