Bothwell Castle set for big year as enduring Pro-Am charity drive illuminates centenary celebrations

There will be a fair amount of celebratory glass-clinking going on at Bothwell Castle in 2022.

The club will toast its centenary while a few tumblers will be raised to PGA head professional Alan McCloskey, who will mark 25 years of tireless service. The longevity doesn’t end there, of course.

The Bothwell Castle Pro-Am has been such a mainstay down the seasons, you half expect to find it in the perennials aisle of a Dobbies Garden Centre.

Since its inception in 1985, the one-day charity event has been an enduring fixture of the Tartan Tour. Well, until Covid flung a spanner in all sorts of works. 

Despite the meddling, misery and mayhem of the pandemic over the last 18 months, Scotland’s longest running Pro-Am will be back with great gusto in the new year. “We have raised in excess of £380,000 for charity over the years and we’re confident we will break through the £400,000 barrier in 2022,” said former club captain and Pro-Am committee chairman, Martin Dickson.

Traditionally held on the same day that The Open Championship finishes – “we like to let the Claret Jug get presented first before we have our big prize-giving ceremony,” joked Dickson – the enthusiasm and energy that goes into the Bothwell Castle showpiece remains undiminished. 

The close relationships with the club’s chosen charities, meanwhile, gives a deep sense of connection for those involved.

“We like to support a charity that has a link to the club,” added Dickson. “Our last one in 2019 was with the Teenage Cancer Trust as one of our junior members had a lot of interaction with that particular body. They were fantastic. 

"In 2022 we will be supporting Bowel Cancer UK as, unfortunately, some of our membership have had experiences with this issue. I think that’s the strength of our Pro-Am. The charities we choose strike a chord with our members and what we raise has a tangible effect. 

"It all makes for a great day and a great atmosphere. We keep it fresh to stimulate our fund raising and make it fun for those who take part. We are doing a lot of good stuff for a lot of good charities and long may it continue.”

For PGA head pro McCloskey, who remains one of the most respected coaches in Scotland with an impressive portfolio of European Tour players, the centenary celebrations are already in full swing. 

Newly-branded merchandise to mark the occasion continues to fly off the shelves like sought-after goods at the Boxing Day sales.

“The centenary is great for retail and it may pay for the house in Barbados yet,” he said with a chuckle.

As for the Pro-Am? “I’ve been third a few times and one of my assistants managed a second place one year,” McCloskey added. 

“Runner-up is the best we’ve mustered out of the pro shop in my 25 years here. So, there’s lots of pressure in the centenary year. But as long as we don’t shoot 80, we’ll be ok.”

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