The view from Portpatrick - Stanley Morrison

What a fantastic day was had by all at Dunskey on Tuesday! We were delighted to welcome nearly 100 youngsters at Under 14 and Under 12 level to take part in the inaugural Stanley Morrison Team Championship. This new event on the Dunskey calendar came about following discussions between Tim & Maggie Morrison and Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club over the course of the last year. We have been recognised as a club which wishes to promote the development of junior golf - an ideal close to the hearts of the trustees of the Stanley Morrison Charitable Trust. The Trust has been kind enough to sponsor this event for the first time and I can categorically state that it was a huge success. We would like to say a massive 'thank you' not just from the club itself but from all those budding golfers who came along from near and far!
The format of the competition was for teams of three (best two scores counting) to compete over the Dunskey course with each member of the team joining up with players from other clubs in order to give everyone the opportunity of meeting new people over the course of the day. Not only did they all play 18 holes of golf, but they were also involved with Skills Tests on the Par 3 course and the putting green.

The day was run in a most relaxed and professional manner by a whole team of experts! Our own PGA Professional James Erskine headed up the arrangements and took on the role as overseer of all matters! A fantastic coaching team included a past European Tour winner Dean Robertson (Winner of the Italian Open, Palmer Cup team coach and newly appointed Director of Golf at Stirling University) and Kendal McQuade (Golf Professional and coach of an English Junior squad). These two guys set up a range of skills tests which were really appreciated by the participants and encouraged a lot of of fun throughout the day! We also welcomed Ann Lang from Club Golf Scotland who acted as starter on the first tee! Ann brought along a range of freebies for the youngsters, including shoe bags, keyrings, pens, water bottles and I love golf badges!! Also in attendance was Walter Burns from the Scottish Junior Golf Tour and who along with his good lady wife, attended to all the registration and scorecards. It was good to see a number of excellent golfers from the SJGT in attendance.


Teams came a fair old distance to take part - we appreciate that as we well know that Portpatrick is out on a limb! However, once visited, never forgotten! We pride ourselves on our welcome to visitors, the quality and warmth of our hospitality and not forgetting a superb golf course with some of the best greens in the country - our thanks go to Head greenkeeper Alan McWilliam and his team who are genuinely 'junior friendly' and go that extra mile to prepare a great course for such an event. Teams came from Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Glasgow and as far afield as Gullane on the east coast. Members from the SJGT came from all over the place and in fact the eventual individual winner came all the way from Inchmarlo in Aberdeenshire. It was good to see new faces appear from Maybole in Ayrshire, quite new to junior golf development, but with a commitment to progress. The Under 14 Team prize went to Gullane and at Under 12 level the Dumfries & Galloway G. C. won the day. All the team prizewinners took away inscribed medals and mini 'claret jugs' to retain back at their clubs.

As this was the first year, we really didn't know exactly what to expect - but as we witnessed the eventual play off at the 1st Hole with a huge crowd in attendance and the full house at the prizegiving, we all realised just what was happening - this was the start of a major junior event - and Dunskey is well and truly at its heart! I am delighted to say that the trustees have agreed to put on this junior competition again next year and who knows, perhaps teams from even further afield will apply to take part - we certainly hope so.

Make no mistake, this was a magnificent 'team' day - The Sponsors, Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club, The Professionals, ClubGolf, SJGT, The Players, The Parents - all made this a day to remember!
The generous sponsorship meant that there were no team entry fees, the buffet for the kids was all paid for as were the refreshments! The youngsters benefited from competition, camaraderie and professional coaching. From the Club's point of view, we are very happy indeed to host such a prestigious new tournament and I can say that overall we witnessed excellent etiquette and manners from all those involved and we will be delighted to welcome you all back next year! We sincerely hope that you all enjoyed your visit to Portpatrick Dunskey and you can rest assured that we will work tirelessly to promote junior golf - our future!

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