Chris McDonnell on The Open Championship

It’s an exciting week in golf with The Open Championship at Royal Troon, Scotland, starting today. Having played at Royal Troon myself, I can honestly say that it’s one of the toughest courses at which to host The Open. The fairways there are very narrow, the greens are small and you really don’t want to stray into the rough, as the grass is knee-high.

The signature hole there is the eighth, it’s only 96 yards in length but has pot bunkers surrounding the pin and there is always a strong side wind to contend with. It’s known as the Postage Stamp and is so-called because the green looks the size of a postage stamp. It will certainly be one of the spectacles of the week.

If you asked me to select the winner, I think the South African Branden Grace could be in with a great chance this year. The bookies currently offer about 25/1 about him taking the title, so he could be worth a bet. Talking of having a punt on The Open, British player Lee Westwood is currently 40/1, or if you want a real outside chance I think Italian Francesco Molinari – three times a winner on the European Tour – could play well at 125/1.

One thing that I think is great about The Open Championship is that children under 16-years-old can go and watch for free. Initiatives like that are vital if we want to keep the game of golf appealing to a new audience.

Junior development is something we are passionate about at the Golf At Goodwood Academy and it is something we want to become famous for, with over 100 children attending our weekly coaching sessions. The sport can’t continue if new, young players don’t become interested, so we are focussing a lot of effort on promoting junior golf. With the summer holidays now upon us, we are providing camps for kids aged 5 to 16 of all abilities, whether they are complete beginners, have played before or are already beating Mum and Dad!

If you have any questions about the Academy, or if you need any advice to improve your own game, why not pose me a question on Twitter? Put your questions to @Goodwood_Golf and I will get back to you, the best questions may even be shared in my next column.