THE ROYAL and Ancient Golf Club are anticipating the largest attendance for an Open in Scotland, outwith St Andrews, at Carnoustie in July but admit concern at potential delays in the implementation of their rigorous new ban on mobile phones writes Steve Scott, golf correspondent.

The effect of camera phones being used by spectators during play at Hoylake last year has led the R&A’s championship committee to instigate a blanket ban.

It means that spectators will be checked as they enter the course and there will be facilities to leave mobiles securely for collection on leaving at the end of the day, but the R&A concede that they will have to work to minimise inconvenience to spectators.

“We’re quite sad about the ban, we’d want people to have their means of communication with them but last year at Hoylake it was very bad and the combination of mobiles and cameras has exacerbated matters,” said the R&A chief executive Peter Dawson.

“After the experience of last year the championship committee felt it had no choice but to introduce a blanket ban.”

Championship secretary David Hill said, “We’ve worked very closely with the European Tour after their ban on mobiles at the Ryder Cup and monitored matters in America, where they’ve banned mobiles for some time,” he said.

“We have a checking system similar to that which worked well at the Masters at Augusta this year and we’ve employed an extra 200 people at the gates and car parks. There’s a 100% effort to make this work.”

The traffic management system that worked well in 1999 would be used again, although the system would probably be better this time, added Hill.

“The A92 is now dualled out of Dundee which will improve matters and there will be a huge park and ride from the top of the town of Carnoustie,” he said.

“We have enhanced the number of trains with 25 coming from Edinburgh per day and 18 from Glasgow, as well as GNER stopping at Carnoustie, and there will be a new coach park.”

Around 160,000 spectators attended during championship week in 1999 and advance sales were up on that year, he added.

“If we had an exciting championship and some good weather we could get up to 180,000, which would be an excellent attendance and a record for Scotland outside St Andrews.