Medal 1 - Douglas Park

Medal 1 Played 09/04/2010 SSS 72 CSS:75 Reduction Only

Silver:
1st 85-11=74 Helen Robertson
2nd 91-16=75 Hilary Macnaughton
3rd 94-18=76 Janice McIlwraith
Bronze:
1st 96-21=75 Joan Pattison
2nd 97-22=75 Gina Rennie
3rd 101-25=76 Norma Gray

Scratch: Helen Robertson 85

Stableford Captain's Charity - Bearsden

Stableford Captain's Charity Played 8th April 2010 SSS 71 CSS 73
Anne Nicoll (22)35
Moyra Sleight (36) [acb] 29
Gill Hamblen (21)29

Live Scoring from the SLGA Under 16's

LIVE SCORING FROM THE SLGA UNDER 16'S STOKEPLAY

SLGA Medal - East Renfrewshire

Combined SLGA April Medal Played 7th April 2010(SSS 71, CSS 74)

Silver:
Audrey Barclay (13) 76
Ann Harvie (17)79
Elaine Munn (8) 80
Bronze:
Lesley McGhee (28)79
Sue Morrison (28)80
Rosalind Little (21)81

D&A INTER COUNTY FOURSOMES

RESULTS OF THE INTER COUNTY FOURSOMES QUALIFYING ROUND AND THE COMMONWEALTH SPOONS QUALIFYING ROUND PLAYED AT MILNGAVIE G.C. ON THURSDAY 8TH APRIL 2010

INTER COUNTY FOURSOMES – 3 Scratch & 3 H’cap qualify

1st: Scratch L.McGeachy (Windyhill) & L.Campbell (Cardross) 85
2nd: Scratch Helen Faulds (Douglas Park) & C.Kelly (Windyhill) 87
3rd: Scratch J.Haggarty & B.Robertson (both Helensburgh) 88
1st: H’cap I.Whitefield & I.Anderson (both Hilton Park) 93-16.5-76.5
2nd: H’cap C.Sim (Balmore) & S.Steel (Hilton Park) 92-14.5-77.5
3rd: H’cap L.Craigie (Hayston) & S.Hay (Kirkintilloch) 92-14-78

COMMONWEALTH SPOONS - first 6 H’cap qualify

1st: I.Whitefield & I.Anderson (both Hilton Park) 93-16.5-76.5
2nd: J.Haggarty & B.Robertson (both Helensburgh) 88-11-77(bih)
3rd: H.Faulds (Douglas Park) & C.Kelly (Windyhill) 87-10-77
4th: C.Sim (Balmore) & S.Steel (Hilton Park) 92-14.5-77.5
5th: L.Craigie (Hayston) & S.Hay (Kirkintilloch) 92-14-78
6th: L.McGeachy (Windyhill) & L.Campbell (Cardross) 85-6-79

Stableford - Greenock Golf Club

Stableford Played 7th April (SSS 71, CSS 73)
Linda McDougall (8)35
Maureen Neilson (10) [acb] 31

April Medal - Ranfurly Castle

April Medal Played 7th April (SSS 73, CSS 76)
Scratch: Mary Craig 78
Silver: Agnes Williamson (20)72
Mary Craig (9)78
Bronze: A Nicoll (22)77
Helen Abram (23)80

SGU Newsletter

SGU Golfers e-newsletter

April 2010

Welcome to the SGU e-bulletin. With one of the coldest winters on record behind us, the clocks are forward and the final preparations are taking place at Augusta, which can mean only one thing...the golf season is here! Our monthly newsletter aims to keep you up-to-date throughout the year with the latest news from the Scottish Golf Union as well as the best offers for golfers across Scotland.

Scottish Golf Awareness Week – 'It's Time to Join the Club'

Following the success of our campaign last year, the SGU and SLGA are launching a new membership marketing campaign entitled "It's Time to Join the Club", which tees off with Scottish Golf Awareness Week from the 10^th – 18^th April. Look out for our press, radio and on-line advertising. The campaign is designed to assist clubs in recruiting new members and promote the benefits of joining a golf club.

Find out more >>

Scottish Golf Card

The growing number of courses in Scotland signed up for the Scottish Golf Card has now reached 133 and you can purchase your new Card for just £10 per year, giving you 50% off the standard green fees at participating courses.

Find out more >>

Enjoy a Hospitality Experience at The Open Championship

The Open Championship celebrates its 150^th anniversary at the Old Course, St Andrews in July and you could be there to savour this memorable occasion with one of the many superb hospitality packages on offer. This includes the fantastic 'Sportsman's Dinner' on the eve of the event with the chance to witness many of the game's great Champions in luxurious surroundings.

Find out more >>

Scottish Golf Show & European Golf Show

For those fortunate enough to attend the European Golf Show in Aberdeen and/or the Scottish Golf Show in Glasgow we hope you enjoyed the events! It was good to meet many of you who visited the SGU/SLGA stand, we certainly enjoyed talking to you all about all golf related issues and how the SGU/SLGA can further benefit Scottish club golfers. Visit the website next week to see if you have won the 'Play a Round with Richie Ramsay' competition!

100's of Open Competitions to enter at SGU Golf Central!

Organising your golfing year ahead? There is no better place for searching the 2010 calendar of Junior, Men's, Women's, Mixed, Senior Open competitions than the SGU Golf Central. The SGU Golf Central doesn't just allow you to search for Open competitions but also offers a host of information about each club ranging from which have membership availability and special offers to which have club hire facilities.

Find out more >>

Belhaven Best Scottish Club Handicap Championship

Make sure you take part in your club qualifier for Scotland's largest handicap championship, The Belhaven Best Scottish Club Handicap Championship. This year's Grand Final for the 4-ball better ball championship takes place at The Dukes Course, St Andrews on 1^st October 2010. See your club's notice board or speak to your club secretary for details of your club's qualifier.

Find out more >>

Scottish Boys Championship

Whether you are following the progress of a friend, relative, fellow club golfer or just want to see who is emerging as the next Scottish golfing protégé...keep up to date with the opening 'SGU Major' of the season courtesy of the SGU live scoring from the Scottish Boys Championship 2010, this year hosted at the testing West Kilbride Golf Club and getting underway on Monday 5^th April.

Scottish Boys Championship Draw and Live Scoring >>

Special Offers available at top Scottish courses

Remember that as a member of an SGU/SLGA golf club in Scotland you are able to take advantage of the Special Member Offers from some of Scotland's leading golf courses, including Kingsbarns Links, Prestwick and The Duke's St Andrews.

Find out more >>

Keep visiting scottishgolf.org for all the latest news, results, offers and information from the Scottish Golf Union.

The SGU Team

RLCGA Centenary Book

Renfrewshire Ladies' County Golf Association by Carol Fell BOOK INFO

If anyone would still like to order the RLCGA Centenary Book you can do so through the BLURB BOOKSTORE. Click on Full Screen to see more.

Alternatively email your webmaster and when I have 10 orders (eg of softback books) I will place an order and this avoids the postage costs.

The SLGA Under 16 Strokeplay

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH LADIES GOLFING ASSOCIATION
Lesley Atkins (Minto) and Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie) will be heading the home challenge at the SLGA Scottish Under-16 Open Strokeplay Championship at Strathmore Golf Club near Alyth on Thursday and Friday, April 8-9.
Last season, 14-year-old Lesley underlined her potential by reaching the quarter-finals of the Scottish Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Southerness, while Ailsa is the reigning Scottish Schools’ Champion. Both youngsters played for Scotland in last year’s European Girls’ Team Championship.
Lesley was the leading Scot when she finished fourth in the Under-16 Open last year, and the prestigious Championship has attracted an exceptionally strong entry from south of the border.
Woburn’s Lauren Taylor is the back marker with a plus two handicap, while Bramhall’s Bronte Law is plus one and Brogan Townend (Pleasington) plays off scratch. Lesley and Ailsa, who was 16 in January, both play off three.

The Championship is over 36 holes with one round on Thursday and another on Friday..
To see the list of competitors go to the SLGA Website

LIVE SCORING FROM THE SLGA UNDER 16'S STOKEPLAY --- WHEN THE TOURNAMENT STARTS

SLGA MEDAL - BEARSDEN GOLF CLUB

SLGA Medal (SSS 71, CSS 73)- Played 1st April
Silver: Sheila Mumford (20)75, Lynn McColl (7)77
Bronze: Christine Siebelt (25)69 Anne Nicoll (22)77

Gillian Kirkwood new Chairwoman of the LGU

Gillian Kirkwood at the SLGA County Centenary Lunch in 2009- click to enlarge

In the latest significant move in its modernisation project, the Ladies’ Golf Union (“LGU”) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chairman, Mrs. Gillian Kirkwood. Gillian takes up post with immediate effect, and, in a major change from past practice, will serve for a period of three years.

She succeeds Interim Chairman Mrs. Beryl Davies, who steps down after ably guiding the LGU through a transitional period.

Gillian brings a wealth of golf knowledge and business experience to the role of Chairman. A past LGU Councillor and past Chairman of the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association, she is also a highly experienced Rules Official and, reflecting her keen interest in the history of ladies’ golf, chairs the Board of Trustees of the Women Golfers’ Museum. In her previous term of office with the LGU, Gillian chaired the International Selection Committee and represented the organisation on the R&A Amateur Status Committee.

A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, the new Chairman will be responsible for leading the Executive Council of the LGU and the Board of its newly formed subsidiary, LGU Championships Limited. Her professional experience of business development and change management as a senior manager in the higher education sector leaves her well placed to do this with, in her own words, “diplomacy, determination and patience”.

Gillian is acutely aware of the issues facing ladies golf and says “I am honoured to be appointed chairman of the newly modernised LGU and am committed to working to protect the legacy the LGU has inherited and to meet the expectations of the LGU held by the golfing community. The LGU has a major role to play in encouraging golf at all levels and must remain as the strong voice for Ladies Golf.

The current team in the LGU has gained world-wide respect for its efficiency and competence in running events and managing the business, but cannot rest on its laurels and must maintain the pressure to constantly improve and refine what it does. I look forward to working with the Executive Council and the LGU team to achieve this.”

Mail on Sunday Easter Tie

Douglas Park played Windyhill in the 3rd round of the Mail on Sunday and were 4-1 winners in this Easter Friday match played over Douglas Park.

Douglas Park Team: Lindsay McLean, Lynda Smith, Helen Robertson, Carol Fell and Joan Gemmell
Windyhill Team: Anne Laing, Lindsay Mathie, Christine Kelly, Tracy Masterton and Carol Whyte

Bunny Grant captain of the DP team very kindly gave all the players a "Chocolate Easter Bunny" each for their efforts.

To see further results so far Click Here

Record Numbers at the Scottish Golf Show

The 2010 Scottish Golf Show, held at the SECC in Glasgow last weekend, has been hailed a huge success by both the event organizers and exhibitors after by passing its previous attendance record.

The fifth staging of the annual three-day golf showcase – held at the Glasgow venue for the second consecutive year – attracted a footfall of 17,175 over the course of its three days.

The organizers are attributing this in part to a greater emphasis being placed on customer interaction at this year's show.

A whole host of new features were introduced this year to enhance the interactive experience for show visitors.

These included the Nike Tiger Challenge, the Cleveland/Srixon Bucket Challenge, the Hot Blade Nine-hole Putting Competition and the tricky Fizz Golf Challenge, where visitors' links golf skills were put to the test.

Undoubtedly though, the star attraction was the opportunity to have your photo take for free with golf's most iconic trophy, the Claret Jug. The trophy was at the show ahead of this year's 150th anniversary Open Championship and the chance to have a free picture taken with it was something that over 2,000 people found too good to resist.

All of these new elements were complemented by existing favorites from previous years, including the 31-bay driving range, the ever-popular Callaway Short Game Zone, regular golf clinics, daily trick shot shows and, of course, 100-plus exhibitors.

Event organiser Tom Lovering was delighted with how this year's show went and said: "The Scottish Golf Show is now well established as the perfect way to tee off the new season and goes from strength to strength each year.

"Not only does it have the ongoing support of all of the golf's industry's biggest names, its popularity with the discerning Scottish golf public is also continually on the rise.

"To achieve another record attendance this year, particularly in light of the slow improvement in the current economic climate, speaks volumes for the high regard in which our show is held.

"My team and I have already started working on plans to make next year's show even bigger, better and more successful for both exhibitors and visitors alike."

Lovering also paid tribute to the team of volunteers who assisted throughout the three days, in particular the 100-plus military personnel from the official show charity 'Help For Heroes'.

"The military volunteers did a power of work throughout the event and I'd like to thank all those who donated to Help For Heroes, a particularly worthwhile cause."

For more information on the 2010 Scottish Golf Show, contact Tom Lovering on 0141 353 2222 or email Tom Lovering

More details available at Bunkered Newsletter

50 Free Balls at Mearns Castle Golf Academy

Want 50 Free Balls at Mearns Castle Golf Academy CLICK HERE

PGA Pro Lesley Mackay give Kilmacolm Ladies some golfing tips

PGA Professional Lesley Mackay from Playsport Golf at East Kilbride coach to both the Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire County Teams was at Kilmacolm Golf Club last night giving the ladies some very good golfing tips to get them going for the 2010 season. A great evening was had by all including some Ranfurly Castle members who were invited along. The evening wsa followed by a delicious buffet supper before everyone left to go home in the SNOW!!


Click on the bottom right corner of the slideshow to see larger pictures

SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES CHAMPIONSHIPS CUT

TO 54 HOLES DUE TO SNOW AT LOSSIEMOUTH

NEWS RELEASE
The day the course bit back! Rain, sleet, snow, wind, hail, fire, brimstone - everything but sunshine. Moray Old got its teeth into the golfers and the competition was restricted to 54 holes as a result.
In the Ladies event, Welsh international Gemma Bradbury (St Andrews) who had led going into today by ten shots shot an excellent 76 (4 over par) in the conditions and extended her lead to 16 shots at the end.
Jane Turner (RGU) and Susan Jackson (Edinburgh) - both previous SUS Order of Merit event winners - were unable to close the gap in the tricky conditions but battled on valiantly to share second place. Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) was 4th.
LEADING WOMEN'S FINAL TOTALS
Gemma Bradbury (St Andrews) 76 + 69 + 76 = 221
Susan Jackson (Edinburgh) 81 + 75 + 81 = 237
Jane Turner (RGU) 78 + 77 + 82 = 237
Megan Briggs (Strathclyde) 89 + 72 + 79 = 240
Emma Fairnie (Edinburgh) 84 + 80 + 83 = 247

Central Database of Handicaps (CDH) --- UPDATE

The Scottish Golf Union, Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association and Golf Union of Wales (GUW) have committed to producing a Central Database of Handicaps (CDH) for golf clubs and their members in Scotland and Wales.

Aimed at providing a wide and vitally important range of benefits to golf club members, clubs and their administrators and the governing bodies, the CDH project will be delivered by the Unions as a service to affiliated clubs.
As presented at the SGU Club Seminars at the end of 2009, the development of the Scottish/Welsh CDH is now reaching its final phases.To read more --- Click on the following link
Scottish Golf Website

The Scottish Ladies Championship. --- Why not Enter?

Are you looking to make up for all the golf you’ve missed out on this winter? Then why not come and play in the 2010 Scottish Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Craigielaw Golf Club from 18 – 22 May. While this is predominantly a Scratch Championship it is open to all Scottish female amateurs, who fulfil the entry qualifications, with plenty of prizes for the qualifying rounds including;
- Individual scratch and nett prizes for individual rounds and aggregate totals,
- Nett and gross prizes for club teams of two players, and
- Prizes for County teams of three players.
(Club and County teams must be entered on separate entry forms which have been sent out to your Clubs and Counties respectively.)
The format of the Championship is two rounds stroke play qualifying over 18 and 19 May with the lowest 32 aggregate scratch scores qualifying for the main match play Championship and the next 16 qualifying for the 2nd flight, the Clark Rosebowl. In addition to the golf, the ‘Scottish’ is also renowned for being a great social week of golf and is always a chance to meet up with friends old and new. If you’re not lucky enough to make it to the latter stages it’s a great opportunity to watch the top Scottish Amateurs compete for the title and for those that don’t make it to the final of the main Championship, there is always the legendary Friday night party to look forward to.

The venue for the 2010 Championship is Craigielaw Golf Course in East Lothian. This is a Championship links course which also boasts outstanding practice and clubhouse facilities. The entry fee of £35 will guarantee you three rounds of golf (including one practice round).
No Handicap Limit. Maximum 132 entries. Closing Date Monday 19 April 2010.
To get an entry form for the event Click Here

If you are not able to play in this year's Championship please put the dates for future years in your diary:
2011: Machrihanish Golf Club 17 - 21 May 2011
2012: Tain Golf Club 22 - 26 May 2012

Professional Tip from Karyn Burns at Mearns Golf Academy

Professional Tip.

This week tip is provided by PGA professional Karyn Burns. The pupil is one of her regular juniors Alexandra Duffy.

Winter County Foursomes Finals

D&A and Renfrewshire County have both played their Winter County Foursomes Final this week. Gill Campbell and Lynn McColl (Bearsden) beat Helen Faulds (Douglas Park) and Christine Kelly (Windyhill) 2 and 1 in the D & A Final ---- To read more go to the D&A Website

In the Renfrewshire Winter Foursomes final the Whitecraigs pairing of Christeen Finlayson and Sheila Robson beat the other Whitecraigs pairing of Wendy Gilchrist and Jennifer Chuwen at the 19th. To read more go to the Renfrewshire County Website

D&A County Dinner

One hundred and twenty members attended the Annual D&A County Dinner on Thursday 18th March, 2010 at Douglas Park Golf Club. To read more go to the D&A Website

Ayrshire Girls v South of Scotland Girls

In this first friendly match of the season for both teams, three foursomes matches were played on what turned out to be a pleasant dry day at Brunston Castle Golf Course. Ayrshire just managed to edge ahead with a 2-1 win.

Results are as follows:-

Katie McCracken & Rachel Walker (South Scotland) beat Gillian Arnott & Mhairi McKay 5/4
Emma Greenlees and Mirren Fraser " lost to Connie Jaffrey & Katie McGarva 5/3
Rachel Lorimer and Lucy Bell " lost to Emma Hale & Grace Mackie 6/5
Thanks go to June Kerr for the report

West of Scotlands Alyson McKechın ıs the 2009 Scottısh Champıon of Champıons

Congratultions and well done to Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) on becoming the 2009 Scottish Girls' Champion of Champions today at St. Andrews.

The 18 hole tournament for boys and girls was washed out by rain last November but today it was played in sunny conditions over The Duke's Course.

Alyson, who shot a 75, says she was helped by her "Champion's Feet" socks!

We all wish you continued success.


GIRLS FINAL RESULTS :

75 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie).
76 Rachel Watton (Mortonhall).
77 Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus).
78 Sammy Leslie (Westhill).
80 Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), Lesley Atkins (Minto).
84 Eilidh Watson (Muckhart).
85 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies).
87 Tara MacTaggart (Minto).
88 Kate McIntosh (Broomieknowe), Clara Young (North Berwick), Ailsa Bain (Peebles).
90 Alison Godwin (Glenbervie).
97 Rachel Irvine (Largs), Alexis Hutton (Falkirk Tryst).
98 Kirstin Scott (Milngavie).
104 Nicole Benson (Cawder).

Off to Turkey -- Check out Gillian Kirkwood Website

Your webmaster is off to Turkey for a weeks golf. In case I am unable to keep up with any of the news then go to the Gillian Kirkwood Website

Open Day at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club

You can take advantage of the following at Ranfurly Castle's Open Day on Sunday 28th March 2010;
• £15 to play on day (normal round ticket £35).
• REDUCED entrance fee for full members - £250 for the first
10 new members and then £500 thereafter.
• NO joining fee for new members under the age of 30.
• FREE lesson voucher from our head PGA Professional,
Tom Eckford, when you join.
• OFFER AVAILABLE ONLY ON THE DAY BUT CAN BE BOOKED
IN ADVANCE FROM 18TH FEBRUARY 2010
To read more about it Click Here

West of Scotland's Kylie Walker is now on the Pro' Tour

Kylie Walker, has the length off the tee required to make an impact as a tour professional (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency;).

Be patient, Catriona tells rookie pro Kylie Walker

FROM THE SCOTTISH HERALD WEBSITE --- By Richard Wilson
Kylie Walker will not feel out ?of place.
Since turning professional last December, she has already been invited to Catriona Matthew’s home in North Berwick, where they shared a conversation about life on the Ladies European Tour. By the time she tees off in her first tournament, in Morocco on Thursday, Walker will have caught up with other fellow Scots competing at the forefront of the women’s game.
Matthew’s advice was that only patience would be rewarded. Walker’s career has been compressed, having only taken up the sport seriously at 14 and now having qualified for the Tour at 23.
There was an accumulation of distinction. Last year, she won the St Rule Trophy for the second consecutive year, repeating the achievements of Matthew in 1993 and 1994.
Walker also won the 2008 Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association Order of Merit title, and she was the highest-placed British golfer at the Ladies European Tour's Qualifying School at La Manga, Spain in December.
There might have been a failed attempt at the January 2009 qualifying school, but even that is considered beneficial, as Walker believes she is now better equipped.
There is a bullishness to her, so when she considers what might be attainable in this first year, there is little reticence.
“I would love to do well right from the start and be contending,” she says. “I’m going into every tournament to win, but that might be unrealistic. But I played some Ladies Tour events before, as an amateur.”
With Carly Booth joining the Tour, and Krystle Caithness, another Scot, having enjoyed a successful rookie year in 2009, Walker is not short of support. Her older brother, Kris, will also caddie for her.
“Everybody in my family played,” Walker says. “My two sisters and brother are all older than me, so when my dad was making up the four-ball, I was always left behind. I guess that’s why it took until I was 14 before I started. Then I won the Scottish schoolgirls' title, which made me realise that I could still have moments of brilliance even with my handicap being high.”
Sponsorship and finance are pressures, so the first months of this year have been spent sorting out a website and seeking backers. Mostly, though, her time is spent looking forward. At the very least, Walker will play in the final qualifiers for the British Ladies Open in July. Having won the event last year, Matthew is an inspiration.
Walker spent last week in Dubai, where her brother and one of her sisters live. She worked on her short game and began focusing on what the coming months will bring. There are also long-term ambitions.
“If you’re going to be at the top, America’s the place to be, the best [golfers] in the world are there,” she says. “In the future, I’ll look to get out there to compete.”
+Kylie Walker was the first Scottish lady pro to say she would play on the new Xltec Pro Tour which tees off - with a Ladies section if enough enter - at Whitekirk Golf Club on March 25.

Tait's Tour ready to welcome lady professionals with open arms!

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Alan Tait, founder of the new Xltec Pro Tour in Scotland, has agreed to my suggestion that he makes room for female professionals in his six 36-hole event schedule which tees off at Whitekirk Golf Club, near North Berwick on March 25 and 26.
" We thought that as there is very little opportunity for our few lady professional golfers to play competitively in Scotland, why not get them involved as well. The more the merrier!" said Alan, director of golf at the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel & Golf Resort.
"At the end of the day, the Xltec Tour is all about giving pros more opportunity to compete and this should include everyone. As long as we get a minimum of five girls entering each event, they can play for a separate, smaller prize-fund and I am sure they will be a breath of fresh air to the tour".
Tait and his organising colleagues are hoping that star amateurs-turned-rookie-pros Carly Booth and Kylie Walker (pictured above) will cut their teeth on the homespun tour before they have a go at the Ladies European Tour.
Others who might play are LET regulars Vikki Laing, Lynn Kenny and Krystle Caithness, WPGA assistant professional Heather MacRae as well as Clare Queen, Pamela Feggans, Jenna Wilson, Katy McNicoll, Gemma Webster, Kathryn Imrie, Karyn Burns, Lesley Mackay, Karyn Dallas, Katie Thomson, Nicola Meldrum, Michele Thomson, Cathy Panton-Lewis and Gillian Stewart.
There is always the chance that British Women's Open champion Catriona Matthew and fellow LPGA Tour members Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay would put in an appearance when they are back in Scotland, if only for a short break.
Then there are established lady professionals, who have long since retired from the competitive side of the game, such as Muriel Thomson (Portlethen GC head professional) and Jane Connachan, who might welcome the chance to mix it with the younger brigade.
The possibilities are endless and it will be shame if the idea never gets off the ground because of apathy and lack of numbers.
It is hoped to interest WPGA female professionals based in the North and North-east of England for whom the journey north would not be as much a deterrent as it would be for those based in the south of England.
The female pros will have to pay a one-off joining fee of £40 plus a £50 entry fee for each 36-hole event plus a £10 administration fee per competition.
They will play off the LGU red tees at every venue and will be competiing against themselves, NOT the men.
Although the girls will be competing, in a sense, for their own money, it is hoped that as the tour gains publicity and becomes better known, companies or individuals may be persuaded to sponsor individual events.
While male pros have no inhibitions about playing for their own money, hence the success of satellite circuits such as the EuroPro Tour, where the entry fees are big to create worthwhile prize funds, female professionals are much harder to please ... and I talk from the experience of being Tournament Controller at the first two Hacienda del Alamo Women's February Festivals.
It remains to be seen if the female pros will be lukewarm about a lack of prizemoney up front for them at "Tait's Tour." I hope they take the longer-term view that the circuit, which will certainly need the players' support through its first season, could grow into a ladies' version of the Tartan Tour.
The schedule of events is:
March 25-26: Whitekirk, near North Berwick.
April 28-29: Hilton Park, near Glasgow.
May 25-26: Marriott Dalmahoy, near Edinburgh.
July 28-29: Westerwood, near Glasgow.
September 28-29: Spey Valley, Aviemore.
October 6-7 Dundonald Links, near Troon, Ayrshire.
+Entry forms and more information available by E-mailing Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Glasgow gets set to introduce 3,300 children to golf

The drive to give more Glasgow primary school children the opportunity to play golf accelerates this month with the city’s Active Schools Team training classroom teachers to deliver the national junior golf programme, clubgolf’s introductory game.
In 2009, 42 of Glasgow’s 170 schools introduced their 1260 of their Primary 5s to clubgolf’s introductory game, firstclubgolf, which employs modified equipment. Taught by school staff, supported by Active Schools Co-ordinators, it gives children an enjoyable introduction to the game.
That figure, 21 percent of the total P5 roll of 6000, is expected to rise by 2000 this year after clubgolf and Active Schools combined forces to buy 50 bags of firstclubgolf equipment for Glasgow schools.
“This is a big step up this year in terms of increasing the numbers of children who we will deliver clubgolf to,” said Active Schools Manager, Kay Cherrie.
“The difficulty in the past was that without firstclubgolf equipment in schools there was little point in the staff becoming trained to teach the game.
“This year we have been able to access the finance to buy 50 bags so two thirds of schools now have equipment. Half of the funding (£7500) has come from the Council and Education Services. clubgolf has matched this which has enabled us to buy 50 bags and make the big push.”
To ensure that staff in these schools are fully prepared to teach the game to children, Active Schools is running a series of training sessions this month. Eighty three teachers are being trained in three four-hour sessions. Active Schools Co-ordinators continue supporting staff once they begin delivering in their schools.
“The response from schools and teachers has been really good,” said Mrs Cherrie. “With support from Active Schools Co-ordinators, staff find clubgolf relatively easy to deliver.
“With the equipment and the lesson plans, it’s a readymade off the shelf activity that can be used in our schools, during curriculum time, circle time, after school and in holiday programmes.”
“Our Active Schools Co-ordinators will make sure the schools are fully supported and the children get a good experience from it.”
With higher numbers of children being introduced to the schools game more clubs and volunteer coaches will be needed to ensure they can progress.
Haggs Castle is the first private club in Glasgow to see the potential of signing up to clubgolf and will be organising training for its volunteer coaches this spring. The volunteers will link with their local schools to provide a pathway for the children to progress into junior and eventually senior golf.
Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager
Official clubgolf website: http://www.clubgolfscotland.com/

Alex Salmond's major announcement about £2million boost for Scottish amateur golf

First Minister Alex Salmond with a group including SLGA chairman Shona Malcolm, British Women's Open champion Catriona Matthew and Douglas Connon, chairman of the Scottish Golf Union Board, at North Berwick today when a major announcement about additional funding for Scottish amateur golf, particularly those who are turning professional., was made.

READ THE FULL STORY BY LOGGING ON TO Scottish Golf View