John Letters of Scotland, the equipment brand with 95 years of clubmaking history, is disappointed to announce they will not be attending The Open Championship having been denied entry to practice ground by the R&A.
Scotland’s finest clubmaker since 1918 has a history that is synonymous with The Open, with former staff players Fred Daly, Gary Player and Lee Trevino all winning the Claret Jug using John Letters equipment, however the brand are set to miss out for the first time this year following the R&A’s decision to refuse them entry.
John Andrew, Managing Director, said “This is a sad day for British golf. We are one of the last remaining British Golf equipment manufacturers and are purely seeking to support the players playing in the biggest golf event in the UK, as we have done in previous years.
“We have had a prominent presence at the last three Open Championships and invested a considerable amount in tour support vehicles to enable us to do this, so we are stunned by the R&A’s decision.”
John Letters, who are based in St Andrews, the Home of Golf, a mere 254 yards from the 18th hole of the Old Course, have been a long-term supporter of British Golf and The Open Championship with the company recently investing £250,000 in a new state-of-the-art tour workshop, luxury six-berth motor home and three Dodge 4×4 personnel vehicles as the brand stepped up its efforts and support on tour once again.
“We’ve supported the players and the Open Championship across the UK, offering free equipment and support services including emergency repairs, and were really looking forward to the tournament being played in Scotland, on our doorstep. The decision highlights that there is a clear bias towards the larger American manufacturers,” said the John Letters Chief.
“John Letters are huge supporters of the British golf industry, pioneering initiatives such as Golf Factor, the junior talent search for golfers and also sponsoring a number British players such Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance, PGA Senior Champion Paul Wesselingh, European Tour Star Phillip Archer and many more up and coming future stars, such as James Wilkinson.”
“The Open Championship is a special tournament. But it’s a sad day for the British Golf industry when one of the last remaining British Golf Manufacturers is refused entry to the practice ground to support the players at its home open” concluded Andrew.
John Letters www.johnletters.com