Gullane Junior Golf - Home of the US Kids European Championships - No 1 for Junior Golf !

East Lothian Junior League and Strokeplay Champions 2009 & Junior League Champions 2012, Scottish Girls Champion 2010, Scottish Amateur 2010, Home of the US Kids European Championship, British Girls Home Internationals and Amateur Champiopnship 2011, Developing Talent & Growing the Game, clubgolf for 7 years, Babe Zaharias & Honor Bright Trophies at Gullane Primary School, Scottish Girl Internationalists, Boys U16 Internationalists, Boys U18 Internationalist,141 Junior Members, St Andrews Boys Open Winner 2011, Scottish Schoolgirls Champion 2012

Thursday 31 December 2009

Winter League v Tantallon - Sun 3rd January 2010

Our first home fixture of 2010  v Tantallon takes place on Sunday @ 9.30am on Gullane No 1 - obviously subject to pitch inspection !




Our pairing is Peter Legget (Capt) and Greg Houlston (Vice-Capt)

Hot lunch will follow !

Watch this space for news of any cancellation

We are currently top of the league with only one loss so hopefully we can see off Tantallon again and do the double following Rachael & Lesley's great win earlier in December. The mens team are also doing well in their league.

Picture Courtesy of Hugh Dodd  "In the lee of Gullane Hill a foursome seek shelter from the driving wind and rain. North Berwick Law rises beyond through the shrouded mists as the golfers await the storm to pass."

OLD GOLF CLUB NAMES



Back in the dawn of time, woods were made of wood and irons were made of iron. Golf clubs also had names instead of numbers and some of them are still in use today. Technology has moved on considerably since then, but the names and numbers below are a guide to the modern equivalent of these ancient golfing weapons!

Woods

#1 - Play Club, Driver
#2 - Brassie
#3 - Spoon
#4 - Baffy



Irons

#1 - Driving Iron, Cleek
#2 - Cleek, Midiron
#3 - Mid-Mashie
#4 - Jigger, Mashie Iron
#5 - Mashie
#6 - Spade Mashie
#7 - Mashie-Niblick
#8 - Pitching Mashie
#9 - Niblick, Baffing Spoon
#10 - Wedge, Jigger
Blank - Putter
Courtesy of Golfalot - http://www.golfalot.com

North Berwick Golfing Girls Go Head to Head !


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009



Catriona Matthew, MBE - "It's the icing 
on the cake," she says

FROM THE BBC SPORT WEBSITE
Catriona Matthew has described being appointed MBE in the New Year Honours List as "the icing on the cake" following a memorable 2009.
Matthew, 40, won the Ricoh British Open at Royal Lytham 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter.
"This is a wonderful surprise and a fantastic end to what has been a very special year," said Matthew.
"Having had Sophie in May, I never envisaged winning a major golf championship this year."
The four-time Solheim Cup player was also named Ladies European Tour Players' Player of the Year in December.
Her three-stroke triumph at Royal Lytham and St Annes in August made her the first Scottish woman to clinch victory in a major.
Over 15 years as a professional, Matthew, from North Berwick, has won six international titles and played for Europe at the Solheim Cup on five occasions.
"The reaction and the recognition I have had has been amazing and I'm very grateful to everyone for their support," said Catriona who has also accepted the appointment of vice-president of the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association.
This season, she finished second on the Ladies European Tour's Henderson Money List and was 26th on the American money list after only 10 starts on the LPGA Tour.
"The MBE really is the icing on the cake," said the Scot.
In a statement, the Ladies European Tour praised Matthew's efforts on the circuit, and congratulated her appointment.
The statement read: "Catriona has always been a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf but she shot to prominence in 2009 as one of the UK's finest sporting talents with her sensational victory at the Ricoh British Open.
"In recognition of her achievements, the Ladies European Tour membership recently voted her as the Players' Player of the Year and clearly she thoroughly deserves this honour.
"Her conduct on and off the course is exemplary and in sport there can be no greater role model."


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dorothy Campbell, North Berwick's first famous golfing daughter




By COLIN FARQUHARSON


Until Catriona (Lambert) Matthew came along in the last two decades, there was no doubt that North Berwick’s most famous golfing daughter was Dorothy Campbell (1883-1945), winner of 11 major amateur championships in her lifetime, 10 of them between 1905 and 1912 and six of them in the United States and Canada.

She was the first British-born player to win the United States women’s amateur championship and also the first to achieve the coveted double of the British and American titles in the same year, 1909, when the venues were Royal Birkdale and Merion. In all she won the American title three times, her third triumph coming in 1924, 14 years after the second, and the British women’s title twice, in a three-year span.
A short but very straight hitter with an unorthodox hooker's grip, she had a short-game that was out of this world.


Dorothy was the first truly international women’s golf star. She achieved more in her amateur career than did Catriona Matthew – which takes some doing – but, of course, Dorothy played all her golf as an amateur.
Had there been a Ladies European Tour or LPGA Tour in the States in the first half of the 20th Century, I like to think that a player of Dorothy Campbell’s golfing talent and competitive nature, would also have made a successful transfer to the professional ranks. Who knows what she would have achieved in those circumstances.
One of the minor problems researching Dorothy Campbell’s life is that she was married twice and divorced twice so from Miss Campbell she became Mrs J V Hurd, then later Mrs Edward Howe.


Dorothy Iona Campbell was born at 1 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh on March 24, 1883. Her parents were William Campbell, a metal merchant, and Emily Mary Campbell. Dorothy had six sisters and two brothers – all of whom played golf at a time when the game was not as popular as it is now.


By all accounts, Dorothy swung her first toy club when she was just 18 months, shades of Tiger Woods.
Her father died in 1899 when she was 16 and by 1904, Dorothy was living with her mother at Inchgarry House, Links Road, North Berwick where the Campbell family had enjoyed a number of summer holidays.
In 1896, Dorothy, age 13, joined North Berwick Ladies Golf Club and soon reduced her handicap of nine. She had no problem holding her own against the adult members. She was a pupil of famed golf professional Ben Sayers and learned to play the game over the North Berwick West Links.


Miss Campbell became the outstanding woman player in Scotland, reaching five Scottish Ladies’ (Close) Championship finals in a row from 1905 to 1909 inclusive, winning three of them in 1905-06-08.
The Scottish championship had only been instituted in 1903 (Alexa Glover beat Dorothy Campbell 3 and 2 in the semi-finals over the Old Course, St Andrews on her way to becoming the first title-holder) and the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, founded in 1904, organised the national tournament for the first time in 1905 when North Berwick was the venue.It was too good an opportunity for Dorothy Campbell to miss and she won the title over her home links, beating Molly Graham at the 19th in the final.



Dorothy, it should be said, was no stranger to the big occasion. Two weeks before the “Scottish” at North Berwick, she had made her debut in the British women’s open amateur championship at Royal Cromer and reached the last four and at the same venue, either immediately before or after the “British,” she appeared for a winning team playing under the England banner against the United States in a forerunner of the Curtis Cup match.

In the 1906 Scottish championship at Cruden Bay, Miss Campbell defended her title successfully, avenging that 1903 semi-finals defeat by Alexa Glover whom she beat by 3 and 1 in the final.

In 1907 Dorothy was pipped in her bid to complete a hat-trick of Scottish title wins. The final at Royal Troon went to the 21st hole before Miss F C Teacher took Miss Campbell’s measure on the day.


Dorothy bounced back to win her third and last Scottish title in 1908 at Gullane, where she beat Miss M Cairns 7 and 6 and she disappeared off the championship’s roll of honour after losing by 3 and 1 to Miss E Kyle in the 1909 final at Machrihanish.


In the British championship at Birkdale in 1909, Miss Campbell forgot to report the result of her third-round match (she had won on the 11th green) to the LGU officials who met to discuss whether this rendered her subject to disqualification.


Dorothy was allowed to continue in the championship which she won, beating Ireland’s Miss Florence Hezlet 4 and 3. That victory earned her an invitation to play in America and changed the course of her life. Subsequently, she returned to Britain only as a visitor.


By 1910 Dorothy Campbell was living in Canada and that year she pulled off a remarkable North American double, winning both the United States and Canadian women’s open championships.


She moved to the United States in 1913 when she married Jack V Hurd, a steel magnate, living in Pittsburg and a member of Oakmont Country Club.


The following year she re-crossed the Atlantic to win the British title for a second time, beating in the final at Royal Portrush Violet Hezlet whose sister Florence, Dorothy had beaten in the 1909 final of the tournament.
After giving birth to a son, Sigourney, Dorothy, by now an American citizen, went into semi-retirement from golf. But she made a comeback in a major championship, the 1920 United States women’s championship – and did astonishingly well. She reached the final before going down to Alexa Stirling.


Dorothy had won all her previous titles with a sweeping swing ..“square to square with a shut clubface” … in which she held the club two-handed in the palms of her hands, the wrists stiff and a hooker’s right thumb which was almost under the club. A classic example of “It’s not how, it’s how many!”


Mabel Stringer wrote of her short-game prowess: “Dorothy’s best stroke was a run-up shot that she used from distances of up to 50 feet. She used her goose-neck mashie, closing the small clubface and hitting the ball on the downswing. At Augusta Country Club in 1926, she holed two chip shots and ended up having a record low of 19 putts for 18 holes, lowering Walter Travis’s record by two strokes for putts in one round. In the final of the (US) North and South championship, she beat her opponent by twice holing out from 40 yards.”





At the height of her fame, one Mabel S Hoskins, writing in “Golf for Women,” said:
“Had Mrs Hurd (Dorothy Campbell) lengthened her swing, there is the bare possibility that she could have added distance but, with that short backwing and not exaggerated follow through, she kept the ball near to the middle of the course, far from trouble.”


But Dorothy realised in her 30s, that as she and her muscles aged, she had to adopt a more orthodox technique. George Sayers, son of her original swing coach, Ben, was by now professional at Merion Golf Club, Philadelphia and it was he who gave Dorothy the conventional Harry Vardon overlapping grip and changed her swing.



She sacrificed one whole golf season to work on her new grip and swing until it became second nature to her. It was to pay a last major dividend.
As her marriage to Jack Hurd came to an end – they were divorced in 1921, Dorothy began to compete once more and with considerable success.
Dorothy once calculated that she had won between 700 and 800 prizes in her golfing career, and we are not talking about monthly medals.
By now 41, Dorothy made her last championship appearance anywhere in 1924. It was in the US women’s amateur championship and she entered from Merion Cricket Club. Dorothy beat Mary K Browne, a former American singles tennis champion, in the final. Browne, in the semi-finals, had upset the hot title favourite, Glenna Collett, the 1922 champion and now playing over her home course, at Rhode Island Country Club.
As Rhonda Glenn summed up the final … “while Browne was a long hitter, she couldn’t upset the veteran with the hot putter.”


Dorothy virtually retired from competitive golf after that but she had such a good eye for the game and she never seemed to lose her rhythm and timing. She was persuaded to “come home” and play for Scotland in the women’s home internationals of 1928 – 17 years after her last appearance.
In story-book style, Dorothy won all three of her singles ties, including a memorable win over England’s Cecil Leitch at the 20th (it would have been a halved match nowadays).
By then aged 47, she came back again to play for Scotland in the 1930 home internationals. Dorothy’s new swing enabled her to continue playing competitively through the 1930s – and she won the United States seniors women’s title at the age of 54-55 in 1938
In 1936, Dorothy married Edward L Howes, chairman of the Princeton, New Jersey Bank and Trust Company. She was to divorce her second husband in 1943.


Apart from being a very accomplished golfer, Dorothy Campbell could have made a living as a professional writer. Ghost writing was not for her. She penned highly readable golf columns for such publications as The Golfer, and others for national circulation. She was one talented lady.
As Liz Pook writes: "In her twilight golfing years, she was a frequent visitor to many a tournament and a guest of the famous. Indeed she is mentioned with the greatest respect and admiration no fewer than 15 times within Glenna Collett’s “Ladies in the Rough.”


All good things come to an end and for Dorothy Campbell the end came in tragic circumstances when she was only 61.
On March 20, 1945 – four days before her 62nd birthday - she was visiting friends at Beaufort, South Carolina when she fell from the railway station platform in front of a train at the town of Yemussee.

She had just bought a ticket for the New York-bound train that would take her to the home of her daughter-in-law, Mrs Sigourney V Hurd of Plainsville, New York. Sigourney, her only child, was away serving his country in the Philippines in World War II.

Dorothy’s name was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.


Liz Pook sums up Dorothy’s career thus:
“There is no disputing the fact that Dorothy Campbell remains one of the finest lady golf champions of all time and certainly in contention as the best chip-and-run player that the British Isles has ever produced. And to think that her long and fascinating journey began with a little sixpenny club purchased in a toy shop in the High Street in North Berwick.”


Acknowledgements: Douglas Seaton, Liz Pook, Women Golfers’ Museum.

DOROTHY CAMPBELL ROLL OF HONOUR
British ladies amateur champion: 1909 & 1911. Beaten finalist: 1908. Semi-finalist: 1904, 1905, 1906
United States ladies amateur champion: 1909, 1910, 1924. Beaten finalist: 1920. Semi-finalist: 1911.

United States senior ladies amateur champion: 1938.
Scottish ladies amateur champion: 1905, 1906, 1908. Beaten finalist: 1907, 1909.
Canadian ladies amateur champion: 1910, 1911, 1912.
Western Pennsylvania ladies amateur champion: 1914, 1915, 1916.
US North & South ladies amateur champion: 1918, 1920, 1921.
Boston District ladies champion: 1922.
Florida West Coast champion: 1923 & 1925.
Philadelphia ladies amateur champion: 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929 1931, 1934.
Bermuda ladies amateur champion: 1931 & 19034.
Pennsylvania State ladies champion: 1934.
Women’s Home Internationals: Scotland – up to 1909, and again in 1911, 1928 & 1930.
Representative matches: England/Great Britain v United States: 1905 & 1909.


Any comments? E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com






WINTER STABLEFORD - 30 DEC 2009

7 intrepid souls turned out on Wednesday for the some winter fun ( ?? ) No 2 was closed so we got a couple of times on No 1 and off we went - supervised by the Convenor and Mr Andrew Neden. A couple of others had a look and decided discretion was the better part of valour and hastily retired home. 4 players managed to complete 18 holes in freezing conditions and very unusually for Gullane on 18 winter greens. The other 3 delicate flowers only managed 9 and rushed into the Clubhouse for a hot shower and food ...

Results 

Rhuaridh  Donaldson - 30 points
Lesley Atkins - 29 points
Peter Legget - 28 points
Alastair Neden - 26 points

Duncan McLean , Jamie Black & Coll Donaldson - NR ( but well done for turning out ! )

Thanks also to the Nedens for lunch !

WINTER FUN ON GULLANE ONE !






GUESS WHO ?

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Stableford Today

No2 is closed today but we have a couple of tee times on No 1 - 11.20 am and 11.50 am so can accomodate up to 8 so please turn up for 11.20am 
 
Iain
 
07711 745719 

Monday 28 December 2009

Match v Craigielaw 29th December / Winter Stableford 30th December

Unfortunately the Craigielaw match is a victim of the cold weather - their course frozen

The Stableford on No2 @ 11.30am on Wed is still on - its cold but playable ( with a few winter greens ) - please register with the Starter and turn out - you know it makes sense !! I'll check conditions early on Wed and blog / email if it is going to be off

Iain

07711 745719

Sunday 20 December 2009

Young Scots doing the Business !


SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2009


Richie Ramsay is the Toast of Scotland!

Winner of South African Open play-off

Aberdonian Richie Ramsay scored his maiden European Tour victory in South Africa today.
He won the South African Open at Pearl Valley, Western Cape, thanks to a magnificent final round of seven-under-par 65 which put him into a play-off with India's Shiv Kapur.
The pair tied on 13 under par 274, Kapur also coming from behind with a 67, but the last title of the 2009 golfing year was settled when 26-year-old Ramsay two-putted the first extra hole for a birdie 4
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Related Link
European Tour's official website
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Ramsay, a Walker Cup player and winner of the US amateur championship during a stellar amateur career, started the day five adrift of Pablo Martin, but the Spaniard, winner of last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship, managed only a 73 and dropped to sixth.

So, this Christmas, Richie Ramsay is the Toast of Scotland!




Homecoming 2010

Aberdeen-born Michael Sim aims to play in Open at St Andrews, and at Loch Lomond

FROM SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY NEWSPAPER WEBSITE
BY JOHN HUGGAN
Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy calls him "the next great Australian player." Greg Norman is another fan. And when Michael Sim played the final round of this year's US Open with a guy by the name of Woods (whatever happened to him?), the world's best golfer knew exactly who he was.
"So Michael," said Tiger, "I hear you were five years old when you moved from Scotland to Australia."
It was Aberdeen to Perth in Western Australia to be exact, but the big picture is that the biggest names are all well aware of just how good a player the now 25-year old Sim has become since he first used a hickory-shafted mashie to whack a ball around with his father George, once a six-handicapper at Royal Aberdeen.
Over the past couple of weeks, courtesy of a sixth-place finish in the Australian Open and a tie for fifth at the Aussie PGA Championship, he has climbed to a career-high world ranking of 45. With a top-50 ranking at year-end therefore all but certain, Sim is guaranteed starts in all four major championships in 2010.
Not bad for a lad with only conditional exempt status on the Nationwide Tour (America's second division) at the start of this season. Not that he was in such dire straits for long. That lowly position soon changed – and kept changing. Indeed, for Sim, 2009 has been quite a year. The numbers are pretty startling.
In the 14 events he played on the Nationwide Tour this season, Sim's average prize money was over $46,000, a massive amount on America's second biggest circuit. His total earnings for the year – $644,142 – broke the previous record by almost $150,000. In those 14 starts he won three times, was second twice and had three other top-ten finishes.
In all, he led the tour in total driving, putting, ball-striking, scrambling, birdie conversions, approaches from the rough, approaches from the sand and accuracy from practically every distance between 50 and 200 yards. In other words, he totally dominated what passed for his competition.
Just about the only thing Sim got wrong in 2009 was his timing. The third of his Nationwide victories – which earned him a "battlefield promotion" to the US PGA Tour – came in the week before the start of the Fed-Ex Cup, for which he was ineligible.
Even worse, when the Fall Series came around, Sim was able to play in only one event, courtesy of a sponsor's invitation rather than his newly attained status.
"Yes, my timing could have been better," he says with a smile. "But that's the way that category is. I thought I was going to get into every event on the Fall Series. It was disappointing, especially as the Nationwide Tour really promotes that battlefield promotion as a big deal.
"I felt there should have been a spot for me in any and every event I wanted to play in after that. I hope they change it in the future. It didn't seem right that I fulfilled their criteria then didn't get to play.
"I had a great season, won three times, so it would have been nice to step up to a higher level of competition. On the other side of the coin, I did get to play in the Nationwide Tour Championship. I performed well there and topped the money list.
"So overall it was a great season, especially as I didn't play that many events. That was deliberate. I wanted to play 'fresh' most of the time and the good start I made allowed me to do that.
"I was in a position where I could basically play whenever I liked. Which is a big part of why I played so well."
Doubling Sim's sense of anticipation about the new season that is now less than a month away is the fact that he has been here before. Three years ago, the former No.1 ranked amateur in the world, emerged from the Nationwide Tour clutching both his PGA Tour card and an aching back. Sadly for Sim, the diagnosis was a stress fracture in his spine, an injury that was to cost him six months' playing time and, ultimately, his place at golf's top table.
On this occasion, however, things look to be different.
"Last time I made the US PGA Tour, my preparation wasn't too good," says Sim, with classic understatement. "This time, coming off a three-win season my confidence is high. I feel as if I'm ready to play and play well at that level.
"My goal for 2010 is simple: to win. If I can do that even once it will go down as a successful season, a stepping-stone to where I want to be. That's what this year was – another rung on the ladder. Winning on the PGA Tour is next.
"My general aim is the same as Tiger's, just to keep improving in all aspects of the game, both physical and mental. I don't feel like I have too many weaknesses so it's just a case of building on what I already have.
"If you listen to Tiger that's all he ever says: 'I want to get better.' I'm the same. He's the best player in the world, so if he is trying to improve I have to do the same. Winning is not a complicated formula. It's just a case of putting everything together, trusting what I'm doing and believing in myself. It worked this year."
That it did. And, in order to maintain his progress, Sim intends to play a lot early in 2010.
"I'm going to start at the Bob Hope next month," he reveals. "Then play Torrey Pines, LA – skip Pebble – and hopefully the World Match Play. But the big thing is consolidating my spot in the top-50 of the world rankings. There will be more points available to me next year, so I have a chance to advance.
"If I don't make the Match Play I'll play in Mexico, then on to Scottsdale (his American base]. In other words, I'll play five weeks out of six. It's so important to make a fast start if I want to move up the rankings."
Should that all come to pass, there is a more than good chance Scottish fans will get more than one opportunity to see the Aberdonian in the flesh.
"I'd love to be back in Scotland for the Open," he says. "I'll try to qualify even if I'm not exempt. It would be fantastic to play over the Old Course. I was there for the British Amateur in 2004 and loved the place. St Andrews is always exciting, especially given my background.
"I'd love to be at Loch Lomond too. But a lot depends on how well I play early next year. If I'm in a position to play I'll be there. I'm in a similar place to that Martin Laird was in before this year in that the US PGA Tour has to be my first priority. But if I have $1m or so to my name by July I will definitely play there."
If he does, get along to watch him in action. You'll be impressed.

Friday 18 December 2009

Junior Winter Stableford - Wed 30th January 2009

The second stabelford competition of our winter series takes place on Wed 30th December  on No 2 @11.30 am

Places are limited for this and the course will be busy otherwise so you must book in advance with the Starter ( No 2 )

We will sort pairings on the day and everyone will be welcome in the Members Clubhouse afterwards to warm up !


Iain

01620 843597
07711 745719

Match v Craigielaw 29th December

We have a match v Craigielaw on 29th December at Craigielaw to assist them in their preparations for Spain - details to be finalised but likely to involve 6 or 7 players and some parents getting the chance to play too !

Watch this space for update.

New Girls Junior Convenor

Hi Everyone

As you know, Grace Gilhooley  has retired from Junior Golf and her place has been taken by Irene Campbell.  Irene will be known to many of you as she has worked with clubgolf as a volunteer for 5 years.  I am delighted that Irene has joined us and look forward to working with her. She will play a particular role in liaising with our clubgolf team and in bringing these younger girls through into Gullane Ladies.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you soon.

Best Wishes,

Nicky

Wee Wonders Update

Dear Wee Wonders,

I know many of you will be keen to make plans for next year’s event and I just wish to keep you posted on plans for 2010.

Having enjoyed seven fantastic years of HSBC support for the Wee Wonders Championships, I'm now looking for a new sponsor. Together with Octagon Marketing, we are working very hard and will explore all avenues open to us to ensure the continued future of the event.
 
When I started the Championships in 1995, there was very little in the way of opportunities for youngsters to meet and play together. In the seven years HSBC have been involved approx 25,000 boys and girls have enjoyed and no doubt learnt greatly from their experiences. They extended an invitation for Wee Wonders to meet and play alongside the world's best golfers at their World Matchplay event. Tiger did a putting clinic for us, Monty has done several fun clinics and in 2009 Nick Dougherty became our ambassador Tour Pro. All this was made possible with the vision and expertise of HSBC.
 
The legacy of their sponsorship is that we now see graduates of the HSBC Wee Wonders dominating the highest levels or junior golf throughout Great Britain & Ireland. There are young ladies proving to the golfing world that even in their early teens, they are a competitive force to be reckoned with at any level. We were also represented in the last Walker Cup and many others have gone all the way and turned professional.                
As well as many measurable successes at the top level, I've had the pleasure of observing hundreds of new friendships being forged and old rivalries enjoyed. Through seeing the high standard of play and behaviour our juniors are capable of, many Golf Club's are now embracing the thousands of keen young players and the families this brings to golf.    
   
As sponsors they will be sadly missed but I'm forever grateful for the immense contribution they have made to the Wee Wonders Championships and to the future of golf.      


The hard work will continue over the coming weeks and months to secure funding for 2010 and when I've confirmed plans, I shall email you again to let you know.

Shortly there will be changes to the current website, so for any Wee Wonders related questions or enquiries please contact me at weewondersltd@aol.com or at Gullane GC at proshop@gullanegolfclub.com. The Wee Wonders hotline number that is currently on the website will also soon be decommissioned so if you wish to speak to me directly, please call 07810632766.


I look forward to seeing you next year and wish you all a very Happy Christmas. 

Yours sincerely,


Alasdair

Alasdair Good PGA
Founder, Wee Wonders 
 
Wee Wonders Ltd
Professional's Shop
Gullane Golf Club
West Links Road
Gullane
East Lothian
Scotland. EH31 2BB

Tel: 01620 843111 Fax: 01620 843090 www.hsbcweewonders.com

December News from the Pro Shop

With Christmas just around the corner I would like to look at some of the best golfing presents you could buy for your loved one – or put on your own list for Santa.
I also take a look ahead to 2010 and what you can be doing to ensure your game is up to scratch once the season begins.
As always, if there is anything you would like to talk about, whether it’s your equipment, your game or just to pass the time of day, feel free to pop into the Pro Shop at any time.
Finally, may I take this opportunity to say thank you for your support during 2009 and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I look forward to seeing you over the festive period and into 2010.
Enjoy the news!
Alasdair




Ideal Christmas Present

Ideal Christmas Present
Whether it’s a new driver, glove, bag, golf balls, rainsuit or jumper you’re looking for, you’ll find your perfect Christmas gift in the Pro Shop.
I have all the latest equipment and apparel from the top manufacturers as well as plenty of stocking fillers including golf balls, tees, gloves, ball markers and pitch mark repairers to name but a few.
Below is a guide to some of  the best buys this Christmas in the various categories. But whatever golfing presents you are looking for this Christmas, drop into the Pro Shop and we’ll help you find them.

Best Buy - PING G15 Driver

Best Buy - PING G15 Driver
The new G15 driver must be at the top any golfer's Christmas wish list! It is engineered for golfers seeking a maximum forgiveness driver that delivers distance and accuracy and follows on from the massive success of PING's G10 driver.
Its 460cc titanium head is longer front-to-back and features PING’s patented ultra thin crown technology. Weight savings from the thin crown are positioned as an external sole weight to optimise the centre of gravity for higher trajectories and reduced spin.
SSP: £199
For more information on the PING G15 driver please click here.

Best Buy - Taylormade R9 Fairway

Best Buy - Taylormade R9 Fairway
Another winner from Taylormade, who are No1. in the metal wood market. The TaylorMade R9 Fairway wood has their new Flight Control Technology (FCT) which lets you change the face angle, loft and lie, while Movable Weight Technology (MWT) lets you change the clubhead's centre of gravity.
FCT and MWT together offer total adjustability to promote up to 75 yards of side-to-side trajectory change. New classic clubhead shape combines super-high MOI and easy-launching CG position.
A Fujikura Motore 65-gram shift with High Inertia Tip (HITTM) technology promotes faster ball speed.
SSP: £169
For more information on the Taylormade R9 fairway wood please click here.

Best Buy - Callaway X-22 Irons

Best Buy - Callaway X-22 Irons
The legendary performance of the X Series comes in a new iron with even more forgiveness.
The perimeter weighting of the X-22s has been maximised for a moment of inertia (MOI) that’s 10 per cent higher than their predecessors, meaning you get more forgiveness on off-centre strikes.
The ideal centre of gravity position has been preserved, generating optimal ball-flight trajectories. Also incorporated is a Modified Tru-Bore design, dampening vibration for enhanced feel. The tour-inspired head shape has a slightly thinner topline and sole with a large sweet spot for improved aesthetics and forgiveness to boost your confidence.
SSP: £499
For more information on the Callaway X-22 irons please click here.

Best Buy - Club Sweater & Club Shirt

Best Buy - Club Sweater & Club Shirt
I have a number of club crested sweaters available in the Pro Shop from Peter Scott in a selection of colours and "V" or crew neck.  I also have a large selection of club crested shirts from Greg Norman in plain or patterned. Why not show your pride in being part of the club by putting a club-crested sweater on your Christmas list this year?
Peter Scott Sweater Prices range from £56.99
Greg Norman Club Crested Shirts from £34.99

Best Buy - Under Armour Base Layer

Best Buy - Under Armour Base Layer
Under Armour ColdGear features a double-sided fabric that wicks moisture from the skin and circulates body heat, keeping golfers warm without weighing them down.
ColdGear Compression delivers UA's Moisture Transport system in a second-skin fit. It’s designed to fit tight to your body, reducing muscle fatigue and maximising thermal regulation.
There are many different colour and sizes available so I am sure we will have something to suit your needs over the cold winter months.
Prices range from £29.99 (Children's)
Adults from £34.99
 

Best Buy - All Galvin Green Clothing 20% off

Best Buy - All Galvin Green Clothing 20% off
All Galvin Green Clothing in stock is 20% off leading up to Christmas.  With many colours and styles to chose from and Gore-Tex Performance Shell or Pac-Lite, there will be something for everyone.  Alf trousers in all sizes are also available, as well as Insula and soft shell clothing.
Guaranteed to keep you warm and dry this winter.
Soft Shell Tops Now £95.99
Insula Tops Now £71.20
Jackets From £135.99
Waterproof Trousers £127.99
To find out more information about the Galvin Green Range please click here.

Best Buy - Footjoy Dryjoys

Best Buy - Footjoy Dryjoys
DryJoys incorporate Extreme Comfort Leather, a proprietary waterproofing system. It is membrane-free leather and 30 per cent softer than previous generation FootJoy performance leather.
The Comfort Plus PU Fit-Beds provide super cushioned underfoot comfort, while an EVA Midsole provides lightweight cushioning underfoot, which will remain constant.
Finally, there are seven Tri-Density TPU Stability PODS on the outsole, surrounded by OptiFlex zones ensure maximum flexibility.
SSP: £99
For more information on the Footjoy Dryjoy shoe please click here.

Best Buy - adidas Tour 360 LTD.

Tour-proven 360WRAP surrounds the mid-foot for enhanced upper stability and increased leverage. 3DFITFOAM sock liner for exceptional support, comfort and a customised fit. THiNTech low-profile technology gets you closer to the ground for additional stability plus improved footwork and better balance to promote more solid ball striking.
Full footbed Powerband Chassis with 10 cleat configuration enhances grip and power.
RRP £149
Special Offer Price £109, while stocks last.
For more information on the adidas Tour 360 3.0 shoe please click here.

Best Overall Buys For Christmas


Gents and Ladies knitwear from Peter Scott.  Lambswool, Geelong, Lamora and Cashmere all up to 50% off.  
Gents and Ladies belts on sale now form £10.  A selection from J. Lindeberg, Greg Norman, Dwyers,  Daily Sports and Masters.

'Scoring Zone' - Prepare for 2010

'Scoring Zone' - Prepare for 2010
A golfer is just like a car in that it should be serviced every year and what better time to service your game than during the winter, when there is less opportunity to get out on the course?
Whether your game needs a complete overhaul or a bit of fine tuning pop into the Pro Shop and book a lesson.
There are a wide range of lessons available to suit your needs so call in anytime and I will be happy to talk you through what is best for your game. For a full list of lesson options and prices, please visit our website at www.gullaneproshop.com
I can also give your equipment a full MOT as constant ball striking takes its toll on your equipment, but you may not notice the smallest of defects. We can check everything on your equipment from the club’s loft, lies, grips and every component to ensure it is in full working order.

Gift Wrapping

Gift Wrapping
I know that Christmas can be a busy time for everyone and that is why I am are offering a free gift wrapping service when you do your Christmas shopping at the Pro Shop. You can get them wrapped while you wait, or once you've purchased them, pick them up a little closer to Christmas.

Dates, venues for 2010 Scottish amateur golf season - Gullane to the Fore !


NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION


The Gullane No 1 course in East Lothian tops the list of venues for the Scottish Golf Union’s 2010 schedule when it hosts the Allied Surveyors Scottish amateur championship in July next year.


Six years on from George Murray’s dramatic victory over Paul O’Hara when the venue last hosted the country’s leading 256 amateur golfers, the recently extended Gullane course will provide the venue for the SGU’s flagship championship from Monday, July 26th to Saturday, 31st.


The domestic season gets underway in earnest with the Scottish boys' championship at the scenic West Kilbride course (April 5-10) while Ayrshire hosts another ‘Major’ the following month when the Scottish men's open amateur stroke-play championship returns to Glasgow Gailes (May 28-30).


East Lothian will also be host to some of the leading junior golfers from the UK and overseas when the Scottish boys' open stroke-play championship takes place at Craigielaw (July 23-25) while Peebles in the Borders is the venue for the Scottish boys' area team championship for a third time (June 6). 


The Scottish Seniors Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship moves to a new date in the schedule (30 June – 2 July) with Pollok on the south side of Glasgow providing a great setting for the country’s veterans, many of whom will be battling for a place in the Senior Home Internationals side which the SGU will host at Crail (14 – 16 September). The Golf Data Lab Scottish Youths (Under 21s) Championship also moves to a new date of 7 – 9 May with the event being staged at Monifieth.


Auchterarder will be the scene of both the firstpointusa.com Scottish Boys U16s Open Championship (6 – 8 July) and the Loretto School sponsored Scottish Boys & Girls U14s Open Championship (9 July). Fortrose & Rosemarkie will be the SGU’s most northerly venue in 2010 when it stages the Scottish Club Championship (26 September) with East Renfrewshire playing host to the Scottish Mid-Amateur (Over 25’s) Open Championship (12 – 14 June).


Euan Mordaunt, SGU Events Manager, said:
“We have some fantastic venues for Scotland’s amateur golfers to look forward to in 2010 and we are very excited about the quality of golf courses lined up for our championships in the season ahead.


“There have been some significant changes on Gullane No 1 with a new eighth hole and several new tees and it will provide a great challenge for competitors playing in our flagship event. The SGU is very grateful to all the clubs who host us throughout the year and indeed the members who give up their courses.”


“These great venues allow us to develop talent through our championships and hopefully we’ll see some good crowds turn out locally to support the players.” he added.


Details of a new date, venue and revised format for the Scottish Area Team Championship will be announced early in the New Year. Entry forms for all national championships will be available to download from www.scottishgolf.org.

Saturday 12 December 2009

Winter League v Tantallon - Sun 10.15 am

RESULT - RACHAEL & LESLEY WIN BY 1 HOLE VS ALLY SIMPSON & EUAN BOWDEN

Graham and Jamie up against it - giving away  too many strokes ...

-------------------------------------------------------------

Just a reminder - 10.15am  tomorrow

Lesley & Rachael vs Calum Hill & Euan Bowden

We also have an extra match - Graham & Jamie against a second pairing

Watch this space for more details of the stableford comp after Xmas and an extra match v Craigielaw

Iain

07711 745719

Dates and venues for 2010 Faldo Series' UK Championships


The Faldo Series organisers have announced the schedule of UK Championships for the forthcoming season with nine tournaments being played on some of the most famous courses across England, Scotland and Wales.


The Faldo Series will visit several world-renowned venues in 2010, including US Open qualifying venue Walton Heath in Surrey, former Ryder Cup venue Moortown in Yorkshire and European Challenge Tour hosts The Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales.


Open Championship qualifying venues also feature on the schedule of Faldo Series UK Championships, including Royal Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, Nottinghamshire’s Hollinwell, Trentham in Staffordshire and West Lancashire.


Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire and The Roxburghe in Kelso, two of the most picturesque and highly-rated courses in England and Scotland respectively, complete the stellar line-up of Faldo Series hosts in 2010.


Competitors in the UK will only be one win away from a place in the Faldo Series Grand Final, an R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event hosted by six-time Major winner Nick Faldo and recently won by England’s Jonathan Bell in Brazil.


There will be five qualifiers for the UK Grand Final in the autumn (dates and venue still to be released) from each of the following 36-hole events:

Frilford Heath: March 31-April 1.
Moortown: April 7-8.
West Lancs: April 22-23.
Walton Heath: May 5-6.
Royal Ashdown: May 18-19.
Hollinwell: June 9-10.
The Roxburghe, Kelso: June 23-24.
Vale of Glamorgan: August 17-18.
Trentham: August 25-26.



Further details inc handicap limits / entry form on the Faldo website - http://www.nickfaldo.com/assets/files/Entry%20Form%202010.pdf


Entries due in by 24 FEB 2010

Friday 4 December 2009

US KIDS RETURNS TO GULLANE IN 2010 !




ELIN NORDEGREN AND PARTNER PRESENT THE 2010 US KIDS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wednesday 2 December 2009

DEER PARK CUTS FEES FOR JUNIORS !?

Golf: Deer Park cuts fees for juniors

Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Published Date: 02 December 2009
A LOTHIANS golf club has halved its membership fee for young golfers and is hoping the decision will eventually lead to the creation of a new junior academy.
Bosses at Deer Park Golf & Country Club at Livingston launched the youth drive after discovering it didn't have the depth of juniors you'd expect from a club which prides itself on its family orientation.

In addition to the membership fee for eight to 13-year-olds having been reduced to £89, the club has also started offering clubgolf coaching and is developing a short course for juniors.

"Kids have always been keen to play here but it was too expensive and we were becoming a feeder for other clubs," said head pro Sandy Strachan.

"That's fine for getting kids into golf but we weren't seeing the benefit. So reducing the membership has really given us the opportunity to get active and get kids in."

Strachan, who moved to Deer Park from nearby Bathgate two years ago, added: "My aim was to get the membership fee right then make a heavy push on the coaching and build a junior section."

As is the case all over Scotland, P5 pupils in West Lothian are being introduced to the game through the clubgolf initiative and Strachan is keen to offer a continuation of that programme.

"We have been working with clubgolf and Active Schools to get the message out to local schools and the potential for children to come here for coaching is massive," he said.

"I'm doing the teaching because I feel that by catching children straight away I can nurture them from there and make sure they are going to be good junior members.

"I have got my Stage 3 (clubgolf] qualification, as has John Murray who joined us from Turnhouse, so we can take the children right through the levels to the advanced stages.

"We are obviously at the start but what we are working towards is to create a Deer Park Junior Academy where you we take in children from a very young age and coach them right through to Scottish level and hopefully even professional."