East Lothian Junior Golf League

Supporting junior golf in East Lothian, Scotland

Links Invitational Pro-Am at Muirfield

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I am delighted to announce that due to the hard work by Muirfield member David Henderson, the above named event will be held on Tuesday the 18th October 2022. Our Junior League have been invited to enter a Team of Juniors for the event. Part of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to the League to enhance the competitions and other activities we organise. We will select 3 Players, two Boys and 1 Girl, from performances in League events this year. This link explains the format and itinerary for the event. The lower age limit is 18 years old, so selection will be limited to Juniors who have turned 18 in 2022, before the 18th October. 

 

MD1 West Links results!

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Thank you to the West Links Juniors for hosting the first Match Day of 2022 and to the North Berwick Golf Club for use of their Clubhouse. Assistance was given by our usual starter, John Anderson. Sue Warren, Jack Rogan and Steve Austin controlled the registration and scoring duties. Several parents helped by assisting groups to keep moving, and kept radio contact with the organisers, and this was much appreciated. There were 62 competitors on a tough cold windy day with the added issues of no preferred lies, and recently tined and dressed greens. However, there were some notable performances, particularly from 11 year  old Fraser Walters and his sister Stella, aged 9, who was playing her first full round of golf. Stella, playing with Molly Chapman, were the only two girls playing due to another Girls event, the East of Scotland Girls Spring Meeting at Longniddry. Stella, whose handicap is 21.4, playing as a reserve for Craigielaw, scored an excellent 28 Stableford points. The round played by Fraser though was truly exceptional. From the back tees, he scored a gross 72 for 45 points. Fraser had birdies at the 3rd, 6th, and 18th. His handicap of 6.9 has now been cut to 4.7. Photos of these Players are below.

Players played off different tees depending on their handicaps. There was a fault in the software due to the course rating and slope rating etc for the Blue Tees not having been updated from WHS. My fault! This led to Players off certain tees, mainly the white tees, being given extra handicap strokes, which meant that the scorers may have verbally told Players that they had more points than they actually had. I have had discussions with our software provider, Golf Genius, and they confirm that these Players actually received fewer handicap strokes than were indicated on their scorecards, but the individual and team scores and therefore this leaderboard, are now all correct. Craigielaw were not the winners on the day, it was West Links Fidra. I have spoken to both Convenors to explain. The Orders of Merit can be seen on this website under the drop down “League. The Match Day Prizes can be seen here. The Team and Individual scores were as follows:-

 

 

 

 

 

Dear all, welcome to the 2022 season of the East Lothian Junior Golf League (ELJGL.) This article repeats an email sent out to all players registered with us on Golf Genius. If you didn’t see it, please check your junk mail.

“You are all registered on Golf Genius (GG) already and if you have not yet confirmed your registration details on GG, please do so. You are able to sign up with GG here at this link using your login details, which takes you to our League’s Portal through GG for our events. I have now opened up Match Day 1 (MD1) at North Berwick West Links on Sunday the 20th March, so that you can register now. Tee times are from 0950 to 1430. We can accomodate up to 84 players at each MD. I will open up other MDs around 4 weeks prior to the date of the event. West Links North Berwick is now ranked No.35 in the world – see this well respected list on Golf Magazine. See how many of them you have played!

On this website, in the right hand side of the home page, you can see a full fixture list of our Match Days (MDs) x 10, our Championships, Team Strokeplay etc. These events are all free to enter. Under the dropdown for “Calendar” you can see a full list of Junior events at local, area, and national level so you can easily plan your schedule. Please check the website regularly for news, and add me, Dave Warren on djjwarren@gmail.com and djjwarren@me.com to your Contacts list to make sure messages do not go to your junk mailbox! Golf Genius at golfgenius.com is another Contact you should create. 

To take part in MDs, you must be a Junior member of one of the 12 East Lothian Clubs who are members of the League, and have an official WHS handicap. Both Winterfield and Musselburgh Old have been involved in the past and we hope they come back to our League in future. 

Our MDs are all Stableford competitions and are “Qualifying events” for handicap purposes. Each Club Team consists of 6 Players and the best 4 from 6 net Stableford scores count towards the Team total. The leading Club at the end of the season will win the League trophy, and be invited to take part in the Scottish Junior Team Championship at Stirling on the 25th September. There are individual scratch and handicap Orders of Merit running through the 10 Match Days. The most regular, and best Players in the OOMs, in which Players must take part in at least 6 out of 10 MDs, plus any strong performers in our annual Championships, will be invited on one of our annual subsidised trips for Juniors to Pinehurst every February. If a National event clashes with any MD and a Player is involved in that, an MD attendance credit of 5 points will be given, but no other OOM points will be allocated. Hardly any of our fixtures clash with National events this year, so we hope everyone can play in at least 6 MDs. At mid-season, this policy will be reviewed.

After you have registered for any MD, and the closing date is 7 days before each MD, your Junior Convenor will be in touch to tell you whether or not you are in the Team of 6 for that MD. If you are not in the Team for that MD, you can still take part as a reserve and compete for the individual scratch and handicap prizes on the day, and perhaps represent your Team at the next MD.

The Watson Cup in 2022 will be at Royal Burgess, Muirfield, and Gullane No.1 from 5-7 July, against a team of juniors from South Carolina. Our Team has been picked and all our Players have + handicaps. Please come along to support our League Players. We hope to have some special guests at this event!

In addition, in 2022, we will have a Team of 3 selected 18 year old Juniors in a Pro-Am at Muirfield in October. 

In 2024 the Watson Cup will be in South Carolina in the October schools week. In order to be selected for this, Players will have to participate in more than just a few League events in 2023 to 2024. The scratch OOM will also identify Players who could be selected.

Our League is very active but depends on your commitment and integrity in taking part fairly in our events. You will play some great courses, make many friends, compete for great trophies and prizes, and probably reduce your handicaps! Have a great season! And don’t forget to attend, or volunteer for, the Genesis Scottish Open at Renaissance 7-10 July, and/or the British Womens Open at Muirfield 4-7 August.  

If any Players need more info, please speak to your Club’s Junior Convenor, or give me a call on 07595 301425 or email me at djjwarren@gmail.com

Muss. Old’s 350th on Sky!

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The 2nd March 2022, the Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club commemorated the 350th anniversary of the first record of golf being played on the historic Old Course. This was a landmark day for the World’s oldest surviving golf course as they celebrated their 350th anniversary! Good to see some Juniors involved in the celebrations. A press release has been issued and can be seen here. A video can be seen here on Sky Sports.

Ian Sills, Provest John McMillian, Ellie Robertson, Brodie Irving, Freya Robertson, Neena Irving, Drew Irving, Terry Gillan, James Bonthron, Stevie Hill, Alan Tweedie
Picture: Alan Rennie

See photos below. They were in order of photos below:- Rory Leishman, Louise Martin, and Cameron Brown. Many thanks to them for volunteering! The transmission will be on Sky Sports News on Wednesday the 2nd March which is a huge milestone in golf – as Musselburgh Old will then become the first golf course to reach its 350th Anniversary!
Many thanks to the Club for hosting us and providing refreshments. We hope to have their Juniors rejoining our League at some stage.
Cheers, Dave Warren
07595 301425

 

 

 

Watson Cup reunion 2022

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Some of the Players from the 2018 Watson Cup Match met up at North Berwick on the 4th January for a reunion game. Sadly some Players were unable to attend, Team Leader Gareth Jack and Connor Wilson were both unwell, and Andrew Scott, Cammie Gallagher and Aaron Hall were unavailable.  We managed to draft in Neil Canavan, to make up 2 three-balls comprising A – Dave Warren, Jamie Duguid and Neil, and B – Jack Rogan, David Rudd and Cammie Spencer. Despite the cold winds, the scoring, the best 2 gross scores on each hole, was excellent with Neil scoring 6 birdies on his own, to lead Team A to a 3 under par score. However Team B romped in with 6 under par to take the spoils. Jamie hit some notable downwind drives measuring 360-370 yards! L-R Jamie, Neil, Cammie, Jack, Dave and David. There are many great photos to remind us of the fantastic match at Kiawah Island in 2018, which can be seen on this website under the drop-down on the menu bar. Note Tom Watson and Dave Stockton being there! 

Happy New Year!

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I would like to thank all our Players, Parents, and Junior Convenors for their participation and support throughout 2021. I look forward to seeing you at our events in 2022. You can see the League fixtures on the right hand column of this page, and a very detailed Calendar under the drop down on the menu bar.

I had a treat on the last day of 2021 when Grace Crawford (plus 3 handicap at West Links) Connor Wilson (plus 5 at Castle Park) and I were invited to play at Archerfield Dirleton with Pro DJ Russell, the architect of the course and Captain of our Watson Cup Team to play South Carolina in July 2022. Scottish Internationalists Connor (21) and Grace (15), on holiday from her new school in the Bahamas, teamed up to defeat the old Boys but only by 1 hole! I have to say that these two young Players are amongst the best in the Country. They both played golf of the highest standard. Both plan to compete in top amateur events in 2022 and we wish them the best of luck!

 

Watson Cup practice at Muirfield

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The Team of Players from the Edinburgh and East Lothian Junior Leagues who have been selected for the Watson Cup in July 2022 enjoyed a courtesy practice round over Muirfield on Tuesday the 21st December. The Match is to be played over Royal Burgess, Muirfield and Gullane No. 1 on the 5th, 6th and 7th of July. The Team of 8 whose handicaps are all plus (better than scratch) includes Sam Hall and Connor Currie but both were unable to attend, so one of the Reserves, Jake Johnston, and a Vice Captain, David Rudd, stepped up and made up the two groups. They played a modified format which challenged the Players who changed partners every 6 holes, and which incorporated varied formats of play – Greensomes, Four-ball, and Foursomes. Several pairs equalled or bettered par for 6 holes and one player, Cameron Adam, managed to be in 3 pairings who each managed that feat! Watson Cup Captain DJ Russell and Chairman Dave Warren walked round, despite the cold, and watched all the play! Vice President Douglas Connon was unable to attend but assisted with the organisation of the event. The Watson Cup organisers are very grateful to the Honourable Company for hosting our group. More practice events may be held at the other venues at Easter and again, shortly before the Match itself.

2022 Tom Watson Cup Team picked!

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The Tom Watson Cup is a biennial match between a combined Team selected from Players who compete in either the East Lothian or the Edinburgh Junior Golf Leagues, and a Team from the South Carolina Junior Golf Association. The Match has been postponed from 2020. In 2022, the match will be played on the 5th, 6th and 7th of July over Royal Burgess (Fourballs), Muirfield (Foursomes) and Gullane (Singles) respectively. We are looking forward to welcoming the SCJGA Team which will contain some of the top Junior Golfers in the USA. We are extremely grateful to the host Clubs who have agreed to accommodate the Match. 

Some of our younger Players will be unavailable due to committing to play in the Scottish Boys U16s which is to be played in the same week, but they will still be eligible for selection for the 2024 Match in the USA. We may lose one or two Players from the Team should they be selected for Scotland in the Boys European Team Championships, which is also in the same week. Grace Crawford, currently at home after her first term at school in the Albany Club in The Bahamas, was also considered but after her performance with 5 wins from 6 in the Junior Home Internationals in 2021, it is a fair bet that Grace will be in the Girls Team for the Europeans, so she will also be considered for the Team in 2024. 

Four of the Players who qualified for our Team for the scheduled Match in 2020 have had to step down as they will no longer be age-eligible in 2022.  The Home Team will now consist of the following 8 Players, many of whom compete for Teams in both of the Leagues and all of them currently hold plus handicaps.-

Edinburgh League – Archie Finnie, Cameron Adam, Ciaran Paterson, (all Royal Burgess Members) and Connor Currie, (Turnhouse.)

East Lothian League – Harry Bent, Sam Hall, (both Gullane) Luke Greig (Royal Musselburgh) and Callum Waugh (Craigielaw).

There is also a pool of Players who are currently being informed of their selection as reserves. Their order of priority will be decided after performances in National and Order of Merit events in early 2022. Some practice rounds are currently being arranged for our Team and Reserves.

Orders of Merit – Final results!

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There were many OOM positions and prizes to sort out after the final Match-Day at the West Links. Thanks are due to Stuart Martin, now a TV star, (see below) of the host Club for assisting with the compilation of these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The OOM positions, with thanks to Golf Genius, are pasted in below the photographs and an analysis and the prize list. There were 130 Juniors who competed in at least 1 Match Day this year. The format is that Players count their best 5 placings at the 10 Match Days. The outright Scratch OOM winner was current Lothians Boys Champion Fergus Brown of Gullane who won by 9 OOM points from Luke Greig of Royal Musselburgh. Fergus’ 7 appearances in the 10 Match Days, resulted in these finishing positions (with T indicating a tied place) – 1, 1, 2, T2 and a T4. He was able to discard other finishes of T5 and T9. Fergus showed a consistently high standard all year and thoroughly deserved his voucher for £100 and an Open Championship woolly hat! His handicap was reduced from 0.5 at his first MD to +1.1 by the end of the season. Luke, the current East Lothian Junior League Champion, was placed T1, T2, T3, T4 and 4 in his best 5 placings from 7 appearances. The 3rd to 5th placed Players, who all received vouchers and prizes, were Jack Lucas of Gullane, Magnus Braby of Craigielaw, and Jack Collingswood of the West Links.

The winner of the Net OOM, and a voucher for £100 and an Open Championship woolly hat, was Connor Cook of Gifford, who was placed T1, T2, T4, T6 and T7 in his best 5 placings from 8 appearances. In the final Match Day of the season at West Links, Connor’s closest pursuer, Daryl Yuill of Craigielaw, could not make up the gap and improve on his worst placing of T13. During the season Connor reduced his handicap from 24 to 16! Other prizewinners were Adam McLean of Craigielaw, Jamie Barker of Royal Musselburgh and Harry Dunkinson who filled the next 3 places. Five players also received a prize for playing in all 10 MDs!

There were additional prizes for Girls and for for Age Groups U14 and U12. The winners in all categories can be seen in the table below. The top Girl in the Scratch section was Evie McCallum, and in the Net section it was Rebecca Wilson, both playing for the East Lothian Ladies Girls Team. They both received golf caps from the recent Solheim Cup which were both signed by the European Team Captain Catriona Matthew.  All the other players in the prize list below received prizes donated either by the League, the R&A, or by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield. Our thanks are due to all of them.

Photos of Evie McCallum, and Rebecca Wilson, winners of the Girls Scratch and Net OOMs respectively, with their prizes signed by Catriona Matthew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos of the winners with League Secretary Dave Warren – Fergus Brown (top) and Connor Cook (below)

 

 

 

Goodbye to some Juniors!

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As somehow happens every year, Juniors have a habit of becoming too old for the following year so we wish them well in their further education and future careers, and hope they will keep playing golf for the rest of their lives. The Players in this category who have regularly supported the League are: – Gregor Thomson, Carl Schmidt, Blair Welsh, Sam Hall, Neil Canavan, Annie Wilson, Connor Currie, Lucy Morrison, Angus Mather, Natalie Fowler, Mikey Shepherd, Byron Archibald, Scott Marnoch, Caelan Pugh, Emma Chapman and Ala Gorka. Sadly, Alexander Yuill and his family will be moving away to Surrey, but we hope he stays in touch. The following attributes you may have learned through golf may serve you well in future.

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