WE HAVE DONE IT!!

Our juniors have done Iain and Strathmore Golf Club proud tonight by playing the away leg of the Junior bell Trophy at Kinross today and winning 3-2. This means that the aggregate score of the home and away match is 7 - 3 to Strathmore Juniors.

A fantastic result of which I know Iain is really proud of. A full report from Iain will follow.

The team who played in both legs are above sporting our new team colours. They are left to right Callum Ewan, Alex Simpson, Tod Bannerman, Brad Bannerman and Cory Miller. Well done to you all.

Just arrived back from watching our team qualify to the quarter final stages of the Junior Bell Trophy for the 1st time. Junior Vice Captain Brad Bannerman again led the team out and struck early by winning the par 3 first hole with a tremendous birdie which must have inspired his team mates as 3 of them also won the first hole. Brad did find himself behind but fought back and won 2&1. Alex Simpson was never behind and built up a healthy lead and secured a great 5&4 victory. Tod Bannerman despite an amazing eagle 3 on the par 5 11th where he also had a shot (net albatross) lost out 4&2. Callum Ewan kept up his great form of late and secured a convincing 3&2 win and finally Cory Miller despite winning the first hole soon found himself behind and could not peg back his opponent and lost 6&4. I would like to congratulate all 5 players for their performances over the two legs and am very proud of them all. We can now look forward to the draw and seeing how far we can go.  

GOLF IS FUN

Enjoying Yourself

Though the game can be quite challenging and even frustrating at times, always try to enjoy yourself. This may sound easier said than done, but one of the best golf tips for beginners is to simply have fun, go with the flow and let the game come to you. Remember that you won’t turn into a Paul Lawrie or Catriona Matthew overnight; being competitive is good enough but always strive to continue improving your game. Golf is also a leisure sport so enjoy and have fun out there with family and friends.

TODAY'S TIP

When playing from the first cut of rough always take one less club as you are more likely to get a flier and with little back spin the ball will normally travel a bit further.

LADIES SCRATCH LEAGUE

Well done Kirsty Brodie on her tremendous win and helping the Ladies to a great away win at Crieff. Her opponent remarked to Dawn that it was just a pleasure to play with Kirsty, her course etiquette was exemplary and she was very impressed with her friendliness during the round.

HANDICAPS AWARDED

Megan Thom became the latest player to attain a Club Handicap. Megan's handicap is 40 and only 4 shots away from a full Congu handicap.

Lewis Avolio attained his Fun Handicap of 44 and can now play Summer League and Medals on Leitfie

Well done both.

Frankie Henvey who gained his Club Handicap last week of 34 took 3 shots off by scoring 6 below the sss on Saturday as he looses 0.5 per shot will now be playing off 31 (and he has decided to go back to playing right handed)  

JUNIOR BELL TROPHY

Today saw Strathmore play host to Kinross in the first leg of the Junior Bell Trophy. Brad Bannerman led from the front and with a brilliant display won his match 5&4. Alex Simpson lost out to an in form Jennifer Saxton 3&2 despite chipping in twice in a row ! Tod Bannerman closed out his match 3&1 with a fantastic 2 nett 1 on the 17th. Callum Ewan was 1 up coming up the last and after his big hitting opponent found the greenside bunker in 2 Callum kept his cool and got up and down from 50yds to half the hole and secure a well deserved victory and Cory Miller made sure the team take a 4 v 1 lead to Kinross for next Saturdays return leg by winning his match 2&1.
The team were excited about wearing their new team colours and remarked on how they looked more professional than their opponents and that feel good factor certainly gave the team an edge.
What a superb result and if the team can reproduce this form next week then Strathmore could make the straight knockout stages for the first time.
I would also like to mention Junior Captain Michael Brodie (who was ineligible to play as Category 1 players are not permitted to take part) who accompanied me all afternoon showing his support to the team and Kirsty Brodie who was unavailable for selection who managed to get back in time to see the end of all the matches. I know the players who took part appreciated the support.  

   

CERTIFICATES AWARDED

Two more Certificates were awarded this weekend. Firstly was Flora McGregor on Friday, who was presented with her Level One Certificate from Junior Coach Gareth

Then on Saturday Junior Captain Michael Brodie presented  Michael Davie with his Level one Certificate

 Well done to both Flora and Michael. But remember juniors, you too could have your photo on the website and the junior notice board!! All you have to do is get playing!!!

PLAYING DONKEY PAYS DIVIDENDS

Thanks to all the Juniors at the Coaching who have been practicing their putting by playing Donkey with me.Tonight after spending hours on the putting green at the coaching I put the practice into play and representing the Gents Scratch League Team I managed to putt myself to a 1 up win against scratch player Stephen Carruthers of Pitlochry. Single putting from 10ft on 7, 6ft on 9, 20ft on 11, 6ft on 13, 30ft on 14 and managing to putt from 60ft from off the green at 17 just missing the hole and finishing within a foot to go 1 up. I was left with a 2ft putt on the last to win the match and remembering what I had been telling you all for weeks - short putts,be positive take the break out and hit the putt with enough pace to hit the back of the cup and it worked !!! 

It was great to see Junior Captain Michael Brodie make his home debut for the team and after finding himself 4 down after 13 managed to fight back and take his game to the 18th.

MARCUS RYAN ATTAINS CONGU HANDICAP

Marcus Ryan has been awarded a Congu Handicap of 28. Well done and I look forward to seeing your handicap come down during the season.

BRODIES SELECTED AT COUNTY AND CLUB LEVEL

Congratulations to Michael who last Sunday played in the inter area match between Perth and Kinross v Lothians at Greenburn Golf Club. Also congratulations to Kirsty who played out third in the Strathmore Ladies Scratch League Team against Muckhart. It is great to see both players gaining such valuable experience playing at this level of competition.      

RHYS FRASER AWARDED HIS FUN HANDICAP ON LEITFIE

Well done Rhys on being awarded your Fun handicap of 38 on Leitfie. You can now enter all Leitfie Medals and also the Leitfie Summer League to reduce your handicap and the next target is a full CONGU Handicap.

Summer League entry criteria.
Before you go out to play in the Summer League you must first sign up in the Blue Book available from the starter. You must either play with another Junior who also holds a Fun Handicap or have your card marked by a parent or guardian. Cards must be dated and signed by both the player and marker and returned to the Junior score card box.    

JUNIOR BELL TROPHY TEAM ANNOUNCED

Next Sunday sees our new team colours make their competitive debut and with a strong team being led out by Junior vice captain Brad Bannerman I am very confident we can kick off the season with a victory at home against Kinross. Alex Simpson, Tod Bannerman, Callum Ewan and Cory Miller make up the side and all 5 players are in great form. 

STRATHMORE MEMBER WINS AT FIRST ATTEMPT IN MOSCOW

Breaking news, just received an email from Alexei's dad to let me know that Alexei has just won his first ever competition at his first attempt.

Hi Iain,

Alexei played in a season opener junior competition at Kurkino Golf Club Moscow today.

The course is a 9 holer. Similar to Leitfie - only in this case it has 8 par 3s and 1 par 4.

There was a fair amount of thick rough and 4 frog filled ponds to avoid - and a river running by the 7th, 8th and 9th.

The par 3s include three short holes, three mid and two long par 3s - over 200 yards. The long par 4 (hole 8) is a dangerous one - bends sharply left to right with a river on the right side - lots of kids found the water or deep rough.

Alexei - scored:
1. 4
2. 3
3. 4
4. 4
5. 4
6. 4
7. 4
8. 6 - many came a cropper here.
9. 4
Total 37

Enough to win by one shot in his category - 10 years and younger.

Well done and great scoring with a par of 28, a round of 9 over would equate to a handicap of 18 !!!, tremendous scoring for your first competition. Look forward to seeing you at Strathmore in the summer.

ETIQUETTE TO BE FOLLOWED

Golf Course maintenance etiquette:

• Replace divots
• Repair pitch marks
• Rake sand bunkers
• Do not put trollies or bags on the green and be on lookout for ground under repair.
• Lay flag down gently on the greens
• follow paths

Courtesy and etiquette to other golfers on the course:

• Do not tee off until the group ahead have cleared the green or at least well out of range of a long drive.
• Be still and quiet around players taking their shot
• Do not obstruct other players
• Let others player play through – don’t hold up other groups – keep up with play
• Attend flag for partner if requested
• Mark card off of the green
• Avoid casting a shadow when on the green

WEDNESDAYS GOLF TIP

Most Golf Courses are not flat so when playing off slopes remember this tip         Use the right club. Take more club (a club that has less loft) if you’re on an uphill lie because the ball tends to fly higher. Use less club (a club that has more loft) from a downhill lie because the ball has a lower trajectory.

Try this the next time your out practicing and you'll see what I mean. 

PERTH AND KINROSS JUNIOR FOURSOMES

Pitlochry will again host the Junior Foresomes on Sunday 27th May. Tee times are available between 2 - 4pm. Pairs can be mixed. So if any Juniors wish to take part please let me know as soon as possible.     

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

100% of under hit putts never go in !!!!!

RULES FOR DONKEY (IAIN'S PUTTING COMPETITION)

Number of players - minimum of 2

Player 1 selects a hole to putt to. The player who takes the most shots to get the ball in the hole is awarded the letter D. Player 2 then selects the next hole to putt to and again the player who takes the most shots gains a letter. If more than 2 players then the next player selects the hole and play continues until one player has become DONKEY. If you want to improve your putting skills give it a try and don't become a "donkey" on the green.

I will guarantee that if you use this as a fun way to improve your putting your scores on the course will drop and 3 putts will become a distant memory.

I would like you all to keep a record of your putts per round over the next few weeks to see if anybody can prove me wrong.    

LEITFIE MEDAL AND SUMMER LEAGUE 4 RESULT

Marcus Ryan led the field in the Leitfie Medal with an amazing gross 80 (41/39) nett 41reducing his handicap from 39 to 31. Fergus Walker finished 2nd with a nett 51 and Megan Thom took 3rd place with a nett 52. Callum Ewan reduced his handicap for the second week in a row by returning an impressive net 68 off his new handicap of 25 (now 24)

Absolutely brilliant and playing Donkey on the putting green is certainly paying dividends.     

NEW TEAM COLOURS

After speaking to some junior members today who were excited to see the new team colours I asked Iain to model his 'Junior Convenor' Tee shirt for you all to see....What do you think?? I think they are brilliant. Again many thanks to Strathmore Golf Centre for presenting these to the Junior Section...we are going to look so very smart! Now all we have to decide on is the colour we are going to wear for trousers or shorts, give me your ideas. Perhaps beige or black??

CONGRATULATIONS CARLY BOOTH

Wish I could predict lottery numbers like golf results! Well done Carly Scottish Ladies Champion 2012 aged 19. Superb result and so richly deserved.  

GOOD LUCK CARLY BOOTH

For 4 years I was lucky enough to caddy for Carly in the Perth and Kinross Ladies County Championships and also The North of Scotland Jamborees and I wished her good luck today as she tees off joint leader going into the final round of the Ladies European Tour Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Ladies Open at Archerfield Links. With rounds of 70 and 71 taking her to 3 under par Carly is in confident mood after winning her first professional event in France a couple of weeks ago. Knowing how to win will help today and with the likes of Laura Davies and last years run away winner Catriona Matthew trailing in her wake Carly can hopefully secure a win in her sponsors flagship event and become the Scottish Ladies Open Champion 2012 at the age of 19.      

HANDICAPS AWARDED

Frankie Henvey and Cory Miller have gained their handicaps. Frankie - 34 (Club handicap) and Cory 28 (Full CONGU handicap) Well done both.

Amazingly Frankie gained his handicap playing right handed but after trying left handed clubs has switched to them so I won't be surprised to see his handicap tumble down after watching him on Monday at the coaching. 

THANK YOU STRATHMORE GOLF CENTRE

As Junior Convenor I wish to publicly thank Strathmore Golf Centre for their continued support of the Junior Section. They already sponsor the Junior Coaching and the Scholarships, and today have presented the Section with new team colours. I know how proud our Juniors are to represent Strathmore and wearing the colours creates a tremendous team spirit and camaraderie.

Sunday 20th May sees the first team outing in the Bell Trophy against Kinross at Strathmore, can't wait to see how smart our team looks and how well they will play for each other.    


    

NATURE UPDATE

Whilst playing tonight spotted my first Swallow and amazingly driving home spotted hopefully the last skein of Geese heading North. Summer must be here and Winter has gone.
 

JUNIOR OPEN DATE CHANGE

Our Strathmore Junior Open has been changed to Tuesday July 31st. This is to accommodate the qualifier for the Junior Masters Auchterader which is taking place on our original date.

Below is the new poster and entry forms. You can also download them from the right handside of the website.

COME ON EVERYONE GET YOUR ENTRIES IN NOW!!