Friday 30 December 2016

D&A's KYLIE WALKER MARRIES SCOTT HENRY

CLICK TO ENLARGE 

Many congrats go to Kyle Walker and  Scott Henry who got married yesterday

Saturday 24 December 2016

Seasons Greetings to all West of Scotland Website Readers


Renfrewshire, D&A, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Counties wish all our readers a Merry Christmas

Friday 16 December 2016

NEW PING SCOTTISH MIXED FOURSOMES

An exciting mixed team competition for Scottish club golfers is to tee off next season, with Solheim Cup venue, The Gleneagles Hotel, to act as host for the showpiece finale.

The PING Scottish Mixed Championship is to be a unique new addition to the domestic handicap amateur calendar in 2017, as Scottish Golf brings male and female golfers together in a fun-filled format for all ages and abilities to add further value to club membership.

The innovative new event sees PING become sponsors of Scottish Golf for the first time, with the leading golf brand’s investment providing a welcome boost to the governing body’s partnership portfolio.

American Beth Allen, the Scots-based new Ladies European Tour No 1, and Scottish Golf Men’s Order of Merit winner Euan McIntosh were on hand at Gleneagles today to help launch the event, along with Scottish Golf chief executive Blane Dodds.

The free-to-enter competition will be open to all golf club members in Scotland holding an official handicap, from juniors to seniors. Golfers can compete in a mixed event at local club level (stableford format), with the top 40 club pairings nationwide going forward to the Grand Final over the superb Queen’s Course at Gleneagles.

The event sees a fitting partnership between Scottish Golf, Gleneagles and PING, given the manufacturer was founded by Karsten Solheim, who helped create the biggest team event in ladies’ golf.

Beatson Cancer Charity is the official charity partner for the competition, with Beatson also charity partner for the forthcoming Scottish Golf Awards at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on 24 February.

The PING Scottish Mixed Championship will see qualifying take place at club level (either using an existing mixed event in the club’s calendar or introducing a new event) from April through to the end of July.

Scottish Golf’s online leaderboard will show the top 40 mixed stableford scores nationwide, with 80 golfers then coming together to contest the Grand Final over the idyllic James Braid-designed Queen’s on Monday 18 September 2017.

Blane Dodds said: “We’re pleased to launch this new mixed event for club golfers in 2017, one which adds further value to club membership and offers the chance to compete at a world-class venue for the final.

“We are delighted to be working with PING for the first time and it’s great to have such a strong global golf brand supporting grass roots golf in Scotland. The environment remains challenging for attracting investment from sponsorship, but these partnerships illustrate our continued determination to grow the game and enhance the golfing experience for club members.”

John Clark, PING Europe Managing Director, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting this new mixed event which will bring together both female and male golfers from around Scotland in a competitive, yet fun format at one of the UK’s most iconic venues.”

Beth Allen said: “It’s great that Scottish Golf, PING and Gleneagles are doing this event for club golfers in the build up to the Solheim Cup. It would obviously be great for me to represent the United States of America here in 2019 and I’m sure the players who qualify for the final of the PING Scottish Mixed Championship will have an amazing experience at Gleneagles.”

With the Perthshire property staging the Solheim Cup – only five years after hosting The Ryder Cup – and the inaugural European Golf Team Championships in 2018, the new PING Scottish Mixed Championship adds to Gleneagles’ illustrious event history across the amateur and professional game.

Event information will be issued by Scottish Golf to all affiliated clubs early next year, who are encouraged to add the event to their club calendar.

Monday 12 December 2016

DOUGLAS PARK CHOIR SING AT THE LADIES CHRISTMAS LUNCH !!



80 ladies attended the 2016 Ladies Christmas Lunch yesterday at Douglas Park Golf Club . After a lovely lunch the DPark Ladies Choir sang a couple of songs followed by everyone else joining in -- Thanks go to Eileen Hunter and Margaret Morris for all their help time and trouble !

Saturday 10 December 2016

Save the Date! -- Scottish Golf Annual Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of Scottish Golf will take place on Saturday 11 March 2017 at The Fairmont St Andrews. Representatives of Clubs, Areas & Counties are invited to attend to meet, share experiences and debate.

The day will include the opportunity for 9 holes of golf in the morning, before a buffet lunch and the Annual General Meeting from 1 – 4pm. The afternoon agenda will focus on consulting on the issues, opportunities and strategies for Scottish Golf with the objective of growing our game. We would encourage you to add the date to your diaries and more information on how to book your place will be provided in due course.

Thursday 8 December 2016

NEW LOCAL RULE ELIMINATES PENALTY FOR A PLAYER WHO ACCIDENTALLY CAUSES A BALL TO MOVE ON THE PUTTING GREEN

8 December 2016, St Andrews, Scotland:

The R&A and the USGA today announced the introduction of a new Local Rule that eliminates the penalty when a ball is accidentally moved on the putting green.

The Local Rule will be available for any committee in charge of a competition to use starting 1 January 2017. It will be adopted by The R&A and the USGA in all of their championships, qualifying competitions and international matches.

David Rickman, Executive Director - Governance at The R&A, said, “For the past several years, as part of The R&A and USGA’s Rules Modernisation initiative, we have considered the penalty for a ball that is accidentally moved on the putting green. Both Rules Committees agreed that it needed to be changed and decided that in this particular case it was important to act now, through a Local Rule, rather than wait for the next overall set of revisions to the Rules of Golf.”

Thomas Pagel, Senior Director, Rules of Golf and Amateur Status at the USGA, said, “Eliminating this penalty responds to the concerns we have heard from both golfers and committees about the difficulties in applying the current Rules when a player accidentally causes a ball to move on the putting green. This change is a good example of the type of Rules Modernisation changes we hope to implement after completing our fundamental review of all of the Rules. We are looking for ways to improve the Rules by making them easier to understand and apply.”

The Local Rule has been welcomed by all of the major Tours worldwide, and the PGA TOUR, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America and the Masters Tournament are among the golf organisations that will implement the Local Rule for all future events, beginning 1 January 2017.
If a Committee wishes to introduce this Local Rule, the following wording is recommended:
“Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1 are modified as follows:
When a player’s ball lies on the putting green, there is no penalty if the ball or ball-marker is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their caddies or equipment.
The moved ball or ball-marker must be replaced as provided in Rules 18-2, 18-3 and 20-1.
This Local Rule applies only when the player’s ball or ball-marker lies on the putting green and any movement is accidental.
Note: If it is determined that a player’s ball on the putting green was moved as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause such as the effects of gravity, the ball must be played as it lies from its new location. A ball-marker moved in such circumstances is replaced.”
For more information about the new Local Rule, including explanatory diagrams, videos and a detailed question-and-answer document, please visit www.RandA.org.

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Ranfurly Castle Christmas Cheer

Winning Team and
Helen Crichton (bottom left) best dressed award

Some more Smiling faces!

50 ladies enjoyed their Christmas Cheer today at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club in Bridge of Weir. 

Despite exceedingly windy conditions and some rain the 9 hole Stableford was played in teams of 3 with the "Christmas Ball" passing on from each player at each hole -- If you lost it £2 was donated to the funds -- If you did well with the ball you got your stableford points doubled !!

 The winning score for 9 holes (one score to count) was 41 points !!

 All this was followed by lunch, prize giving and best dressed Christmas outfit --- Octogenarian Helen Crichton won the prize -- A great day --(despite the dreich conditions) was had by all.

Thanks go to Jean Irvine for the photos

From your editor Carol Fell -- If you had a good story from your club -- Please send your news by Clicking Here

Saturday 3 December 2016

Scots trio fail to make it to LPGA Final Q School last round

Scots Gemma Dryburgh, Sally Watson and Kylie Walker failed to make it through to the fifth and final round of the LPGA Final Qualifying School at Daytona Beach, Florida.
But Edinburgh-based American Beth Allen is sixth among the leading 71 players with 72-hole totals of 290 and better who will play on Sunday with 25 LPGA players' cards for the 2017 season on the line.
Aberdeen-born Dryburgh shot a 71 for four-over 292, failing by two shots to beat the cut in T80th place.
Watson had her best score of the week - a two-under-par 70 - but it was too little too late for the Edinburgh-born player to advance to the final day. She had a total of 295 and was tied 105th.
Walker was never really in with a shout after starting with an 81 but she shoot 72-73-71 over her last three rounds for 297 and a T117 finish.
American Jaye Marie Green leads the qualifiers into the final round over the Hills Course.She had a third-round 70 (her worst so far!) for 15-under-par 273 and leads by two shots from Iceland's Olivia Kristinsdottir (68 for 275).
Beth Allen has had back-to-back 68s for 279 and is obviously pushing hard for LPGA Tour playing rights. She said in a pre-round interview that she has no wish to leave the Ladies European Tour, only to play in the States when there was no tournament in America.
Mel Reid is the leading English player in joint seventh place after a 72 for 280.
England's Hannah Burke and Bronte Law (still an amateur but she will have to turn pro for LPGA Tour status) are bracketed in T30 place on 286. Hannah had a fourth-round 69, Bronte a 70.
Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow made it through with a 73 for 289 and T50 position.
Felicity Johnson was the fourth and last English-born player to make the final day. But she almost blew it with a fourth-round, fie-over-par 77 for 290 - the limit mark for the 71 qualifiers.

FOURTH-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 288 (4x72)
Leading qualifiers for final round
273 Jaye Marie Green (USA) 68 68 67 70
275 Olivia Kristinsdottir (Iceland) 74 66 67 68
276 Sadena Parks (USA) 69 72 67 68
277 Nasa Hataoka (Japan) 68 65 69 75
278 Angel Yin (USA) 74 67 69 68
279 Beth Allen (USA) 71 72 68 68

Other final-round qualifiers included:
280 Mel Reid (England) 69 64 75 72 (T7)
285 Aditi Ashok (India) 73 70 71 71 (T23)
286 Hannah Burke (England) 73 75 69 69, Bronte Law (England) (am) 75 68 73 70 (T30)
289 Stephanie Meadow (N Ireland) 73 70 73 73 (T50)
290 Felicity Johnson (England) 76 66 71 77 (T61)

MISSED THE CUT
(71 players with totals of 290 and better qualified)
291 Charlotte Thomas (England) 73 71 73 74 (T71)
292 Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland) 77 69 75 71 (T80)
294 Eleanor Givens (England) 78 72 70 74 (T96)
295 Sally Watson (Scotland) 77 76 72 70 (T105)
297 Kylie Walker (Scotland) 81 72 73 71 (T117)

Withdrew: Holly Clyburn (England) 77 69 75 wd