THIS IS HOW NOT TO LOOK AFTER OUR HIRE CLUBS

 

Had these clubs returned from an ex member and could not believe the state they were handed back in - picture 1.  I always make a point of cleaning all clubs before they are handed out - picture 2 and would expect that when they are returned they are cleaned. Very disappointed. 

EASTER PROGRAMME LAUNCHED

Our latest initiative to attract the next generation of Strathmore juniors was launched yesterday and already we have 16 registered to come along and another 2 enquiries for the taster sessions. Great to see 5 juniors playing in the Gents and Ladies Captains Drive In yesterday. I had the pleasure to accompany Archie yesterday and was very impressed by his driving and wood striking which I know he has been working on during the winter. Jessica is the first to hand in a Leitfie Summer League card. I am really excited now the season has started to see the progress all of our juniors will make. 

SPRING HAS ARRIVED

What a fantastic couple of days. Shorts back on and the course looking fantastic. Coaching sessions start with 4 sessions on Saturday 23rd April then 3 sessions on each Monday and Wednesday nights. Blair and Cameron have agreed to assist Gareth and Angus which will be a huge help. Our last sets of hire clubs have arrived in Scotland and are going through customs checks but should be with us within days. We have also received some generous donations from the Ladies section and Mark Melville donated a full set of clubs. Extra shoes have been purchased and these will be given out to new and existing members during the year in our Free Golf Shoe swap scheme.

WHAT A DAY

Started off by helping set up the chipping area for the P&K Girls. 5 Strathmore girls took part today which is fantastic, 3 for the first time. Then it was out on Leitfie, 3 of our Mentors and myself were joined by 9 younger juniors some of them playing the course for the first time for a 9 hole Texas Scramble. Scores were close with only 2 shots covering the field. Winners were Logan, Seamus and myself with a 1 over par 28. Next up was an 18 holes Texas Scramble on Rannaleroch for the older ones but Keir played all 27. He was a star in both events. Some great scoring again but winning with a level par 70 was Conan, Owen and myself. Was very impressed by a lot of the shots played today. Owen hit some tremendous drives and will be a welcome addition to our Saturday Competitions. 

 

MENTORS DAY PROVES A GREAT SUCCESS

Fantastic that 4 of the 5 teams took part today. Unfortunately Blair’s team, all brothers were away on holiday but he stood in for Kirsten who was unavailable. The winning team was Tarah and Maya with Blair. I am so proud of Blair, Cameron, Conan, Kirsten and Stuart who took their responsibilities very seriously, organised WhatsApp groups with the parents to arrange their individual sessions and ran them in a very professional way. The benefits are two fold as the Mentors personal esteem and confidence has grown considerably and the younger players have learned so much from the additional help. Great idea I borrowed from the Stephen Gallacher Foundation. 

STRATHMORE ABOUT TO SMASH ANOTHER RECORD

Eight girls have already joined the P&K County Girls and make up 50% of members, and with another three about to join Strathmore girls will continue to be the leading club at County level and I’ve no doubt they can follow in the footsteps of Hazel MacGarvie (Tour Pro on LET Tour) Hannah Robb (Qualified PGA professional) Emily Aird (PGA professional 1st year) Kirsty Brodie (Scottish Internationalist) Megan Ashley (Scottish Schools) Katy Alexander (Scottish Schools) Megan Aird ,Amy Mitchell and Kirsten Miller who all have represented P&K at different levels. Our girls continue to set the bar high and 4 years ago we had 3 girls playing in the Strathmore Gents Scratch League Team, in one match we had 4 juniors (3 girls and 1 boy) playing. If your good enough your old enough. 

GREAT FUN DAY

First up a special thank you to Junior Captain Blair Hockley and his vice captain Cameron Redden whose commitment to the Section is amazing, they offer to assist all the time and are so encouraging to everyone. Both boys already have their PVG’s and are booked in to do their Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport qualification before we put them through their PGA Level 1 coaching badges. Conan Reid and Stuart Duncan are following in their footsteps and with Kirsten Miller who is also very involved with mentoring it’s great that we have such a great group of older juniors who want to help and put something back into Golf. Cameron has confirmed he has accepted the position of Apprentice Green Keeper at Strathmore Golf Centre and starts in the summer. First up today was Kaden who joined at the end of last year. He was fitted for a brand new set of GolPhin 134’s just delivered yesterday !! and a trolley all from our Hire Scheme. A pair of golf shoes were supplied so he is fully kitted out. Ellie-Marie who had outgrown her Woodworm starter set was upgraded to GolPhin 728 and wow what a difference, so much so that Dawn has sent her an application form to join the County Girls. She also picked up a great pair of size 1 Footjoys. Her clubs were then passed on to Owen who had outgrown his own set. At 11 o’clock we had 19 juniors in 6 teams raring to go but after 2 holes the heavens opened and we returned to the shelter of the covered driving range where we did a Team Skills Challenge with Luna, Blake and Iain the winners. Dawn, Jackie and I were all so impressed by some of the swings we witnessed today and can’t wait to see the progress these juniors make over the season. 

LATEST UPDATE ON FUN HANDICAPS AND CLUB HIRE

To encourage more Juniors to get out and play on the Leitfie course and compete in Winter and Summer Leagues. We have decided to continue to award Fun Handicaps on Leitfie with only one card being submitted within the 6 shot rule (3 shots over 9 holes). 

GolPhin have confirmed 2 of the last 6 sets of clubs we ordered in April last year have arrived and I should have them today. The other 4 sets arrive before the end of March. We will now have sets for 4 year olds up to 18 year olds and both left and right handed sets. 

SECOND 2 SESSIONS HELD TODAY

Another two sessions held today. First up Hamish, Luna and Mia and all three performed very well and showed a lot of promise. Next up was John and Kai and again both listened and took on board all they were told and we even managed some putting with them. Over the weekend 11 youngsters have attended and potentially we have 11 great prospects. All of them seemed very keen and made huge improvements.

THIS WEEK JUST GETS BETTER

Today we held two sessions for six of our potential Strathmore Start-up Scholarship applicants. The Centre have agreed 2 months Free membership for them all before a final decision is made on who qualifies for the 10 places currently available. Some have never played before and most are very inexperienced but it’s amazing to see how much they improved in such a short time. Archie, Blair, Hunter and Logan were all fitted for clubs and all did really well and were hitting some lovely shots. Douglas who had come along last week had obviously been practicing and it showed as he had improved so much. Finally we come to Jessica. I have been Junior Convenor for 13 years and have mentored some amazing youngsters during that time. I went along to a “Come and Try” sports day at Blairgowrie High School and her natural talent shone through so much that I sent a message to her parents via the Schools coordinator 

and was delighted when they got back in touch. She has the natural talent of Alex Simpson and the putting  ability of Kirsty Brodie who were both Scottish Internationalists and if she works as hard as those two did the sky’s the limit. She proved I was right by going out on the course today and achieving her first Certificate with 2 shots to spare and her 2nd Certificate by 8 shots with only 16 putts over the 9 holes, gaining her a fun handicap of 38 and an automatic place in Strathmore’s GolfSixes squad. Well done Jessica. 

PERTH AND KINROSS - CLUB OF THE YEAR

The enormity of this award reflects all the hard work put into the Junior Section over the years. This is not a Golf award but one that reflects the criteria below and previous winners are from Athletics, Cricket, Fencing, Gymnastics, Netball and Rugby. When you consider there are 100’s of other clubs and sports represented it makes this award so special. 

Club of the Year

This award is open to clubs who have made a significant impact to the development of their own organisation and club members throughout 2021. For example, nominees will be able to evidence:

· ongoing development of their club and / or growth in participation

· commitment to training, recruiting and recognising volunteers and coaches

· commitment to promoting and encouraging inclusive participation through targeted work

SCOTTISH GOLF TOURISM AWARDS

Congratulations to the Centre, nominated in Best Customer Service Category along with Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie and Crieff and winning Best Golf Course From £31- £60. Fantastic result and a great team effort. 

GOLFSIXES LEAGUE 2022

League teams and venues 

Strathmore Sunday 24th April 2pm

Pitlochry tbc May

King James VI tbc June

Alyth tbc July 

North Inch Sunday 21st August 

Squad of 12 required - 12 or under on the 24th April 2022 and WHS handicap of 37 and above. This is so exciting and gives a lot of our younger players the first chance to experience competitive golf in a fun way 

Roll on the 24th !!!!