As Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman knows how great it is to receive a warm welcome wherever he goes.
Now he is ensuring he’s equally adept at giving a guid greeting to the kingdom during this year’s Open.
A welcome fit for the provost or perhaps from the provost is guaranteed at this year’s event, thanks to a team of volunteers who will be specially trained to welcome every guest.
It is expected the volunteers at The Open will play an important role in the event, which is expected to bring £40 million to the Fife economy.
And among their ranks could be the former footballer who now dons the Fife Provost’s chain of office with pride.
“I’m going to the volunteers’ training session so I can understand what they are doing.”
He added: “I am looking forward to the whole thing it is a fantastic place, people come from all over the world to see the top sportsmen in the world.”
Volunteers from Police Scotland, St Andrews BID Company, Sodexo Prestige and the R&A will join 4,000 people working at The Open.
A total of 111 people from the BID company, Fife Council, the provost, the R&A and young Police Scotland Youth Volunteers will form the team helping the public.
The training comes from the WorldHost customer care programme and is being delivered by People 1st and Skills Development Scotland.
Fife Council’s deputy leader Lesley Laird said she was delighted to be working in collaboration to secure funding to launch the first such programme linked to golf in Fife.
“It is very special to train people for such a prestigious and economically-significant event as The Open.
Rhodri Price, the R&A’s director of championship operations, said an Open in St Andrews was always a very special occasion and this year will be no exception as spectator facilities were boosted to the tune of £2m since it last came to Fife.
“This drive to offer our temporary staff at the site a training package that will not only benefit The Open but also those individuals themselves is something we are putting our full support behind for this and future championships.”