2012 TREATS: Scottish Ladies at Tain, Scottish Men at Royal Dornoch

By ROBIN WILSON
Golfers of Ross-shire and Sutherland are in for treats in 2012 when their three outstanding links courses situated at Brora, Tain and Royal Dornoch all host championship events.
First to arrive in May are the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association  with their Women's (close) Championship event which will be played during the third week of May 2012, Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th at Tain Golf Club.
It is the first time this championship has come to the Old Tom Morris-designed links but not a first visit from the SLGA. In 2005 the Scottish Girls championship was played at Tain but it arrived just one or two years too early for Tain's rising stars of that year, sisters Sammy and Julie Vass, but 2012 may give both of them the opportunity to emulate the club's heroine of 23 years ago, Lindsey Anderson, who reached the final of the Scottish women's championship at Lossiemouth in 1989.
In the same May week but starting a day later, May 16th to 18th, the men's Senior Northern Counties Championship returns to the James Braid links of Brora where the host club will be hoping to repeat their winning form of 2006.
The men's Scottish Golf Union return to Royal Dornoch for a third time and from July 31 to August 4 the cream of Scotland's amateur golfers will do battle over the world-renowned links.
Royal Dornoch previously hosted this championship in 1993, when the winner was Dean Robertson (Cochrane Castle), then in 2000 Steven O'Hara (Colville Park) triumphed.
The return of the Scottish men's championship to Dornoch has as it did twelve years ago causes some disruption to established local fixtures. To avoid a clash Tain Golf Club have held over their highlight four-day tournament until the week commencing Monday August 6th and the Carnegie Shield at Dornoch will not start until Sunday 19th August ending on Saturday August 25th.
Ignoring the clash with the Scottish Amateur, Brora Golf Club have stuck to their traditional end of July/August week to play their five-day premier event for the Clynelish Salver.
It will commence on Monday July 30th and end on Friday, August. Brora will end the championship visits on Friday September 7th 2012 with the North District Senior championship for the Macallan Trophy.

Billy Bell takes centre position after winning the Brora New Year competition. Left to right- back row -Gerd Gauche, Kerstin Gauche, Shaun Ashe, Alan McHoul. Front – Robin Wilson, Pat Ashe, Anne Clarke, Billy Bell, Jane McHoul, Katrina Tulloch



Brora's New Year's Day fireworks display to herald in 2012 was once again a spectacular success at the harbour. On Monday 22 members of Brora Golf Club began the fund-raising efforts for 2012 when they donated the entry fees from their January 2 golf competition.
Beating the stiff and cold wind with a very good effort of 33 Stableford points to get first pick of the donated prizes was the club's vice president, Billy Bell and he was followed to the table to pick a prize by second placed Robin Wilson who had 29 points.
Also with 29 points was Edinburgh-based Alan McHoul and then a trio with 28 points, Roddie Cameron, Andy Stewart and Shaun Ashe. The first lady player to visit the table was Jane McHoul with 27 points followed by Oxford's Anne Clarke (19pts), Katrina Tulloch (Edinburgh) (18pts) , and Pat Ashe (14pts).
Any winners who were not present at the prizegiving forfeited their prize which meant there were sufficient wines and chocolates left over to give to the Greenkeeper (James MacBeath) and his helper Alister Dunn who voluntary went out early in the morning to get the course ready for the competition.