Meet the golfer aiming to play more than 600 courses in Scotland
Edinburgh man Stuart Bendoris is aiming to play every single course in home of golf
As the golfing spotlight shines on Scotland at the moment, every player around the world would probably want to be in the shoes of Stuart Bendoris.
The Edinburgh man is on a mission to play every single course in the home of golf, with 465 having been ticked off and around 140 still to go.
He’s undertaking the golfing odyssey as a tribute to his brother Dougie’s memory after he took his own life in 2019 and is raising funds for SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) through a JustGiving page.
“There is no definitive list of all Scottish courses,” said Bendoris, a Longniddry member who works as a golf co-ordinator at Archerfield Links after previously being the golf services manager at Gullane.
“Some say it’s 550, but I have included hotels, private estates, kids’ courses, pitch and putts et al - everything out there. I want to do it properly!
“I use my hickories when playing the shorter courses or pitch and putts on my list, it makes things more fun on the slightly rudimentary layouts.”
Bendoris started his incredible adventure by ticking off a list of Scotland’s Top 100 Courses before then doing likewise with the top 200, which he finished last year at Whalsay - the UK's most northerly course - in Shetland.
“At that point, I decided that I should try and play them all as I was pretty much half way there. It’s not just a journey to golf courses but to parts of the country far and wide to see places I wouldn’t otherwise see and to meet wonderful people along the way.
“That is very much worth highlighting; the kindness, empathy and support from so many folk and golf courses when they learn about the reasons behind my quest. For example, folk recently at Glenalmond College, Loudoun Gowf Club, Uig Estate, Stornoway, and Old Milton amongst many, many others have been outstanding and that means so much to me. I am extremely grateful.
“The biggest area of courses still to play is Glasgow, Lanarkshire and inland Ayrshire, so I’ll be heading west a lot as I hope to get to 500 by the end of the hyear.”
Bendoris, who plays off 1.6, worked for the Bank of Scotland for 27 years before getting a job in golf and clearly has a huge passion for the game.
“There was and remains a driving force for deciding to play all of Scotland's golf courses,” he admitted. “Partly, it was fatalism and a live life now mentality emerging from the Covid lockdowns, but mainly it was the loss of my wee brother.
“Dougie loved his golf, too. I dearly wish we had the chance to play golf with each other again, to go on a road trip together, to be brothers.”
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