ALL THE LATEST NEWS ON AMATEUR GOLF IN AYRSHIRE

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

NEW TEAM TAKE OVER AT THE PRESTWICK GOLF DRIVING RANGE

Some of you may know that the Prestwick Golf Driving Range has had a change of personnel over the last few weeks.

Ryan Crane, who was formerly assistant professional to Frank Rennie at Prestwick Golf Club prior to Frank's retirement earlier this year, is now running the main shop and driving range at the complex, after the departure this month of Malcolm Allan.

Frank's son, Graeme Rennie, another "weel kent" face at the professional shop at Prestwick over the years, has also moved to work alongside Ryan at the driving range complex, along with some of the established staff, including teaching professional Alan Gilmour.

I visited the range last week, for the first time in a while, and the improvements already established by Ryan and the team were clear to see. The range mats have all been replaced by a very much improved version, along with new range balls, baskets and very much improved distance and target markers on the range itself (only thing that didn't show an improvement was my golf and ability to aim at the new markers ---but that's another story !!).

There are undoubtedly further improvements in the pipeline, but the changes already made make a visit to the range and the shop well worthwhile, and even if the the golf's not that great, you could always enjoy a cup of tea and a scone in the coffee shop, which has also had a change in management over the last few months, and makes a welcome addition to the facilities.

Wishing Ryan, Graeme and their staff every success in their new venture.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

As the golf clubs get (temporarily) packed away in favour of Christmas Shopping, there isn't much happening on the news front at the moment.

I would take this opportunity to wish all visitors a Happy Christmas (I hope you all get that new bit of golf equipment you were hoping for) and a happy and succesful golfing new year in 2005.

Thanks to all those that have visited the site over the last few months. Please spread the word amongst your golfing circle, and encourage others to log on.

If anyone has any news items out there, or information about Ayrshire Golf they would like to share, please e mail me on aj-malcolm@fsmail.net with details and I will try to include it. Pictures would also be welcomed. Local press have picked up a number of articles from the site and so it may provide an avenue for you to get your own golfing news circulated.

Keep logging on for all the latest amateur golf news in Ayrshire.



Monday, December 13, 2004

League Vice Chairman Robin Baker (Troon Welbeck) Posted by Hello
Ricky Magee (Caprington) Posted by Hello
Douglas Aitken (Caprington) Posted by Hello
Assistant Secretary Alastair Graham Posted by Hello
League Secretary Alasdair Malcolm Posted by Hello

AYRSHIRE JUNIOR GOLF LEAGUE - Annual General Meeting - Caprington take Chairmans position

14 of the 19 member clubs were represented at the 37th Annual General Meeting of The Ayrshire Junior Golf League which was held at Prestwick St. Cuthbert Golf Club last week.

The Secretary reported a healthy financial position during the Treasurers report and consequently there was no proposal to raise the subscription, the club contributions remaining the same as in 2004.

There were no new applications for membership this year, and no resignations to date.

The Secretary also reported on a very succesful Annual Dinner which attracted 125 participants.
A number of letters of appreciation had been received, including those from Richard Cole-Hamilton, Captain of the R & A, S.G.U. President Hugh Hunter and David Reynolds of the National Playing Fields Association.

The outgoing Chairman, Gordon Cunningham (Largs) expressed his thanks to the Secretary, Assistant Secretary and club representatives for their contribution to what was a very enjoyable year for him as a league official.

The Chairman then Proposed that the Vice Chairman, Douglas Aitken (Caprington) be elected to the chair. On accepting the nomination on behalf of Caprington, Douglas Aitken advised that, due to his impending move abroad, he had arranged for the Ayrshire Golf Association Vice President, Ricky Magee, to take on the post after his departure. This arrangement was met with approval by the membership.

On taking the chair, Douglas Aitken proposed that Troon Welbeck be elected to the Vice Chairmans position. Ayrshire Golf Association Past President, Robin Baker, accepted the position to represent Troon Welbeck as Vice Chairman of The League.

Secretary Alasdair Malcolm (Prestwick St. Cuthbert) and Assistant Secretary Alastair Graham (Prestwick St. Cuthbert) were both re-elected for a 16th season.

The meeting concluded with a coaching report and duscussions on a number of minor matters.

AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOCIATION - Annual Dinner tickets on sale

Tickets are now on sale for the 2005 Ayrshire Golf Association Annual Dinner & Presentation Of Trophies.

A popular event in the county golfing calendar, the 2005 dinner will again be held at IRVINE RAVENSPARK Golf Club on FRIDAY 25th FEBRUARY 2005 at 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m..

Speakers for the evening include the popular, well known and very entertaining local after dinner speaker, Jim "Buller" Reid, and Douglas Mill, the Secretary and Chief Executive of The Law Society Of Scotland who, appart from being an enthusiastic golfer is also a very amusing and sought after speaker on the after dinner circuit throughout the country and beyond.

During the evening the winners of county events throughout the 2004 season will be honoured, and presented with their awards. These include the Strokeplay and Matchplay Champions, The Champion Of Champions Trophy winner, the Fourball winners and the Doc Thom Salver winner.

Tickets, priced at £15 each. are available through member clubs, or direct from the Ayrshire Golf Association Secretary, R.L. Crawford, 81 Connel Crescent, Mauchline, KA5 5AU (tel. 01290-551434)

Saturday, December 04, 2004

WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUES - Youths edged into second spot

Ayrshire were eventually confirmed as runners up in this seasons West Of Scotland Inter County Youth League when Lanarkshire's postponed fixture was played on 20th November at Hamilton, with a 6 - 4 win over Dumbartonshire giving Lanarkshire the title.

The final league placings were:
(County/P/W/D/L/F/A/Dif/Pts)

LANARKSHIRE /5/4/0/1/26.5/23.5/+3/8
AYRSHIRE /5/3/1/1/30/20/+10/7
RENFREWSHIRE /5/2/2/1/27.5/22.5/+5/6
STIRLINGSHIRE /5/3/0/2/25/25/0/6
GLASGOW /5/1/0/4/21.5/28.5/-7/2
DUMBARTONSHIRE /5/0/1/4/19.5/30.5/-11/1


Wednesday, December 01, 2004

THE AYRSHIRE JUNIOR GOLF LEAGUE - Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of The Ayrshire Junior Golf League will be held at Prestwick St. Cuthbert Golf Club on Monday 6th December 2004 at 7.30 p.m.. Representatives of all member clubs have been notified and provided with the A.G.M. agenda.

Monday, November 22, 2004

WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUES - Deciding match postponed again

The deciding match in the West Of Scotland Inter County youth league, between Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire has been postponed again. The match is now scheduled to take place on Saturday 27th November at Hamilton Golf Club.

Monday, November 15, 2004

WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUES - Deciding match in youth league postponed

The deciding match in this seasons Inter County youth league, due to be played between Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire on Saturday (13th November) has been postponed and will now take place on Saturday 20th November at Lanark Golf Club.

Sunday, November 14, 2004

AYRSHIRE LADIES COUNTY GOLF ASSOCIATION - Alison Gemmill elected an Honorary Member

At the Annual General Meeting of the Ayrshire Ladies County Golf Association, held at Kilmarnock Barassie on Tuesday 9th November, former Scottish Internationalist Alison Gemmill of the Kilmarnock Barassie Club was elected an Honorary Member of the Association, in recognition of her services to golf, both within the county and on a national level.

Alison first enjoyed national recognition in 1979 with a win in the Scottish Ladies Junior Open Strokeplay Championship.

A regular in the Scottish international teams throughout the 1980's Alison won the Scottish Ladies Championship on two occasions, beating Wilma Aitken in the 1981final at Stranraer by 2 & 1 and regaining the title in 1985 with a 2 & 1 win over Donna Thomson when the Championship was played at Kilmarnock (Barassie). In addition to her two successes, Alison also took the runners up spot in 1984 when Gillian Stewart beat her by 3 & 2 at Royal Dornoch.

Alison also enjoyed unprecidented success in the Ayrshire Ladies County Championship throughout the 1980's and 1990's, winning the title on numerous occasions.

In recent years, Alison has again "answered the call", serving as an official for Scottish International teams at various levels and at a variety of events, and it is for her contribution over the years both in Ayrshire and in Scotland that The Ayrshire Ladies County Golf Association have afforded Alison this well deserved honour.

WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUES - Ayrshire finish on a high with victory at Stirling

The Ayrshire A Team finished on a winning note in this seasons West Of Scotland Inter County Leagues with victory in their rearranged match on, Saturday 13th November, against Stirlingshire at Stirling.

Despite a heavy defeat for Tommy Loy in the opening tie, Kilmarnock Barassie's two boys internationalists, David Addison and Robert McKnight hit back in the following ties to put Ayrshire in front, a lead which was further extended with a victory from Steven Spence.

Despite David Glass being defeated in the 5th tie, the Barassie duo of Stewart Macaulay and Alan Dickie ensured at least a draw for Ayrshire, with wins which took the match score to 5 - 2.

The quest for the half point required for victory was hindered by defeats for David Orchison and Steven McEwan, leaving the match score at 5-4 with one match remaining on course.

In the final match, Alastair Leggate of Kilmarnock Barassie had made great efforts to help out the side, being contacted only an hour and a half before the match was due to start, after one of the team was detained elsewhere and had to call off, but Alastair's dedication was well rewarded, his 4 & 3 victory giving the team the all important point required for a 6 - 4 victory.

MATCH RESULTS (Ayrshire Names First)

TOMMY LOY (Ballochmyle) lost to B. Genese (Stirling) 6 & 5
DAVID ADDISON (Barassie) beat S. McLaughlin (Falkirk Tryst) 4 & 3
ROBERT McKNIGHT (Barassie) beat D. Buchanan (Falkirk Tryst) 5 & 3
STEVEN SPENCE (Irvine) beat G. Barrie (Callander) 3 & 1
DAVID GLASS (St. Cuthbert) lost to S. Aitken (Falkirk Tryst) 3 & 2
STEWART MACAULAY (Barassie) beat G. McIntyre (Dunblane) 1 hole
ALAN DICKIE (Barassie) beat C. Mundie (Carmuirs) 3 & 2
DAVID ORCHISON (Welbeck) lost to S. Fergusson (Falkirk Tryst) 6 & 5
STEVEN McEWAN (Barassie) lost to L. Blair (Grangemouth) 3 & 1
ALASTAIR LEGGATE (Barassie) beat J. Donaldson (Brucefields) 4 & 3

STIRLINGSHIRE 4 AYRSHIRE 6


Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Captain Of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club Of St. Andrews - Mr. Richard Cole-Hamilton Posted by Hello

AYRSHIRE JUNIOR GOLF LEAGUE - R & A Captain joins a full house at the Annual Dinner

For the first time in the 36 year history of the Ayrshire Junior Golf League, the members welcomed the Captain of The Royal And Ancient Golf Club Of St. Andrews as a guest at their Annual Dinner and Presentation Of Trophies, which was held at Irvine Ravenspark Golf Club on Monday 8th November.

Richard Cole-Hamilton, the recently appointed Captain of the R & A headed a guest list which included Scottish Golf Union President Hugh Hunter, Ayrshire Golf Association President Ian Guthrie, David Reynolds of the National Playing Fields Association, Club Captains Eugene O'Donoghue of Prestwick and Milton Murray of Irvine Ravenspark, Past Captain John McK. Gibson of Prestwick St. Cuthbert, Vice Captain Andrew Gray of Kilmarnock Barassie, coaching professionals Graham Ross (West Kilbride) and Richard Gordon (Ayr Belleisle) and all 8 surviving Honorary Members of The League, Sam Coulter (Maybole), Bill Tinsley (Ardeer), Charlie McGregor (Irvine Ravenspark), Alastair Graham and Alasdair Malcolm (both Prestwick St. Cuthbert) and Bob Grassom, Iain Harvey and Russell Cameron (all Ayr Belleisle).

Also present were Andy Clift (Wilsons Sports) and Ian Walker (Ping) who generously sponsored the prizes for the Order Of Merit event which ran throughout the season.

Gordon Cunningham (Largs G.C.), the League Chairman hosted the evening, which attracted a capacity audience of over 100 young golfers, junior convenors and club officials.

After an excellent meal and a lengthy raffle, which attracted a large number of prizes and good support from those who attended the dinner, the evening concluded with the presentation of the trophies and awars for the season.

As has been the tradition since 1990, the presentations began with David Reynolds of The National Playing Fields Association presenting the Macrobert Thistle Junior Golfer Of The Year Trophy. This years winner, who follows a long line of "weel kent" names in Ayrshire golf, was Steven McEwan of Kilmarnock Barassie. Given the award as much for his attitude and demeanour on and off the course, as well as his performance locally and nationally, Steven had an excellent golfing year which included a number of open competition wins, success in A.J.G.L. events and representative honours at county levels. His season culminated in his selection to represent Scotland at boys level in the Boys Home Internationals.

Before presenting the remaining prizes, R & A Captain, Mr. Cole-Hamilton addressed the company, relating some stories from his boyhood golf where he began playing at the Ravenspark course before joining Irvine Bogside where the great Hammy McInally made an early impression on the young Cole-Hamilton with his kindness and willingness to pass on some tips to the next generation.

Mr. Cole-Hamilton then presented the awards to the principal prizewinners for the season, who were:

Macrobert Thistle Junior Golfer Of The Year - STEVEN McEWAN
Matt Lygate Trophy - KILMARNOCK (BARASSIE) G.C.
Andrew D. Nimmo Trophy - ARDEER G.C.
Prestwick Circuits Trophy - STEVEN McEWAN (Kil. Barassie)
Carrick Trophy - FERGUS CUNNINGHAM (Ardeer)
Silver Jubilee Trophy - AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOC.
Ayrshire Boys Championship - IAIN MENZIES (Largs)
Ayrshire Boys Matchplay Champion - JAMIE MURCHIE (Lamlash)
Junior Order Of Merit - 5th equal - SANDY WILSON (West Kilbride)
Junior Order Of Merit - 5th equal - IAIN MENZIES (Largs)
Junior Order Of Merit - 5th equal - NICKY SINCLAIR (Kil. Barassie)
Junior Order Of Merit - 4th - STUART ROBIN (Prestwick St. Nicholas)
Junior Order Of Merit - 3rd - MICHAEL STEWART (Troon Welbeck)
Junior Order Of Merit - 2nd - ROBERT HUTTON (Brunston Castle)
Junior Order Of Merit Trophy - STEVEN McEWAN (Kil. Barassie)
Wallace Thornton Trophy - KILMARNOCK (BARASSIE) G.C.
Under 16 Knockout Trophy - WEST KILBRIDE G.C.
Champion of Champions Runner Up - JAMIE MACKAY (St. Meddans)
Champion Of Champions Trophy - CAMERON GRAY (West Kilbride)
AJGL Championship - Semi Finalist - BEITH G.C.
AJGL Championship - Semi Finalist - LARGS ROUTENBURN G.C.
AJGL Championship - Runners Up - KILMARNOCK (BARASSIE) G.C.
AJGL Championship - League Champions - ARDEER G.C.

The 36th Annual Dinner concluded with a vote of thanks, proposed by A.J.G.L. Vice Chairman Douglas Aitken (Caprington).


2004 League Championship Runners up - Kilmarnock Barassie Posted by Hello
Ian Walker & Ian Guthrie of The Ayrshire Golf Association with the Silver Jubilee Trophy Posted by Hello
2004 Top Table Guests Posted by Hello
Order Of Merit - 5th equal - Nicky Sinclair (Kilmarnock Barassie) Posted by Hello
Wallace Thornton Trophy winners - Kilmarnock Barassie Posted by Hello
Ayrshire Boys Matchplay Champion - Jamie Murchie (Lamlash G.C.) Posted by Hello
2004 beaten semi finalists - Largs Routenburn Posted by Hello
David Addison of Kilmarnock Barassie receives the Matt Lygate Trophy Posted by Hello
Prestwick Circuits Trophy winner - Steven McEwan Posted by Hello
Champion Of Champions Trophy Winner - Cameron Gray (West Kilbride) Posted by Hello
Ayrshire Boys Champion (and 5th equal in the Order Of Merit) - Iain Menzies (Largs) Posted by Hello
Order Of Merit - 5th equal - Sandy Wilson (West Kilbride) Posted by Hello
2004 League Champions - Ardeer Posted by Hello
Honorary Members Alasdair Malcolm (Prestwick St. Cuthbert), Bob Grassom (Ayr Belleisle), Bill Timsley (Ardeer and Sam Coulter (Maybole) Posted by Hello
Honorary Members Charlie McGregor (Irvine Ravenspark), Iain Harvey (Ayr Belleisle), Russell Cameron (Ayr Belleisle) and Alastair Graham (Prestwick St. Cuthbert) Posted by Hello
Champion Of Champions runner up - Jamie Mackay (Troon St. Meddans) Posted by Hello
Order Of merit - 4th place - Stuart Robin (Prestwick St. Nicholas) Posted by Hello
Order Of Merit Trophy winner - Steven McEwan (Kilmarnock Barassie) Posted by Hello
Under 16 Knockout Trophy winners - West Kilbride Posted by Hello