Golf at The Carrick

The Carrick's reputation as one of the best new golf courses in Scotland will be given another boost with the news that the 2010 International Pairs World Final will be held there.

The Loch Lomond course will be used after a new agreement was signed between the world's largest competition of its kind for club golfers and leading hotel group De Vere, who also run Slaley Hall.

As well as The Carrick staging the final on October 6-8, the tournament's regional finals will be hosted by De Vere venues across England, with the UK Final to be played at Wychwood Park in Cheshire in September.

International Pairs managing director Ross Honey said: "To reach an agreement for De Vere to become our hotel partner is an exciting and major new development for International Pairs.

"Their name is synonymous with the game and some of the finest courses in the UK. At International Pairs, we pride ourselves on selecting top-class venues for our world final competitors and The Carrick on Loch Lomond is a perfect fit."

The International Pairs world final has been held at some of the best courses in the UK since it was first held in 2004 including Celtic Manor, Carnoustie and The Dukes at St Andrews.

The award-winning five-star Carrick is one of the flagship venues of De Vere's 11 golfing destinations and has won a steady stream of accolades since it opened in November 2006.

The course, which was designed by Doug Carrick, measures nearly 7,100 yards from the championship tees and has already staged the Ladies European Tour's De Vere Scottish Open in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Cup - the equivalent of the Ryder Cup for PGA professionals - last autumn.

More than 500,000 golfers, including West Indian cricket legend Sir Viv Richards and former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke, and over 40 countries have participated in the International Pairs since its inception in 1998 and that number is forecast to increase rapidly with more countries than ever signing up to the global event.