Ross and Sutherland Seniors Golf Society season gets under way
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Ross and Sutherland Seniors Golf Society
The Society’s year started on April 15 when seventy-six members played a stableford round of golf on the Royal Dornoch Struie course and competed for the Millennium Cup. The day was punctuated with light showers, cold winds and sunshine which made for an interesting but nevertheless an enjoyable day.
The results were as follows:
Category 1 — 1 Graham Clark (Muir of Ord); 2 James Gordon (Tarba) BIH; 3 M Galloway (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).
Category 2 — 1 S Smith (Tain); 2 Michael MacKay (Muir of Ord); 3 Andrew Taylor (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).
Category 3 — 1 Alick Polson (Muir of Ord); 2 J Macleod (Bonar Bridge / Ardgay); 3 Riff Clarke (Muir of Ord).
The overall winner and winner of the Millennium Cup 2015 is Alick Polson.
The next society outing will be to Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club on Wednesday, April 29 when it will be captains day. Further details can be obtained on the society website.
Invergordon Golf Club
LEADING by four shots going into the second round of the KGB Electrical Trophy Steven Buchan completed the job with a round of 70 giving a total of 142. The winning margin was extended to six shots over David McCormack.
Consolation for McCormack came in the handicap section with a total of 140 winning by three shots over Round 1 leader D J M Fraser.
The final results of the winter competitions saw the Winter League won by Leigh Simpson with a total of 258 with Donald Fraser runner up on 263.
Ally Mackenzie was rewarded for producing most cards winning the Eclectic scratch and handicap titles with scores of 51 and 49 respectively.
Runner-up in the scratch was Alan Gilmour (53) with Angus Campbell (50.5) second in the handicap.
Late entries are still available for the open Texas Scramble on Sunday, April 26. To book tee times call 01349 852715.
Alness Golf Club
CLUB member Ally Rose achieved a Hole in One at the 177 yard, par 3, 8th hole during the second round of the Macrae Cup. Using a hybrid club, his playing partner was Lewis McCloy.
Results
Gents
Stapleford Round 1 — 1 Lewis McCloy (10) 39 points; 2 Craig Taylor (3) 36.
Stapleford Round 2 — 1 Ralph Mercer (19) 41; 2 Malcolm Docherty (18) 35.
April Medal — 1 Craig Taylor (3) 66; 2 Ian Kennedy (18) 67.
Tain Golf Club
OLD Tom’s Course Competition — "a great day and great fun", "fantastic to have the chance to play this course" and "must do it again sometime" were among the comments received after the club held a competition around the original 1890 Old Tom Morris designed links on Saturday, April 18.
The weather was sunny and over 60 members and guests took the chance to play in this one-off competition which kicks of the year long celebrations for the 125th anniversary of Tain Golf Club.
It was great to see a few familiar faces make a special effort to return to the club and also those who helped to add to the atmosphere by dressing like they would have in 1890.
Everyone got a chance to try out the hickory clubs at the 16th and the nearest the pin was won by Iain Cowper who won a DVD specially donated by Old Tom himself.
Special thanks must go to our club vice-president, Tony Watson for providing the hickories and also manning the 16th tee for the entire afternoon. Without his help and enthusiasm this competition would never have been possible and the same goes to our course manager (Iain MacLeod) for preparing the course and Graham Oliver who helped with the design of the maps.
After everyone had completed their rounds Old Tom Morris himself (David Joy, golf historian from St Andrews) made an appearance and treated all to an entertaining and sometimes sad account of both Old and Young Tom’s lives and golfing talents. He was accompanied by his caddy Bob Martin and their act was enjoyed immensely by young and old alike.
Old Tom then presented the prizewinners with their 125th anniversary commemorative glassware and did a photo shoot around the club.
What with delicious food prepared by Gary (G’s restaurant) and drink to cater for everyone’s tastes served by Richard and his team, it really was a day not to have missed!
Results of the competition are as follows:
Gents — 1 A Martin (15) 37; 2 R Clark (8) 34 better last hole; 3 G Toal (6) 34 better last 3 holes; 4 Graeme Ross (5) 34 better last 3 holes.
Ladies — 1 M Vass (6) 26 better inward half; 2 J Bannerman (13) 26.
Juniors — 1 Calum MacDougall (19) 33 better inward half; 2 D Jack (15) 33.
Martyn Ross, Tain had a hole in one on Sunday, April 19 at Tain Golf Club at the 16th hole from the yellow tees with a pitching wedge, he was playing with Claire Ross and Graeme Ross.
Other results
Junior Stableford (CSS 70) — 1 C Gunn (32) 37; 2 C Hughes (12) 36.
Muir of Ord
Margaret Marshall
1st Round (CSS 70) — W Spencer (22) 75; Y Martin (26) 76.
2nd Rd (CSS 70) — W Spencer (22) 65; F Graham (24) 71.
Midweek Strokeplay (CSS 68) — P Brindle (8) 66; S Johnson (2) 67; M Sanderson (10) 68; K Cooper (14) 68.
Extra Medal (CSS 68) — D Campbell (10) 62; J Allen (13) 63; D Turner (18) 63; B Roberts (12) 63; S Johnson (0) 64.
The club are holding an 18-hole open on Sunday, April 25 – times available from the club.
Miller Quaich at Golspie
Hosting golf club, Golspie, romped to a thirty-five point win while last year’s winners, Tain Golf Club fell back to third place in the quadrangular inter-club competition for the Miller Quaich at Golspie last Sunday.
It was only the second time Golspie Golf Club has won the Quaich competition that was instituted in 1999 to recognise the remarkable winning records of Brora’s Jim Miller at the golf courses of Brora, Golspie, Tain and Royal Dornoch over the past forty years.
The Golspie team of eight men and four women playing individual stableford made full use of home advantage to record what is thought to be a record score total of 340 points, their average of ten counting scores from their team of twelve, 34 points, topped by a card of 37 points from their team captain, William MacBeath, and three more 36 point cards from assistant greenkeeper Craig MacKay, Tim Featherstone and Alastair Bell. Completing the Golspie team were – Stuart Richardson, Ross Urquhart, Colin Sutherland, Jamie Innes, Noelle MacKay, Caroline Logie, Lesley Cranna and Pat Till.
Royal Dornoch were a distant second with 305 points, their two best individual cards both 34 points from Colin MacKay and Ian McAulay. Holders and most time winners Tain Golf Club’s best efforts were 33 points from Steve Martin and 32 points from Jackie Neil. Brora languished in fourth place on 285 points when only three of their team returning cards of thirty points or above, Ken Lorimer, June Lawson and Robin Wilson.
Black Isle Foursomes Report
As holders and leading scratch qualifiers Alan Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) and Inverness playing partner Ewan Forbes went through to the recent final of the Munro and Noble Black Isle Foursomes at Fortrose and Rosemarkie but were foiled in their bid for a record equalling sixth title by the all local partnership of Chris Gaittens and Michael MacDonald.
The Saturday qualifying conditions were not as punishing as twelve months ago although by the second round the scores were rising. Cameron and Forbes shared the opening round leader board with the Inverness pairing of Muir of Ord Secretary John Forbes and Davis Sanderson after cards of 72 to which Cameron and Forbes added a 76 for 148. Forbes and Sanderson struggled through the first nine holes of their second round taking 46 punishing blows to look like going out of the event. They rallied to an amazing inward nine of 36 for 82 and found themselves in second place.
Gaittens and MacDonald shot 74 and 81 for third place followed into fourth place by a third all local couple, Lewis Reid and Peter Cameron who lost to the holders in the semi-final while second qualifiers Forbes and Sanderson were well beaten by Gaittens and MacDonald.
After thirteen holes the holders took a two hole command of the final before the next five holes provided an exciting climax. Gaittens and MacDonald went onto a three hole birdie spree from the 14th to 16th green only to lose their one hole lead at the 17th to put the pressure onto the first shots to the closing par three hole.
Forbes had the honour but found the bunker to the right then watched MacDonald have the advantage by finding the front of the green. Cameron’s bunker recover left little chance of a half and when Gaitten’s approach putt rolled up to 18 inches MacDonald holed out for three and a one hole win. The pairing had won twice previously in 2011 and 2012
Three of the handicap section qualifying couples came from the home club and in the final the local duo of Robbie Williamson and Derick Newbigging won the trophy for the first time after defeating Steven Sawers (Cawder) and Richard Shepherd (Turnberry) by the score of 4 & 3. Williamson and Newbigging arrived in the final after ousting locals Kevin Fowler and Philip Schnier on the last green. In the other semi-final Sawers and Shepherd defeated their club mates David Lackie and Ian Morrison.
Ross-shire golfers on duty elsewhere
Fortrose’s Alan Cameron who dominated the local scene at the start of last season tested his golf elsewhere this month and last weekend took part in a Scottish Order of Merit tour for the Battle Trophy over Crail Golfing Society’s Craigend Links in Fife.
It was over this course last September that his club secretary, Mike MacDonald and club match convenor, Mike Jack, triumphed in the National Belhaven Best Captains and Secretaries championship final. But in a field that he does not too often come up against, Cameron the Fortrose club champion, finished well outside his regular top five position after rounds of 75, 70, 77 and 76 for 298 and 19 shots behind the winner, Daniel Young (Craiggiehill Golf Club), 71 71 70 and 67.
But there was a much better show from the three north women playing for Scotland in the senior match against an Irish team at Dunbar in East Lothian. Tain’s Mary Smith and Anne Ryan gave Scotland their only point in the first day of foursomes play with a 3 and 2 win. Royal Dornoch’s Northern Counties champion Alison Bartlett playing in the second foursomes match went under by one hole when partnering Lorna McKinlay. Then in the second day of singles play Ryan produced one of Scotland’s four points with an individual 2 and 1 win over Ireland’s Carol Wickham in a four way share of the singles which gave Ireland an overall 7-5 result to retain the Mary McKenna Salver.
