New chairmen have been appointed to the board of Trustees at St Andrews Links and the Links Management Committee.
Peter Forster succeeds Alastair Dempster after his three years as chairman of Trustees and Dr John Mills takes over from Jim White, whose six-year term as chairman came to an end in December.
Mr Forster has served as a Trustee for five years. He has been a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club for 37 years and is a past chairman of the Club Committee. He has had a lifelong connection with St Andrews. He is also a member of Scotscraig Golf Club and farms at Peacehill near Wormit.
The Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the Trust is run in accordance with the aims and purposes of the Act of Parliament by which it was formed.
Mr Forster said, “I am pleased and honoured to be elected chairman and look forward to working with my fellow trustees to ensure that local golfers and visitors enjoy a golfing experience that meets with their expectations.
“It is undoubtedly a challenging time given the economic climate but it is also exciting with The Castle Course about to have its first full season and the return of The Open Championship to the Old Course next year.”
Dr Mills has served on the LMC, which is responsible for overseeing the day to day running of the seven public courses in the town, for three years. He was born in Dundee and is a graduate of St Andrews University. A retired gynaecologist who has lived in St Andrews for 25 years, Dr Mills started playing golf as a student and joined the New Golf Club of St Andrews more than 30 years ago. He has served on the R&A’s Club Committee and recently took over as R&A Chief Marshal. He is married with three grown-up children.
Dr Mills said, “The LMC has an important role to play in ensuring the highest standards are maintained on the courses. The Links is central not only to golf in St Andrews but in Scotland as a whole.”
Ends.
Notes to editors
St Andrews Links Trust is a charitable organisation responsible for the management and maintenance of the Links courses at St Andrews, including the famous Old Course, host of the 2010 Open Championship. The Trust was established in 1974. It employs more than 200 permanent staff and seasonal workers during the high season. It manages a number of additional facilities including two clubhouses, a golf practice centre and three shops.
More than 200,000 rounds are played over six public courses, which feature two additional championship courses (the New and the Jubilee), two 18-hole courses (the Eden and the Strathtyrum) and a nine-hole course (the Balgove). A seventh course, The Castle Course, opens for its first full season on April 1, 2009.
For more information visit www.standrews.org.uk.
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