Practice not perfect

The organisers laid on buggies to transport players

By BBC Sport's Kitrina Douglas

I have been continually amazed this week by the number of striking differences between the women's Open at Sunningdale and the men's Open, at Royal Lytham, three weeks ago.

The big differences between the practice ground set-ups at the two venues is something that struck me this morning.

At Lytham the practice ground was a densely-populated hive of activity.

There were so many equipment manufacturer's wagons and trailers encircling the ground, the scene looked more like Custer's last stand than a normal sporting event.

Narrow

Sunningdale has been a stark contrast as, surprisingly, the major equipment manufacturers have decided not to send their vehicles to the practice ground.

The area has also been the scene of a few problems for the players during the course of the week.

Instead of the wide-open expanse of ground that is used for practice at most tournaments, this week at Sunningdale the players have been hitting down a fairway.

Because it is so narrow, players have been squashed together in far closer proximity than they might otherwise have preferred.

At its worst, following the rain-delay, 70 players were squeezed into a warm-up space that would normally be allocated to 16.

Heavy rain has affected the state of the bunkers

In such an important tournament this enforced proximity could well have caused more than a few interpersonal niggles!

To ease the congestion the tournament organisers have provided "commuter transport" for the competitors, in the form of a golf course buggy service.

These buggies have been chauffeured by two 15-year-old boys, both junior members at Sunningdale, who transport players to the far end of the practice ground.

Fortunately the transport, and other factors, have lessened the early problems.

With fewer players around after the cut and some local (or well-connected!) players choosing alternative practice facilities, the situation has eased.

One person thought they had found a solution to the problems.

English professional Nicky Moult, currently on three over par, was enjoying hitting from the far end of the practice ground.

Ruined

She was practising off a beautiful red tee, until the ground-keepers realised that the ladies' tee on the new ground was being ruined.

They have now sealed off the area, which is probably the nicest place to tee off on the course.

Other difficulties have been caused by the heavy rain affecting the bunkers.

The fine powdery sand that was looking great earlier in the week has been causing some problems for the players in the weekend rounds.

One player commented: "The sand would run through your fingers earlier in the week, but this morning you could make a snowball from it!"