The 2010 golf season started in earnest for SALJGA on Sunday with a win against St Leonards School. The annual match took place on the Strathtyrum as a four ball better ball in cold but good conditions.  Although SALJGA ran out winners four to nil, all the games were close through the halfway stage. 

Iain Watson and Zak Bedford enjoyed an excellent game with Roberta Roeller and Blair Morrison, Iain and Zak winning 2 and 1 after both Roberta and Blair came to grief in the greenside bunker on the short 16th.  Ryan Fenton and Jonny Regan both played well to beat Stefano Perichini and David Niven 4 and 3 and Conor MacCallum and Ross Proudfoot proved too strong for Andrew Duck and Claudia Beasely, winning 6 and 4.  The tightest game involved Sophie Maguire and Rebecca Todd, representing SALJGA, and Kirsty Graham and Jemma Brown from St Leonards.  All four girls were hitting the ball well and the game was still alive on the final hole which Sophie and Rebecca won to record the final SALJGA point. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said ‘My thanks and congratulations go to all participants who played the match in a first class spirit.  I would also like to thank Liz Dunsmuir and Rosie Dawson for arranging the fixture and St Leonards School for the excellent ‘all day breakfast’ that we enjoyed following the match’.

Eight year old year old Tom Constance won first prize in the recent ‘Spot the Ball’ competition which featured in the Wee Divot newsletter. His prize was a brand new Callaway mini looper stand bag which will undoubtedly make him the envy of all his golfing friends and his sister Beth.

Tom is one of SALJGA’s promising young golfers currently benefiting from our volunteer coaching programme.

SALJGA would like to thank Callaway who generously sponsored this competition.

Ian Redford answered a last minute call to fill a place vacated by an amateur who injured his back after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Ian partnered Magnus Carlsson and played with Johan Edfors and fellow amateur Mats Andersson.  Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said "He did not look out of place in this auspicious company and was able to contribute hugely to his team score.  Ian’s dad caddied for him over the two rounds though I noticed that he was carrying Ian’s small bag and not his tour bag!" 

"Each year SALJGA members are held in reserve for such last minute call ups and it was very pleasing to get the call on Friday. Frazer Ogston was the last SALJGA participant playing in 2004.  We look forward to more requests for SALJGA players in the future and well done to Ian."

SALJGA won the second leg of the annual match against Scotscraig juniors which was played on the New Course on Sunday 20 September in fine weather. 

SALJGA held the initiative with a 2 ½ - 1 ½ lead after the away leg which was played in July.  However, they took nothing for granted and fielded a strong team to try and retain the trophy which they won last year after relinquishing it to Scotscraig for the previous 2 years. 

The SALJGA team was led by Iain Ronaldson who was partnered by Andrew Whyte; they enjoyed an excellent tussle with Cameron West and Andrew Clarkson, eventually losing by one hole.  Ruairidh Robertson and Alex Price beat David Ford and Vincent Clark 4 and 2 whilst Blair Morrison and Ewan Anderson secured the tie with a two hole win over Stuart Adamson and Daniel Robb.  Alasdair McDougall and Zak Bedford renewed their partnership and experienced a roller coaster ride similar to their first leg experience eventually gaining a half. 

After the golf all players enjoyed a meal in the Links Clubhouse before Scotscraig’s captain, Cameron West, presented the trophy to Iain Ronaldson.

“My thanks to all who participated, particularly to Ewan Anderson who made himself available at the last minute after a late call-off by Callum Graham who injured himself playing rough games of rugby” said Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator.

The SALJGA annual Junior Open and Prizegiving was held on Sunday 6 September at the Eden Clubhouse. 

Nine separate competitions were played on the Balgove, Strathtyrum and Eden courses all within the umbrella of the SALJGA Junior Open, with 73 competitors ensuring good competition across the entire spectrum of SALJGA membership

Mr Peter Forster, Chairman of St Andrews Links Trustees presented over 60 prizes for the 39 different competitions conducted throughout the season

In addition to tournaments, SALJGA has also played six matches primarily against local opposition but including a prestigious match against Wentworth Juniors.

The annual prize giving heralds another very successful year for SALJGA with over 300 members who live in the town of St Andrews or attend school in the town with an age range of 5-18.

The final Girl’s Medal was played on Sunday over the Strathtyrum course in weather that was not ideal but a lot better than forecast. There were excellent rounds from many of the girl’s with Rebecca Todd, Kirsty Graham and Eilidh Baird all playing to their handicap. This will have been very pleasing for Eilidh as this competition was the first outing of her ‘brand new’ handicap. Jemma Brown and Lauren Whyte both posted impressive scores that will interest the handicapping committee and both won a pink prize.

Murray Watson won the final Challenge Tour title of the regular season with a single shot win over Cameron Joy after two rounds on the Eden last week. 

The 36 hole Room Medal provided the competitors with contrasting conditions during the two rounds.  The first 18 holes in the morning were played in almost ideal conditions whereas the afternoon round was affected by numerous showers with accompanying gusty winds which tested everyone’s shot making abilities.  Murray’s nett 67 in the first round was too much for Cammy to overhaul though his nett 68 over the second eighteen made light of the testing conditions and brought him within a shot of the lead; moreover, he  was one of only three players who scored better in the afternoon.  Another player who improved his score over the two rounds was Ewan Scott, the recently crowned English under 14 strokeplay champion, who won the lowest gross with a 73 followed by a 71. 

Nick Randerson said, "Congratulations to Murray on his first win on the Challenge Tour and to Ewan for his tremendous achievement in bringing the Reid Trophy to the ‘Home of Golf’."

14/08/2009
Alan and Chloe are Mini Tour Strokeplay Champions 2009

Alan Whitelock and Chloe Goadby won the Mini Tour Strokeplay competitions which were played on 19 July.

The Mini Tour Strokeplay Championship is a handicap competition played over two rounds, one on the Strathtyrum and the second round on the Eden. 

In the boys event Alan Whitelock beat Jonny Regan into second place with an impressive net 124. 

The first round witnessed some excellent scoring with six players equalling or beating the CSS and Alan and Jonny tied on a nett 60, five shots under the CSS. 

In the second round Alan and Jonny maintained their consistency and Ryan Fenton entered the mix with an notable score six shots below the CSS.  Alan held on to win by three shots from Jonny with noteworthy scores also recorded by Fraser Hayles, Ryan Fenton, Ross Proudfoot and Iain Cuthbertson. 

In the girls event Chloe Goadby proved strong over the two rounds, winning by nine shots from Sophie Maguire with Alexandra Tait shooting two consistent rounds to finish third. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, commented, "This competition had the strongest field I have seen in any SALJGA event other than the Junior Open.  It was very pleasing to see a total of 25 players starting the first round of which six were girls.  Congratulations to everyone who took part".

Alan Whitelock (above) and Chloe Goadby (below) on the first tee of of the Strathtyrum.

14/08/2009
Ben Kinsley triumphs over four rounds in the Challenge Tour Strokeplay Scratch Competition

Ben Kinsley won the Challenge Tour Strokeplay Championship which was played over four different courses, with the final round on 24 July.

Ben proved the most consistent over the four rounds shooting the lowest gross in the first and third rounds though he was pushed all the way by Andrew Whyte, who finished second and Cameron Joy who was third. 

The second round was played in particularly bad conditions but all the boys and girls finished their rounds and Andrew’s gross 80 was "truly remarkable" said Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator. 

Ben started the final round five shots ahead of Andrew, Cameron and Iain Watson.  Iain was unable to challenge the leader but Cameron and Andrew both made real charges and were both within a shot of the lead at one point.  Andrew was two under par after nine holes and playing magnificently.  Cameron put a ball out of bounds on the sixteenth to end his challenge but Andrew was in pushing for a play off position until his second on the eighteenth went over the fence behind the green and Ben’s excellent iron play saw him through. 

"This was a tremendous competition that was still in the balance right up until the final hole end and gave the players the opportunity to play the Old Course off the medal tees.  It was played in an commendable spirit by all competitors and I congratulate them all for their high standard of golf in some dreadful weather" said Nick.

14/08/2009
Jonny Regan and Matthew McAnaw Win Mini Tour Pairs

Jonny Regan and Matthew McAnaw won their first trophies of the season when they won the Mini-Tour Pairs competition which was played over the Strathtyrum on Wednesday 22nd July. 

Nine pairs turned out for stableford competition which witnessed some excellent scoring.  Last year’s winners Alan Whitelock and Rory Henretty defended their title with a creditable 40 points.  

Alasdair McDougall, playing in his final Mini-Tour event before graduating full-time to the Challenge Tour, and Ewan Anderson thought they had done enough to secure the title with an excellent 44 points.  However, Jonny and Matthew destroyed the field with an outstanding 48 points; they played the inward nine in one over par gross, both of them playing out of their skins. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, commented, "Congratulations to all the competitors but no-one could touch Jonny and Matthew on the day and they ran out worthy winners."

Ross Proudfoot won the Mini Tour 1 Kirkcaldy Trophy played on the Eden Course on 17 July. 

The competition, which is named after erstwhile SALJGA Manager, Paul Kirkcaldy, was played in very blustery conditions and Ross’ net score of 69 was one ahead of Ryan Fenton who finished in second place.  To post these scores in such conditions was very impressive and is likely to be rewarded with a handicap reduction.

Christopher Fleming won the boys’ M2 Ronaldson Trophy with a net 61 from Sam Rigg on the Strathtyrum on 15 July.  The girls’ title was won by Mikayla Head who claimed her first title in her first event.   

The weather on the day was generally fine with a slight breeze and the odd shower passing through. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, commented, “All the competitors enjoyed the game and I encourage all players with handicaps above 25 to enter these mini tour 2 events.  It was very pleasing to see the girls’ trophy boasting more competitors than the boys and with three SALJGA members playing for handicap and I look forward to having even larger fields in the future.”

Ewan Scott played two excellent rounds last 14 July  to win the 36 hole Sommerville Medal and also achieved the lowest gross prize with a 66 on the Eden in the morning and a 70 on a breezy Jubilee in the afternoon. 

Andrew Whyte shot a very impressive 71 on the Jubilee and was second equal to Ewan in the Sommerville Medal with Alasdair McDougall who also scored a net 134. 

Both rounds count independently towards the 2009 Order of Merit which is now led by Ewan Scott who pushes Cameron Joy into second place with Ian Redford currently in third place.

SALJGA took a strong team to Wentworth on 11 July for the annual match against Wentworth juniors but were unable to return with the trophy. 

The match was played as a 4-ball better ball scratch competition on the Edinburgh Course. 

SALJGA was represented by Callum Graham, Ewan Scott, Rachel Hanlon, Ian Redford, Cameron Joy, Iain Watson and Alan Tulleth and was captained by James White.  James and Callum took an early lead in their tie and were 2 up after 4 holes but were unable to maintain this standard and lost on the fifteenth hole.  Rachel and Ewan fought hard but were always behind and lost on the sixteenth.  Ian and Cameron had an excellent tussle against their opponents and were very disappointed to lose on the final hole.  Iain and Alan found the tree-lined course difficult to navigate and were unable to prolong their tie beyond the fourteenth hole. 

The Wentworth team boasted two players who represent England and a boy who plays off scratch. The advantage that was gained by the home side in playing a course that is completely different to the links courses of St Andrews, proved a huge hurdle that could not be surmounted with a single practice round. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said, “Although SALJGA lost the match everybody enjoyed the weekend and it also provided an excellent insight into the standard of play necessary to beat these talented players from south of the border and the techniques required to play a tree-lined parkland course.  We look forward to the return at St Andrews next year.”

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The Boys’ Mini tour Matchplay competition reached its conclusion on Thursday and went to the final hole on the Eden when Zak Bedford clinched the title from Sean Cowan. 

Zak achieved a par but Sean was forced to play a second ball after a wayward drive.  Zak had benefited from a bye in the first round and reached the final after close wins against Sean’s brother Ryan in the quarters and Scott Goadby in the semi final.  Sean had battled through from the very first round and had beaten Sam Rigg, Ally McDougall and Ewan Anderson to reach the final which was played on a blustery day last week.  Both boys struggled to cope with the wind but Zak was proving a little steadier and after the fourteenth he was 3 up with 4 to play.  Sean then staged an outstanding fight back and won the next 3 holes to stand on the eighteenth tee all square.  Unfortunately, his drive was taken by the wind into the gorse on the right of the fairway and after five minutes searching he had to play his second ball and so couldn’t challenge Zak’s par. 

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said, “I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part, the turn out was excellent and Zak Bedford proved a worthy winner.”

Katie Dobell has won the Girls' Mini tour Matchplay title for the second year running.

As only two girls, Katie Dobell and Chloe Goadby, entered,  it was decided to play the competition over 36 holes on consecutive days to determine the winner.

After 18 holes on the Eden on Wednesday 08th July there was nothing to chose between the girls with the match being all square as they stood on the first tee of the second round, the following day.  The second round was a different story and Katie proved too strong for Chloe over the second 18 and ran out the winner on the thirteenth hole. 

Although the turn out for this competition was disappointing, both girls enjoyed the opportunity to compete in Matchplay over 36 holes and by retaining the trophy, Katie is proving unbeatable at Matchplay.

Friday 3 July witnessed the away leg of the annual two legged match against Scotscraig Juniors for the impressive Robertson-Philp Trophy.

Early in the match SALJGA was up in only one match and was down heavily in the other three but a sterling fight back by all concerned culminated in SALJGA holding a 2½ to 1½ lead at the half way stage of this fixture. 

SALJGA Captain, Iain Ronaldson, paired with Callum Graham, fought back from 3 down to earn a vital half.  Andrew Whyte and Murray Watson were solid throughout and claimed victory in their tie by 4 and 2.  Ruairidh Robertson and Rory Henretty battled gamely but went down 3 and 2, giving 12 shots proving too big a hurdle to climb.  Ally McDougall and Zak Bedford enjoyed a roller coaster ride in their tie.  After enjoying a 3 hole lead they slumped to being 3 down but battled back to win on the last hole. 

The match was played in excellent spirit by both teams and SALJGA were hosted extremely well by Scotscraig. Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said, “We are all looking forward to the return leg which will be played on the Jubilee course in September.”

09/07/2009
SALJGA Volunteer Coaching wraps up with Texas Scramble

The ten week SALJGA coaching sessions finished last week with a Texas Scramble for everyone involved in the volunteer coaching on Monday and Tuesday nights. 

This year witnessed an improvement in all the children involved and they enjoyed the final session of three holes of golf played as a Texas Scramble on the Balgove.  This gave these budding golfers an opportunity to put into practice the lessons learnt over the preceding weeks.

46 volunteer coaches were involved in providing the coaching sessions, providing an excellent service to all the SALJGA members.

Participants were presented with a certificate acknowledging completion of the course of instruction conducted at the Home of Golf.   

Nick Randerson, Junior Golf Co-ordinator, said, “I hope all SALJGA members keep playing on the Balgove over the summer and take advantage of the free balls available to them everyday at the GPC.”

Thirteen girls enjoyed a social game of golf with friends on the Strathtyrum on Sunday 28 June when they played the final Texas Scramble of the season. 

The game on Sunday was played over nine holes and some impressive scores were posted which suggests that more of the girls should be striving for handicaps and playing in the Mini tour. 

All participants received a Balgove ball marker and some ‘thank you’ balls for their efforts. The format has proved extremely popular and will be repeated next season.

Ian Redford won the Challenge Tour Matchplay final on 26 June. The match was very popular with a full field competing in the scratch event which rewards the finalists with a round on the Old Course. 

The competition was thrown wide open when in the second round last year’s winner, James White, was beaten by Cammy Joy who after a thrilling win over Alan Tulleth in the semi final joined Ian Redford in the final.  After overcoming Iain Watson in the quarter final, Ian Redford enjoyed an excellent win over Ewan Scott in the semi and arrived at the final looking confident. 

The final was played on a cool evening more reminiscent of autumn than summer with a nasty north easterly wind.  However, both players made light of the conditions and played some superb golf, at the turn Ian had dropped only one shot and was 1 up.  Over the back nine Ian forged ahead as he remained extremely solid throughout and Cammy couldn’t get any ‘joy’ on the greens.  Both players put on a tremendous match which was a pleasure to watch.

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The finalists: Ian Redford and Cammy Joy

SALJGA entered a team in the Rotary Club of St Andrews Junior Foursomes this year and were represented by Blair Morrison, Scott Goadby, Ryan Cowan and Jon Price.  Jonny Regan was the fifth member of the squad.  

SALJGA had a bye in the first round and then faced Scotscraig A in the quarter final.  Although Scotscraig were an older team, the SALJGA boys played extremely well and engineered a win on the final hole of the second pairing. 

In the semi-final SALJGA came up against the eventual winners, the St Andrews Club, and although they fought  hard and played some outstanding golf, they were eventually beaten in a tight finish. 

12/06/2009
Ewan Scott triumphs in the McGregor Trophy

Ewan Scott won the McGregor Trophy which was played on the Jubilee course on 9 May in beautiful conditions. 

Ewan was out in even par and achieved an eagle on the eleventh but 3 dropped shots on the last 3 holes prevented him recording an even better score.  However, his nett 71 was sufficient to win by 2 shots from Cameron Joy who featured strongly for the third competition in a row and remains top of the Order of Merit standings. 

Ian Redford was the height of consistency with 37 out and back to record an equal lowest gross with Ewan.  Ian captured the lowest gross prize and maximum order of merit points due to his better back nine. 

Ally McDougall who is on the cusp of eligibility for the Challenge Tour proved his ability by winning the M1 McArthur Salver, which was played on the Eden course in excellent conditions on Sunday afternoon. 

The competition was played as a stableford event and Ally won by a single point from Jonny Regan with Michael Clark a further point back.  There was a healthy field for the event with 14 participants.

Chloe Goadby is monopolising the girls’ Mini-tour 2 so far this season by winning the girls’ McArthur Salver which will sit proudly alongside the Flanagan Trophy she won last month. 

08/06/2009
Fraser Donaldson wins Tait Salver

Fraser Donaldson is monopolising the Mini-tour 2 competitions this season with his second win of the year, the Tait Salver which was played on the strathtyrum on 2 June. 

The Tait Salver stands alongside the Kelly Trophy that Fraser won last month after an excellent round that saw him accumulate an impressive 47 points.

Sam Rigg finished runner-up with 45 points after a very steady round.

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The second ‘social’ SALJGA girls’ competition was conducted on the Strathtyrum course on 31 May in glorious sunshine. 

Three teams played nine holes scoring a pink ball that alternated between the players. 

All the girls enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the golf course and all were presented with an article of jewellery and some juice after the event.  The consensus of all present was to play a Texas Scramble for the next girls’ fixture on 28 June.

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08/06/2009
Blair Morrison is ‘King of the Castle’

The SALJGA Challenge Tour made its first visit to The Castle Course on 31 May for the McMillan Trophy. 

Blair Morrison, in his first year on the Challenge Tour, carded the best nett score to win by 1 shot from Iain Ronaldson who had an excellent back nine but couldn’t quite catch the leader.  

Cammie Joy had the best gross score to collect maximum points in the order of merit competition and Matt Bones who ended in third place was heading for outright victory until he took a nine on the final hole. 

All participants enjoyed the experience of playing our newest course and I anticipate it becoming a regular fixture on the Challenge Tour.

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The six week Fundamental coaching programme concluded this week with two groups playing a texas scramble on the Balgove Course on Monday and Tuesday.

A total of 23 five and six year old children graduated from the programme with the help of head coach Rosie Dawson volunteer coach Claire Whyte. 

All the children received a certificate of achievement and a sleeve of balls to encourage their continued participation in golf.  Moreover, their membership cards will entitle them to 50 free balls a day at St Andrews Links Golf Practice Centre, within nominated times, to ensure that they keep practicing and return next year at an even higher standard.

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Above and below: SALJGA kids were awarded certificates for completing the Fundamental level of coaching

19/05/2009
Newcomer wins boys' M1 Flanagan Trophy and Chloe Goadby captures the girls’ title

Sean Cowan, who joined SALJGA for the first time this year, won the opening boys Mini Tour 1 event of the season, the Flanagan Trophy played over the Strathtyrum on Sunday. Sean won by two shots over Fraser Hayles and three shots over Murray Watson.

Chloe Goadby played a steady round to win by two shots from sister Lauren in the girls’ event and thereby gain bragging rights in the Goadby household. In the boys’ event Sean was competing against brother Ryan, also playing in his first SALJGA competition, and will no doubt be enjoying his own bragging rights at home. 

The boys’ event had a healthy field of 14 players but the number of girls competing was disappointing. Hopefully more girls will have found their golf clubs for the Mini-tour events next month.

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SALJGA coaching has started for 2009 with Fundamental, Volunteer and Professional programmes underway. 

The backbone of SALJGA is the volunteer coaching which is conducted on the Balgove on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Over one hundred children benefiting will receive coaching delivered by over 40 volunteer coaches operating andPGA qualified coaches.  The programme runs until the end of June and provides a solid foundation for children aged between 6 and 11 who are new to the game of golf and concentrates upon enjoyment as well as improvement.

The Mini-tour 2 started on Sunday with the Kelly Trophy played on the Strathryrum.

Emma Bowman was the only girl playing who was eligible for the competition and it was therefore decided to run the tournament as a mixed event.  Emma was thereby awarded 4 shots on her handicap by virtue of the 4 stroke difference of the CSS in line with CONGU regulations. 

Emma played a commendably steady round in difficult conditions and won the overall competition by 2 shots. 

The Frasers Donaldson and Fraser Brown, battled it out for the boys’ prize between them and posted identical gross and nett scores with Fraser Donaldson sneaking the trophy after count back. 

Included in the field were a number of participants playing for a handicap which bodes well for this level of competition in the future.

Congratulations to all the competitors for the excellent standard of golf in such trying conditions.

Emma Bowman was the only girl in the field.
Fraser Donaldson on the first tee of the Strathtyrum.

The Wilson Trophy marked the start of the regular SALJGA competition season on Sunday and it was very pleasing to see a full field undaunted by the blustery conditions in the New Course. 

Ben Kinsley posted an impressive gross 79 and nett 71 to claim the first of the season’s trophies by 2 shots.

Lauren Whyte, in her first season on the Challenge Tour, was second with a nett 73 along with Cammie Joy who was heading for an outstanding round after going out in 36.  However, Cammie was eventually beaten down by the wind and his triple bogey on the 17th put paid to his chances. 

Ewan Scott also posted an impressive gross 79 and claimed the lowest gross prize on count back.  This competition also marks the start of the 2009 Order of Merit which reflects the gross scores of all qualifying rounds and means Ben and Ewan are making the early running. 

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An avowed aim of SALJGA for this year is to increase the number of girls playing golf on 18 hole courses.  Last Sunday witnessed the first of the SALJGA girls’ Medals, the Hot Chocolate and Lip Gloss Competition, which was conducted as a Texas Scramble with the girls forming teams of four. 

The event proved very popular with 16 girls taking part - the highest number of SALJGA girls to play on a course at one time. 

Whyte’s Warriors, McDougall’s Flowers, Pretty in Pink and the Metal Heads all shot excellent scores as well as enjoying the social atmosphere and the hot chocolate that was provided at the end of the round. 

After applying a complex system to account for the different handicaps the result was a four way tie so all the girls received a prize of some lip gloss.    

Due to the popularity of the event SALJGA will organise a similar competition in the near future.

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29/03/2009
Renwick Trophy and Balgove Tournament provide SALJGA with a Super Sunday

Two competitions were conducted on Sunday to get the SALJGA tournament season off and running in grand style. 

The Renwick Trophy was open to all members selected for the winter coaching sessions and marked the final week of these lessons.  All the players had an opportunity to put into practice the techniques learned over the winter in a Strokeplay tournament over the New Course in fine but breezy conditions.  Ryan Fenton won with a net 70 and Cammie Joy produced a very creditable net 71 as runner-up.

The March Balgove Tournament was an opportunity to introduce competition scoring to our younger members and proved very popular with 21 entrants playing 9 holes on the Balgove.  The tournament was sub-divided into boys and girls from both the volunteer and professional coaching programmes.  Everybody appeared to enjoy the experience and there was some excellent golf played.  Although not primarily competitive, the performances of Tom and Beth Constance of the volunteer coaching and Scott Goadby and Eilidh Baird of the professional coaching were worthy of mention and a SALJGA knitted hat.

A SALJGA team comprising 12 of our younger members, primarily without handicaps, participated in a friendly match against Cupar GC Juniors on the Balgove on Sunday morning in very blustery conditions. 

Everybody played off scratch but handicaps were applied as necessary to keep all the matches close. 

The intent was to start swinging early in the season and to wet everyone’s appetite for the upcoming golf season once the distractions of football, hockey and rugby have finished. 

SALJGA was represented by Sophie Maguire, Kirsty Graham, Luke Wiseman, Scott Reid, Jack Wookey, Nicholas Head, Aimee Rigg, Emma Graham, Keith Bowman, Cain Cronin, Charlotte Downie and Mikayla Head. 

Everyone played very well athough the shot of the day undoubtedly belongs to Aimee Rigg who chipped in on the last for a 2 and to tie her match. 

SALJGA are looking forward to the return match in Cupar in September.

SALJGA played the first match of the season on Sunday when they faced a strong team from St Leonards in balmy conditions over the Strathtyrum. 

The SALJGA team was Ian Redford, Iain Watson, Matt Bones, Ben Kinsley, Cameron Joy, Alan Whitelock and Fraser Hayles and was ably led by captain for the day, David Ford.  The St Leonards team had an international flavour with Christoph Zimmerman, Konstantin Nelleson, Tim Michel, Till Eckert, Blair Morrison, Falk Luebbe, Alasdair McDougall and Conor Maccallum. 

The golf was of an extremely high standard, particularly considering the conditions, and although SALJGA won the match 3 ½ to ½ it was hard fought and the result was in the balance right up until the final few holes.  Congratulations to all the boys who played.

20/02/2009
2009 HSBC Wee Wonders

Entry is now open for the 2009 Wee Wonders competition which will take place on 1 September 2009. 

The competition is open to all golfers between the ages of five and 12 years old.  A regional qualifier will be hosted at Elie Golf Club on 17 May 2009 and the finals which are divided into seven age groups will be played on the Balgove in August. 

SALJGA members have enjoyed success in this tournament in previous years and have qualified for the world finals which are played at Pinehurst in the USA. 

For more information go to HSBC Wee Wonders or email nick.randerson@standrews.co.uk.

Olivia Starks won a junior set of Callaway golf clubs plus a golf bag after guessing the correct answer in the spot the ball competition that featured in the recent Wee Divot. 

Callaway golf generously offered a custom fit driver or a full set of junior clubs to the lucky winner and Olivia opted for the set of clubs. 

Olivia was presented with her prize on Tuesday night at the Golf Practice Centre and wasted no time in trying out the clubs.  After hitting a few balls in the practice bay she admitted it was the best she had a hit a golf ball all year!

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