AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOCIATION COMPETITIONS - Entries close for three events at the end of January

All member clubs are reminded that the entries for three of the major Ayrshire Golf Association events in 2016 close at the end of January 2016.

Enrty forms for the Ayrshire Scratch leagues, Ayrshire Champion Of Champions Trophy and Ayrshire Fourball Championship were all emailed or posted to member clubs in November.

To date, 2nd January 2016, the entries received are as follows :-

AYRSHIRE FOURBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Alton	LUKE WALKER
	JACK McCALL
Annanhill	ALEXANDER IRVINE
	MARK THOMPSON
Auchenharvie 88	BRIAN ROBERTSON
	DAVID McNAUGHT
Braehead	GAVIN STUART
	GARY HOWARTH
Doon Valley	DAVID SLOAN
	JOHN BARR Jr.
Irvine	STEPHEN WELLS
	GORDON STORRAR
Irvine Ravenspark	THOMAS REILLY
	ROBERT MCNEIL
Largs	DAVID A MACDONALD
	IAIN S MACDONALD
Largs Routenburn	CAMERON HENDRY
	ALAN BAILLIE
Loudoun	RAB McKELL
	NEIL CAIRNS
Malletsheugh	JIM LYNCH
	MICK ATKINS
Muirkirk	CRAIG MENZIES
	MURRAY PRINGLE
Rowallan Castle	ANDREW MACLEOD
	MARTIN O'BRIEN
West Kilbride	DAVID QUEEN
	IAN RIDDEX

Clubs who entered last years competition but have not yet submitted an entry for 2016 are :-

Abbotsford
Ardeer
Ayr Belleisle
Ayr Carrick
Ayr Dalmilling
Ayr Neptune
Ayr Seafield
Ballochmyle
Brunston Castle
Caprington
Crosshouse
Drongan
Girvan
Glacier
Kilbirnie Place
Kilmarnock Barassie
Moorpark
New Cumnock
North Beach
Pontoon
Prestwick St Cuthbert
Prestwick St Nicholas
Saxone
Skelmorlie
Stewarton
Tam 'O' Shanter
The Chase
Troon Portland
Troon St Meddans
Troon Welbeck
Turnberry Staff
Wallacetown

 AYRSHIRE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS TROPHY

Alton	IAN GRIFFIN
Annanhill	ANTHONY FRASER
Auchenharvie 88	BRIAN ROBERTSON
Braehead	GAVIN STUART
Doon Valley	JOHN SLOAN
Irvine	JOHN SHANKS
Irvine Ravenspark	DARREN MALLINSON
Largs	IAIN MACDONALD
Largs Routenburn	JACK PURDIE
Loudoun	PAUL DENIM
Malletsheugh	DENIS TAGGART
Muirkirk	STUART ANGUS
Rowallan Castle	COLIN BERRY
Royal Troon	ALISTAIR D. WRIGHT
West Kilbride	DAVID CONNOLLY
Holder	PAUL H. MOULTRIE

Clubs who entered in 2015 but have yet to submit an entry for the 2016 event are :-

Abbotsford

Ardeer

Ayr Belleisle

Ayr Carrick

Ayr Dalmilling

Ayr Seafield

Ballochmyle

Brunston Castle

Caprington

Crosshouse

Drongan

Girvan

Glacier

Kilbirnie Place

Kilmarnock Barassie

Moorpark

New Cumnock

North Beach

Prestwick St Cuthbert

Prestwick St Nicholas

Saxone

Stewarton

Tam 'O' Shanter

The Chase

Troon Portland

Troon St Meddans

Troon Welbeck

Turnberry

Turnberry Staff

Wallacetown

Whiting Bay

AYRSHIRE SCRATCH LEAGUES 

LARGS

LOUDOUN

IRVINE

ROWALLAN CASTLE

IRVINE RAVENSPARK

Clubs who entered last year but have still to confirm participation in 2016 are :-

TROON WELBECK

KILMARNOCK BARASSIE

BALLOCHMYLE

PRESTWICK ST CUTHBERT

AYR BELLEISLE

WEST KILBRIDE

GIRVAN

ARDEER

TURNBERRY

CAPRINGTON

KILBIRNIE PLACE

NEW CUMNOCK

PRESTWICK ST NICHOLAS

TROON ST MEDDANS

AYR DALMILLING

TAM O SHANTER

BRUNSTON CASTLE

MOORPARK

TROON PORTLAND

REMEMBERING AN AYRSHIRE STALWART - A year since Gary Bryden passed away

A year ago today Ayrshire and the wider golfing community mourned the sudden death of the 2014 Ayrshire Champion Of Champions title holder Gary Bryden, at the all too young age of 44.

It does not seem a full year since the County and the wider golfing community came together with Gary’s family and friends in Girvan to mourn one of Ayrshire’s finest exponents of the game, an integral member of the county team, and one of the most sporting of golfers you could ever hope to meet..

Gary would no doubt have taken great pride and delight in the success of the Ayrshire team during 2015, and his colleagues in the Ayrshire County squad did him proud during the year, when their departed team mate was seldom far from their thoughts.

In tribute to Gary, County President James McMurdo dedicated the team’s success in the Scottish Area team Championship to him, on the day the title was secured at Blaigowrie.

We hope that golfers in Ayrshire and beyond will join the Executive Members and players from The Ayrshire Golf Association and take a moment to remember Gary on the first anniversary of his untimely passing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !! - best wishes to all Ayrshire club members for 2016

Wishing all Ayrshire golfers from our member clubs best wishes for 2016.

As the curtain comes down on an outstanding season for the Ayrshire County team, we are all looking forward to seeing more of this in the coming year.

AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOCIATION ANNUAL DINNER - Friday 26th February 2016

Tickets are now available for the 2016 Ayrshire Golf Association Annual Dinner, which will be held at Loudoun Gowf Club on Friday 26th February.

Tickets, priced at £17.50 each, are available from the Area Secretary, on a first come first served basis.

As well as a guest speaker, still to be confirmed, and honoring the county winners from 2015, the attendees at the forthcoming dinner will have an opportunity to see the magnificent Scottish Area Team championship Trophy as well as the West Of Scotland Area Trophy which were both won in 2015 by the Ayrshire County Team.

THE AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL DINNER

&

PRESENTATION OF TROPHIES

At

LOUDOUN GOWF CLUB

FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2016

6.30 P.M. FOR 7.00 P.M.

SPEAKER

To Be Confirmed

TICKETS PRICED AT

£17.50 EACH

ARE AVAILABLE FROM

THE AYRSHIRE GOLF ASSOCIATION SECRETARY

ALASDAIR J. MALCOLM

17 AUCHINCRUIVE AVENUE

PRESTWICK

KA9 2DT

Tel. 01292 477657

Email – ayrshire.golf@btinternet.com

JACK MCDONALD - Honorary membership of Kilmarnock (Barassie) for Walker Cup star

Following the success of this year’s triumphant Walker Cup team, Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club has marked the historic victory by awarding honorary life membership to one of the heroes of the GB&I squad.

(Report & pictures courtesy of the Scottishgolf.org website)

Scotland international Jack McDonald, who also played an integral part in Ayrshire's victories in the Scottish Ara team championship and the West Of Scotland Area Championship this year, became the third Barassie member to lift the trophy when the team regained golf’s blue ribbon amateur event at Royal Lytham & St Annes in September.

The recognition is especially significant as this is only the ninth time in 45 attempts that the GB&I team has won the Walker Cup. As a consequence, it is believed Barassie is the only club in the UK and possibly the world to produce three Walker Cup-winning team members.

At a celebratory dinner held at Barassie’s clubhouse last month, McDonald’s astonishing year was marked by the presence of the Walker Cup, the European Team Championship trophy and the Scottish Team Championship cup, all of which the Barassie member helped secure. The club also announced that it would rename one of its main dining rooms to honour its association with the Walker Cup.

Jack McDonald, Gordon Sherry and Jim Milligan with the Walker Cup

“Barassie has a long and proud tradition of nurturing elite golfers,” said Ian Johnstone, Captain of Kilmarnock (Barassie). “Jack joins Gordon Sherry and Jim Milligan as Barassie members who have lifted the Walker Cup which is quite a record of achievement. We believe Barassie is the only club in the UK and possibly in the world to produce as many Walker Cup winners and we felt duty bound to mark this achievement with some kind of permanent tribute.”

Barassie’s new Walker Cup Lounge will be adorned with priceless memorabilia from the event including a signed flag from McDonald’s winning performance.

“It’s an unbelievable achievement for a golf club especially as the GB&I team has only won the event nine times, so having members from the same club winning it three times is pretty special,” said McDonald after the dinner. “

“It comes from the club; the set-up here is great, we have 27 holes, the practice facilities are brilliant and it’s very friendly; they tend to help juniors a lot which is good. It’s a great club to be a part of.”

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather who also played in the Walker Cup, McDonald played a key role in the team’s triumph this summer. “The Walker Cup was an amazing experience – it’s hard to beat that in golfing terms but as highlights go, being given honorary membership at Barassie is also fantastic,” added the 22-year-old, who has been a member at Barassie since he was 13. “Being so young, honorary membership is a great achievement and a great highlight at the end of the year.”

Also on display in the new Walker Cup Lounge will be the wedge used by Milligan in 1989 to seal the biennial tournament for the first time on US soil. “We’ve always had good players at Barassie,” commented Milligan. “From juniors to seniors and onto internationalists, there have been a lot of good golfers at the club. It’s hard to say why, but we have good facilities and a tough course.”

Considered by many as one of Scotland’s most charismatic golf clubs, Barassie is also widely regarded as one of the country’s most challenging layouts. Final qualifying for the Open Championship and the Seniors’ Open Championship have been played over the links, as has the Ladies Amateur Championship and the Boys Amateur Championship, the later no less than six times.

This latest chapter in Barassie’s history places the emphasis firmly on the sporting achievements of its members rather than the accolades decorated on the course. “To have three members playing key roles in successful Walker Cup-winning teams is remarkable,” noted Johnstone. “It says a lot about the club and the dedication of our members. Barassie is a special place to enjoy golf.”

2016 AYRSHIRE ORDER OF MERIT PROGRAMMES - Clubs invited to nominate additional counting events

Preparation is underway to finalise the 2016 Ayrshire Golf association fixture programme, and we would like to give all member clubs the opportunity to consider putting forward their open competition or junior open for consideration for inclusion as a counting event in the mens and boys Order Of Merit programmes. 

The Doc Thom Ayrshire Order Of Merit encompasses a number of counting competitions including national championships and local open events.

The broad criteria for consideration of inclusion in the list of counting events are :-

1. Competition Open to any member of an Ayrshire club, subject to any general handicap restriction.

2. Only one counting competition nominated by any member club

3. A minimum of two scratch prizes included in the prize list.

A number of local clubs have reported an increase in the number of lower handicap players entering their events following inclusion as an order Of merit counting event.

The only commitment required from the club is to provide details of the best 7 scratch scores returned in the event, following completion of the competition, on a form provided for the purpose.

The following clubs already have counting events in the Doc Thom Ayrshire Order Of Merit 

Royal Troon, Ayr Belleisle, West Kilbride, Ayr Seafield, Ballochmyle, Ardeer, Troon Welbeck, Brunstton castle, Loudoun, Girvan, largs and Prestwick St Nicholas.

Likewise the criteria for consideration for inclusion in the Ayrshire Junior Order Of Merit criteria is similar, though only one scratch prize need to be available within the prize list.

The following clubs have counting events in the Ayrshire Junior Order Of Merit

Royal Troon, Troon Welbeck, Largs, Loudoun, Turnberry, West Kilbride, Prestwick St Nicholas, Kilmarnock (Barassie), Brunston Castle, West Kilbride, Ballochmyle, Ayr Belleisle and Prestwick St Cuthbert.

Should any member club who does not presently have an event included, and would like to put forward a competition for inclusion, then it is requested that they make contact with the Area Secretary at the earliest opportunity with details.

2015 AYRSHIRE SCRATCH LEAGUES - Final tables

All the results in the four Ayrshire Scratch Leagues which were contested in 2015 have now been confirmed and the final tables completed.

 DIVISION 1

	Played	For	Against	Points
Irvine	10	40	20	34
Pr. St Cuthbert	10	39	21	24
Kilmarnock Barassie	10	33.5	26.5	22
Ballochmyle	10	19.5	40.5	18
Loudoun	10	27.5	32.5	16
Irvine Ravenspark	10	20.5	39.5	6

DIVISION 2

	Played	For	Against	Points
Turnberry	10	36.5	23.5	28
Ayr Belleisle	10	36	24	28
West Kilbride	10	30	30	24
Girvan	10	28.5	31.5	18
Troon Welbeck	10	28	32	14
Ardeer	10	21	39	8

DIVISION 3

	Played	For	Against	Points
Troon St Meddans	10	37	23	26
Pr. St Nicholas	10	32	28	24
Kilbirnie Place	10	31.5	28.5	22
Caprington	10	30.5	29.5	18
Largs	10	23.5	36.5	16
New Cumnock	10	25.5	34.5	14

DIVISION 4 

	Played	For	Against	Points
Rowallan Castle	10	38	22	28
Tam O Shanter	10	34.5	25.5	26
Troon Portland	10	34	26	20
Ayr Dalmilling	10	26	34	18
Brunston Castle	10	28.5	31.5	22
Moorpark	10	19	41	6

Entry forms four the 2016 competition were distributed by email or post to the Secretaries of all member clubs recently, along with entry forms for the 2016 Ayrshire Fourball and Ayrshire Champion Of Champions competitions. 

Any club secretary who does not yet have the relevant forms shoud contact the Area Secretary as soon as possible.