Tiger sends in entry form for United States Open at Pebble Beach

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
Tiger Woods has taken the first step toward playing the United States Open championship by sending in his entry form.
The United States Golf Association - organisers of the Major, in the same way that the R&A, not the European Tour run the Open - said they received Woods’ entry on Monday, one day after he tied for fourth in the Masters. It was his first competition in five months.
Even players such as Woods who are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open must apply to play. The deadline to enter is April 28.
The US Open will be held June 17-20 at Pebble Beach, California where, 10 years ago, Woods won by 15 shots and tied the tournament scoring record.

Newburgh-on-Ythan would welcome a

-

North-east Summer Alliance meeting

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Before I went off on two weeks' holidays, I did a little footnote to the end of the North-east Golfers' Alliance 2009-2010 season report on Scottishgolfview.com, expressing (maybe, tongue in cheek) that some of the members would like to participate in SUMMER Alliance competitions.

Here's a response from Newburgh on Ythan Golf Club professional Ian Bratton, pictured right, a regular supporter of the North-east Alliance:
"Newburgh would be delighted to host an Alliance in the Summer. We have a men's medal on a Tuesday, but Wednesday during the day and all day Thursday would be ideal.
"Historically, a Thursday for us is our quietest day, sometimes very quiet. I am sure it is the same at some other clubs.
"In the current financial climate we need 'bums on seats' and I am sure other clubs do as well.
"One hundred golfers at your club playing in an alliance is a lot better than having half a dozen visitors paying full price.
"The North-east Alliance circuit also misses quite a few courses due to one reason or another. I am sure the likes of Kintore, Oldmeldrum, Inverurie, Newmachar Swailend, Inchmarlo and Stonehaven would welcome the chance to stage a summer alliance.
"But many thanks to secretary Ron Menzies for running another successful North-east Alliance season and to Scottishgolfview.com for documenting it very well."

Ian Bratton

PS (from Colin Farquharson) The Midland Alliance season is still going on, and on ...

Lanarkshire team for boys' friendly against Lothians on Sunday

Lanarkshire are playing a friendly boys' match against the Lothians this Sunday (April 18) at Greenburn Golf Club.
The format will be ten singles, made up of six Under-18s, two Under-16s and two Under-14s. Lanarkshire Team
Under-18s
Craig Ross (Kirkhill)
Scott Costello (Kirkhill)
Craig Forbes (Carnwath)
Ross Gillan (Torrance House)
Nicky Clenaghan (Mount Ellen)
Jordan Gallacher (Crow Wood)
Under-16s
Jordan Bryce (Strathaven)
James Stephen (Kirkhill)
Under-14s
Innes Ferguson (Drumpellier)
Andrew Wilson (Strathaven)

Angus boys impress in county team trials at Monifieth

By ALEX McKAY
Angus county junior convener

The Angus county boys' team trials were held at sunny Monifieth links on Sunday, on the Ashludie course in the morning and the Medal course in the afternoon.

We had six Under-18s boys playing two sets of three-ball match-play. Downfield's Reece Mitchell was in superb form, winning all four of his matches.
There were eight Under-16s boys playing two sets of four-ball better-ball matches. The two morning winning teams met in the afternoon, with Grange's Calum McKay and Caird Park's Connar Cook coming out on top with a brilliant display of 15 birdies between them over the day.
The eight Under-14s boys played the same format with the Montrose pair of Jamie Beedie and Ronan Valentine winning thier section.

I was overly impressed with the enthusiasm of all the new Under-14s boys.
County coaches Karyn Dallas and Gordon McLeod were also impressed with the boys' performances and with the SGU boys' area team event coming up at Peebles on Sunday, June 6, the weekend matches will go a long way towards the final team selection.

E-mail from Paul Marshall

Dear Colin
I am a member of Newburgh–on–Ythan Golf Club and was talking to committee member Ian McKen, who told me that the club had recently received two trophies from a lady in Kingsbarns, who found them in her house. The trophies have the inscriptions;

Newburgh Golf Club
Presented by J H Udny Esq
1893

Newburgh Golf Club
Presented by J H Udny Esq
1901

The Club was founded in 1888, and John Udny was the Club’s original patron and remained Club President until 1938.
There is only one name engraved on the goblet trophy –

1893 Rev J S Loutit 86-12,74

There are no names inscribed on the ‘glass jar’ trophy.

My reason for contacting you is twofold. Firstly, I thought it would make an interesting piece for the website, the fact that these two trophies have been unearthed after all this time. Secondly, we would love to hear from anyone who has any old photos, artefacts, memorabilia or stories regarding Newburgh-on-Ythan Golf Club.

We are one of the oldest golf clubs in the area, so are hopeful that some interesting stories or memorabilia can be found. Thank you very much for your help, and keep up the good work on your excellent website.
Yours
Paul Marshall

+ If you can help, E-mail the information to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

The Duke’s St Andrews wins inaugural 'Golf Club of

the Year' Title

NEWS RELEASE
The Duke’s St Andrews has been crowned the best Golf Club in the UK in the inaugural “Golf Club of the Year Awards” 2010.
In addition to securing the overall title, The Duke’s was also honoured with Awards for the “Best Club for Members” in the UK and the “Best Club in Scotland” in the regional Awards.
The Awards are unique in the industry because, unlike others which judge course quality, the Golf Club of the Year Awards measures the complete golf experience as voted for by the people who play the courses that being members, guests and societies.
As Simon Brown, Managing Director of Awards for Business, who run the scheme explains, “Playing at a well presented and managed golf club is what a great golf experience is all about. It’s not just the quality of the course that makes the experience good, it’s everything from the first point of contact on the phone, the greeting in the pro shop, quality of changing facilities, hospitality in the club house and much more besides.
"I’ve played at many clubs across the country and I have to say the experience is sometimes sadly lacking. I wanted to find out which clubs really were providing the best golf experience and what better way to find out than asking the players who play at the clubs week in, week out.
“The golf club market is also changing in the UK. Clubs need to generate additional revenue from membership, guests and societies and doing well in these awards provides the ideal platform for clubs to market themselves to a wider audience. At the same time they help players choose the right club whether as a member, guest or society.”
Clubs were recognised in four regions – Scotland, North of England, Central England & Wales and Southern England – and there were winners in three categories – Best Club for Members, Best Club for Guests & Best Club for Societies.
“From my experience a good members' club is not always a good club for guests to play or societies,” adds Brown. “I wanted to highlight the different qualities each of these clubs requires and shortlist those clubs accordingly.
“It’s obvious from the votes that came in that the Duke’s St Andrews provides a very high level golf experience for both members and guests. It’s refreshing to see that a club which is steeped in history and has the advantage of the St Andrews location isn’t resting on its laurels.”
Commented David Scott, Manager The Duke’s & Estates Landscape, “I am delighted to lead such a talented and hard-working team at The Duke’s St Andrews and, given the contribution of each and every member of staff, we are thrilled to be named as Number One Golf Club in the UK in the Golf Club of the Year Awards 2010.
“Since moving to The Duke’s almost two years ago, the team has continually looked at ways of analysing and improving our customer offering, from the golfers’ arrival to departure. We pride ourselves on our personal service: golfers are greeted by friendly staff in the Pro Shop, guided to get ready for golf in well-appointed changing rooms and then pointed in the direction of the range or the putting green to get loosened up.
"Having hit a few balls (provided with our compliments), golfers report to our Starter who will recommend the optimum tees from our five options to ensure maximum enjoyment from our championship heathland course. After a fine day on the course, golfers can then enjoy the comfortable club lounge and balcony overlooking the course and famous St Andrews, savour the excellent clubhouse menu that boasts numerous favourites such as our popular club sandwich and irresistible sticky toffee pudding at excellent prices and perhaps finish with a wee dram!”

The Golf Club of the Year Awards are organised by Awards for Business Ltd.

Gary McFarlane now Clober Golf Club's managing secretary

PGA club professional Gary McFarlane has been promoted to be full-time managing secretary by Clober Golf Club at Milngavie.

One of the first things Gary did was to push through the reconstructing of the Clober club's Under-30s membership, especially juniors.

NEWS RELEASE

Over recent years golf clubs in Scotland have seen a massive downturn in membership renewals as well as a “missing link” of young people coming into the game.

Milngavie's Clober Golf Club has taken the bull by the horns and made some radical changes within their club to try to change that trend.
“The future for our club lies with the kids and young adults” said Gary McFarlane who, as well as being the resident Golf Professional at Clober, has now taken up the position of Managing Secretary.

“We noticed that the decline in young people taking up the game, as highlighted by the SGU, SLGA and recent newspaper articles, was having a massive impact on our club as well as others I’m sure, so we have taken steps to put that right and make golf a much more affordable option for young people”.
Some of the amazing steps the club are taking to help boost this young generation of golfers are:
*Cutting the cost for a junior membership by almost 50%
*Under-30s getting hugely reduced rates to join.
*Incentive schemes for current members to earn rewards.
*Redevelopment of the golf course to keep the standards high.
“This new restructuring will allow young adults to enjoy the benefits of a Golf Club membership without the costs impacting on other things in their lives like weddings, mortgages or college work,” says Gary.
Clober club captain Kenny Dawson commented “This is an exciting time at Clober Golf Club and we look forward to welcoming new kids, young adults and more gents and ladies to our wonderful club, we have so many exciting events on this year with The Open, Ryder Cup and our own Championship week that I can sense it is going to be a fantastic year.

"PGA Professional and Managing Secretary Gary McFarlane is available six days a week to help with any membership enquiries. We liked the idea of an open day but felt it might be difficult for people to commit to one day so we are offering a special £5 game for the whole of April, tee times permitting, for golfers to get a chance to play our fabulous course”.

Jason King, Stewart Elder

new faces on Fairmont

St Andrews team

The former director of golf at the renowned Penha Longa Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, in Portugal, has moved to the Home of Golf to take up an identical role at Fairmont St Andrews.
Australian Jason King, 37, pictured on far right, has joined the team at the five-star resort in Fife and is delighted to be able to continue his career at the birthplace of the sport.
He said: “The Fairmont St Andrews Resort is fantastic. It is both an honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to take up a position located within the ancestral home of golf.
“With the Open Championship returning to the region this year, it will be my main focus to present the Torrance and Kittocks courses to the highest playing standards possible while complementing the player experience with first-class service delivery.
“I am looking forward to the role immensely.”
King began his career in his native Australia as a greenkeeper before moving into golf operations in the early 1990s.
In 1998, he moved to the UK to take up the role of golf sales executive at Marriott St Pierre Hotel & Country Club, in Wales, and was made assistant director of golf at the four-star Chepstow property in 2000.
Two years later he took up the position of director of golf at Marriott Tudor Park Hotel & Country Club, in Kent, overseeing the entire golf operation, expanding sales in corporate and residential golf segments.
At the start of 2008, King moved to Portugal as director of golf at the five-star Penha Longa Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, where he oversaw a €2m course renovation project.
Another welcome new face at Fairmont St Andrews is Kent-born Stewart Elder, 28, pictured above, on the left of Jason King, who has taken up the position of golf sales manager.
This is a return ‘home’ for Elder who was raised in Fife and spent five years at nearby St Andrews University, before beginning a career in golf sales and event management.
A scratch golfer who is a member of the Fife county team, Elder has also represented both club and county at badminton.
■ To find out more about Fairmont St Andrews or to book a stay call 01334 837000 or email standrews.scotland@fairmont.com.
www.fairmont.com/standrews or http://www.fairmontgolf.com/

Moray Golf Club hosting Old Tom Morris

Association Tournament on June 5

Three years ago, Tain Golf Club hosted the 1st Old Tom Morris Association Tournament to commemorate the works of the great man. Last year Rosapeena [Co Donegal] hosted the tournament and, because of the locality, the response from Scottish clubs was not great.
This year Royal Montrose GC was due to host the event but their officials decided they were unable to do the honours because of their Bicentennial programme.
Moray Golf Club at Lossiemouth - that's the clubhouse and 18th green pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency - has stepped into the breach and will host the Old Tom Morris Association Tournament on Saturday, June 5.
Club secretary Steve Crane writes:
"I sent out letters to all the Old Tom Morris associated clubs - over 60 in total - andthe response has not been great.
"We are offering, for £20, a 'Meet and Greet' with entertainment and a dram on the Friday evening followed by the tournament on the Saturday (June 5).
"As you will be well aware, 'The Braid Trail' is well established and I would hope that The Home of Golf would recognise and develop a similar trail for Old Tom.
"Self-catering and other accommodation in the Lossiemouth area is also available.
"Initially, we have limited the number of entries per club until we have an idea of numbers. It may well be that we can accommodate more than six from any one club.
"Gordon & McPhail have generously sponsored the event and are providing a one-off limited edition of 250 bottles of Speyside Single Malt to commemorate the occasion. This no doubt will be a collector’s item and will be available to all our guests at a very reasonable price.
"Old Tom's great, great grandson and Ernie Payne the only man to complete the 'Ultimate challenge' and play all the Old Tom Morris courses will be here as well as a very special guest appearance on the Saturday evening.
"We at Moray Golf Club look forward to welcoming you all and if you have any questions, please call me at you convenience,"
Steve Crane
Secretary, Moray Golf Club

Lossiemouth

Tel: 01343 812018 Opt 2
Email: secretary@moraygolf.co.uk
www.moraygolf.co.uk

Home of Golf Supports War Wounded

Heroes at The Open with Charity Dinner

NEWS RELEASE
A spectacular dinner on the eve of the final round of The Open Championship at St Andrews will provide a major boost in support of British military personnel wounded in Iraq , Afghanistan and previous conflicts.
Celebrities from golf and the wider world of sport will gather for one of Scotland ’s biggest fund-raising nights of the year in support of Help for Heroes, the charity that is doing such splendid work for our wounded soldiers, sailors and airmen. .
The fund-raising dinner will be held in The R&A Marquee alongside the first fairway of the Old Course, St Andrews on Saturday, July 17, 2010, just before The Open Championship reaches its climax. The dinner has attracted worldwide interest and more than two-thirds of the 300 places available have already been filled.
The dinner will be one of the highlights of the week-long celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship. Among the star-studded guest-list will be five-times Open Champion, Peter Thomson, who won the second of his Open titles at St Andrews in 1955. He will join other celebrities who are lending their support to the Help for Heroes fundraiser.
The speakers will be comedian Ronnie Corbett and two high ranking officers who have had leading roles in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq , Major General Barney White-Spunner and Brigadier Tim Radford. They will explain the importance of the help being provided by Help the Heroes for our wounded servicemen returning home.
A mouth-watering range of “What Money Can’t Buy” auction items will come under the hammer of Edinburgh auctioneer Alexander Meddowes during the dinner.
Among the items being bid for will be a four-ball with Gary Player at the famous Leopard Creek in the Kruger National Park in South Africa with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group contributing three return flights to South Africa .
Two 2010 Dunhill Links Pro Am places worth around £8000 each will be up for auction.
A signed copy of the Past Champions photograph taken during Open Week will attract many bidders but the star item might well be the 13:40 time on the Old Course on Monday July 19, the day after The Open finishes when the winner of the bid will have the chance to play the Old Course from the championship tees just as it was on the final day of The Open.
A collection of other fantastic items including two tickets for finals day at Wimbledon, a package for two at Le Mans and a house for a week at Sotogrande in Spain will also come under the charity hammer.
Julian James, Fife co-ordinator for Help for Heroes and Chairman of the Dinner Committee, commented, “This promises to be a truly memorable evening and we are delighted by the support we have received so far. We still have a few tables available (£4000 for a table of 8) so I would urge anyone wishing to come to contact Tim MacDowel as soon as possible - http://uk.mc870.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Tim@cairniecottage.co.uk”
The Pipes of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will set the scene ahead of a glittering evening in the Home of Golf that will give much needed help and support to our wounded heroes returning home.
For full information about the work of H4H visit http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/
UK REGISTERED CHARITY 1120920

Parahandies and Darren McIver land the silver on

Inverness Fairways Target Leagues' Finals Night

By NEIL HAMPTON
Golf & Marketing Director
Loch Ness Golf Course, Fairways, Castle Heather, Inverness

Web: www.golflochness.com
The top teams lived up to their billing on Finals night and with benign conditions proved just how target golf can be played. With the lowest scoring of the four teams still shooting this was an exhibition that deserved a great score to win and the Parahandies delivered that with the first three-figure total for the season.
Their 103 saw them lift the Fairways Leisure Shield by a clear margin of 23 shots from runners up Orion. All teams put in their best performance of the season and can go into the golf season proper with some confidence.
FINAL TOTALS
Parahandies 103
Orion 80
King Kenyon’s Klan 76
Luckless Leadbetters 71

The Captains' Cup also proved a feast of scoring with every captain getting on the scoreboard – something quite unusual for individual target golf. Two players broke the 30 barrier and it was Darren Maciver of the Luckless Leadbetters who made up for their fourth place in the play-offs by putting his name on the Fairways Leisure Cup by the narrowest of margins – just one shot – from Robert Loudon of the Royal Swingers.

CAPTAINS' ROLL OF HONOUR
Darren MacIver (Luckless Leadbetters) 31
Robert Loudon (Royal Swingers) 30
Billy MacMillan (Parahandies) 28
Ross MacKay (Orion) 17
Kevin Dick (Fairways) 12
Neil Hampton (BM Trucks) 11
Greg Forsyth (King Kenyon’s Klan) 6
Malcolm Laing (Specialists) 5

Artificial aids: Scroll down to see what Bryan Fotheringham is on about

Has Bryan Fotheringham started the latest lively debate on www.scottishgolfview.com
Scroll down to read his E-mail and early responses from Paul Betty and Michael Buchan.
You can join in too by E-mailing your view to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Hugh Hunter's Clackmannan County News

Lawrence Allan (left) and Gary Chalmers. Picture by courtesy of Hugh Hunter.

GOOD PERFORMANCES FROM COUNTY BOYS

The two top Clackmannan county boy golfers….Lawrence Allan (Alva) and Gary Chalmers (Dollar) had a good week in West Kilbride at the Scottish Boys Golf Championship. In difficult golfing conditions at the start of the week, Gary won two matches before losing in Round 3; Lawrence went considerably further, winning 5 matches before losing at the quarter final stage--- the best performance in this event since Ross Benvie (Braehead) reached the semi-final several years back.
Gary was first off-- in round 1 his match against Jordan Milne (Elgin) was close for the first few holes before Gary forged ahead--- 3 up at the turn, he maintained the lead winning by 3/1 It was a different story in Round 2 when he lost a three hole lead in the closing holes and only took his match against Peter Sangster (Thurso) on the 19th with a par 4.
In the 3rd round against big hitting Angus Carrick, Gary took an early lead only to be pulled back, eventually losing on the 16th green.
Lawrence had a succession of close matches, all of them going to the last few holes, recording some fine wins, including the Scottish Schools Champion. In his quarter final match against Jamie Lynch (Falkirk Tryst), he found himself 2 down after a par, birdie eagle start. 4 down at the turn, he made a tremendous fight back with a sub par run. However there was too much to do and he lost on the 18th green.
It was a top class performance by the 15year old, and with two years left at boys level, he must feel that his confidence is increasing, and also that he can compete at a high level. He must be a strong contender for a Scottish team place in the years ahead, after these fine performances at the Under 16 level.
At present he is in Holland playing in a quadrangular match, returning at the end of the week to play in the second Junior tour event at Newmachar Golf club as part of the 30 strong field. He has been drawn with the new 2010 Scottish Boys Champion (Grant Forrest--- Craigielaw), and he must be looking forward to comparing his golfing skills with the best in Scotland.
Well done Lawrence from all the Wee County golfers! Both you and Gary are a credit to your clubs and Clackmannanshire, and your on course attitude and behaviour are great models for others.

CLACKMANNAN COUNTY GOLF DINNER
The Annual dinner postponed from march due to bad weather conditions was held last week at Tulliallan Golf Club and around sixty golf enthusiasts enjoyed and evening of witty stories, good food, and good company . County President Bill Abernethy (Braehead) presented the 2009 awards to Clubs and individual golfers. Ian Ross (Alloa) picked up the Harrower Trophy and Order of merit titles with Jamie Aitken picking up the Match Play title.

WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS
There was a new entry in the charts last week ---- but not the top twenty! Thanks to a fine performance by Jamie Aitken in the Champion of Champions, he gained ranking points making him the first Alloa golfer to appear in the World Amateur Golf rankings. OK it’s fairly well down at position 2905 out of around 4000 golfers throughout the world—still a fine achievement, and hopefully an incentive to try his golf at other ranking events.
Points last for 12 months so his name will feature, and his ranking will change on a weekly basis. Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay moved well up the rankings as an amateur and Scott Borrowman (Dollar) has featured for the past few years.

LAST CHANCE FOR COUNTY GOLF TEAM.
The County Golf Team have their last chance of winning the Provan Salver this weekend when they take on a Perth and Kinross team over Dollar golf course. Team Captain John Gullen set out the task” To win the event the team needs a good win which is highly possible but are also dependent on Fife (with no wins so far) beating Angus County—rather a long shot”. Selected for the County are Jamie Aitken, Ian Ross, and Scott Moffat (all Alloa); Darren Hulston, Gary Chalmers (both Dollar); John Maxwell, Steven Horne (both Tulliallan); Mike Rust (Braehead).

MIDLAND ALLIANCE
The Midland Alliance golf fixtures for 2009/2010 are drawing to a close with their Annual Championship fixture. The JTC Exteriors Express Championship was contested over the Montrose links in fine weather. The Wee County was well represented--- especially Alloa Golf Club with five entrants.
Best scores over 36 holes came from Gregor Abel (Professional at Alloa) who took the 4th equal scratch prize, and Hugh Hunter who took the second handicap aggregate with 144 two shots behind Gary Tough (Edzell). Gary was awarded the more valuable second scratch award, leaving Hugh the top handicap prize. The event was won by Kenny Hutton (Downfield) ( 65,69) who covered the inward nine in his first round in an amazing 29 shots
There are still two events to be completed having been postponed due to severe winter conditions.

NO JOY FOR CALLUM IN MADEIRA
Tulliallan’s Callum Macaulay could not repeat his fine performance of 2009 in the Madeira Open when he finished runner up. Over the par 72 7000 yard Porto Santo course, he recorded scores of 72, 68, 75 and 71 for an aggregate of 286 and a 44th placing. However he did have a memorable moment with a holed a 4 iron at the 220 yard 9th hole. He will be hoping for better luck in the forthcoming 2010 events on the Challenge Tour---- it certainly is a tough life on the professional golf circuit.