It is not long now till some of our League Players leave on our annual trip to Pinehurst on February the 13th 2026. The group will be led by Chris Barker and Jim Wilkinson. Sadly, there are not enough Girls in the right age group to be considered this time. However, their opportunity will surely come round in due course. The 10 Boys going this year, and their affiliated Clubs are:- Dunbar – Shane Hay, Gullane – Jamie Sievwright, Daniel Hogg, Kilspindie – Finlay Perry, Cameron Brown, Musselburgh – Max Elgin, Royal Musselburgh Ewan Stone, West Links – Seb Harvey, Ben Harley and Oscar Wilkinson. They will be met at Raleigh Durham Airport by League Secretary Dave Warren and his wife Sue. This trip is slightly shorter than previous trips and will incorporate 7 rounds of Golf,  2 at Longleaf, and 1 each at Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Southern Pines, a match vs. the local High School on Pinehurst No.4 or No. 8, and the final round will be at Forest Creek North, followed by a dinner on our last evening there, hosted by all the friends of the League in Pinehurst. There will also be visits to the Cradle short course, the USGA Golf Hall of Fame etc etc. The photo is of the house where the group will be staying and it is a few yards from the centre of the village of Pinehurst, North Carolina.

The Secretary sent this note below to the 50 Golfers who will now be too old to compete as Juniors in 2026! It was copied to Parents and there have been some very nice responses from them, attached below, stating the effect the League has had on their sons and daughters.   

Dear Players, the time is near when you are leaving Junior Golf and your time competing in ELJGL events is over! On behalf of the League and all the volunteer Junior Convenors and Helpers at our Member Clubs, I would like to thank all of you for your commitment to the League, and I hope you enjoyed competing in it. We wish you well in your further education and careers, and hope that you continue to improve your golf and become regular players in your Club Competitions, in Inter-Club matches, and compete in County and National events. Many of our recent Juniors are attending University or Colleges in the USA or in the UK. Good luck if you are planning a similar future.    

I keep a record of attendances at League events and I mention below a few of those who are leaving the League. The most frequent participant was Harris Munro, with 55 appearances, followed by Jamie Barker and Rory Leishman 49, Ryan Pirie 45, Angus Waddell 39, Rory Leitch 38, Scott Porteous 37, James Hamilton 35, Harry O’Connor 31, Robbie Landles, Riley Porterfield, Rory McArdle and Ellie Bent on 30, Murray Bowsher 26, Liam Graham 21, Ava Paterson and Jamie McLaren 19, Kai Lang 18, Rory Burns and Josh Murray 16. All 20 of these Players, and some others, took part in one of our annual trips to Pinehurst. Hopefully, you all made long-term friends in our events and on our trips, and will remain so. Brodie Cunningham also made 31 appearances, but as he excelled at National level as a Junior, he was unable to continue in the League. Brodie is now off +3.8 and we will follow his career in golf in future. Good luck Brodie!

Jack Collingswood’s record of 81 appearances can still be beaten by a few of the really young Players who, like Jack, started early with their participation in the League. Contenders include Hudson Blair 39, Rory Papakyriakou 35, but my bet would be on Harvey Blair, still age 12, with 36 appearances from 2022 to date! 

Regards to all of you, and to all the patient Parents who financed and encouraged you, and drove you to and from our events! Dave Warren. 

P.S. Keep an eye on our website to stay aware of what we do in the League – still one of the best in Scotland – thanks to you. There is a “Roll of Honour” there, where, if you won any of our trophies, your name is there for posterity!

1 “Lovely to hear from you Dave and again thank you so much for everything you do for EL juniors.”

2 “You have been a very large part of my boys childhood and I know they will look back on their participation in the ELJGL events with a lot of affection. I know probably more than most the effort and energy you have put into running the league and the Pinehurst trips. Those trips to North Carolina will undoubtedly be a memory for the children that will last their lifetimes and something you should take so much pride and satisfaction from.”

3 “XXX would like to thank you and the entire ELJGL team for providing so many wonderful opportunities to play at amazing golf courses. These experiences have helped him improve his game and build many lasting friendships. A special thank you for giving him the opportunity to visit Pinehurst, it’s a memory he will cherish forever. What ELJGL does for all the juniors is truly remarkable. Lovely note Dave thank you.”

A big thanks to the Glen Golf Club for hosting our 10th and final Match Day (MD 10) of the 2025 season on Sunday the 17th August, on a beautiful day for Golf! And thanks to our helpers the Findlays, Sue, Chris, Shona and Jean. There were 75 Players but sadly there had been 5 call-offs, most of them at very short notice! The Glen Mens’ Captain, Marc Burrows, was present with his wife Paulia, to present the League Championship trophy to some of the winning squad, on the 50th Anniversary of the League! Photo below. Lynne Malcolm, and David Brady, the Glen Juniors Convenors were also present, and all of the Glen’s Officials must have been very proud that their young Glen Team topped the scoring format, the best 4 out of 6 Stableford points totals, amassing 144 points, only 1 point more than Gifford. Gullane and West Links Fidra were also very close, on 140 and 137 points respectively. Well done to Aaron Muldowney of Gifford with 41 points, and Harris Munro, with 34 points, who led the net and gross scores respectively. Golf balls for the named Players will be carried over to next season, except of course for those who turn 18 years old in 2025, and the balls will be delivered to them. The League Table has been updated and can be seen in the RHS column of the website. The scores have now been posted to WHS and handicaps were updated last night.

The final section of our Championships, delayed by Storm Floris, were the U14 Boys Gross and Net, and these have now been played at The Glen during MD10 and there were 27 entrants. These scores can be seen under results on the Golf Genius App. Congratulations to Sholto Lawson, and Harry Black, both Glen Players, who will collect the U14 Trophies. There are 10 prizes and vouchers still to be issued in this event. and I will be soon be in touch to arrange collection or delivery.  

There is a separate report on this website on the outcome of the 2025 League.

In view of the imminent event today (Monday) at Royal Musselburgh, I am only publishing the scores from MD9 at Gifford at this stage without a report, which will appear here in a few days time. Scoresheet – attached. The League Table has been updated and can be seen on this website. Scores were input last night to WHS in time for Monday’s event. The U12s Championship was decided on Sunday at Gifford and the table of scores can be seen below. Well done to all 9 Boys, and congratulations to the Trophy Winners, Rocco and Harvey! The revised Orders of Merit can be seen on Players’ Golf Genius Apps. Dave Warren. 

Our thanks are due to the staff at Dunbar GC for hosting Match Day 8 on Sunday the 20th July. In particular, our thanks go to the Professional, James Gill, who coped brilliantly with the fluctuations of the mist which initially delayed play, and then later, caused a 20 minute suspension of play. During the suspension, Players had to mark their golf balls and wait for play to resume when the klaxon was sounded! Thankfully, all the Players managed to finish their rounds. Our Scorers Shona and Sue, and our Starter, Chris and Convenors, Gordon, Ric and Nikki, managed the extra long day with great fortitude.

Sixty four Players took part and the Team and Individual scores can be seen on the attached file below. Congratulations to the Gullane Team with 156 aggregate Stableford points who just pipped the West Links Fidra Team with 154 points.  

The best Individual scores were by Aedan Halliburton with 43 net Stableford points, and Nathan Tait with 37 scratch Stableford points, compiled with a round of  71. Prizes can be collected at the next League event. Scores should be uploaded to WHS on Monday.

The Scratch and Handicap Orders of Merit can be seen on the Golf Genius App under “Season Points 2024.”  Jamie Sievwright of Gullane leads the Scratch OOM and Kyle Crawford of West Links Fidra leads the Net OOM. 

The League Table has been updated and can be seen on the website in the side column. The leaders Glen now with 76 points, were overtaken by both West Links Fidra on 79 points, and Gullane on 77 points. With only two Match Days left, at Gifford and The Glen, the finish to the season should be very exciting! 

Our next event is our annual Championships which will be on Monday the 4th August at Royal Musselburgh. There are 10 trophies, and lots of prizes on offer for both Boys and Girls, in various age groups. We are still accepting entries for that event, and entry can be made through the Golf Genius App or by contacting me. Dave Warren 07595 301425.