World’s fifth oldest golf course renamed for marketing drive

One of the oldest golf courses in the world will be renamed as part of a clever marketing drive.

The course will be named after the year it was founded in order to raise awareness to golfers regarding just how old it is.

The Medal Course at Montrose Golf Links in Scotland will be called the 1562 Course and “is part of an enterprising plan to recognise the significant role played by the ancient east coast course in the world of golf,” said spokeswoman Yvonne Alexander.

The rebranding exercise will be the first time the course has gone through such a process and will be completed during the 2018 season when the Open Championship returns to the Angus region. The historic change will also be accompanied by a number of initiatives designed to celebrate 450 years of golf at the two-times Open Championship final qualifying venue.

Jason Boyd, PGA professional and operations manager at Montrose Golf Links, described the launch of the 1562 Course as an exciting and positive move. “We don’t make enough of the fact that golf was first recorded in Montrose in 1562,” said Boyd, who spearheaded the idea.

“The name change will give even more credibility to our golf offering and by doing so will open up new doors. Bringing 1562 to the fore will make a huge difference. It’s the most important aspect we have and it is our biggest marketing strength – we need to make as much of it as we can.”

The idea to rename the fifth oldest golf course in the world certainly breaks with convention and is believed to be unprecedented in modern times.

“This is a fairly bold move, especially in the world of golf,” noted Boyd. “Courses that have been around for 450 years don’t often receive makeovers like this, but we feel assigning the date to the course name clearly illustrates the extraordinary golfing heritage that exists here as well as the significance of Montrose in terms of the development of the game.

“Changing the name gives us an opportunity to raise awareness of the course and reach out to a wider audience. As soon as you mention 1562, you open doors that haven’t have been open to us until now. Golfers realise the significance of dates in golf and they know how important they are. The fact we are celebrating the fabulous golfing heritage that is synonymous with Montrose will only serve to attract more people to visit this unique place and play one of the oldest courses in the world for themselves.”