Scottish Golf has announced a number of
changes to its national championships following a comprehensive review, with
several to come into effect from the start of next season.
The governing body has engaged with
players, clubs and other stakeholders to help shape the changes, helping to
provide a better platform for the nation’s amateur golfers to perform on while
showcasing some of the country’s outstanding courses.
The most significant developments concerns
changes to the formats and timing of the major national match play
championships, while the Scottish Youths Championship will be removed from the
schedule, with the category no longer complimenting the national structure or
international amateur calendar.
In line with a number of other countries,
the Scottish Boys and Men’s Amateur Championships will change from straight
knock-out to 36-hole stroke play qualifying, with the leading 64 players (and
ties) reaching the match play stages. The Scottish Boys Championship also moves
from its traditional April slot into the school summer holidays, to be played
for the first time alongside the Scottish Girls Championship, running
concurrently on two neighbouring courses, with Scotscraig and Drumoig named as
the 2017 host venues. The boys’ field size will reduce to 180, with the girls
at 64.
The Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship
will be held at Royal Aberdeen (6 – 10 June) for the first time since former
Solheim Cup star Janice Moodie won the event there 25 years ago, while Royal
Troon’s Old Course will continue to host the prestigious Helen Holm Scottish
Women's Open Stroke Play Championship accompanied by the Troon Portland course.
Also in Ayrshire, Prestwick will be joined
by Prestwick St Cuthbert in hosting the stroke play qualifying for the Scottish
Men’s Amateur Championship (31 July – 5 Aug) and Western Gailes welcomes the
leading male amateurs for the Carrick Neill Scottish Stroke Play Championship
in early June.
Like their match play equivalents, the
Scottish Boys and Girls Stroke Play Championships will be played on the same
dates, moving to the Spring (Easter) holiday slot of 10 - 12 April next year,
with Monifieth welcoming the boys and Montrose staging the girls.
Eleanor Cannon, Chair of Scottish Golf,
said: “Following our review, it is important that we embrace the traditions and
history of the game, but equally vital that we look to the future and ensure
our championships remain relevant to participants.
“The Scottish Golf Board is acutely aware
on the increasing demands on people’s time, both the players and the parents of
competitors, which has an impact on a number of our events, while consideration
was given to why players compete in events, which is often different between
male and female competitors.
“We stage national championships not only
to give our players a great experience on courses which showcase their talents,
but also to profile our clubs. Scotland has a fantastic variety of courses and
we are hugely grateful to all member clubs who support our events, who can
hopefully benefit from the spotlight being on them for that particular week.”
“Our member clubs provide us with their
facilities free of charge to enable us to deliver quality championships, for
players at all levels, whether competing at the very top of the amateur game or
enjoying the experience of competing on the national stage for the first time.”
Details of dates and venues for the
various Area, County and Club team championships will be confirmed later in the
year, while Scottish Golf will also be announcing the schedule for its
portfolio of national handicap championships once discussions with host venues
and sponsors are concluded in the near future.
Online entries for national championships
will be available at scottishgolf.org/events in January.
Scottish Golf National Championships
Schedule 2017
DATE
|
VENUE
|
EVENT
|
1
- 2 April
|
TBC
|
Scottish
Junior Tour U18
|
10
- 12 April
|
Monifieth
Links
|
Scottish
Boys Open Stroke Play Championship
|
10
- 12 April
|
Montrose,
Medal
|
Scottish
Girls Open Stroke Play Championship
|
21
- 23 April
|
Royal
Troon & Troon Portland
|
Helen
Holm Scottish Women's Open Stroke Play Championship
|
13
- 14 May
|
TBC
|
Scottish
Junior Tour U16 & U14
|
2
- 4 June
|
Western
Gailes
|
Carrick
Neill Scottish Men's Open Stroke Play Championship
|
6
- 10 June
|
Royal
Aberdeen
|
Scottish
Women's Amateur Championship
|
21
- 23 June
|
Royal
Burgess
|
Scottish
Senior Men's Open Championship
|
28
June - 1 July
|
Blairgowrie
|
Scottish
Senior Women's Open Championship
|
30
June - 5 July
|
Scotscraig
& Drumoig
|
Scottish
Boys & Girls Championship
|
11
- 13 July
|
Fairmont
St Andrews, Kittocks
|
Scottish
Boys U16 Open Championship
|
17
- 18 July
|
TBC
|
Scottish
Girls U16 Open Championship
|
31
July - 5 Aug
|
Prestwick
& Prestwick St Cuthbert
|
Scottish
Men's Amateur Championship
|
13
- 14 Aug
|
Crail,
Balcomie Links
|
Loretto
School Scottish Boys & Girls U14 Championship
|