Ronaldo of the Glens gives some tips ahead of Scottish Hydro
Shinty legend Ronald Ross is known for his striking prowess having bagged more than 1,000 goals for the Kings so who better than to share some ball skills?
The deadly forward known as ‘Ronaldo of the Glens’ was on hand to join golf stars George Murray and Lloyd Saltman as they tried their hand at Scotland’s native sport.
The trio were at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course to launch the Scottish Hydro Challenge which gets underway tomorrow (Thursday).
They were also joined by American golfer Daniel Im for the ‘Scottish Hydro Shinty Challenge" as they got to grips with shinty.
Ross gave the European Challenge Tour professionals a lesson on how to swing a caman.
Unsurprisingly, the golfers took to the game like a duck to water, especially Edinburgh man Saltman – winner of the Silver Medal as best amateur at The 2005 Open Championship – who hit some beautifully strikes.
"Shinty is a lot harder than golf I must say," said the 27-year-old, who has twice played in the Walker Cup. "It’s hard to get the ball in the air but it was really good."
When asked if shinty might become a new hobby outside of golf, Saltman said: "It’s good to get a bit of aggression out sometimes after playing golf so it could be good for that!
"I think I’ll stick with the golf for the moment though. It was great fun to try something that I’ve never done before so it was brilliant to be part of it."
Murray, a former champion of this event, admitted that he struggled to get to grips with the sport but enjoyed the challenge.
"The stick is really heavy and quite hard work," said the 30 year old Anstruther man. "When you get the golf club in your hands after that you can barely feel it so it’s a weird sensation.
"I don’t think I’d be a good enough athlete to play that game but it was certainly nice to have a go and hit it."
Ross was impressed with how the golfers adapted to his sport and also enjoyed getting a few lessons on his golf swing from the pros.
"Their technique was fantastic," he said. "They obviously hone their skills day in day out with a golf club but it’s still not that easy to switch and play this.
"When you look at them play golf too, it’s a lot more difficult than it they make it look."
The Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts takes place at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club, Aviemore, from tomorrow (Thursday) to Sunday June 23 and features some of Europe and the world’s top up and coming young stars as well as several experienced European Tour players, including Nick Dougherty, Alastair Forsyth and Oliver Wilson.
