Squally scenes at Brora as golfers battle the elements
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STORMY weather welcomed forty-four members of the North Golf Alliance who began the second half of their season at Brora last Sunday and so bad was it for the early local members who teed off at 8.30am they all returned to the clubhouse after just four holes.
Conditions got a little better when the morning sun made sporadic appearances between the squally showers and out of the original forty-four 23 members completed all 18 holes to return cards. Muir of Ord’s John Forbes made his début in the North Alliance at the Tain fixture last November and took a second place. On his second outing at Brora he carded two halves of 37 for a very worthy 74 and first place.
Forbes’s birdie two at the 13th hole repaired some the damage of a double bogey six at the first of the inward holes when playing into the stiff wind but with the with the help of the wind at the par five 8th hole he also made a birdie.
Only three players broke eighty, second placed Billy Ferries (Tain) with the help of a miraculous inward 36 and local Robert MacDonald. The local’s card of 40&38 reduced to a nett of 72 to win the Class 1 section by three from John Hunter (Wick) nett 75, off six.
The Durness familiarisation with the conditions was again beneficial to their members and the top two in Class 2 section were Donnie Hossack, using all of his 16 handicap allowance, to post a nett 74 and with the same nett score club mate Davie Ross, off 14, dropping into second place on a count back. Tain’s Ali Melville broke a one, two, three Durness finish by virtue of a better inward score over fourth placed Ali Morrison, the apprentice green keeper at Brora.
On Sunday the twice postponed Reay fixture will hopefully be played, and followed next weekend by Invergordon.
Results
Scratch — 74 J Forbes (Muir of Ord); 77 B Ferries (Tain); 78 R N MacDonald (Brora); 81 J Hunter (Wick); 84 D Hexley (Muir of Ord).
Handicap Class 1 — R N MacDonald (Brora) (6) 72; B Ferries (Tain) (2), J Hunter (Wick) (6), J Forbes (Muir of Ord) (+1) 75.
Handicap Class 2 — D Hossack (Durness) (16) 74, D Ross (Durness) (14) 74; A Melville (Tain) (13), A Morrison (Durness) (8) 75; P Valentine (Thurso) (10), J Mackenzie (Durness) (17) 77.
North Scottish Golfers Alliance
ALAN Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), on a family holiday in Florida, was the only one of the scratch contenders missing from last weekend’s resumption of the North Scottish Golf Alliance fixtures at Spey Bay.
However the Fortrose champion did not lose any ground on the pacemakers as the top four scratch scores came from out with the leaders. A one under par 69 was the winning score from Elgin’s Neil MacWilliam followed by Nairn Dunbar assistant professional Tom Dingwall and MacWilliam’s club mate David Hector, both 71.
Ken Williamson (Fortrose) with nett 69, off six, got a second place in the one to seven handicap group and with the same result in the next section (8-14) in came club mate Willie J Donnelly also with nett 69, but off eight. Williamson grossed 75 in preparation for the fixture due at Fortrose on Saturday, February 16, before the return to Moray tomorrow to play the fixture postponed on December 1.
