Well, is Newmachar Hawkshill too long for your
average NE Alliance member?
Not at all, says Harry Roulston (Stonehaven)

Colin Farquharson writes: In Wednesday's North-east Alliance, apart from young Chris Robb's brilliant three-under-par 69, Newmachar's Hawkshill course was the real "winner." Only around a dozen players broke 80 and there were 40 No Returns from a field of 105.
If you scroll down to my report, I tagged on some comments about Hawkshill, off the back tees, perhaps being too long for your average Alliance member at 6,700yd or so (Scottish women's amateur champion Michele Thomson said it was way too long for her - and she is a long hitter). I invited Alliance members to E-mail their views on the subject.
Here are the first ones:

Colin:
I don't like any of your suggestions to tackle the so-called "problem" of 40 NRs at Newmachar.
Certainly, the course was difficult and playing very long and the wind was awkward but so what? I play regularly in the Alliance because I enjoy playing tough courses off the back tees.
I also expect to have adverse weather conditions most of the time -- it's winter in the North-east of Scotland, for goodness sake.
What I don't want is to move to forward tees or play "second best" courses like Swailend, though I understand that course is just about as tough as the big course.
It is surprising that 40 golfers paid their money and then didn't submit a card but that's their problem, not a problem for the Alliance or the 60-plus others who did complete their rounds.
Leave things as they are, I say. The Alliance remains a most enjoyable "golf club" to be a member of and it would be silly and unfair to reduce the quality of what is on offer because some folk aren't prepared to stick in enough to get their ball all the way round.
Slow play is another matter, however, and that is becoming a problem. I think most Alliance members would welcome action being taken against the worst offenders, if they can be identified.
Harry Roulston
Stonehaven.

Colin:
No, I don't think Hawkshill is too difficult for the average player and no matter where you play, the odd few are going to go at their snail's pace, irrespective of the degree of difficulty of any course they are on.
We all know the slowcoaches and the later tee times should be reserved for them where they will have little or no impact on the majority of the field and if they finish in the dark they only have themselves to blame.
You may think this is a selfish attitude but, despite reapeated pleas from Ron Menzies and yourself about slow play and the impact it has on the late starters, do the slowcoaches speed up? Do they hell! So make up your own mind as to who are the selfish ones.
They need to remember it's the NE Alliance we are playing in. We are playing for fun and the weekly bragging rights with our mates, not the Tour Q school where our future depends on it.
A. J. Smith

Colin:
Just read the bit on the website about Newmacher being tough. I played in the Newmachar 36- hole Open in July and it was much, much tougher then than on Wednesday. I enjoyed it very much as it's a brilliant course to play from the back tees in the winter.
I can understand some complaints but if you hit it straight, 99% of the time you can actually have a good score. I had a 96 but I was never out of the trees so I didn't give myself a chance.
We are living in the Tiger era where, because of technology, the ball is going further and further and that means longer courses.
If Alliance members can't handle that fact, maybe they shouldn't be playing. As for slow play ther'es nothing that can be done about it unless there's a marshall with every match but this is the North-east Alliance not the European Tour.
We're at Portlethen on Wednesday - providing the snow shifts and we have a playable course. The Portlethen course is known for 5 hr rounds so it's a good thing it's a two-tee start. Maybe it would be good to have a two-tee start every week at this time of the year because of of the lack of daylight hours, providing the two tees are close together.
Iain Taylor
Stonehaven