East Lothian Junior Golf League

Supporting junior golf in East Lothian, Scotland

SJTC 2021 – Results and Report

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Dear all, the amount of positive feedback from the Managers of the 20 Teams involved in the recent Scottish Junior Team Championship event at Crail has been astonishing! Thanks to all of you for making a huge contribution to the success of the event. We would like to also thank those friends who kindly donated some funds to help with acquiring prizes etc, and to thank other friends who conveyed such prizes obtained from the shops at Augusta National, and from the Olympic Club, to Scotland. Having some of those prizes signed by Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Catriona Matthew is a wonderful bonus for the Players and we hope they keep them as mementos! 

We hope we can build this “free to enter” event up into being the best end of season gathering for Junior Golfers of all abilities from all over Scotland. The handicap indices of Players at Crail ranged from +2 to 31, thus fulfilling Scottish Golf’s mantra – “Scotlands Game for Everyone.” We are delighted that Scottish Golf supported the SJTC event this year, as we feel the event is a “fit” with their National Junior Framework, and we hope that the SJTC will be mentioned within their website under “Events and Competitions” and be included in their fixture list. Scottish Golf’s COO Karin Sharp visited the event at Crail to see how it was being run. We hope Karin approved.
 
If competing in future SJTC events can help to stimulate and incentivise any defunct Junior Leagues to reform, or help any Junior Leagues who might be experiencing low numbers of Players to increase participation, that would be a wonderful outcome for our efforts. 
 
I’ve already had a call from a Junior Convenor from a golfing “hotspot” asking for advice on reforming a League and I advised him that this process really starts with Scottish Golf’s  “Learn to Golf” then by forming a Golf Foundation GolfSixes League both operating at “grass roots” level, and then by building up the numbers of active Juniors in Clubs, to a point where a League can then be formed. The East Lothian League supports our local GolfSixes League and there is a drop down on our website showing this years fixtures and results. We are fortunate in having short or par 3 golf courses at Craigielaw, North Berwick, Gullane etc. Local Council Golf Development Officers, if there is one, and local Golf Professionals, may be able to help with organising a GolfSixes League.
 
Our “not for profit” East Lothian Junior League adopted a new Stableford format some years ago, similar to the format of the SJTC, and we now have over 168 registered Players with handicaps, registered through our handicapping software provider, Golf Genius. 125 of those Juniors have played in at least one of our 8 of our 10 League Match Day fixtures held so far this year. At each of these, up to 84 Players can meet to compete as individuals and as Teams and all the scores count as acceptable scores for handicaps. To help with gender equality, an all-Girls Team competes representing the East Lothian LCGA. A few Players with Home Clubs in Lanarkshire, Fife and Northumberland have recently joined East Lothian Clubs, in order to be eligible to play in events in our League. The regular absence of low handicap Players at “elite” events, actually creates more opportunities for higher handicap Juniors to gain experience, as our League only runs events on a handicap basis – up to 28 for Boys and 36 for Girls. Higher handicapped players can play but have to play off these maximums.

All the scores in the SJTC can be seen on the free Golf Genius App, by downloading the App, by then accessing the competition “SJTC 2021 at Crail” and by then entering the code “SJTC.” The Gross and Net individual scores can be seen there as well as the best 5 out 6 Team scores. I attach the prize list below and screenshots of the scores. For those Teams who have not yet received their prizes, I am currently bagging them up and will be arranging delivery, if I can get any fuel! I will be in touch. 

Regards, Dave Warren. Secretary, East Lothian Junior Golf League. 07595 301425

East Lothian Junior Golf League News

MD2 at Dunbar – Skeleton draw

The “Skeleton” draw for MD2 at Dunbar is published here, and the span of tee times can be seen. Entries will close at 6 pm on Monday the 23rd March. Use the Golf Genius App to enter.  Any requests for early or late tee times, or requests to be near travelling companions in the draw, please email the Secretaries on [email protected] The draw will be made on Tuesday the 24th March and will appear here. Please access your Golf Genius App then click on “Events,” “MD2 at Dunbar” “Portal,” and then – on the dropdown menu, click on “Players.” You can then see all the entrants, and you can then sort them by their Affiliation. Later you can view the Tee Sheets and Leaderboard on the same menu.  Dave Warren. Joint League Secretary. 07595 301425

 

Girls’ Junior Framework!

Scottish Golf have recently announced by email their new funded pathway for “Girls to enter, stay and thrive in Golf.”  All Convenors should have received this through their Clubs, but I have sent it to all our Convenors just to be sure they see it.  The complete information on how to apply for funding etc is at this link

 

 

ELJGL Girls vs St Andrews!

Thanks to a former League Junior Kate Thomson, our League girls are going to play the St Andrews University Ladies’ Team over the Jubilee Course at St. Andrews on Saturday the 28th March at 1230. The Girls who have been selected to play are Phebe and Lydia Pickett, Louise Martin, Chloe Adam, Maisie Witt and Anna Zonova. This “friendly” match will be fourball better ball, with a handicap strokes to be given or received. There will be soup and sandwiches after the match in the One Under Bar, in the Rusacks Hotel. Jennifer Pickett, Mhairie Witt and Dave Warren will provide transport to and from the venue. Push trolleys will be available. Our golf is complimentary. A return match will be arranged in the Autumn. These matches will give our Girls a taste of Student life at St Andrews!  Dave will meet with Gareth Jack, former Junior Convenor at Longniddry, now working in St Andrews, and they will also have a game, but not quite as “friendly!” 

Ava Paterson in Dubai!

Ava, a recent Junior at Kilspindie, and now a student at Heriot Watt University, was in touch with me recently. Ava told me she was heading to Dubai, where Heriot Watt have a Campus, for a semester from January till the Spring. Ava’s Mum Eleanor, asked me if I knew anyone in Dubai, as Ava had expressed the wish to help to coach Junior Golfers whilst she is there. I recalled that Euan Bowden, and Ryan Gallacher, both former ELJGL Juniors, were working in Dubai. I viewed the “Tommy Fleetwood Academy” website where I saw that both of them are working there as PGA Professionals – see their full Team here! So, I put them in touch with each other. I believe that Ava will be seeing both soon Ryan and Euan soon, but in the meantime, Ava has met the Boss! Good luck Ava! 

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