Reader's E-mail

FROM FRANCO HENNIGAN

With regard to the Scottish Golfview article,'SCOTS PAY 1350 EACH TO ENTER TOUR SCHOOL' may I remind you that the SGU pays that bill for a lot of them.
Is this good and fair use of public money?
Would most club members who pay their subs to their golf club and the levy be happy?

Editor's response.
I think some would and some wouldn't.

Colin Farquharson

P& K county weekend double for Nicky Barr

over Blairgowrie’s Lansdowne

Nicky Barr, beaten in the final of the Scottish mid-amateur championship final, gained a measure of compensation when he won both the Perth & Kinross men’s county stroke-play AND match-play championships on the SAME weekend.
Craigie Hill Golf Club member Barr was capped for Scotland in the boys' home internationals of 2001. The following year he accepted a golf scholarship at Midland College, Texas where he stayed from 2002 to 2004.

HERE’S JOHN SIMPSON'S REPORT, FIRST OF THE STROKE-PLAY:

The re-scheduled Perth & Kinross county stroke-play championship was played on Saturday (September 5) over 18 holes of the Lansdowne Course, Blairgowrie.
Players and officials were grateful for a dry day after so much recent rain.
As in 2007 the championship was reduced to 18 holes. The scoring turned out to be excellent, which was a credit to the players and to the greenkeeping staff at Blairgowrie.
All eight qualifiers for the match-play stage scored 72 or better.
The winner of the championship was Nicky Barr from Craigie Hill with a fine score of 68. Runner-up was David Simpson of Crieff who prevailed over local player Stuart Graham on the better inward nine after they both returned 70s.

STROKE-PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD
CSS 73 (match-play qualifiers highlighted)

Nicky Barr Craigie Hill 68
Ian McLeod Kinross 74
David Simpson Crieff 70
Roger Lamond Blairgowrie 75
Stuart Graham Blairgowrie 70
Tom McLevy Blairgowrie 76
Philip Scott Auchterarder 71
Mark Rose Pitlochry 78
Stuart McKendrick Dunkeld+Birnam 72
Fraser Inglis King James IV 78
George Brass Blairgowrie 72
Darren Watson Blairgowrie 79
David Murray Blairgowrie 72
Andrew Jackson Kinross 80
Wayne Crole Blairgowrie 72
Andrew Merrilees Muckhart 80
Neil Cameron King James IV 81
Eric Lindsay Blairgowrie 73
Patrick Sandison Blairgowrie 81
Glenn Campbell Blairgowrie 73
Scott Michie Kinross 82
Stephen Carruthers Pitlochry 74
Iain Simpson Craigie Hill 84
Daniel Harrison Crieff 74
Andrew Hutchison Kinross 84
Jason Thomson Kinross 74
Jim Wardrope Kinross 86
Bruce Caldow Kinross 74

NOW FOR THE P&K MATCH-PLAY REPORT:
The eight qualifiers from an 18 hole P&K stroke-play championship all scored 72 or less.
On Sunday morning, the semi-finals were contested: Nicky Barr beat Philip Scott on the last green, while Stuart Graham needed one extra hole to shake off George Brass.
In the afternoon the final produced excellent golf again. The standard of golf between the two rivals was very high with accurate driving and impressive iron play.
Nicky was one up playing the 16th but drove into the trees. Both players were in the middle of the 17th fairway.
Stuart hooked his second but had the good fortune to see it come back out towards the fairway; Nicky hit a good second just short of the green; Stuart played his third to about ten feet; Nick's approach shot hit the pin and sat close to the hole for a 4. Stuart missed his birdie putt to go back to one down with one to play.
Both players hit good tee shots down the middle of the 18th fairway; Nicky played a short iron first, pin high fourteen feet right of a front pin position; Stuart hit an impressive approach which backed-up a little to fifteen feet.
Stuart putted first and holed for a birdie three but as he was contemplating another trip up the nineteenth, Nicky holed for his birdie and the match.
A great game played in good spirit between the next best players in the county after the big four. The big four, however, may have struggled to compete with these two on this showing.

MATCH-PLAY RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS
Nicky Barr bt Wayne Crole 2 holes.
Philip Scott bt Stuart McKendrick 1 hole.
Stuart Graham bt David Murray 6 and 5.
George Brass bt David Simpson 1 hole.
SEMI-FINALS
Barr bt Scott 1 hole.
Graham bt Brass at 19th.
FINAL
Barr bt Graham 1 hole.

PAUL LAWRIE FOUNDATION JUNIOR JUG

Coln Baird's score of 72 was outstanding

in conditions at Dundonald Links
.

By MURRAY CARNIE
Organiser, Paul Lawrie Foundation
Over a very windy and often wet Dundonald Links, our finalists in the Paul Lawrie Foundation Junior Jug competition battled it out to become the "Jug" champions for 2009.
Scoring proved to be very high, especially for the late starters who had the worst of the weather. However our young golfers persevered against the elements and produced some excellent golf.
Highlight of the day was the performance of Stirling Univerity student Colin Baird who knocked it round the links in 72 shots.
With the flag poles bent double and driving rain this was truly an outstanding score. He won the scratch title from Scott Gibson (Southerness GC) and Eamon Bradley (Mount Ellen GC) who both shot 78. Scott pipped Eamon for second place with a better last six holes.
In the handicap event it was a very close run event with only one shot seperating the first three places. Jamie Lynch ( Falkirk) lifted the title on a better inward half from Gorden Cowen (West Lothian) after the pair had registered a 76 nett.
Close on their heels was Chris Low (Tantallon GC) who shot a nett 77.
Our first ever national competition was a huge success. We had seven regional qualifying events with over 500 golfers attempting to qualify for the final 56 places. The Paul Lawrie Foundation would like to thank all the clubs and tournament officals for their hard work in making this tournament run so smoothly.
Special thanks must be given to Adam Hunter, Emma and Beth who ran Saturday's tournament like a Tour Event.
+All the players received a signed photo with Paul.
+The range and practice area were set up for them to get warmed up and they were fed and watered before, during and after their golf.
Adam also organised a question and answer session with Paul which went down a treat with the players and parents followed by the prize giving.
The only disappointing part of the day was the fact that two of the prize winners were not present to receive their trophies.

£65million expansion of Forrester Park

Golf Centre near Dunfermline

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
A new family golf centre is to be created in West Fife as part of an ambitious £65million expansion of the Forrester Park Resort, near Dunfermline.
The plans include a five-star hotel, spa and family leisure complex, but the owners are just as excited about a new nine-hole course that will be specifically aimed at juniors and women.
"It will be a pay-and-play course open to everyone but we are hoping it will be a boost in particular to junior and ladies' golf," said Robert Forrester, the resort's managing director. Forrester Park first became associated with golf when it opened a driving range in 1993 and, since 2001, it has been the home of an 18-hole course, which currently has 600 members.
As part of the expansion, a new driving range and clubhouse will also be built.
Hamish Grey, chief executive of the Scottish Golf Union, said: "We believe family golf centres are the future of golf in Scotland.

Carnegie Invitational blown to a halt at Skibo

Gale force winds forced play to be abandoned for the day with six or seven groups still to complete the first round in the Tartan Tour's Carnegie Invitational tournament at Skibo Castle.
The groups who were unable to finish today will resume tomorrow at the holes where they left on.
A decision has yet to be made about whether the originally planned two-round tournament can be played.

Paul O'Hara follows in brother Steven's

footsteps as SGU Order of Merit winner

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE

Colville Park's Paul O'Hara, pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency, has completed a memorable family double by winning the Scottish Golf Union's order of merit. He had already secured the No1 position ahead of the weekend's Newlands Trophy, in which he was third.
O'Hara's success comes eight years after big brother Steven topped the SGU rankings.

SGU ORDER OF MERIT

1 P O'Hara (Colville Park) 935.00

2 J Byrne (Banchory) 668.30

3 J White (Lundin) 582.50

4 P McLean (Peterhead) 467.50

5 R Kellett (Colville Park) 447.85

6 G Dear (Murrayshall) 442.50

7 K McAlpine (Alyth) 430.00

8 G Paterson (St Andrews New) 407.50

9 K Nicol (Fraserburgh) 392.50

10 S McEwan (Caprington) 386.60.

Gullane Juniors and Loretto Golf Academy's

thrilling 5-5 tie at breezy Gullane

By Iain McLean
Loretto Golf Academy brought a strong international team, with players from Scotland, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and South Korea, to a breezy Gullane No 1 to play against Gullane Juniors last Sunday.
It was an early experience of Scottish links golf, with testing winds and thick rough, for many of the new arrivals at Loretto led by German internationalist Max Waltz and + 2.8 handicap 14 year old Julie Yang from South Korea.
With a combination of internationalists and talented and fast improving young players on both sides, the match consisted of a mixture of handicap four-balls and foursomes. It was "nip and tuck" all the way coming down to the very last shot:

Michael Williams & Jamie Black bt Max Link & Sami Bouzabia 4 and 3.
Tom Grey & Graham Swan bt Victor Wall-Gremstrup & Giorgio Diezi 3 and 1.
Rachel Watton & Lara Frostwick lost to Lesley Atkins & Laura Alexander 1 hole
Jonny Lauder & Craig Spinks lost to Elena Krause & Hannah Schwabe 6 and 5.
Oliver Ladbrooke & Gregor Wood halved with Pablo Ruiz de Velasco & Finbar Dalton.
Scott Gillies & Gary Brownlie lost to Tim Seifert & Timon Sitte 5 and 3.
Ally Simpson & Greg Houlston halved with Julie Yang & Max Waltz
Peter Legget & Callum Stephen halved with Tom Scott & Andrew Minto
Rory Grey & James Fisher bt Navjosh Dhallu & Nicholas Bringsken 3 and 1.
Alexander Wilson & Duncan McLean halved with Ian McDowall & Tim Huebner.

Tim Huebner chipped in from off the green for a birdie 3 on the 18th to win the hole and salvage a half against Alexander & Duncan to make the final score Gullane 5, Loretto 5.
An excellent result followed by soup, bacon rolls and cake in the Clubhouse.
The Gullane team is looking forward to the return at Craigielaw on 1st November.

______________________________________________________________________
For more info re Gullane Juniors please see our new blog http://www.gullanejuniorgolf.blogspot.com/.

For more info re Loretto please see http://www.lorettoschool.co.uk/extra_curricular/golf_academy/ or contact Kevin Reid

Gullane are top of the East Lothian Junior Golf League just now having completed their 10 matches - we nervously await the outcome of Musselburgh Old's two final matches ( at home to Dunbar and away to Royal Musselburgh this weekend coming ) to determine the final outcome of the league - please see http://www.eastlothianjuniorgolf.org.uk/