
Innis & Gunn launches ‘Hole in Gunn' challenge at The Genesis Scottish Open - with a year's supply of beer to be won
The Edinburgh-based brewery has teed up the 'Hole in Gunn' challenge for Pro-Am Day, where any player landing a hole-in-one will walk away with 12 months of award-winning beer from one of Scotland's best-loved brewers.
The challenge kicks off Innis & Gunn's new role as Official Beer Partner for the tournament, with the brand expecting to serve more than 30,000 pints across the course of the event.
Well-known names confirmed to take part in the Pro-Am include Gary Woodland former US Open Champion and former Open Champion Francesco Molinari, with more sporting and celebrity participants set to be announced in the coming days. But it's not just the players who can get lucky.
To celebrate the partnership, Innis & Gunn is also offering fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to Sunday's final round of the Scottish Open, one of the most in-demand days of the summer.
All you have to do is buy a pint at one of Innis & Gunn's three Taprooms in Glasgow and Edinburgh from Monday July 7, and you'll be automatically entered into the prize draw.
The Genesis Scottish Open partnership is the latest addition to Innis & Gunn's growing portfolio of major cultural and sporting partnerships, which already includes The Fringe, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, The Royal Highland Show, Celtic Connections, and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
Dougal Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn, said: 'The Genesis Scottish Open is one of the biggest dates in Scotland's sporting calendar, and we're proud to be on board as Official Beer Partner.
'At Innis & Gunn, we're all about raising the bar, whether that's in the glass or out on the course. The 'Hole in Gunn' challenge is our way of adding a bit of fun and flavour to the action, and rewarding the kind of precision we can all raise a pint to.
"We'll be bringing the full Innis & Gunn experience to the tournament: great beer, great energy and a celebration of world-class talent right here in Scotland.'
The Genesis Scottish Open takes place from 10–13 July at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, with the Pro Am taking place on 9 July.
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Jewish comedian barred from Fringe venue for attending Oct 7 vigil
A Jewish comedian has been cancelled by an Edinburgh Fringe venue after attending a vigil for victims of the October 7 attacks. Philip Simon was barred from the Banshee Labyrinth pub because of alleged 'rhetoric and symbology' linked to Israel. One reason cited by the venue for cancelling his show, Shall I Compere Thee in a Funny Way?, was his attendance at a vigil held for people killed in the 2023 Hamas terror attacks. In a message to Simon, Banshee Labyrith said: 'Our management had a duty of care to our customers and staff members to review the political statements and opinions expressed by the performer. 'We feel it is inappropriate for us to provide a platform for performers whose views and actions align with the rhetoric and symbology of groups associated with humanitarian violations.' Simon said the only opinion he had expressed on the Gaza conflict was a desire for peace and to see the hostages freed. He said: 'I am still processing the concept that in 2025 I can be cancelled just for being Jewish. In the meantime, I will still be at the Fringe for my one remaining children's show and continue to investigate possible alternative venues for both of my cancelled shows.' Banshee Labyrinth told The Telegraph that it arrived at its decision after scouring Simon's social media pages. It said: 'We routinely screen bands and performers for affiliations to, and statements that advocate for, discriminatory groups. 'We have hosted Philip in previous years and only thought we should have a look at his pages to see what was going on because of what happened with [a related row at] the neighbouring venue. 'If we hadn't found anything of concern he would obviously still be performing with us.' The alleged concerns identified by Banshee Labyrinth include Simon sharing pictures from a vigil commemorating 100 days since the attack on Israel; a message on his X account saying that it was powerful to 'stand strong against terror'; and a post warning that Oct 7 rape victims were being forgotten. Several others messages the venue objected to were variations on calls to 'bring home the hostages', while others made fun of Greta Thunberg's short-lived effort to travel by flotilla to Gaza. Banshee Labyrinth said its decision to cancel the show came after a row involving a nearby venue, Whistlebinkies, which has cancelled shows by Mr Simon and fellow comedian Rachel Creeger. Ms Creeger was set to perform her show Ultimate Jewish Mother, while Mr Simon was due to host a Jew-O-Rama of Jewish comedic talents. The acts claimed they were informed that their gigs would be cancelled after bar staff at the venue expressed fears of feeling 'unsafe'. It has been claimed that concerns were raised after an announcement that the venue would receive extra police supervision amid continued worries over the safety of Jewish acts. 'We are being silently boycotted' Ms Creeger said: 'Sadly, this is part of an ongoing problem faced by Jewish performers in this country. We are being cancelled and often silently boycotted.' The pair said they were informed on July 18 that their shows would not be going ahead. It is understood there had been plans to swap venues so they could still perform but it was too late to make these arrangements. Their shows no longer appear on the Edinburgh Fringe listings website. The Fringe, and comedy more broadly, has become embroiled in several controversies relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict. At the Fringe in 2024, two Israeli audience members were booed out of Reginald D Hunter's comedy gig after they objected to a joke comparing the Jewish state to an abusive spouse. Mr Hunter then had several gigs cancelled and later appeared in court over alleged anti-Semitic social media posts. There will be a hearing in November to decide whether the private prosecution brought against him will go ahead. Earlier in 2024, the comedian Paul Currie was banned from a West End theatre after the venue said he had been 'subjecting Jewish audience members to verbal abuse'. Soho Theatre consulted police following an incident in which he allegedly pulled out a Palestinian flag and shouted at an Israeli audience member to 'get the f--- out of here' before leading chants of 'Palestine will be free'. The theatre investigated and then banned Mr Currie for what it termed 'appalling' intimidation.


Edinburgh Reporter
3 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Discussion on dementia stories to follow UK premiere of Lost Lear at Traverse on Sunday evening
A special discussion around telling stories of dementia will follow the first UK performance of Lost Lear at The Traverse on Sunday 27 July. The new show by award-winning Irish theatre maker Dan Colley is a moving look at living with dementia, told through the familiar lens of Shakespeare's characters Following the preview performance on the 27 July, Dan will be joined by Alex Howard and Gus Harrower from Capital Theatres dementia-friendly programme and Magdalena Schamberger, who specialises in creating theatre for those with dementia Lost Lear will run on the main stage at the Traverse from 2 to 24 August Following its first-ever UK performance at Traverse Festival on 27 July, the hit Irish theatre show Lost Lear will host a special public discussion around telling the complex stories of dementia in theatre. The discussion will feature Lost Lear's award-winning creator Dan Colley, who will be joined by Alex Howard and Gus Harrower from Capital Theatres Edinburgh's dementia-friendly programme and Scotland-based theatre-maker and consultant Magdalene Schamberger, who has over 20 years experience working with people living with dementia. The discussion will look at the initial creation of Lost Lear and its collaborations between Dementia Carers Campaign Network and the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland. The play itself, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, examines how we know ourselves and who we are to each other, amidst the complexities of dementia. The discussion will also be a chance for audiences to talk about how the show has resonated with their own experiences of living with and caring for those with dementia, with an invite being sent out to people from local dementia communities. 'Dan collaborated with the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (DCCN), an advocacy group supported by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, in the early days of writing this play.' says Judy Williams, Advocacy, Engagement and Participation Officer for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. 'Through focus groups, carers shared their experiences, shaping Dan's approach to the play. For the DCCN, the project was compelling, inclusive, and in some ways, healing. It also provided new opportunities for carers to share their stories, while raising awareness about the challenges they face. We were very grateful for the opportunity to have this engagement with Dan and Matt, and we wish them all the best at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. We hope as many people as possible have the opportunity to see this sophisticated and thought-provoking play.' 'Lost Lear is a captivating journey, from an energetic and rambunctious beginning to the poignant and gentle end, it portrays the bewilderment of someone who wants to care, trying to have the shared experience with the person living with dementia, struggling and sometimes failing.' says Susan Crampton of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network. 'I am delighted to hear that Lost Lear is going to Edinburgh and many more people will have the opportunity to see it for the first time – or again.' Lost Lear is a moving and darkly comic remix of Shakespeare's play told from the point of view of Joy, a person with dementia, who is living in an old memory of rehearsing King Lear. Joy's delicately maintained reality is upended by the arrival of her estranged son who, being cast as Cordelia, must find a way to speak his piece from within the limited role he's given. Using puppetry, projection and live video effects, the audience are landed in Joy's world as layers of her past and present, fiction and reality, overlap and distort. Lost Lear is a thought provoking meditation on theatre, artifice and the possibility of communicating across the chasms between us. Following rave reviews for its Irish premiere, where it picked up nominations for Best New Play, Audience Choice, Best AV Design and Best Supporting Actor at the Irish Times Theatre Awards, Lost Lear will have its UK premiere at the Traverse Festival in Edinburgh this August. Following its Fringe run, Lost Lear will tour to North America in Autumn 2025. Co-produced by Mermaid Arts Centre and Riverbank Arts Centre. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Fishamble's New Play Clinic. Part of the 2025 Culture Ireland Edinburgh Showcase. Traverse 1 Preview 27 July 7.30pm and 2 August 9.30pm Then 3 – 24 August (not Mondays) Times vary. Run time: 1 hr 15 min Tickets: £5 – £25 Like this: Like Related


Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
How Happy Gilmore made golf sexy
In 2015, the actor Christopher McDonald attended the US Open and found himself in a private box with Tiger Woods. Professional golfers know McDonald for playing Shooter McGavin, the smug, sneering villain of Adam Sandler 's beloved 1996 golf comedy, Happy Gilmore. He also returns for the long-anticipated sequel, which is now streaming on Netflix. While golf enthusiasts would usually pester Woods for a selfie, in this case it was the other way round. Woods – a 15-time major tournament winner – wanted a photo with the one and only Shooter McGavin. Such is the cult reputation of Happy Gilmore in the golfing world. 'We did a selfie and it wound up on the internet with a bunch of funny headlines,' McDonald later told Vulture. 'My favourite was, 'Greatest Golfer in the World Takes Picture with Tiger Woods.'' In the original film, Happy Gilmore (Sandler) is a failed, short-fused ice hockey player who turns to golf when he discovers a knack for hitting a 400-yard drive. He enters the PGA Tour for the prize money, to save his sweet (but tax-dodging) grandmother's repossessed house, and causes chaos in the usually stuffy sport – swearing, fighting, and throwing his clubs around the green. The character was inspired by Kyle McDonough, a childhood friend of Sandler's and a former hockey player. In the years since its 1996 release, golf pros have copied Happy's signature tee-off shot – a running, hockey-powered swing – and golfers have lined up for a cameo in Happy Gilmore 2. It's little wonder. Happy Gilmore – the definitive Adam Sandler comedy – gave the sport a sense of humour. It's the film that finally gave golf a bit more edge. '[Did it make it] a bit sexier and trendier? I think, yes, absolutely it did!' Kyle McDonough – the original Happy Gilmore – tells me now. 'Not everybody who loves Happy Gilmore plays golf, but I think everybody who actually likes golf loves the film.' Sandler and McDonough have been friends since the first grade (6-7 years old) and then lived just three blocks away from each other in Manchester, New Hampshire. As teenagers they would play golf with Sandler's father. McDonough, who played ice hockey from the age of five, could always drive the ball much farther down the fairway – though not quite as far as the 400-yard drives seen in the movie. 'His father would say, 'What's with those wrists? That's something to do with that hockey background… there's something there,'' recalls McDonough, 59, now a history teacher in New Hampshire. Did McDonough agree with Sandler Sr's theory, that hockey was the reason he hit the ball farther? 'It made sense to me,' he says. 'The core, the hand-eye coordination… I wasn't going to argue. And, hey, it helped my golf game! It was a good enough theory.' He adds: 'I've played golf with a lot of hockey players who can really hit the ball. But do we always know where it's going? No…' How far could McDonough really hit the ball? 'A little later on, I was invited to a tournament,' he says. 'I had to borrow Adam's father's clubs. I won the long drive contest in that tournament. I hit that right near the green. It was 300-something yards.' McDonough recalls that after a stint playing pro ice hockey in Scotland, Sandler called him and told him that he was planning to make a movie inspired by his friend's talent. McDonough gave Sandler advice on the world of hockey and hockey players. In the film, Happy Gilmore isn't particularly good at hockey or ice skating – all he can do is whack the puck and whack the opposing players. McDonough admits he could be tough and sweary on the ice, but that's where the similarities end. 'I was a tough hockey player but I wasn't Happy tough,' he says. 'I wouldn't stab people with skates… but I led the league in penalties when I played in Norway. I guess you say there's a little Happy in me.' Sandler began working on Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s and moved into movies. Following the similarly-spirited Billy Madison (1995) – about a slacker who goes back to school – Happy Gilmore was one of his early breakout films, establishing Sandler's volatile, sweet-natured man-child schtick. During filming, Sandler turned to Mark Lye, a pro golfer-turned-broadcaster, for advice on the golfing world. Lye protested about some story elements that he thought were mocking the sacred game and the hallowed ground of Augusta National, the club where the Masters Tournament is held. Lye insisted they remove the inclusion of the coveted green jacket, traditionally worn by the winner of the Masters, so Happy competes for a fictitious gold jacket instead. Lye also arranged for the crew to attend a PGA Tour event to get a feel for what golf was really like. Happy Gilmore is a far from realistic depiction, though. Golf experts have had some fun picking apart its numerous golfing inaccuracies, from scoreboard errors to Happy's hockey stick-shaped Odyssey putter. (Odyssey has released a hockey stick putter to coincide with the sequel). But the film is ultimately about loosening up golf's prim-and-proper disposition. 'Golf has been waiting for a player like this,' says Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen), the golf publicist-turned-love interest. 'A colourful, emotional working-class hero.' Happy's antics draw new fans to golf. In the movie, one golf commentator describes the newfound fans as an 'economically diverse crowd'. And anecdotally, at least, a similar trend took place in real life: Happy Gilmore brought the formerly upper-crust sport to the masses. Happy Gilmore isn't the only iconic golf comedy. Caddyshack (1980), starring Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, scored a hole in one for the previous generation of golfing fans. But Caddyshack didn't stick a flag into the golfing culture in the same way as Happy Gilmore. Golf websites such as Golf Digest are packed with articles on Happy Gilmore (with particular love for Shooter McGavin), and attempting the wild Happy Gilmore swing has become a staple for golfing pros. Irish golfer Pádraig Harrington is particularly well known for doing it. Harrington performed the swing at the 2014 PGA Championship. 'Look, it's second nature to me,' he said. 'I grew up playing hurling so I've never had a second thought about doing a Happy Gilmore – running up, hitting it.' The Happy Gilmore swing is technically legal, though the R&A golf authority gave a snooty opinion on it back in 2012, telling CNN that there was a concern about 'whether it fits with the etiquette of the game as defined in the rules. Players must have respect for the course itself and perhaps this shot lends itself to increased likelihood of damage to the course.' Rick Shiels, a British PGA pro and golf YouTuber, made a video about the Happy Gilmore swing ('One of my favourite films of all time,' he said) to see if the technique actually helps hit the ball further. He managed to wallop the ball an impressive 337 yards, at a speed of 120mph. McDonough is amused at the idea his long drives inadvertently inspired the pros. 'I saw three or four of them all doing it at the same time, I guess it's kind of a ritual.' McDonough is likely referring to a 2021 video in which Team TaylorMade – a group of sponsored pros including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – marked 25 years of Happy Gilmore by wearing his iconic hockey shirt and trying the big Happy drive. The big swing isn't the only part of Happy's game that's influenced real golfers. In 2022, Spencer Levin used a Happy-style putting technique – holding the club with a split grip, with one hand much lower than usual – at the Shriners Open, making his first PGA Tour cut in five years. And just last week at the Scottish Open, American pro Scottie Scheffler was compared to Happy for outstretching his arms in disbelief when a putt veered off to the left. Scheffler is among numerous golfers who have cameos in Happy Gilmore 2, along with Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Nelly Korda. McDonough also has a cameo as a caddy. For McDonough, it's a fun legacy – particularly in his job as a history teacher. Every year the younger students hear the rumours that he's the basis for Happy. 'Rumours fly around from the older kids,' he says. 'By the end of the year they ask me directly, 'Is that true?' Sometimes I play around and say, 'That doesn't sound like me.' They look it up and I get a bit more street cred when they realise it's true.' It's telling that Happy Gilmore is still an unlikely sporting hero for younger generations. Almost thirty years on, Happy Gilmore's popularity keeps on swinging – from the golfing green and beyond.