Thanks to everyone at RMGC and to our usual helpers, Stuart, Sue and Jean, and to various parents. On a beautiful day, 55 Players teed it up and enjoyed a course in top condition. Sadly, 7 Teams were unable to raise 4 Players. All the scores have now been posted to WHS. The Prizelist can be seen shortly.  Congratulations to the Home Team for their clear-cut win by 5 points, from The Glen. The  League table has been updated and it can be seen on the top right hand side of the website. With only 3 MDs till the end of the season, it is becoming very tight at the top, with 7 Teams in close contention for the title. Orders of Merit standings can be seen on the Golf Genius App under “Order of Merit 2024.”

Thanks to all at Haddington Golf Club and to our usual helpers. The scoring has all been completed, and posted to WHS. Sadly, a few Teams who are in contention for the title could not muster the minimum of 4 Players to maintain their challenge. However, they can fight back over the remaining 4 MDs! The scores are attached below.  Both West Links Teams made ground this week and the League is building up to an exciting finish. Both Rory Laird and Jack Collingswood closed the gap on leaders Archie Brownlee and Ben Austin.  It is good to see 3 Girls on our prize list this week! Prizes will be available at our next MD at Royal Musselburgh on June 23rd. The Orders of Merit can be seen on the Golf Genius App under ” Season Points.” Please register your entries on Golf Genius for the next MDs and for our Championships. The League Table has been updated.

Despite the poor weather, our first wet MD this year, 66 Players competed at a Kilspindie course in fine condition. Our thanks are due to the Club for hosting us, especially to Chris Stirling their Junior Convenor, and to the usual group of helpers of course! All scores have been uploaded to WHS and handicaps have now been adjusted.

The scoring was excellent, and the Haddington Team won their 2nd MD of the season, followed closely by Royal Musselburgh and Kilspindie. The MD scoresheet is attached below.

The League Table can be seen on our home page and it is topped now by Haddington. There has never been such a close competition at the top of the League for many years with only 4 points now separating the top 5 Teams!

There were some notable individual performances, including 47 net points for a gross 75 by Net OOM leader Archie Brownlee of Haddington, receiving 17 shots. This was Archie’s 3rd win at 5 MDs, and his handicap has been cut nearly 10 strokes since MD1! West Links’ Harvey Blair with 45 points and Royal Musselburgh’s Anna Zonova with 42 points were 2nd and 3rd. Riley Porterfield lost on the count-back for 4th from Shane Hay, both having 41 points. In the Scratch section, Haddington’s Ben Austin again topped the scoring with a gross 66 for 39 points. Fraser Walters was second with 36 points after a gross 69. Josh Murray of Longniddry, and Sam Ratcliffe of Kilspindie tied for 3rd on 35 points with Josh having one more point than Sam on the back 9. As Riley Porterfield was nudged out of the prizewinners in both Net and Scratch, we will give Riley a consolation prize.  

The OOMs can be seen on the Golf Genius App, and Archie, after 3 wins at the 5 MDs, has a clear lead of 24 points from Callum Hynd and Callum Martin in the Net OOM, but both have played one less MD than Archie. In the Scratch OOM, Ben Austin, with his 3rd win at the 5 MDs, has a lead of 49 points over Sam Ratcliffe, and 55 over Harris Munro. But Jack Collingswood, who has played in only 3 MDs, can soon make up ground, as only the top 6 placings out of 10 count for the OOMs.

The next MD is at Haddington on 2nd June and Registration will be kept open till the weekend. Please get your entries in for all MDs and our Championships asap! Dave Warren, League Secretary. 27/5/24

Thanks are due to Craigielaw for hosting our MD4, and to Gordon Smith and John Murdoch for assisting on the day, with the usual “crew” Sue, Jean, and Steve. The course was in fine condition and the scoring was very good. The leading Team on the day was West Links Fidra, with a consistency of scoring not seen often before, meaning they could discard points totals of 33 and 34 for their 4 out of 6 scores total of 148, narrowly beat the home Team Craigielaw by 2 points. The best net score was 41 points and the tie on that score between Callum Martin, and Max Elgin, was settled on count-back in that order. Ben Austin had an excellent gross score of 70, despite a double bogey, but he countered that with eagles at the 2nd and at the 12th hole, where he holed a full 9 iron after a drive that was nearly on the neighbouring Kilspindie course! Fraser Walters and Lewis Russell, both from the host Club, were second and third on scratch scoring on 36 and 35 points. The Orders of Merit positions have been updated and can be seen on the Golf Genius App under “Season Points.” The next 3 Match Days at Kilspindie, Haddington, Royal Musselburgh and the League Championships at Dunbar are now open for entry so please enter as early as possible.

 

Thanks to the West Links Juniors for hosting MD3 on a bright but windy day, over the famous old links at North Berwick. As usual, Steve Austin, Shona Paton, Sue Warren and Ric Foulner all helped out on the day – so my thanks are due for their unstinting efforts! 

Congratulations to Craigielaw as the leading Team with 144 points for the best 4 Stableford scores out of 6, with Haddington only 2 points behind.  But both West Links Bass came in 3rd to maintain their lead in the League table, now followed closely by Haddington, Craigielaw, and Kilspindie. 

Even off the Blue Tees, the best 2 scratch scores were only 36 points, by local members Jack Collingswood and Andrew Irvine, which showed how hard the course was playing! Jack won on the count-back. The best net scores were 42 points by Archie Brownlee of Haddington and by Calum Robertson of Royal Musselburgh. Archie won the first prize on the count-back. 

The Team and Individual scores are on the attached table. The League table will soon be updated. Scores will be posted to WHS tonight. See the rules note below this table.

RULES PROBLEMS – There was an important local rule about temporary water in bunkers and elsewhere on the course. The local rule below was applied. It was explained to all Players and printed on one of the scorecards in each group, and was published on Golf Genius and on the website. Sadly some Players, who were very honest when asked if they any problems with the water in the bunkers, and the relief process they followed, admitted they had dropped their ball outside of bunkers containing water, which were not marked GUR and were not totally full of water. The correct process was to drop in the sandy part of these bunkers, no nearer the hole. After establishing the facts, some players had to add a penalty stroke under Rule 16.1c. The process of the 2 ball procedure under Rule 20.1c(3) was explained. Please look it up of the R&A rules App. It could save you many strokes in your future rounds. 

RULE 16.1c IS AMENDED BY A LOCAL RULE FOR ABNORMAL GROUND CONDITION (TEMPORARY WATER IN BUNKERS, AND IN THE GENERAL AREA.)

If any bunker is FULL or PARTLY FULL of water, and is MARKED GUR, you are allowed “complete relief” and can drop a ball, without penalty, outside the bunker within 1 club length of the “reference point” which must NOT be nearer the hole than where the ball originally lay. If your ball is in a bunker, which is NOT MARKED GUR, and there is an area of sand, which is NOT nearer the hole than where the ball lay, and IS available to you to take a drop in the bunker, where the ball and your stance would be clear of any temporary water, you MUST take your free drop in the bunker. Any doubts – use Rule 20.1c(3) (playing two balls) after FIRST nominating which of the 2 balls you want to count, PRIOR to playing either ball. If your ball is lost in any temporary water anywhere on the course and if it is known or virtually certain your ball is lost in that area, Rule 16.1e applies. If you are taking a free drop, it is one club length from the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the water. If your ball in water is found- take a free drop, one club length from the nearest point of complete relief, not nearer the hole.

A huge thanks are due to Dunbar GC for hosting us on Sunday. The course was, by all accounts, in superb condition. And thanks to our usual helpers, I had some time off!

There were 60 Players, as we were, at short notice, able to accommodate 6 more Players who had entered the cancelled Lothians Champion of Champions event. The Team and Individual scores can be seen below. Haddington’s 5 players produced the best net total for 4 scores of 149 points, followed closely by the Teams from West Links Bass and Dunbar, who both totalled 147 points. The West Links Team gained 2nd spot by virtue of their better 5th score of 34 to Dunbar’s 29. 

Archie Brownlee of Haddington led the way in the net scoring with 41 points, with 3 Players tied for 2nd spot. Ties are decided on card count-back and the results can be seen on the attached table. 

Kai Laing of Dunbar, and Ben Austin of Haddington, tied on 35 points in the scratch scoring, with Kai edging into 1st place on count-back.

Full scoring and both the scratch and net Orders of Merit have been updated and those leaderboards can be seen on the Golf Genius App.  

I have opened 4 more MDs for entry so please register asap if your schedule allows.

All Players and Convenors, please see attached results from Sunday’s League Match Day at Gullane No. 3. It was a record turnout for any League Match Day with 77 Players competing. Kilspindie Juniors narrowly won the Match Day by only 2 Stableford points from 3 other Teams on the best 4 from 6 scores method. Well done to Kilspindie! Jack Collingswood scored 62 gross, and Harry O’Connor, and Ryan Killorn and Fraser Walters, both only 13 years old, scored gross 65s. Stella Walters aged 11, scored a gross 74. Several net Stableford points totals were in the 40s.Well done to the winners who will receive prizes at the next MD they attend.  Please enter the next Match Day at Dunbar through Golf Genius asap as it will be closing on Wednesday at Midday. Late entries may be accepted.