DREAM TEAM

Archie and Dawn won today’s golf sixes format team Texas Scramble with a 2 under par 25 and not a 4 on the card.

GREAT FUN AT THE LAST AUTUMN COACHING

Matthew, Emily and Saoirse won their respective groups chipping challenges this morning. Nicol became our 27 new member this year and has opted to take advantage of the 16 month deal he also was fitted for a brand new set of hire clubs and we now 59 sets hired out. We now have 78 members and after running another taster session today and one last Wednesday we could still reach 80 members soon. This afternoon we had a team Texas Scramble with Megan’s team of Saoirse, Blair, Dawn and I winning by 1 shot with a 1 under par 26. First time Megan has won and the same for Saoirse.

NEW FUN HANDICAPS

Anna and Rhys both attained their Fun Handicaps 36 and 42 over 18 holes or 18 and 21 over 9 holes respectively. Great to see another 2 youngsters keen to play more.

ALFRED DUNHILL SCHOOLS LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

The Dukes Course hosted this today and Strathmore had Kirsten, Blair and Cameron competing and Blair returned a net 68 and only missed out by 2 shots in the Junior Boys Handicap section. Great result and something he can build on.

BELL SALVER SEMI FINAL

So proud of my team today both Blair and James were behind in their matches but came back to win, both games going to the last. Unfortunately Kirsten and Cameron lost out earlier in their games so we lost on holes up. It was James’s last match as a junior and I would like to thank him for his contribution to the section over the years. For the others it was a learning curve and hopefully next year will see us progress as a team with more players challenging for places. Great Taster session this morning with 4 boys attending and it was amazing the progress they made. Two of them had never held a club before and by the end of the session were competing as to you could hit the ball the furthest.

NEW HANDICAP

Well done James, fun handicap on Leitfie 42 for 18 (21 for 9). You will now be able to compete in the Winter League starting on the 6th October. Who's going to be next ? Last night Dawn and I took Lochlan out for a few holes on Rannaleroch to see if he is ready for the big course and both agreed he is and have advised him to upgrade his membership next year. Tomorrow we have 5 boys booked into our latest Try Golf After School Taster session and then it's off to King James VI to watch our team take on Milnathort in the semi final of the Bell Salver.

 

SEPTEMBER UPDATE OF EVENTS

Thursday 19th – 5pm Family Fun Night – all juniors welcome, come along and have some fun playing on the course

Saturday 21st – normal 3 Coaching Sessions
                          Summer League 12 noon Rannaleroch
                          Bell Salver semi final at King James VI 1 pm – Kirsten Miller, James Bonar, Blair Hockley and Cameron Redden represent Team Strathmore  
Monday 23rd – last Monday Autumn coaching session
Thursday 26th – 5pm Family Fun Night - all juniors welcome, come along and have some fun playing on the course 
Saturday 28th – last Saturday Autumn coaching session
Sunday 29th – 12 noon Family Fun Sunday - all juniors welcome, come along and have some fun playing on the course  
                          or 12 noon Summer League on Rannaleroch
Players needing just 1 more card for handicap – Anna, Ruby and Kian
Players needing just 2 more cards for handicap – Rhys, Dionne, Camryn, Peggy, and James  

Winter League starts 6th October on Leitfie so get these cards in and be ready to go !!!

THE MOST AMAZING 24 HOURS

First up we qualified for the Junior Bell Salver and I have now had it confirmed we will be able to field  our strongest team. “It all leads to this moment” Team Captain Kirsten will lead us out. James will be her wingman. Blair will go 3rd with Cammy in the tail gunner position. I believe come Saturday night at King James VI we will be flying high. These youngsters along with Stuart, Fraser and Conan are our future and the others look up to them. This is our next generation.
Next up was an update regarding Alexei Butchart who has just started a 2 year course at The Golf College, Lindfield, West Sussex. Run by Paul Lyons former tour pro and head coach is Denis Pugh one of the most respected coaches in the industry. This is a first step to Uni in America for him and by his scores and the comments about his swing in the videos he is doing great.
Following that was confirmation of Hazel MacGarvie’s selection to next years initial GB&I Curtis Cup squad, what a brilliant achievement for such a talented individual.
Finally the one that means the most to me personally, no disrespect to any of our other juniors. Alex Simpson who was one of the reasons I became involved in Junior Golf in the first place, today joined the Professional ranks by having his application confirmed by the PGA to become an Assistant Professional. The message he sent brought me to tears (so nothing new there) but it means so much and just reconfirms to me that I what I do does make a difference and is appreciated.
Just also received £200 for Strathmore Juniors from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Tomorrow it’s back to Taster Sessions with 3 girls attending and it all start again

JUNIOR BELL SALVER SEMI FINALISTS

Well done team, so proud of you. It’s off to King James VI on Saturday against Milnathort 1.

SO EXCITED TODAY

Our 3 latest recruits had their first coaching session today and we were all very impressed. But the star today was Megan P, what a transformation. I have only witnessed this once with Alex Simpson and if she can continue to make this kind of progress she could be something really special. I asked her to hit a shot which without a warm up or practice swing she did straight up the middle and long, then I asked her to repeat and the second shot was identical and so was the third. With this consistency and such a natural simple swing she has a very bright future ahead. There were so many others who have improved and I believe that with Gareth and Rory concentrating on the basics the youngsters are improving so much. Can’t wait to see them out on the course.

SOLHEIM FEVER HITS STRATHMORE

What an a amazing day 3 new members, 2 from our Schools Solheim Cup Event and 1 from our Try Golf After School P&K/Solheim Development initiative. That brings total membership up to 77 and with all 3 youngsters taking advantage of our Club Hire Scheme it brings that total up to 58. Saiorse, Seamus and Teagan can’t wait to get started with their coaching. When they were getting their picture taken another 2 girls who had been at the Schools event arrived with their grandad for a practice and all 3 are going to join when he comes back from holiday. Earlier today another 2 girls from Kirkmichael Primary, who had been on a School trip to Gleneagles yesterday, phoned to book spaces on next Wednesday’s Try Golf session and will be joined by another Girl from Meigle who emailed this morning. 4 boys from Blairgowrie, Perth, Bridge of Earn and Invergowrie are already booked on. Our success is certainly attracting youngsters from all over. We now have 25 girls with at least another 2 going to join. One of the Mums wants to come to a Taster Session another is going to join if the kids enjoy it. The Solheim Cup is certainly having a major effect.

KIRSTEN IS A WINNER

The Solheim Cup set a challenge for shops across Perth & Kinross Council to come up with the best #SolheimCup inspired shop windows 🏆
And the winner was... 🥁 Miller Farms in Rosefield, Balbeggie 👏
Potato-tally amazing, well done! 🥔

FIRST TRY GOLF AFTER SCHOOL SESSION

Teagan came along for the first of our 5 sessions and looks like she might become our next new member. The Centre have agreed a discounted rate for membership to 31/01/2021. Anyone who joins the 9 hole course now will pay £100 (including £7 Club Membership) equivalent to £1.39 per week. Now that’s what I call value for money. What other sport offers this. When you consider 16 hours of group coaching by a PGA Professional is also included, unlimited access to the course, Fun competitions, Golfsixes, access to County Golf via coaching and both individual and team events. Combine that with our unique Club Hire Scheme where for £25 per year juniors can rent clubs instead of buying them. Out of 74 current members 55 are using it.

MONDAY COACHING

Great excitement tonight after yesterday’s County Girls Event. Camryn yesterday’s winner of the 9 hole Challenge had a development area identified and will be working on her putting to take her game to a new level, she has so much ability. Zoe was delighted with her first Hire set and her putting was very impressive. Gareth and Rory have been working on the swings whilst Dawn and I have been working on the chipping and putting. I am continually amazed by the progress our youngsters are making, the enthusiasm is infectious and after all it’s about having fun and that’s what’s happening.

COUNTY GIRLS COME TO STRATHMORE

The McPherson Medal was played at Strathmore today with Katy Alexander winning the Scratch and  our own Kirsten Miller winning the handicap. Was delighted 6 of our girls came along to play in the 9 hole event on Leitfie. Camryn came 1st and Anna finished 3rd. Dawn was very impressed not only their scores but by the way all the Strathmore girls conducted themselves on the course. Obviously they listen and learn. Not only that but the Strathmore parents were amazing. There was only 1 other girl from Milnathort taking part and confirms the strength of the girls within our section. Camryn today confirmed the belief I have in her ability and I really hope I can convince her to play more and Anna comes into the same category. Well done to everyone.
Along with my doubles partner Alex Simpson past Junior Captain and Junior Champion we played the Gents Four Ball Better Ball Final today and it had special meanings for so many reasons. I have known him for the past 11 years and along with Allan Easton are the reason I became involved in Junior Golf. Alex has had it confirmed he has been accepted by the PGA to become an Assistant Professional I am so proud that he will become our 3rd Junior to take the next step. We are also playing in the P&K Masters and have progressed to the Quarter Final stages so hopefully we can progress to the Semi Final stages and a weekend away. So although not our final match together not many more to go. It has been a pleasure and today was so much fun. He had 4 birdie chances over the  first 4 holes and converted 2 to give us a 2 hole advantage. My 5 nett 4 on the 5th gave us a 3 hole lead. We lost 7 and my 20ft putt on 8 for a 4 nett 3 restored our lead. The next 6 holes were halved before we lost 15 to a 4 nett 3 and 17 to a 3 nett 2. So it was dormie going up the last and although Alex had 2 for the win I holed from 6ft to give us the title. Thanks Alex in you I have a true friend for life. What another fantastic day for Strathmore Juniors and it’s Convenor.

SOLHEIM CUP THEMED EVENING FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS

Tonight we had 5 local Schools represented. Airlie, Alyth, Isla, Kettins and Meigle. This was open to p3 to p5 girls, 13 participated and 1 brother who came along joined in. We split them into Team Europe (Blue) and Team Europe (Red). We took the to the driving range where we concentrated on grip, stance and full swings and also chipping distance control. We then all went onto the putting green before heading onto the course. We played a Texas Scramble format and there was some great shots hit. The result was a win for Golf as both teams tied on the same score. The feedback has been amazing with many of the youngsters wanting to join the club.
Whilst taking this session I received another call about our Try Golf After School sessions and we now have 4 attending and the posters only went up yesterday !!! I really think we need to build a bigger Clubhouse.
We have more exciting news breaking soon regarding our very successful and unique Club Hire Scheme, watch this space. And finally we received money from P&K/Solheim Cup Development Funding and this is being used to provide Coaching for the adults who have joined Leitfie this year. The first of 4 session was full within 2 days of publication. These sessions will be extended if additional funding is secured. Strathmore Junior Section not only look after the youngsters but encourage parental involvement which enhances the whole Family Club feeling. This is the future of Strathmore Golf Club.

MONDAY WAS BUSY BUT THE DAYS AHEAD ARE ABOUT TO GET EVEN BUSIER

Coaching last night was incredible, so many improvements being made. Some swings which had went off track were sorted out and what a difference. Gareth and Rory are working solely on the Juniors Grip, Stances and Swings this Autumn and it is definitely paying dividends. We are assisting by splitting up the numbers and concentrating on chipping and putting. Last night another 2 girls were identified as having outgrown their own clubs and Dionne was fitted for a Hire set straight away and Zoe’s are on order. This will bring us up to 55 sets hired out in 2019 out of 74 members. I have identified another 2 prospects for next years Golfsixes squad and spaces are going to fill up fast. We also have at least 5 players ready to step up to the big course and they will be approached soon for assessment. Next up is Wednesday night when we have 2 sisters attending a Taster Session. Then Thursday we have a Local Schools Solheim Cup themed event for p3 to p5 Girls then it’s the start of our Try Golf after Schools Taster Sessions. Saturday we have coaching again in the morning with 3 sessions and the September Medal taking place in the afternoon. We have also secured funding for new women into golf coaching and Gareth is already fully booked for Saturday’s session and bookings are coming in fast for next weeks one. There will be 4 sessions initially with potentially more to follow. Sunday all our Girls are invited to take part in various competitions being organised at Strathmore by P&K Ladies.
I received the current Bells League Table and with only 2 matches remaining we are still in the hunt for a semi final play off place unless Crieff beat Taymouth and Dunning beat Crieff, so fingers crossed and a few nervous days.

Bells Salver League Table at 02.09.19
Club	Played	Points	For	Against
Milnathort 1	7	14	18	11
Muckhart	7	11	17.5	10.5
Strathmore	7	10	15.5	12.5
Dunning	6	9	13.5	10.5
Auchterarder	7	9	12.5	15.5
Crieff	5	8	10.5	10.5
Taymouth	6	7	9	15
Milnathort 2	7	5	8	15.5

SCOTTISH WOMENS COUNTY FINALS

Perth and Kinross secured 2nd place today at Peebles. Not the result they were looking for overall but  a decent result all the same. Megan played 6 times and secured 4 points whilst Amy played once and secured a half point in her match so for Strathmore this was definitely a great weekend for the girls.

This afternoon we held a Family Fun Event, bit disappointed with the turnout but for those who took part it was a close run thing with only 2 shots separating the field. Fraser and I ran out winners. He did smile in one of the photos but had his eyes closed and honestly he did enjoy himself.