North Alliance finale feels last bite of winter
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SUMMER time was still a week away when the final fixture of the North Golf Alliance season was played at Brora last Sunday in what’s hoped was a final bite of winter.
Snow flurries were intermittent in the cold north wind and the low entry was marked by only one player breaking eighty. Local Robert MacDonald, who also led the scratch returns last November at the Golspie fixture, fought his way to the turn in 42 blows, eight of them at the third hole, but with the cold wind assisting on the back nine he had a courageous inward nine holes of 37 for 79.
MacDonald was followed onto the scratch leader board by Caithness’s Dougie Thorburn 81, Alex Gunn (Tain) 82, and his Tain club mate Steve Holmes 83. There were no cards returned at Brora from any of the three contenders for the scratch aggregate Quaich, John Forbes (Muir of Ord) remained on 275, Munro Ferries (Tain) 282 and Darren Hexley (Golspie) 283 so after being pipped for the Quaich last season by Dougie Thorburn Forbes won the scratch Quaich for the first time.
Approaching the final fixture four members were still in close contention for the handicap aggregate MacKintosh Salver – Stanley Ross (Thurso) 277, Andrew Watt (Tain) 278 plus scratch winner Forbes and Golspie’s Hexley who both had nett totals of 279. Ross’s nett 72 at Brora made no improvement to his already posted total of 277 and as Watt was not in the field the Thurso member became a first time winner of the Salver by the narrow margin of a one stroke.
Tain six handicapper Alex Gunn headed the low handicap section returns at Brora with nett 76 followed by his club mate Holmes whose gross 83 reduced to 78 and in third place was local Ken Colorimeter, one of the early starters who endured the worst of the weather, but he plodded on to a nett 80, of 8.
Salver winner Ross who plays from ten handicap was amongst the scratch leaders with gross 82 and his nett 72 was without doubt one of the two outstanding scores of the day. He won his high handicap section by three from his club mate Eva Sutherland who shared a nett 75, off 28 with Glister McGowan (Furness), handicap 11.
With only two clubs, Durness and Tain providing the requisite numbers of players able to post four scores in the team competition Durness with the help of McGown’s 75, Ali Morrison’s 77 John Morrison’s 80 and Martin MacKay’s 83 for a total of 315 regained the Alliance Shield after an absence of six years from the Durness clubhouse.
Brora Results
Scratch — R MacDonald (Brora) 79; D Thorburn (Thurso/Tain) 81; A Gunn (Tain), S Ross (Thurso) 82; S Holmes (Tain) 83.
Handicap Class 1 — A Gunn (Tain) (6) 76; S Holmes (Tain) (5) 78; K Lorimer (Brora) (8) 80.
Class 2 — S Ross (Thurso) (10) 72; E Sutherland (Thurso), A McGowan (Durness) (11) 75.
Team Trophy — Durness 315. Tain 318
ALLAN Cameron of Fortrose and Rosemarkie ended his appearances on the North Scottish Golfers Alliance circuit with two late winning scores at Torvean (67) and Muir of Ord (67) which pulled him up to fifth place in the aggregate scores rankings but still 17 shots behind the winner Bryan Fotheringham (Inverness)
The Alliance Championship was played at Elgin Golf Club last Saturday where Fotheringham lost his two year tenure as champion to local player Jordan Milne. Fotheringham finished with a 72, three shots behind the new champion.
Cameron scored 70 at Elgin where his club mate and North District champion Willie Donnelly won the JMC Gourlay Salver as the leading senior handicap scorer with a nett 69 off 4.
THE golfing season get under way in earnest this weekend when the Brora and Golspie Golf clubs work in tandem to host two 18 hole open events, Golspie on Saturday and Brora on Sunday with the weekend sponsored by Kincraig Fabrics of Brora and Dornoch.
The events are open to both ladies and gentlemen golfers and starting times are available to book with each club. The entry fee at Golspie is £12 for members of each club and £15 non members. At Brora the fees are the same. In addition to daily prizes at each venue there will be 36 hole winners over the weekend and if entering for both days the fees are £20 for members of Brora and Golspie and £25 non members.
The Golspie Inn and the Royal Marine Hotel Brora are offering discounted rates for competitors from afar who wish to stay overnight. Depending of the success of the weekend the two clubs involved are hoping to make this an annual event.
Tain Golf Club begin the Ross-shire season of open events this weekend with their Gent’s Spring Open over 18 holes on Sunday. Tee times can be booked with the Tain secretary but there are also several reserved tee times for players who decide on the day to turn up and play.
Strathpeffer Spa Golf Club
Ladies Mail on Sunday — Strathpeffer 4, Alness 1.
Kerry MacLean Strathpeffer had a hole in one at the 113yard 5th hole with a 9 iron. Her playing partners were Liz Bannerman and Kate Bartlett.
Tain Golf Club
George Tennent had a hole in one at the 139 yard 16th hole using a 6 iron. He was playing with I H Ross and I Paterson.
