EXCITING SATURDAY

I invited our Flag team out today for a practice round at Strathmore in preparation for their trip tomorrow to Gleneagles. All 4 played well and in recognition of their performances so far the Section have awarded each boy a Skill For Life Medal, an MKPRO golf cap, a sleeve of golf balls and ball marker and tees. Considering we have 3 eight year olds and a ten year old, their performance in winning the qualifier at Forfar, which included a strong team from Carnoustie, who have one of the biggest junior sections in Scotland, they have nothing to fear. It will be a brilliant day to experience ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  treatment and Scottish Golf have a full day of events planned and a BBQ for all the players. No matter the result tomorrow the memories the team will have will be incredible. 

Conan won the Summer League by 1 point from Andrew who was 1 point ahead of Louis. Very consistent scoring by all 3 and potential handicap cuts coming up. 

It’s an early start tomorrow and a long day as the our Bell Salver team take on North Inch at Auchterarder at 2.40pm. After a few years of rebuilding we are back competing at the top level and the future looks really bright. 

13 AND OVER MATCH PLAY LEAGUE

Delighted to announce that an undefeated Archie Pattullo has won the inaugural 13 and over match play league. His consistency is key and with 3 wins and 1 halved match his 7 points is 3 ahead of everyone else. 

The match play leagues we introduced this year has proved a great success and we aim to introduce another new concept next year which will hopefully help our youngest players progress. 

12 AND UNDER MATCH PLAY LEAGUE

First of all I would like thank the players for completing all their matches ahead of schedule. Parents play a vital role in assisting with this and the quality time you spend with your children makes it very  rewarding for you all. The friendships and bonds between the players is growing and is so important in their progression. 

We had seven players entered Alasdair Brass, Keegan Fergusson, Joe Frullani, Archie Loudon, Keir Reid, Saoirse Sangerman and Jessica Sievwright. 

I am delighted to confirm the inaugural 12 and under match play Champion is Jessica, whose record was 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss = 9 points. Second was Keegan with 4 wins =8 points with Archie third also with 4 wins but lost in the head to head. Joe finished fourth with 7 points. 

This is such a huge learning curve for these youngsters and all of them will take positives forward. As a team they just missed out on qualifying for the Bell Salver semi final this year. I believe all seven have huge futures ahead and can all become County players and who knows how far they can go. 

Well done Jessica. 

GOLFNINES

Fantastic scoring by Strathmore juniors today !! Keegan and Alasdair came so close and are ruing a double on the 9th being level par up to there. Luke and Drew only got their handicaps of 26.8 and 31.5 yesterday and playing to 4 over, is incredible, and as I said yesterday both have huge potential. Joe and Archie also returned a 4 over score and considering their handicaps of 31 and 36.6 again so impressive. Keir and Cammy gelled well and scored a great 5 over with Keir coming close to an ace on the 4th. Andrew and James, 23.5 and 30.6 respectively, shot a very respectable 43. Jessica and Saoirse, 35.7 and 34.9 both had a disappointing 6th hole, but again returned a decent score. 

I am so pleased with these performances in very difficult conditions. The improvements these youngsters are making is testament to what we have in place for them. I believe there is so much more they can achieve and seeing the fun they had today I know anything is possible. 

Kieran Wilson & Rocco Cramb 37 acb

Keegan Ferguson & Alasdair Brass 37 acb

Charlie Malone & Odhran Sweeney 37

Luke Clarke & Drew Scarlett 39 acb

Hayden McCormack & Euan Easto 39 acb

James McIntosh & Thomas Henry 39 acb

Joseph Frullani & Archie Loudon 39 acb

Angus Henry & George Gillies 39

Keir Reid & Cameron Galloway 40

Andrew Watt & James Smith 43 acb

Reece Fisher & Mikey Purton 43 

Calum McCormack & Matthew McCosh 45

Keiran Berrich & Cohen Porter 46

Jessica Sievwright & Saoirse Sangerman 49

Amelia Boud & Miles Wilton 50

Rory Cunningham & Cameron Galbraith 60

Count back was done on best back 6, best back 3 and best last hole when required. 

Andrew was presented with his GolfSixes silver medal today and is excited about next weekends Flag National Final at Gleneagles. 

2 NEW HANDICAPS

Luke Clarke and Drew Scarlett both attained their first CDH handicaps of 26.8 and 31.5 respectively, both have great potential and I expect to see these handicaps reducing significantly. It’s great to have another two players wanting to play competitively. It important as they can be added to squads for team events. 

In tough conditions today Alasdair won by 3 points from Louis. 

Tomorrow Strathmore host the P&K GolfNines event with 6 Strathmore pairings playing. It’s going to be exciting to see how they perform. Currently we are on a huge learning curve and the response we have had from the players is incredible. The potential we have unlocked is great for the future and the next seven days will show who far they have come. 

NEVER FORGETS HIS ROOTS

Brilliant to have past junior member Cormack Sharpe come along tonight before he heads back to Minnesota on Sunday. He took out Stuart Duncan to give him a some tips and guidance and I’m sure having witnessed his display tonight that he will have definitely inspired him. Cormack hit 2 irons on the first to the back of the green for his first birdie and followed it up with another five birdies on 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15, where he found the green with his tee shot. 

Cormack was very interested in how things are going within the junior section and we had a great chat going round. He was also telling us about his experiences of playing University golf and all the travelling they have to do, especially during the Winter when they can’t play at home. He played with Peter Uihlein recently in The Open qualifier, and finished 1 shot ahead of him, the following week Peter picked up $500,000 for finishing 30th on the LIV tour. He also played a round with Bryson DeChambeau when his team played at Bryson’s home course and asked to join them. It’s amazing all the things he has achieved so far and when I asked him what the highlight of the season was for him, his answer was being picked for Scotland to play in the Home Internationals. 

It’s fantastic to have been involved in his very early development and an honour that he respects this enough to give up his time to help us out. The sign of a true sportsman and genuinely good man. 

FINAL NIGHT OF 2024 COACHING

Huge thanks to PGA professional Kathryn Imrie who held her last coaching session of 2024 tonight. Her enthusiasm and coaching techniques have meant that the quality coaching Strathmore Golf Centre provides included in Junior membership has continued. She has introduced the “Mary Poppins Umbrella” chipping practice target landing area, the impact bag, the launch monitor and used different putting routines which the juniors have all responded positively to. We are already looking forward to the Spring of 2025 to welcome her back to continue with the progression and development of our players. She heads off on Monday to continue her role as a selector for the Curtis Cup. It’s been a real bonus having someone with so much experience coaching this year, with the Flag team reaching the National final and one of our Bell Salver teams playing their semi final on the same day, it is a reflection of what improvements they are making. 

Euan Tuddenham achieved his second certificate and a fun handicap of 38. Ben Soutar also achieved his second certificate and a fun handicap of 36 and has reduced this twice to 33. They can now play Leitfie Summer and Winter League. 

Fraser Cruikshank is the latest to join our Club Hire Scheme and took possession of a full set of Golphin 728 clubs and a trolley. He also got a pair of shoes from our free swap scheme. Leo Walker also upgraded his pair tonight. 

CONFIRMATION

Strathmore will play North Inch in the semi final of the Bell Salver at Auchterarder on Sunday the 1st of September while over the fence at Gleneagles our Flag Team will be playing in the National final. 

The Bell Salver team for Auchterarder is Stuart Duncan, Archie Pattullo, Louis Purdie and Cameron Galloway. Non travelling reserve is Andrew Watt. If they are successful it’s back to Gleneagles on the 8th. 

The Flag team for Gleneagles is James Thom, Andrew Brass, Seamus Sangerman and Leighton Thomas. They have already become hero’s by being the first Strathmore team to reach a National final but can they go one step further ? 

It’s Strathmore’s Super Sunday so I might need to borrow a helicopter so I can keep track of what’s going on. 

FANTASTIC LAST SATURDAY COACHING SESSIONS

Kathryn concentrated on pitching and chipping first today before moving onto improving driving consistency. It’s great to see the developments the juniors are making and them understanding the why’s and how’s. Using a variety of different clubs around the green is the key, and as she explained, the best players in the world use their whole bag of clubs to pull off certain shots. 5 attended each of the 3 sessions and all of them made the best of it. 6 played Suumer League today and 2 put in second cards for handicap. Cammy pipped Keegan with a bih, both on 39 points followed by Andrew on 35. Both Luke and Drew will become valuable members of the section and seem very keen to get involved. Fraser will be next to join our Club Hire Scheme. 

We host the P&K GolfNines next Sunday and with 6 pairings playing it’s going to be a great experience for the youngsters. Crieff and Muckhart are sending 4 pairings with North Inch 2. 

Conan Reid, Junior Captain who had a “hole in one” donated 3 cases of juice for the youngsters to celebrate his achievement. 

COACHING VERY WELL ATTENDED TONIGHT

10 attended the first session with 3 of them going out on the course. Forbes Cowan who was hitting it so well last week played Leitfie in 39 minutes, scored 49, achieved his 2nd Certificate and now has a fun handicap of 44. He can now play in the Leitfie Summer and Winter leagues. He has been in our GolfSixes squad this year playing twice and I believe that it won’t be long until he’s ready for a full WHS handicap. Again we had 10 in the second session with 2 of them going out on the course. Andrew Coulson  upgraded his hire clubs on Kathryn’s advice as his strength and swing speed is so good. So much progress is being shown by these youngster. Bunker play followed by pitching was done first tonight before going back into the range to work on swings. 5 attended the last group and everyone is improving. 

Phoebe and Archie swapped to bigger shoes from our free swap scheme and Callum is next. 

SCOTTISH UNDER 14 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Archie Pattullo showed today his resilience after getting off to poor start. 9 over par through the front nine he steadied the ship and came back in level par. He shot 1 under his handicap so should be very proud of his recovery and hopefully tomorrow he can put in another good score. It just shows how you should never give up and Archie proved that today.

EARLY START FOR ME TODAY

Went down to meet Archie and Keegan for their 12 and under match play League game. With heavy rain and wind forecast they teed off at 8.45am. Keegan’s drive was 40yds past the bunker and his second shot 30yds short of the green. A great pitch and a nice 2 putt led to him being 1up. My umbrella had already been inside out once by then. Going down the second we heard 2 loud rumbles of thunder and when we seen the lightning we left the balls where they lay and returned to the clubhouse. 25 minutes later we were back out. Archie won the second to square the match. On the 4th tee Archie took a practice swing and his club finished 40yds down the fairway. Keegan won the hole after finding the bunker, playing it out too well and then holing his pitch. Both players were hitting the ball so well and their distances were unbelievable. Archie hit a 5 iron on the 5th over 150yds ! No bad for a 10 year old. His drive on the 7th was just short of the bunker but in the middle of the fairway. Keegan won 7 and 8 to go 2up at the turn. He then went 4,4,6,2 = win, win, loss, half. Which showed how well both of them were playing. I wish I had videoed their tee shots on 13, they were amazing. But did get their putts. The encouragement and sportsmanship both players displayed makes me very proud and their performances on the course was a pleasure to watch. Keegan won 3&2 but Archie should be very pleased with how he played. 

GolfSixes final league event

Kinross hosted the final league event and unfortunately we came up short. Congratulations to North Inch who qualified for the final, and receiving a Silver Medal is consolation for coming second. Hopefully the players who participated will continue to improve and get their handicaps and the next aim is to be involved in GolfNines and Bell Salver. 

Back at Strathmore Archie Loudon has made the 12 and under match play league very interesting with a win over Alasdair Brass. With only 7 matches to be played any of the 7 players could still win. 

LEROCH CUP

What a brilliant score today from Archie Pattullo, in really tough conditions he shot a fantastic gross 78 net 67 winning by 3 shots. Luke Clarke got his first card in for handicap and I believe he has the ability to become another decent player. He was a bit nervous teeing off but soon got into his game. Putting distance control was very good but he wasn’t taking into account the strength of the wind when putting into it which probably cost him a couple of shots. 

SECOND NIGHT OF COACHING

Tonight’s session had to be held in the range due to the heavy rain but this turned out to be bonus. Kathryn took less than 5 minutes to sort Angus and his swing speed was an impressive at 111. Broden again was sorted out in a similar time frame. Liam attending his first coaching session was given a few things to work on. Jack and Olly who had been working with Kathryn proved they had listened and been practicing. Arthur who was going to go out for 9 holes was offered the chance to join the group and jumped at the chance. Next up was Luke and Noah and wow what a difference. Luke who recently joined was getting his first ever lesson and the improvements were dramatic. He is coming along on Saturday to play his first card for handicap and I’m sure he will become an active member of the section. Noah was hitting it ok but after a few tips what a difference, his iron play became far more consistent and his distance off the tee improved dramatically. He is looking forward to the GolfSixes at Kinross on Sunday and I think he will do very well.  Harry, another new member, was joined by Jessica and we will get a report on how they got on but from what we seen before we left, Harry definitely has potential and Jessica was hitting it so well and her confidence is definitely on the up. 

If the last 2 nights of coaching is anything to go by we are in for more excitement during the next couple of months. 

SCOTTISH GOLFNINES AT DUNBLANE

Huge thanks to Jeni Fergusson for taking the managers role at Dunblane today. The Strathmore team of Alasdair Brass, Keegan Fergusson, Andrew Coulson and Andrew Watt, finished 3rd overall, only 2 shots behind the winners. All 4 boys should be very proud of how well they played today. Alasdair and Keegan’s score of 63 was tied for second in the individual pairings. The confidence this result will give them heading into the P&K regional qualifier being held at Strathmore on the 25th of August will be immense.

FIRST NIGHT OF AUTUMN COACHING

Great to see the enthusiasm shown by the juniors who took part tonight. Kathryn was able to spend more time with each individual. James Thom was so impressive that Dawn took him out to play a couple of holes on Rannaleroch and it’s obvious that he is more than ready and he will upgrade next year. With the way Forbes Cowan was hitting it tonight he won’t be far behind. Harry Marsden-Adam who was presented with his first Certificate tonight along with Phoebe and Lucy Pearson now need to play more and achieve their second Certificates and fun handicaps. Next up was Andrew Watt and Andrew Coulson who head to Dunblane tomorrow for the GolfNines and after seeing their shots tonight I expect a great showing from them. Tommy Banks and Jayden Bell, it’s a similar story as they head to Kinross for the GolfSixes on Sunday. Callum Nelson said he had identified a few development areas he is keen to improve on which is great for his development. Saoirse and Seamus Sangerman were in the last group and both are showing great progress and I believe they will take huge steps very soon. Ben Soutar also attended and he will join our club hire scheme on Friday as has outgrown the set he has. The progress we are seeing is great and some of these youngsters will definitely achieve their own goals and maybe much more. 

NEW MEMBER NUMBER 19 JOINS UP.

Looking forward to meeting new member number 19 for 2024. Lewis will attend his first coaching session on Thursday night and play his first competitive round at Strathmore on Saturday. 

AUGUST MEDAL AND THE FLAG QUALIFIER

Close result in the Medal today with only 3 shots covering the field. Archie struck the ball really and only a few putts meant his score didn’t reflect his play. Keegan and Alasdair both played very well and I believe these two, who I’ve paired up for the GolfNines at Dunblane on the 8th, will make a formidable partnership. 

Our young Flag team of Forbes Cowan, Hunter McQueen, Callum Nelson and Joel Tosh represented Strathmore in the Qualifier at North Inch today and did great. They finished 4th and all had decent scores. It’s great to give these youngster the opportunity to play in these events and build their confidence and give them these experiences. 

NEW MEMBER No 18 JOINS TODAY

Huge welcome to Harry who becomes the 18th new member for 2024. Look forward to meeting him at the coaching next week. 

Cormac Sharpe

Unfortunately Cormac lost this morning in his last 16 match but has been confirmed to play in Scotland Mens team in the Home Internationals next week

CORMAC SHARPE

Cormac with 2 great wins makes the last 16 in the Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship at The Castle Course, St Andrews. Fantastic results. 

LADYBANK RECIPROCAL MATCH

Today a team of 8 Strathmore juniors travelled to Ladybank Golf Club for our match. Everyone loved the course but wayward shots we severely punished by tough heathery lies. The condition of the course was fabulous and a real test for the youngsters. Archie Pattullo halved his match. Both Gus Donaldson and Keegan Fergusson won their matches. Cameron Galloway, Saoirse Sangerman, Keir Reid and Jessica Sievwright unfortunately all lost but Archie Loudon managed to halve his match. Final result Ladybank 5 v Strathmore 3. A close match but the experience our kids will gain from this is invaluable and will help as they progress.