East Lothian Junior Golf League

Supporting junior golf in East Lothian, Scotland

MD6 at Haddington – Results

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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.

MD5 at Kilspindie results!

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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

MD4 at Craigielaw results!

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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.

 

West Links Juniors celebrate!

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The West Links Juniors met for a fun session on the practice putting green at North Berwick, organised by Martyn Huish and his Pro Shop staff. Then, together with many of the parents, they all convened in the Tantallon Golf Club for refreshments, food, and a chat hosted by the WLJ Junior Convenor, Ric Foulner. Ric reflected on the reasons for their success in the East Lothian Junior Golf League and in individual events in the 2023 season and talked about the way forward for the club to maintain that level of success.  On display were the trophies for winning the League Championship, the ELJGL Team Strokeplay Championship, and the most recent win, the ELJGL County Cup Championship. Winning the “Treble” had only ever been achieved before by Tantallon Juniors and by Kilspindie Juniors.

MD3 results at West Links!

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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.

MD2 results at Dunbar!

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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.

Results from MD1 at Gullane!

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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.

County Cup 2023/24

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The 2023/24 County Cup Final – has been completed between two strong Teams, West Links Bass and Gullane. It was played at Royal Musselburgh on Saturday the 23rd March 2024. 

The Teams and results in the double aggregate foursomes format were: –  Match 1 – West Links Bass – Harris Munro and Seb Harvey, lost 2 down to Gullane – Jack Lucas and Angus Hill. Match 2 – West Links Bass – Ben Churn and Hudson Blair won by 4 up v. Gullane – Charlie King and Angus Waddell. Both matches went to the final hole after West Links Bass forced themselves into an aggregate 4 hole lead with only 4 holes to play. Both Gullane pairs won their 17th hole, then Jack and Angus won their 18th hole! Both pairs in the 2nd match missed the 18th green, and after Charlie narrowly missed for par, Ben canned a 20 foot putt for par to win the Cup for West Links Bass! The overall result was 2 holes up to West Links Bass. Both Matches were Handicap Matches. The referees were Stuart and Helen Findlay whom we thank profusely for setting up the event and refereeing on the day. There was a prize giving in the Clubhouse after play, and refreshments were made available for the Players, Spectators and Convenors. Prize vouchers have been issued. In earlier rounds, Owen Malcolm and Scott McEwan-Ness both played for Gullane and they will also receive a voucher.

Many thanks to Royal Musselburgh for hosting this event. They are having their 250th Anniversary in 2024. They are one of the oldest Clubs in the World so we are very honoured to be holding this final as guests of this historic Club.

Photos attached. Photo 1 L-R Harris Munro, Ben Churn, Seb Harvey, Hudson Blair. Photo 2 L-R Angus Hill, Angus Waddell, Jack Lucas, Charlie King.

 

 

 

 

 

Pinehurst trip report!

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Back Row L-R Jamie Barker (Longniddry) Scott McAdam (Kilspindie) Rory Leishman (Royal Musselburgh) Joe MacPherson (Kilspindie) Steve Austin (Haddington Convenor) Gareth Jack (Former Longniddry Convenor)

Middle Row L-R Riley Porterfield (Kilspindie) Angus Waddell (Gullane) Rory Leitch (Haddington) Ryan Pirie (Haddington) Sue Warren, 

Front Row L-R Shona Paton (Convenor Gifford and East Lothian Girls) Kate Thomson (Winterfield and East Lothian Girls) Louise Martin (Gullane and East Lothian Girls) Anna Zonova (Royal Musselburgh) Katie Mackenzie (Gullane) and Dave Warren.

In February 2024, 12 Junior Golfers from East Lothian Golf Clubs who play regularly in the (non-profit) East Lothian Junior Golf League, experienced a wonderful trip to Pinehurst, North Carolina. 

This was the fifth time the League had taken their Players to the “Home of Golf” in the USA. Our Juniors only have one opportunity to go on these trips and there has now been a total of 84 Juniors who have taken part. Some of our former and current Juniors are attending, or are applying for, golf scholarships at US Colleges and Scottish Universities. Several of the Players have now won Scottish Championships and/or are in the current Scottish Mens, Womens, Boys and Girls performance squads.

Pinehurst No.2 is now preparing for the Mens’ US Open in June, and they have 5 more Mens’ US Opens there before 2047 and a US Womens Open in 2029. I think some Parents of our Players may, in future, be visiting Pinehurst with their sons and daughters! 

A total of 39 Players, Parents, Friends and Leaders, including special guest Catriona Matthew, all met for a pre-trip lunch at The Glen Golf Club before the trip after which Dave Warren, the Secretary of the Junior League, gave details about the itinerary of the trip. The 5 Leaders who took part were, Dave and Sue Warren, who are both members of North Berwick and are also Overseas Members of a group of North Carolina resort golf courses – Mid Pines, Southern Pines and Pine Needles, and three other Junior Convenors, Shona Paton, (Gifford and East Lothian Girls) Steve Austin (Haddington) and Gareth Jack (former Convenor at Longniddry) who all voluntarily gave their time to the Juniors to ensure that all went well! Thanks are due to them from the League, and from the Parents and Players. Dave and Sue have some wonderful friends amongst the residents of Pinehurst, several of whom are Members of North Berwick Golf Club.

During their visit, the Juniors played 9 rounds of golf on some world class courses, such as Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Forest Creek, Pinehurst Nos 1 and 4, and Longleaf, where they experienced all that one of the biggest golf destinations in the world can offer. I would like to thank all of the owners, members and staff at all those courses for continuing to host our Juniors so well.

Families of the Players all paid for the Players’ airfares and for their dining costs whilst abroad, and the Leaders also paid for their own costs. The League receives some generous donations from Marine and Lawn Hotels and from Dan Van Horn, the founder of US Kids Golf, and these donations form the basis of the League being able to subsidise most of the other costs for the Players. One Player received financial help from the North Berwick Rotary Club and in one case of hardship, all of another Player’s costs were paid by donations from Members of their Club, backed by subsidies from the League’s funds. Parents of Players who have been on these trips also donate occasionally. Other donations came from many guests whom David and Sue have hosted at North Berwick and they are delighted to help fund these trips when they hear about the opportunities the League gives to young people. Thanks to all of them as well. 

After travelling from Edinburgh on Friday the 9th February, via Heathrow to Raleigh Durham, a wee problem at US Customs arose where the soles of all the Players golf shoes had to be scrubbed clean by a very enthusiastic Customs agent, which delayed us for an hour or more! Two rented people carriers, a taxi, and a luggage trailer then ferried the group to Pinehurst where we arrived about 9:30 pm. We then split up and checked into three addresses provided by friends. One house provided rooms for all 10 Boys and for Steve and Gareth, and another family shared their home with Shona and the 4 Girls. Dave and Sue were given the use of a 3 bedroom Condominium on Pinehurst No.5 Golf Course, together with the loan of a car. Thanks again to all those wonderfully generous friends, who even got together later with other Pinehurst friends to fund the closing dinner on our last night in Pinehurst.

After a good rest, the golf commenced on Saturday on the Pinehurst No.1 Course in the “Winternationals,” a series of seven 36 hole events played, as the name suggests, during the fairly mild North Carolina winter, on various courses at the Pinehurst Resort and surrounding courses. These scratch events are expertly run by veteran organiser Peter De Young, and by Pinehurst Head Pro, Matt Nunez. 

For many Players, their first exposure to US golf courses was hard to handle, with different types of grasses, and hard to read grainy greens, so scoring was high. The Leaderboards are here – https://wjsp.bluegolf.com/bluegolfw/wjsp24/schedule/index.htm  All of our Players were in the “Junior/Senior” Division, and 84 competitors in total competed in the various divisions. Joe MacPherson, a scratch player from Kilspindie, coped extremely well with jet lag and the unfamiliar greens and scored 74 and 70 to tie for first place! Joe received a trophy and some prizes from the League. Katie Mackenzie was our top girl and also received a prize from the League. Almost all of the Players improved their scores on day two.

The Players also enjoyed social mixed four-ball golf at Pine Needles (the host course for 4 US Womens Opens), Mid Pines, and Forest Creek South. The 8 Boys had our annual Match against the local Pinecrest High School over Pinehurst No.4 where we came a distant second to the State Champions! Meanwhile, the Girls ventured back to Mid Pines for another round. 

Then on the 2nd weekend, there was a practice round and 2 more rounds in the Winternationals at Longleaf, the HQ of US Kids Golf. The scores of the 69 competitors can also be seen on the Leaderboard link above. Sadly we had no success at that venue.

The weekdays were filled with various activities, including playing the sensational 9 hole Cradle course at Pinehurst, using all the Pinehurst practice facilities and the 6 hole “Bottlebrush” short course at Longleaf, a visit to the Donald Ross Museum with a talk from the Curator Audrey Moriarty, a visit to the Golf Pride offices, which is their Research and Development centre, with a guided tour from Katie Hoadley. Some Players had clubs re-gripped at Golf Pride. We also had a talk from Jaime Diaz, a renowned golf journalist and TV pundit for the Golf Channel in the USA. Jaime donated a huge box of brand new logoed golf shirts which he had built up over the years. Our Players were delighted to receive these.

Players appetites were well served with breakfasts at the Pine Crest Inn, at the Villager Deli, and with several dinners at The Pinehurst Brewing Company, The Sly Fox English Pub, and at other superb restaurants. On one evening, a generous couple, Charles and Cami Gregg, provided a superb BBQ which was swiftly devoured! Nothing matched the final dinner at the Pine Crest Inn, expertly provided by Drew Gross and his Staff, which was generously funded by all of our Pinehurst friends, and attended by most of them. Thanks to JJ Jackson and Eric Carrier for organising a great evening. The Juniors presented them all with gifts to show their appreciation for the hospitality shown throughout their visit.

Each Junior and Leader was given a dozen golf balls by the League, and souvenirs – a Pinehurst No. 2 pin flag for Boys, a Pine Needles pin flag for Girls, and a No.2 Course Planner for everyone, so they can watch the Mens’ US Open with the aid of the planner!

The Players and Leaders, apart from Dave and Sue who stayed on for a further week, all returned to Edinburgh on Tuesday the 20th February, all no doubt reminiscing and regaling their parents and friends with stories of their “trip of a lifetime!” We hope that fond memories of Pinehurst, their enthusiasm for the game of Golf, and the friendships they made on this trip, will last for the rest of their lives. 

Later, Dave and Sue tackled the Pinehurst No.2 Pro Shop and found that some items remained after the Juniors had been shopping! We were still able to buy a substantial quantity of merchandise, discounted thankfully by another good friend, which the League will give out as prizes at our League and at other events this year.

If any young Boys and Girls living in East Lothian are thinking of taking up Golf then, after they join a local Club and obtain a handicap, they can play in our League’s “free to enter” events, on many different courses in “Scotland’s Golf Coast” which events are all on our website at eastlothianjuniorgolf.org.uk There are also “Get Into Golf” programmes and “Golf Camps” held by local Clubs, and Schools Golf competitions through “Active East Lothian” There are some excellent Children’s courses in the area where players can start the game. Kate Green, our EL Council Golf Development Officer, runs Schools Competitions and Coaching events through the winter.

The League depends on donations to keep these trips affordable, and we want to take larger groups there when appropriate. There is a “Donate” button on the League’s website, or donations can be made direct to the League’s “Winternationals” account. Donors would need to contact Dave directly to arrange payment by this method.  

Dave Warren 07595 301425 djjwarren@gmail.com

https://eastlothianjuniorgolf.org.uk/wp-admin/?nextgen-attach_to_post=1&nonce=7e7bff1547&KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=600&width=1000

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In the meantime, here are 3 photos from day 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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