COPIES AVAILABLE (£10 + £2 POSTAGE) FROM TAIN GOLF CLUB

TAIN - Tony Watson's golfing history of 

people, places and past times

                            

Written by former Tain Golf Club Captain, Tony Watson (pictured) to celebrate in 2015 the 125^th year of the modern club, this book looks at the very early days of the game, both nationally and locally. 

Particular attention has been made in identifying the positioning of the original Old Tom Morris designed course although his additional researches show that local golf considerably pre-dated the present course.

 Find out how a photograph of a young lady, named Ruby, playing golf on the course in 1894, unlocked the mystery. 

A further combination of old maps and course descriptions, together with modern GPS mapping systems, has enabled him to establish that the original course was indeed very much different to what had been previously assumed and these researches have contradicted all other previous publications about the early Morris course.

 In other chapters the author describes the early problems associated with playing golf on poor courses with indifferent equipment, the development of tourism in  Victorian society, the impact of the military and naval exercises on club membership and potted family histories of some of some of the “early movers and shakers” associated with the club.

Copies are initially available at £10 from Tain Golf Club (plus £2 package and postage) with all sale proceeds donated to the club.
Magi Vass (tel 01862 892314) is the secretary of Tain GC and the postal address is:
 Chapel Road, Tain, IV19 1JE
The golf club's E-mail address is:
 info@tain-golfclub.co.uk

A DOZEN SCOTS PROS BOUND FOR ALGARVE NEXT WEEK

NOW THE PAUL LAWRIE ALGARVE

INVITATIONAL NEXT WEEK

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
You could call it the Paul Lawrie Invitational Mark 2, to be played over 36 holes on Portugal's southern Algarve coastline next week.
Paul  and his foundation have invited a party of around 12 Scottish professionals, most of whom, but not all, play out of the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, to join him swinging in the sunshine ... and it will be a free trip for the players.
But it will be serious business on the golf course. "I aim to win it," says philanthropist Paul, adding:
"We'll be based in Faro for a couple of days and play a two-round event among ourselves before coming home at the end of the week.
"This is the time of year in Scotland when the weather restricts golfers to hitting balls and little else so the fact that we can take the younjg pros to enjoy some warm weather training and play competitive golf in good conditions in a huge bonus.
"I'll be on hand to offer some advice to the group while we are away. If it helps any of them, it will be a worthwhile exercise."
Former Scottish PGA secretary Michael MacDougall, now manager of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, is doing the organising of the trip.
"I am awaiting confirmation from a couple of the guys but it's  looking like it’ll be Paul, Craig Lawrie, Kris Nicol, Philip McLean, Greg McBain, Greig Hutcheon, Scott Henderson, Sam Kiloh, Alistair Forsyth plus a few of the other, young pros who play on the EuroPro Tour – 12 pros in total," said Michael.
"The idea is for the guys to get a bit of competitive golf and practice off turf during the winter weather here and for them to get the benefit of Paul’s, Alistair’s, Greig’s and Scott’s experiences too.
"We’ll have one practice round and a 36-hole event at a venue close to Faro – Pestana Vila Sol but it has 27 holes so not sure yet of which combination of nines we’ll use until I get there."

MIDLAND ALLIANCE REPORT, LEADING SCORES

BROWN AND BROOKES TIE AT 

STRATHMORE WITH 68s

Montrose Links assistant professional Graeme Brown maintained his recent run of good form in Midland Golfers' Alliance competitions by tieing with Pitreavie professional Paul Brookes for  the top scratch prize in today's competition, sponsored by Tayside Cash Registers, at Strathmore Golf Centre.

Both shot four-under-par 68s at the Alyth, Perthshire venue. 
Brown was an outright winner at Crail last week and, on November 18 (Balbirnie Park) and November 11 (Leven Links), he finished second.

Tony Lumsden, who plays off eight at  Monifieth, won the handicap prize at Strathmore with a net 68. 

Tony also helped the Monifieth team of Steve Blady (4), Steve Hills (6) and Colin Browne (3) to win the team competition with a net score of 58.

LEADING SCRATCH

Par 72

68 G. Brown (Montrose) ap, P Brookes (Pitreavie) p.

69 A Ferguson (Dunfermline)

71 R Tinker (Piper Dam) ap.

72 S Birrell (Lundin), R Walker (Lundin) p.

74 A Martin (The Duke's) ap, J Watt (Edzell), G Tough (Edzell)

75 R McLean (Dunnikier Park), M MacKenzie (Edzell) ap, T Lumsden (Monifieth), C Armstrong (Burntisland) ap,W Hutton (Pitlochry)

LEADING HANDICAP

67 T Lumsden (Monifieth) (8).

68 A Ferguson (Dunfermline) (1).

69 R McLean (Dunfermline) (6).

70 J Irwin (Muckhart) (8), I Cooke (Monifieth) (14), S Birrell (Lundin) (2).

71 I Butchart (Strathmore) (5), G Crichton (St Andrews) (8).

72 D Herd (Scotscraig) (12), M Quinn (Tulliallan) (9), A Paton (Royal Montrose) (6).

LEADING TEAM SCORES

58 T Lumsden (Monifieth) (8), S Blady (Monifieth) (4), S Hills (Monifieth) (6), C Browne (Monifieth) (3).

59 G Crighton (St Andrews) (8), A Mason (Thornton) (9), R Tinker 

(Piper Dam) ap,T Watson (Blairgowrie) (13).

60 (better last 6) A Martin (The Duke's) ap, S Mitchell (St Andrews New) (12), N Wilson (Ladybank) (8), R McLean (Dunfermline) (6).

 Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchens Alliance Championship

 T. Lumsden (Monifieth), R McLean (Dunnikier Park), J Irwin (Muckhart)

Qualifier for the McQueen Shield

 T Lumsden (Monifieth)

Next Meeting 

Thursday, December 11

Charleton Golf Course 

Tee reserved: 8.45am-12.00

 

  Lee Sutherland

GEORGE YOUNG FIGHTING APATHY TOWARDS ANNUAL MEE3TING

                               George Young, North-east District SGU secretary.

N.E. DISTRICT'S FREE GOLF AND LUNCH

BID TO BOOST NUMBERS AT A G M

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

In an effort to boost the number of club representatives at Sunday's North-east District of the Scottish Golf Union annual meeting at Deeside Golf Club, those attending will have the chance to play nine holes of golf, free of charge, at the Bieldside course on Sunday morning and have a soup and sandwiches lunch - also on the house - before the AGM.

Will it make any difference?

"I think it has generated slightly more interest but nothing really significant. I have sent out a reminder to the clubs still to respond and that may generate a few more before the end of the week. Maybe wishful thinking !," said George Young, the North-east District secretary.

"Last year was the lowest attendance we have ever had for a district annual meeting. We had to get some members from elsewhere in the Newmachar clubhouse to make up the quorum of 20."

ends

UPDATED N.E. ALLIANCE TEE TIMES
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3
BUCKPOOL GOLF CLUB

Last fixture of 2014

08.00
G Esson (McDonald Ellon)
C Cassie (Nigg Bay)
P Morrison (Oldmeldrum)
One place available
08.08
R Stewart (Newburgh)
K Duncan (Cruden Bay)
M Patterson (Cruden Bay)
R Masson (Auchmill) 
08.16 
Four places available
08.24
K Zeynalov (Paul Lawrie GC)
S Kiloh (Paul Lawrie GC)
P McKenna (Paul Lawrie GC)
T Dingwall (Kemnay)
08.32
Four places available
08.40
H Roulston (Stonehaven)
M Rendall (Stonehaven)
L Roger (Royal Aberdeen)
S Dillon (Kemnay)
08.48
Four places available
08.56
R Brown (Kemnay)
S Davidson (Northern)
A Benton (Kemnay)
One place available
09.04
D Mackay (hazlehead)
B Robson (Newmachar)
B Ritchie (Newmachar)
One place available 
09.12
K McGillivary (Craibstone)
L Duncan (Craibstone)
H McNaughton (Cruden Bay)
One place available
09.20
G Craig (Aboyne)
J Duff (Newmachar)
D Lawrie (Aboyne)
M Smith (Newmachar) 
09.28
P Lawrie (Carnegie Club)
C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC)
M MacDougall (Paul Lawrie GC)
G Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie GC)
09.36
K Nicol (Paul Lawrie GC)
P McLean (Paul Lawrie GC)
R O'Donnell (Oldmeldrum)
R McConnachie (Peterculter)
09.44
B Fyfe (Paul Lawrie GC)
D Craigie (Peterculter)
C Grant (Portlethen)
S Lawrie (Portlethen)
09.52
J Scott (Peterculter)
B Skene (Peterculter)
R Buchan (Kemnay)
N Chisholm (Kemnay)
10.00
B Lumsden (Northern)
G McDonald (Craibstone)
T Robertson (Peterculter)
D Wright (Northern)
10.08
J Hopwood (Royal Aberdeen)
C Adam
M Forster (Cruden Bay)
D Fleming (Portlethen)
10.16
J Duncan (Newburgh)
G Milne (Newburgh)
D Nelson (Aboyne)
A Graham (Aboyne)
10.24
W Skene (Deeside)
D Lane (Deeside)
A Clark (Newmachar)
R Duncan (Deeside)
10.32
Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge)
Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne)
Laura Murray (Paul Lawrie GC)
P Walker (Cruden Bay) 
10.40
L Vannet (Craibstone)
L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen)
A Gall (Deeside)
One place available
10.48 
D Leslie (Northern)
G Homer (Northern)
W Shaw (Banchory)
One place available
10.56
G Mackie (Caledonian)
R Davidson (Caledonian)
M Winton (Caledonian)
D McDougall (Nigg Bay) 
11.04
D Bisset (Banchory)
F Bisset (Banchory)
J Murray (Banchory)
One place available
11.12
S Finnie (Caledonian)
J Borthwick (Craibstone)
D McKay (Caledonian)
M Booth (Kemnay)
11.20
I Grant (Kemnay)
J Jessiman (Oldmeldrum)
P Low (Craibstone)
One place available
11.28 
J Nicolson (Hazlehead)
B Nicolson (Hazlehead)
S Mackie (Hazlehead)
One place available

+If the "wrong" home club is listed after a player's name,
they should E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com with the 
correction.
+Players with no clubs listed after their names should also
E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com with the information to be
inserted