Fraser Mann gets ‘goosepimples’ playing in memory of Braid

Former Musselburgh professional Fraser Mann said he had “goosepimples” playing the Braids with hickory clubs in memory of Scotland’s greatest golf course designer.

Not on any old day, either, as Mann enjoyed the experience on the day marking 150 years since the legendary James Braid, a five-time Open champion, was born.

“It’s pretty special,” said Mann of tackling the Capital course in the ‘IceBreaker’ James Braid’s 150th Anniversary Hickory Open. “It gives you goosepimples.

“It’s like playing at St Andrews on the Old Course. It’s great to be out there using equipment from back in the day.”

The event on a decent February day in the Capital involved nine holes in the morning on a composite course at the Braids then nine holes after lunch at the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club.

While Braid didn’t actually design the Braids – rather, it is laid out over Braid Hill – he did carry out alterations at the Merchants after it had originally been designed by Ben Sayers.

His handprint was left on more than 400 courses, many of which are in Scotland and include Brora, Bruntsfield, Dalmahoy, Gleneagles, Lundin Links, Boat of Garten, Grantown on Spey, The Glen, Royal Musselburgh and Monktonhall.

The event celebrating Braid’s work marked the launch of the first Scottish Hickory Tour since 1930, with a series of 10 ten tournaments culminating at Lundin Links in Fife in October.

Musselburgh and Royal Musselburgh will share the staging of a two-day event in April while the circuit is also set to visit Bruntsfield Links in July.

Hickory enthusiast Boris Lietzow, who owns the Jack White shop in Gullane, is the driving force behind the circuit, which is a spin off from the World Hickory Open.

Mann, a former winner of that event, said: “It’s great that Boris has managed to get the Scottish Hickory Tour up and running and it will be great for the likes of me to play a bit more this season with hickory clubs.

“The World Hickory Open is such a fun event. It is so popular and it will be great to try and repeat that five or six times per year. All the guys who come and play are so enthusiastic, with one of my partners today coming from Switzerland.”

In the week when the R&A and USGA acknowledged that long hitting in the game needs to be curbed, Mann smiled as he talked about it being a different sport with hickories.

“For us, it is going back to the roots,” said the North Berwick resident. “It’s great fun because it’s about the skill factor rather than the power factor.”