The following is a press report which was distributed  on the 6th March to all parties concerned about the recent trip to Pinehurst and has appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News here.

This photo below was taken outside one of the best Clubhouses in the world of golf, at Forest Creek Golf Club, where all the Players and Leaders enjoyed a courtesy round of golf. We were joined by one of the hosts for the day – JJ Jackson, on Dave’s left. A resident of Pinehurst, JJ is a Forest Creek and North Berwick member and is a long time supporter of our League.

“Dear Members of the Press, Sponsors, Scottish Golf managers, East Lothian Golf Club Managers and Convenors, East Lothian Juniors and Parents, and friends in Pinehurst, North Carolina, 20 Junior golfers from various East Lothian Clubs have recently arrived home safely after the East Lothian Junior Golf League’s annual 10 day trip to Pinehurst. All the Players are now raring to go in the upcoming 2023 season!

Attached is the group photo of the 20 Juniors involved, assembled by the 18th green at the famous Mid Pines course in Pinehurst North Carolina. Their names, from left to right, are back row:- Ava Simon, Struan Murdoch, Robbie Landles, Scott Porteous, Connor McCarthy, Adam Macdonald, Daniel Moos, Sean Gallacher, Adam Nichol, Harry Dunkinson, Andrew Irvine, Jackson Gray, Ben Churn, Evie McCallum, Ellie Bent, Molly Chapman. Front row, Tobin Witt, Jack Collingswood, Charlie Cuthbert, Ben Austin. The group were accompanied by 5 volunteers – all current or recent Junior Convenors in East Lothian, Shona Paton of Gifford, Gareth Jack of Longniddry, Steve Austin of Haddington, Helen and Stuart Findlay of Royal Musselburgh. They devoted most of their time to ensuring everything worked well on the trip for the biggest group of Juniors to ever go on one of these trips. However, they also enjoyed some excellent golfing experiences themselves. The trip was organised by the League’s Secretary and Treasurer, David Warren, of North Berwick Golf Club. David is an overseas member of Pine Needles and Mid Pines in Pinehurst, and his contacts there include some great friends who regularly host our Teams and provide excellent Southern hospitality! Some of them are overseas members of North Berwick and Tantallon Golf Clubs and are frequent visitors to the County. 

 

The Team enjoyed rounds at Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Forest Creek South, Pinehurst No 4, Pinehurst No. 8, and at Longleaf, which is the home of the US Kids Golf organisation, who are one of the League’s sponsors. The Juniors also played at the 9 hole Cradle course where Scott Porteous of Longniddry had a hole in one! They were accompanied by the short game coach at Pinehurst, Kelly Mitchum, a visitor to North Berwick in 2022, who recently had an “Ace” at the 90 yard 5th hole, which gives him an unbeatable course record eclectic score of 9,  having holed in one now at all 9 holes! Photo below.

 

 

Our Boys Team played a match against the Pinecrest School Boys Team over Pinehurst No. 4 which the local Team won narrowly 3.5 – 2.5 on a fourball better-ball format. The Girls were treated to a 2nd round over Pine Needles, the wonderful venue of several US Womens Open. 

 

All of our Players, representing “Scotland’s Golf Coast” competed in two “Winternational” events against a large field of Juniors from North and South Carolina and from elsewhere in the USA. Our Team Members Evie McCallum and Sean Gallacher finished 3rd in their respective sections and both won prizes.

 

Air fares, meals and a 3 night stay in the 5 star Carolina hotel were funded by the Players’ families. After those 3 nights, subsequent accommodation was provided for our party of 26, for 7 nights, in the beautiful village of Pinehurst, which was supplied free of charge by local families, either in their homes or in their rental properties. Local transport firms provided ground transport to the various venues. Excellent sit-in cooked breakfasts were enjoyed at two local establishments, and on many evenings, a restaurant in the area would be visited. 

 

The trip was subsidised by the League, through several donations from some kind sponsors and friends to whom we are extremely grateful. Another kind sponsor paid for the Team clothing supplied from a major golf apparel company. These generous donations to the League ensure that these trips can take place, and the League is extremely grateful to these donors.

 

League Players only get to go on these trips once, so plans are now being made for the February 2024 trip for which more Players will be invited to go, based on their ages, their frequency of appearances in League events, and on their golf handicaps. Some past and present Junior Convenors will also be invited to join the next trip.

 

It was a great pleasure to lead such a fine group of young Players, who didn’t know each other well at the start of the trip, but by the end of the trip, great fun and many new experiences were had, so many lasting friendships were formed. The Players truly had a “trip of a lifetime” and returned home with fresh views perhaps, on what is possible in this great game called Golf.

A pre-Pinehurst trip lunch was held at The Glen GC on Saturday the 28th January at which 53 people attended. The group comprised 19 of the 20 Players who are going, there being only one absentee due to another commitment. See photo below. This is the largest group to ever go on this annual trip, leaving on the 9th February. Players only get to go once on this trip of a lifetime! They will play 9 rounds in 9 days on some wonderful courses! All 6 Leaders and plenty of Parents made up the rest of the attendees, together with special guests, Catriona and Graeme Matthew.

The Glen was a superb venue in a private dining room area, so I was able to tell all the group about the impending trip. The food was excellent too! Thanks are therefore due to the Glen F&B Manager Clint, and to the chefs and the waitresses Lauren and Claire. The Players and their East Lothian League Teams are: Andrew Irvine, Ben Churn, Jack Collingswood, Harry Dunkinson, Jackson Gray, Robbie Landles, and Connor McCarthy, all of West Links Juniors, Molly Chapman, Evie McCallum, Ellie Bent, and Ava Simon of East Lothian Girls, Ben Austin, Adam MacDonald, and Adam Nichol, all of Haddington, Charlie Cuthbert, Sean Gallacher, Scott Porteous, Tobin Witt and Daniel Moos of Longniddry, and Struan Murdoch of Musselburgh Toun.

The Leaders are Junior Convenors from our Clubs – Stuart and Helen Findlay of Royal Musselburgh, Steve Austin from Haddington, Shona Paton of Gifford, and Gareth Jack, formerly of Longniddry and now the Assistant Tournament Director in the Scottish Junior Team Championship, which is organised by our League. 

If our other League Players are thinking of going in future years, to be offered a spot, you have to turn out and support your Club regularly in our 10 League Match Days and in our other League events. 

There is an Instagram account using this hashtag #eljglpinehurst23 which is the official ELJGL account edited by Gareth Jack where he will be posting from. That way all our photographs will be pulled together in the same place for everyone to view. There is also a blog here, created by Shona Paton, so following all the news should be easy. Don’t forget to tell your parents so they can keep track of you! Gareth and Dave also pictured below with Catriona.

The Secretaries would like to wish all Players and Convenors a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to an active year of competitive golf for you all in 2023. You can plan your own golf from the Calendar on this website. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to regular Players who have become 18 years old in 2022. They are Ryan Yuill, Luke Greig, Euan Cooper, Molly Nicholson, Freya Constable, Callum Waugh, Jamie Napier, Jamie MacPhail, Ryan Gallagher, and Connor Cook. We wish them all the best of luck in whatever you choose to do in future, and fervently hope that you will remain in the game of golf for the rest of your lives! At some stage, please find a way to put your knowledge and expertise back into the game to help it grow.  Thanks, Dave and Jack.

Meanwhile, Santa has delivered the clothing for the upcoming trip to Pinehurst of 26 Players and Convenors!

Here is a lengthy annual report on the League’s activities for 2022, and a remarkable series of results and some wonderful Players’ performances are all included. If you have time to read it, thank you. It may give you a perspective on the role the League plays in growing the game. Dave Warren, Joint League Secretary.

Secretaries report

The results of the 2022 ELJGL Championships are now available on Golf Genius here. Apologies for the delay. Photos of the prize giving and prizewinners are in a separate post now. There was some spectacular scoring! Our Championships were combined with our Team Strokeplay event for the first time. Sadly, 2 of our 11 member Clubs did not manage to field the minimum of 3 Players to compete in this Team event. 

There were 62 players, with the 36 older U16/U18 Boys completing 2 rounds. Everyone played off the medal tees. 

Kilspindie was in great shape for our visit, so many thanks to our hosts, Craig and Chris, and to the Kilspindie members, and our Starter John Anderson. Thanks as usual to Shona Paton. The help received on our scoring software, from Jenny Potter of Golf Genius, was invaluable in sorting out the various divisions, age groups and Teams. Provost John McMillan was on hand to present some of the prizes to the younger Boys, and to the Girls. Thanks John! Thanks to the R&A for donating so many lovely prizes, and we have carried some of them over for the upcoming Scottish Junior Team Championships. 

It was a very complicated and a long day for the organisers! So much so, that the prize-givings for the U18/U16 Boys and for the Team event, were held over! The final winning scores, and list of prizewinners, are now published below.

Gullane dominated the Boys scratch event and were deserved winners of the Team Strokeplay Trophy, over 18 holes in the morning, with a 5 under par total, best 3 from 4 scratch scores. Craigielaw, helped by Corey Hagan’s 11 under par round of net 58, won the handicap Team event.

There were 10 girls competing in the Championships, and Evie McCallum took the scratch spoils with a gross 70, level par. Kate Thomson of Winterfield, won the net with a 59!

Dunbar’s newest recruit from Bathgate, Corran Fraser, who only joined the Club and the League on the day before the event, scooped the 36 hole handicap event with a great total of 126, playing off a handicap of 8!

Scottish Golf might note some of the Boys’ scratch scores! A 36 hole gross total of 128 by Fergus Brown, and a 2nd round of 62 by Andrew Hendry! Corey Hagan of Craigielaw, aged 13, scored a scratch 67. Our new Scottish Boys U12s Champion, 11 year old West Links Junior member Ryan Killorn, broke par with a 68! 

We have now secured a venue for our annual Championships next year. They will be at Longniddry on Friday the 4th August. Please put this in your diary so you don’t miss out!

The Scratch Team Strokeplay event scheduled for July had to be cancelled due to there being very few Teams entering. The schools Summer holidays were probably the reason for that. So, we combined the event with the League Individual Championships in August, when 62 Players turned out. So 9 Teams were able to compete in the Team event. Gullane, in the best 3 out of 4 scores format, scored a gross 5 under par gross Team total. Fergus Brown was their top player with a gross 64, and he was ably supported by Andrew Hendry and Jack Lucas. Longniddry were the closest challengers just 3 strokes behind. In the Handicap event, Craigielaw scored an impressive 13 under par total, led by Corey Hagan off 9, who scored a great 11 under par 58! Adam McLean and Jack Barnes scored net 68s, to push Longniddry into 2nd spot, only 3 strokes behind, despite Ben Austin’s great score of net 63! Many thanks to Kilspindie for hosting the event.

The Scottish Boys, Girls, and Mens and Womens Championships were concluded recently. Several of the League’s current or former Players had outstanding success.

In the Scottish Girls Championships, Freya Constable of Kilspindie, current handicap 0.9, became Champion by winning the final by 3&2. Well done Freya! Photo below. Scoring here. Evie McCallum current handicap 1.3, from the East Lothian Girls Team, was a beaten semifinalist.

In the Scottish Boys event, Harry Bent of Gullane, current handicap +3.7, tied for leading qualifier with a 1 over par score of 143, and in total, 16 Players with links to the League made the cut by being in the top 64 places. All three Mukherjee brothers qualified for the matchplay championship by being in the top 9 of the 36 hole qualifying process. Cameron Mukherjee of Gullane made it all the way to the final. At only 14 years old, with current handicap of 0.3, that is a tremendous performance! 

Cameron’s older brother Oliver from Gullane, at only 16 years old, won the Mens Scottish Amateur title, beating Connor Wilson of Castle Park in the semi-final. Oliver’s handicap is currently +3.7! Well done to all the Mukherjee Boys! Scoring here.

Kiron Gribble of Dunbar, now playing off +0.5, was tied 6th in the Scottish Boys U16s Championship. Scoring here.

Ryan Killorn age 11, from West Links Juniors, now playing off 3.4, won the Scottish Boys U12s Championship, narrowly beating Fraser Walters of Gullane now playing off 2.8. Well done Ryan and Fraser! Scores here. Photo below.

Alexander Yuill of Gullane, was tied 5th in the Scottish Boys U14 Championships. Scores here.

Grace Crawford of West Links Juniors, started all of this run of success for East Lothian Players by winning the Scottish Womens Open at Troon in April. Scores here. Photo below. Grace has since competed in the British Girls Amateur at Carnoustie where she was the only Scot amongst the 64 qualifiers. Sadly Grace lost in the first round.

Connor Wilson of Castle Park won the Lothians Men Championship at the Royal Burgess for the 2nd time and Jake Johnston of Dunbar won the Lothians Boys Championship at the Braid Hills. Rory McClafferty reached the semi. They jointly led in the qualifying round with 70s. Fraser Walters of Gullane was the U14s trophy winner. Well done to them both!

All the Players are a great credit to their Home Clubs, to the County, and to our League! Well done everybody! Dave Warren, League Secretary.

Hannah Darling sadly lost in the semi-finals of the Womens Amateur Championship which is underway at Hunstanton in Norfolk from 20-25th June. Grace Crawford was defeated in the round of 32.  There were 144 entrants who played 36 holes of strokeplay (results here) to try to qualify in the top 64 players who then compete in the matchplay section. Hannah Darling qualified in 6th place with a 72 and a 69, with Grace Crawford not far behind in 12th spot with a 73 and a 70, against the par of 73. 

Jack McDonald, former ELJGL Junior, and now working at the Schloss Roxburghe Hotel and GC, has won the prestigious Tennent Cup, played over 72 holes at the Glasgow Gailes and Killermont courses in Glasgow with a score of 282. Results and photos here. Well done Jack!

Please see this link to the announcement of the Scottish Golf Teams for the European Championships on the 5-9th July. Congratulations go to some of our current and recent Junior players – Freya Constable of Kilspindie in the Girls Team to play in Iceland! Grace Crawford, of West Links Juniors, is promoted to the Ladies’ Team and will play in Conwy in Wales alongside Hannah Darling of Gullane. Calum Kenneally of Dunbar, Oliver Mukherjee of Gullane, and Archie Finnie of Royal Burgess, have all been selected for the Boys Team to play in Germany. Well done to all of them! Sadly this means that Archie, (featured image) will miss the Watson Cup Match vs South Carolina, scheduled in the same week so he will now be replaced by Ryan Gallacher of Longniddry. Angus Carrick of Craigielaw is selected for the Mens Team. We wish them all great success. Photo below is off Grace Crawford with the Scottish Womens Open (Helen Holm) Trophy.

Grace Crawford has won the R&A Girls U16 Championship at Enville GC. Her 2nd huge win in 2 weeks! The report on the R&A website can be seen here. See scores here.

STOURBRIDGE, ENGLAND – APRIL 24: <> at Enville Golf Club on April 24, 2022 in Stourbridge, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Grace Crawford, representing West Links Juniors, has won the Scottish Womens’ Open, known as the “Helen Holm” at Troon Portland and Royal Troon, host course of many Open Championships. Grace spreadeagled the field in the final round at Royal Troon with 3 straight birdies to start, and completed the final round of the 54 hole event in 68. On behalf of the League I have congratulated Grace, and we are indebted to Scottish Golf for use of the photo of Grace with the Trophy. The leaderboard is also attached, with Grace’s 3 rounds detailed. A full report can be seen here on the Scottish Golf website. See scores here. Past and present League Players in the event included Freya Constable, Abi Nisbet and Carys Irvine. 

The R&A have issued this press release. We are hoping this means that Tom Watson will be able to visit the Watson Cup matches on the 5th, 6th and 7th July. We are presently seeking confirmation of this.