Ross-shire golfers score in North Alliance at Wick

By ROBIN WILSON
Members of the North Golf Alliance were a bit lethargic about facing their first fixture of 2010 at Wick last Sunday, just six home club members present in the overall entry of 43, and only home club champion Ronnie Taylor able to break into the fixture's prize list.
Without a fixture since November 29, due to two months of unplayable weather, last Sunday's was favourable and the Wick course in surprisingly good order but when it came to getting swings back into shape Ross-shire golfers, with perhaps fewer days snowed off, were quicker off the mark.
Tain's Alec Gunn led a clean sweep of handicap prize winners in Class 1. With halves of 38 and 36, Gunn's outward 38 was recovered by seven par figures and an opening birdie after he took a triple bogey 8 at the par-5 third hole.
He had two inward half bogeys - at the 10th and 15th - for an equal fourth gross score of 74 but a winning nett 68 in Class 1.
In his section, the south of the Ord golfers revelled. Tarbat's Dave Mackay came second with nett 69, off 6, followed by Seann Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay), also net 69, but relegated to third place on countback.
In fourth place was Andrew Watt (Tain), who went looking for a fourth score to complete his MacKintosh Salver requirement and found it with a net 71, off 7.
Scratch winner by one stroke was Thurso's course record holder, Jim Sangster, who after beginning his round with a birdie 3, proceeded to match the Wick par of 69 with par halves of 35 and 34.
Sangster let slip his early birdie advantage for an even lower score with a bogey at the fifth hole, then, heading home, went two under par with birdies at the the 13th and 15th holes, only to return them to the course by taking two bogeys over the last three holes.
Local master of the course Ronnie Taylor birdied the par-3 ninth hole for 35, then immediately went over par with a bogey on the 10th. His second inward half bogey for a closing one over par 35 and 70 came at the penultimate hole to finish in second scratch place.
With current scratch aggregate leader Bryan Ronald (Thurso) not in the field, Quaich Trophy holder Munro Ferries (Tain) did nothing to make up ground with a gross 77.
But Ferries's travelling clubmate Ally Melville became Tain's second winner when he topped the Class 2 returns by matching Gunn's net 68 from the higher handicap of 11. Melville fell into trouble at the second par-5 hole on the outward half, a double bogey 7 at the eighth, but he also birdied the opening hole for his first half 36.
Slipping back to take 43 for the next nine holes, his net 68 brought him a season's first place after a previous second at Thurso last October.
Weather permitting the fixture list takes the members to Brora this weekend where local professional Brian Anderson is offering a free “Spring Swing Check” to Alliance and other club golfers throughout the remaining days of February and all of March.
Book a check time at 01408 621473 or E-mail broragolfpro@tiscali.co.uk to get your swing and equipment checked over for the coming season by one of the North's leading teachers.
Alliance results:
SCRATCH
69 J Sangster (Thurso).
70 R W Taylor (Wick).
74 A Swanson (Thurso).
75 D Mackay (Tarbat), J Harper (Wick).
76 J Maciver (Invergordon), A Gunn (Tain).
77 S R Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay)
HANDICAP
Class 1 – A Gunn (Tain) (6) 68; D Mackay (Tarbat) (6), S R Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay) (8) 69; J MacKenzie (Invergordon) (7) 71.
Class 2 – A Melville (Tain) (11) 68; I Ross (Reay) (11) 70; C Mackay (Thurso) (13) 71.