Links Trust Ups The Ante In Fight Over St. Andrews Name

The operators and caretakers of the world's most important course continue to take their eye off the ball and focus on suing those using the St. Andrews name.

The Scotsman's Shan Ross reports on their serving citations on St Andrews International Golf Club and Feddinch Developments over the new 18-hole private Tom Weiskopf course on the outskirts of St. Andrews.

The claim is that the private companies, operating on the outskirts of St Andrews, are passing off and taking benefit from the internationally-renowned activities and reputation of the St Andrews Links Trust (SALT), the charitable trust which runs seven courses, of which the Old Course is one.

The citation centres round the issue that the private companies have been incorporated to deceive or confuse the public, or to induce the belief that their golf-related goods and services are connected with those belonging to Salt.

Ewan McKay, a director with SAIGC and Feddinch Developments Ltd, said that this was not the first time that local businesses had been pursued by the trust over use of the St Andrews name.

“The fact is that they [Salt] are in dispute with several local companies over the same issue and I find the whole thing abhorrent,” he said.

“What right has a body established in 1974 got to deny people who have businesses in St Andrews to use that name?”