New format, amateur

maximum prize for

Douglas Philip Trophy

one-rounder at Deeside
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
A new format for the Douglas Philip Trophy tournament - first played at Hazlehead in 1957 - will offer the maximum amateur prize of a £500 voucher to the winner.
The tournament, switching from its traditional match-play ties, to an 18-hole stroke-play event, will be played at Deeside Golf Club on Sunday, July 27.
The original concept, devised by by the late Douglas McD Philip, an Aberdeen Football Club director, featured the champions and beaten finalists of the Aberdeen golf clubs of the time, Bon Accord, Caledonian, Northern, Royal Aberdeen, Deeside, Hazlehead, Murcar and Nigg Bay.
In the late 1950s through to the late 1980s and even into the 1990s, the Douglas Philip Trophy was one of the highlights of the Aberdeen domestic golfing season and the tournament, played over four successive evenings used to draw big galleries to Hazlehead.
But its popularity with the North-east public and the players themselves has waned steadily over the past decade or so. In an effort to give the tournament a much-need lift it was switched from from its "permanent" home at Hazlehead to Deeside Golf Club but even that did not have the required effect.
Not all the players were turning up for their ties, some not evening notifying the organisers of their unavailability.
Now, in 2008, comes a move designed to breathe new life into a dying competition. The Douglas Philip Trophy field is being widened to bring in representatives of ALL 56 member clubs of the North-east District of the Scottish Golf Union.
Each club will be invited to enter its champion from the previous year, failing that the beaten finalist or runner-up. There will be an entry fee of £20.
The field will be limited to 36 players in its first year on a first come, first served basis. A waiting list will apply once that figure has been reached.
The two men who are the "guardians" of the Douglas Philip Trophy are brothers in law Alastair Hutcheson, proprietor of the Cults Hotel and nephew of Douglas Philip, and Frank Coutts, professional at Deeside Golf Club.
"We need to do something to revive the Douglas Philip Trophy tournament. A few years back we moved it from its traditional home at Hazlehead to Deeside and made some other changes but we feel it is time for another overhaul," said Alastair, pictured above sitting in front of Frank.
"Apart from the £500 voucher first prize, we plan other novelties to make it an attractive tournament for the leading club players in the North-east," said Frank.
"For instance, any player, whether he wins or not, who has an eagle during his round will get his entry fee returned. If he gets two eagles, he will get another £20 on top of that. The player who has the most birdies on the day will be handsomely rewarded.
"That cannot be the trophy winner because under the R&A rules of amateur status he cannot win more than a voucher to the value of £500."
Some of the previous winners of the Douglas Philip Trophy include Sandy Pirie (1961-65-67-69-70-72-82), Jack Booth (1963), Harry Bannerman (1964), Ronnie Grant (1977-78-86) and Donald Jamieson (1996).
The 56 member clubs of the North-east District of the SGU, from whom the field for the new-look Douglas Philip Trophy, will be drawn are:

Aberdeen Petroleum Club, Aboyne, Alford, Auchenblae, Auchmill.
Ballater, Ballindalloch Castle, Balmoral, Banchory, Bon Accord, Braemar, Buckpool.
Caledonian, Craibstone, Cruden Bay, Cullen.
Deeside, Duff House Royal, Dufftown, Dunecht House.
East Aberdeenshire.
Fraserburgh, Fyvie.
Hazlehead, Huntly.
Inchmarlo, Insch, Inverallochy, Inverurie.
Keith, Kemnay, Kintore.
Longside, Lumphanan.
McDonald Ellon, Meldrum House, Murcar Links.
Newburgh on Ythan, Newmachar, Nigg Bay, Northern.
Oldmeldrum.
Pecten, Peterculter, Peterhead, Portlethen
Rosehearty, Royal Aberdeen, Royal Tarlair.
Spey Bay, Stonehaven, Strathlene.
Tarland,Torphins, Turriff.
Westhill.