St Mungo Golf Club
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Back to HomepageVeterans' Prize and October Medal
The Medal was rolled over from the previous week when thunder, lightning, hail, wind and rain scared our feeble members from the course. Golfers just aren't what they used to be. Despite a few near misses no-one was killed and all came back to do battle, plus a few additional fair-weather members. The Veterans' Prize was hotly contested but finally was retained by Ian Tasker with a score of 71. The monthly spoon was won by Vincent McGlinchey with 69. Group B was won by our newly bionic captain Ernie bolt-on (gettit?) with 78. Ian also won the rather healthy two's pot. Well done to all the winners. CSS was 70.
September Medal
A very disappointing turnout, holidays and bugs bringing the numbers down. A lucky thirteen staggered round the course in benign conditions and clocked a magnificent nine NR's. Of the four valid scores submitted, Ross Baillie had an excellent 70 to win the Spoon and Group A. Hugh Wilson was last man standing in Group B. Strangely for a day of such generally abject golf, there were four or five twos, I lost count. CSS 74. Time is running out to get the handicap down this year.....
The John Meikle Salver
A good turnout of 20 trophy hunters, exactly half of whom NR'd. Of the remainder only four got into the seventies, Raymond Shek being the winner with 72, closely followed by John Tait with 73. The high scoring meant a CSS of 75 so both Raymond and John got a decent cut to their handicaps.
Members and Guests Day
A total of 36 members, their guests and some of our sponsors played in this better-ball competition. The weather was kind and the course back to great condition. Once again we used the new back yellow tees although as Ernie said, the novelty has perhaps worn off a bit. Nevertheless some players had no difficulties navigating the course, especially the visitors with handicaps near scratch.
Raymond and his guest Iain won first prize with a 68, Fraser and his guest David won second prize (69). A number of 70's tied for third with Alastair and Scott winning on countback. Ian Tasker and Gerry Turner won the nearest the pin prizes; Brian Coutts the longest drive and Alastair, Jim and Gerry Turner each had two's.
The August Medal
The holiday season meant numbers were down and so yours truly managed to win the Spoon and Group B with a 72 (still not cut!). Ross Baillie won Group A with a 74. CSS was 72.
28th July Medal
A struggle to get good scores today, though conditions weren't too bad. Monty (our one, not the other one) won Group A with a 75 and John Morton won Group B and the bragging rights with a 74. No-one beat the course so the CSS was 75: handicap reductions only.
The Victory Cup
Another fine summers day and perfect for golf. As The Open got under way at Sandwich in a cold wind, we enjoyed sunshine, warmth and hardly any breeze. Scoring was better than the previous week and John Morton came in with an excellent 68 to win the competition by a margin of two strokes over Stewart Brown.
The July Medal
The Weather was as almost as good as it gets for golf, but for some reason no-one wanted to take advantage of it by posting a low score. Perhaps partly because we did not have a great turnout, but maybe just one of those days. Alastair Wilson had an almost day, but his 15 at the 6th held him back to a creditable 76. 76 was in fact the winning score, but Ross Baillie took the silverware on exact handicap in a 3-way tie that included Ian Montgomery. The rest of us gave a sigh of relief that no-one shot a good enough score to make it a counter.
The Alex Jackson Trophy
A depleted field as half our members are playing away. Sorry, that should be half our members WERE playing away. A miracle really as most of us are too old to play at home! Or...no, never mind. Anyway, of the 14 members who entered the competition, John Tait (who plays away a lot) and Alastair Wilson (who doesn't play away at all) both had 73's. On countback they both had 44 on the back nine but John's greater handicap won him the silverware. Nobody won the two's pot. Note the course is closed next week for the Scottish Seniors'.
Sorry I didn't write this up at the time, Ian Tasker did indeed defend his title with a gross 83. Alistair Wales was in second spot with an 84 and Ross Baillie had an 85. 17 competitors and only a few NR's in good conditions.
June Medal
The day started in cool and breezy spring and ended in warm and calm summer. Scoring still proved tough for most of the 21 who entered the competition, with over half of the entries finishing as NR's. Ian Tasker was in a different class on the day and finished with a gross 75 for a nett 66. Ian is obviously ready to defend his Club Champion title next week. In Group B John Tait won with a nett 74. John Dean won the two's pot.
The Captain's and Vice-Captain's Prizes
23 members turned out and we stayed dry! But the wind increased from a breeze to a stiff breeze as we played and it was a tough test. Alistair Wales wasn't beefing about his excellent 72 and said tartare to his 15 handicap which had a finest cut of 0.9, seeing him chopped to 14. That was good enough to take the (as yet undisclosed) Captain's Prize. John Morton and Roy Sharpe tied for the honours for the Vice-Captain's prize with 77's, Roy winning on countback. And the rarely seen David Birrell came out of the kitchen to win the two's pot.
May Medal
This month saw the great Seve Ballesteros finally lose his battle with illness.
It took us two goes to get this Medal played: the first time rain brought too much water on to greens which were too hard to absorb it all. The following week we got it finished but the weather was still very tough with wind and rain. Scoring was high: Jim Dunlop won Group A with a 79 and Pat Magee Group B with 86. Fortunately therefore it was a non-counter.
The James Barclay Trophy
Andy Auld won again, this time with a stonking 62 (77 gross). He had twos at each of the par 3's so won all the money and the silverware. It'll be harder to do next time as he was cut 3 strokes as a result. Not surprisingly, the rest of the field trailed some way behind. Ross Baillie had a 73; Jim Dunlop and Grant Hood had 74's. A total entry of 20 members was rewarded with perfect weather for golf, cooler to start with and only really hotting up as we finished.
April Medal
Andy Auld won Group A with a nett 70, followed not far behind by Ross Baillie with 73. Paul Biondi won Group B with 78. Another great turnout with 20 members.
The St Mungo Quaich
Alastair Wilson got the honours in the first qualifying event of the year. We had a very satisfying turnout of 23 members for our only Bogey competition. Alastair won with +1, the only player to 'beat the course'. Our new Captain Ernie Bolton came second with -2 followed by Ross Baillie, Stewart Brown and John Tait on -3.
March Medal
John Morton consolidated his reputation as a bandit when it's a non-counter by winning Group B with a 60. This was equaled by the other in-form player, Jim Dunlop who took the Group A prize.
Winter League
A cold bugger of a winter again, but fortunately the ice has not lasted for as long as last year. Even so the Winter League proceeded pretty much to plan except that, unusually for Bogside, we were off the main greens and on 'winter greens'. With forward winter tees also, the scoring was unusually low.
Jim Dunlop successfully defended his Winter League title, finishing with a best three nett scores total of 170. John Tait and Alastair Wilson tied for second with 172, just pipping John Morton on 173.
Annual Dinner & Prizegiving
The annual dispensing of silverware and crystal took place at The Clubhouse on October 21st. Most notably, George Falconer was made an Honorary member (see picture right). George has been a member of St Mungo for more years than even he remembers and did much to develop the club.
There was a pretty decent turnout for the dinner, with around 60 members and guests. Ernie Bolton has asked me not to mention the fact that he won the prize draw. Well done Ernie, mine's a Guinness!
We started off in benign conditions and every hope of a decent day's golf. But the rain started about half way through the competition and never stopped once it had started. By the time the last game finished (about two hours after anyone else, see this website on on-course etiquette!) the greens were flooded and we were soaked. Scoring reflected the miserable conditions: only three scores returned out of eighteen competitors. The winner was Stewart Brown with 77. George Grier got a 2 at the Eighth and the rest of us licked our wounds. The CSS was 75 and no changes to handicaps.
September Medal
All the fair weather golfers turned up as summer has gone and the weather is lovely again. We had a near record field of 23. Obviously the course was playing really easy: we only had 14 NR's. John Tait returned the best score with a nett 71 to win Second Class. Grant Hood won the First Class with a nett 74. Poor Ian Tasker was disqualified, otherwise he could well have won First Class: see the new Rules & Rulings section for the gory details...
The Medal was rolled over from the previous week when thunder, lightning, hail, wind and rain scared our feeble members from the course. Golfers just aren't what they used to be. Despite a few near misses no-one was killed and all came back to do battle, plus a few additional fair-weather members. The Veterans' Prize was hotly contested but finally was retained by Ian Tasker with a score of 71. The monthly spoon was won by Vincent McGlinchey with 69. Group B was won by our newly bionic captain Ernie bolt-on (gettit?) with 78. Ian also won the rather healthy two's pot. Well done to all the winners. CSS was 70.
September Medal
A very disappointing turnout, holidays and bugs bringing the numbers down. A lucky thirteen staggered round the course in benign conditions and clocked a magnificent nine NR's. Of the four valid scores submitted, Ross Baillie had an excellent 70 to win the Spoon and Group A. Hugh Wilson was last man standing in Group B. Strangely for a day of such generally abject golf, there were four or five twos, I lost count. CSS 74. Time is running out to get the handicap down this year.....
The John Meikle Salver
A good turnout of 20 trophy hunters, exactly half of whom NR'd. Of the remainder only four got into the seventies, Raymond Shek being the winner with 72, closely followed by John Tait with 73. The high scoring meant a CSS of 75 so both Raymond and John got a decent cut to their handicaps.
Members and Guests Day
A total of 36 members, their guests and some of our sponsors played in this better-ball competition. The weather was kind and the course back to great condition. Once again we used the new back yellow tees although as Ernie said, the novelty has perhaps worn off a bit. Nevertheless some players had no difficulties navigating the course, especially the visitors with handicaps near scratch.
Raymond and his guest Iain won first prize with a 68, Fraser and his guest David won second prize (69). A number of 70's tied for third with Alastair and Scott winning on countback. Ian Tasker and Gerry Turner won the nearest the pin prizes; Brian Coutts the longest drive and Alastair, Jim and Gerry Turner each had two's.
The August Medal
The holiday season meant numbers were down and so yours truly managed to win the Spoon and Group B with a 72 (still not cut!). Ross Baillie won Group A with a 74. CSS was 72.
28th July Medal
A struggle to get good scores today, though conditions weren't too bad. Monty (our one, not the other one) won Group A with a 75 and John Morton won Group B and the bragging rights with a 74. No-one beat the course so the CSS was 75: handicap reductions only.
The Victory Cup
Another fine summers day and perfect for golf. As The Open got under way at Sandwich in a cold wind, we enjoyed sunshine, warmth and hardly any breeze. Scoring was better than the previous week and John Morton came in with an excellent 68 to win the competition by a margin of two strokes over Stewart Brown.
The July Medal
The Weather was as almost as good as it gets for golf, but for some reason no-one wanted to take advantage of it by posting a low score. Perhaps partly because we did not have a great turnout, but maybe just one of those days. Alastair Wilson had an almost day, but his 15 at the 6th held him back to a creditable 76. 76 was in fact the winning score, but Ross Baillie took the silverware on exact handicap in a 3-way tie that included Ian Montgomery. The rest of us gave a sigh of relief that no-one shot a good enough score to make it a counter.
The Alex Jackson Trophy
A depleted field as half our members are playing away. Sorry, that should be half our members WERE playing away. A miracle really as most of us are too old to play at home! Or...no, never mind. Anyway, of the 14 members who entered the competition, John Tait (who plays away a lot) and Alastair Wilson (who doesn't play away at all) both had 73's. On countback they both had 44 on the back nine but John's greater handicap won him the silverware. Nobody won the two's pot. Note the course is closed next week for the Scottish Seniors'.
Club
Championship
Sorry I didn't write this up at the time, Ian Tasker did indeed defend his title with a gross 83. Alistair Wales was in second spot with an 84 and Ross Baillie had an 85. 17 competitors and only a few NR's in good conditions.
The day started in cool and breezy spring and ended in warm and calm summer. Scoring still proved tough for most of the 21 who entered the competition, with over half of the entries finishing as NR's. Ian Tasker was in a different class on the day and finished with a gross 75 for a nett 66. Ian is obviously ready to defend his Club Champion title next week. In Group B John Tait won with a nett 74. John Dean won the two's pot.
The Captain's and Vice-Captain's Prizes
23 members turned out and we stayed dry! But the wind increased from a breeze to a stiff breeze as we played and it was a tough test. Alistair Wales wasn't beefing about his excellent 72 and said tartare to his 15 handicap which had a finest cut of 0.9, seeing him chopped to 14. That was good enough to take the (as yet undisclosed) Captain's Prize. John Morton and Roy Sharpe tied for the honours for the Vice-Captain's prize with 77's, Roy winning on countback. And the rarely seen David Birrell came out of the kitchen to win the two's pot.
May Medal
This month saw the great Seve Ballesteros finally lose his battle with illness.
It took us two goes to get this Medal played: the first time rain brought too much water on to greens which were too hard to absorb it all. The following week we got it finished but the weather was still very tough with wind and rain. Scoring was high: Jim Dunlop won Group A with a 79 and Pat Magee Group B with 86. Fortunately therefore it was a non-counter.
The James Barclay Trophy
Andy Auld won again, this time with a stonking 62 (77 gross). He had twos at each of the par 3's so won all the money and the silverware. It'll be harder to do next time as he was cut 3 strokes as a result. Not surprisingly, the rest of the field trailed some way behind. Ross Baillie had a 73; Jim Dunlop and Grant Hood had 74's. A total entry of 20 members was rewarded with perfect weather for golf, cooler to start with and only really hotting up as we finished.
April Medal
Andy Auld won Group A with a nett 70, followed not far behind by Ross Baillie with 73. Paul Biondi won Group B with 78. Another great turnout with 20 members.
The St Mungo Quaich
Alastair Wilson got the honours in the first qualifying event of the year. We had a very satisfying turnout of 23 members for our only Bogey competition. Alastair won with +1, the only player to 'beat the course'. Our new Captain Ernie Bolton came second with -2 followed by Ross Baillie, Stewart Brown and John Tait on -3.
March Medal
John Morton consolidated his reputation as a bandit when it's a non-counter by winning Group B with a 60. This was equaled by the other in-form player, Jim Dunlop who took the Group A prize.
Winter League
A cold bugger of a winter again, but fortunately the ice has not lasted for as long as last year. Even so the Winter League proceeded pretty much to plan except that, unusually for Bogside, we were off the main greens and on 'winter greens'. With forward winter tees also, the scoring was unusually low.
Jim Dunlop successfully defended his Winter League title, finishing with a best three nett scores total of 170. John Tait and Alastair Wilson tied for second with 172, just pipping John Morton on 173.
Annual Dinner & Prizegiving
The annual dispensing of silverware and crystal took place at The Clubhouse on October 21st. Most notably, George Falconer was made an Honorary member (see picture right). George has been a member of St Mungo for more years than even he remembers and did much to develop the club.
There was a pretty decent turnout for the dinner, with around 60 members and guests. Ernie Bolton has asked me not to mention the fact that he won the prize draw. Well done Ernie, mine's a Guinness!
October Medal &
Veterans Prize
A lot of hanging about as the Fire Brigades were having their championship at Bogside. When we did get going, only one of our players was on fire. Ian Tasker was indeed a racehorse among donkeys and his 69 was easily good enough to win the Group A Medal and the Veterans Prize. Andy Auld went out before the fire alarm and kept his cool to shoot a 75. Vincent McGlinchey was the Group B winner with 80. I was going to have him posing in the picture but the donkey refused. Any more metaphors and you'd think Roddy Forsyth was writing this!
Meanwhile Stewart Brown and John Tait were battling out the singles final. John was three up at one stage but Stewart reeled him in and won two and one.
Last but not least, Alastair Wilson won the twos competition with a two at the Sixteenth.
The Turner MedalA lot of hanging about as the Fire Brigades were having their championship at Bogside. When we did get going, only one of our players was on fire. Ian Tasker was indeed a racehorse among donkeys and his 69 was easily good enough to win the Group A Medal and the Veterans Prize. Andy Auld went out before the fire alarm and kept his cool to shoot a 75. Vincent McGlinchey was the Group B winner with 80. I was going to have him posing in the picture but the donkey refused. Any more metaphors and you'd think Roddy Forsyth was writing this!
Meanwhile Stewart Brown and John Tait were battling out the singles final. John was three up at one stage but Stewart reeled him in and won two and one.
Last but not least, Alastair Wilson won the twos competition with a two at the Sixteenth.
We started off in benign conditions and every hope of a decent day's golf. But the rain started about half way through the competition and never stopped once it had started. By the time the last game finished (about two hours after anyone else, see this website on on-course etiquette!) the greens were flooded and we were soaked. Scoring reflected the miserable conditions: only three scores returned out of eighteen competitors. The winner was Stewart Brown with 77. George Grier got a 2 at the Eighth and the rest of us licked our wounds. The CSS was 75 and no changes to handicaps.
September Medal
All the fair weather golfers turned up as summer has gone and the weather is lovely again. We had a near record field of 23. Obviously the course was playing really easy: we only had 14 NR's. John Tait returned the best score with a nett 71 to win Second Class. Grant Hood won the First Class with a nett 74. Poor Ian Tasker was disqualified, otherwise he could well have won First Class: see the new Rules & Rulings section for the gory details...
The John Meikle Salver
There were eighteen competitors for the Salver. Gerald Cipa strolled it although his 36 out was followed by 45 on the back nine to give a nett 69. Next was Ernie Bolton with 74. Ten NR's!
There were eighteen competitors for the Salver. Gerald Cipa strolled it although his 36 out was followed by 45 on the back nine to give a nett 69. Next was Ernie Bolton with 74. Ten NR's!
Members and Guests Day
Seventeen members brought a guest and we also had two (playing) sponsors, so a grand total of 19 pairs contested this Fourball event. Weather fine, straight to the winners: Overall winners, Ernie Bolton and Ian Gray with a 64. Second came Ross Baillie and David Semple (65) and third John McFedries and Alastair Ritchie (67). Nearest Pin at 8th was Alistair Ritchie and at 16th David Semple. Longest Drive was by Iain Thomson. Lovely day, look forward to the next one!
Seventeen members brought a guest and we also had two (playing) sponsors, so a grand total of 19 pairs contested this Fourball event. Weather fine, straight to the winners: Overall winners, Ernie Bolton and Ian Gray with a 64. Second came Ross Baillie and David Semple (65) and third John McFedries and Alastair Ritchie (67). Nearest Pin at 8th was Alistair Ritchie and at 16th David Semple. Longest Drive was by Iain Thomson. Lovely day, look forward to the next one!
August Medal
A great turnout today, 21 runners. Pretty good weather, warm with a freshening breeze. A busy course as well, with the school holidays on their last gasp. The greens have pretty much recovered from the severe frosts, so every reason for optimism. Ah, but what about the current intense solar activity? That must have a big effect on the precision game. So in the event only one player beat the course: Stewart Brown with a gross 80, nett 70. Well done Stewart, who therefore won Category A. Winner of Category B was Fraser Pentland who had a nett 79. There were more NR's than returns, 12 out of the 21. Of those, John Dean had a very creditable adjusted gross score of 92, nett 68! The CSS was 75, so John is cut 2.8. Stewart was cut 1.0. The only other player to get cut was our match secretary who had to disqualify himself for signing for the wrong score. Consolation was being cut 0.6 anyway. Pity Ian Tasker could not repeat his performance from Tuesday, when he shot gross 69 from the yellow boxes: great golf!
A great turnout today, 21 runners. Pretty good weather, warm with a freshening breeze. A busy course as well, with the school holidays on their last gasp. The greens have pretty much recovered from the severe frosts, so every reason for optimism. Ah, but what about the current intense solar activity? That must have a big effect on the precision game. So in the event only one player beat the course: Stewart Brown with a gross 80, nett 70. Well done Stewart, who therefore won Category A. Winner of Category B was Fraser Pentland who had a nett 79. There were more NR's than returns, 12 out of the 21. Of those, John Dean had a very creditable adjusted gross score of 92, nett 68! The CSS was 75, so John is cut 2.8. Stewart was cut 1.0. The only other player to get cut was our match secretary who had to disqualify himself for signing for the wrong score. Consolation was being cut 0.6 anyway. Pity Ian Tasker could not repeat his performance from Tuesday, when he shot gross 69 from the yellow boxes: great golf!
The Victory Cup
It chucked it down all Wednesday night, probably an inch of rain. So maybe some of our members decided to stay in bed. But Thursday morning was dry, warm and calm, and sixteen members turned up to compete in The Victory Cup. The first fairway was a bit squelchy as we walked up it but the course quickly dried. No-one quite matched Rory's 63 but Jim Dunlop returned an excellent nett 70 to win, even though he lost balls at the 6th, 11th and 15th holes! The only other person to match the Standard Scratch was John Tait, who shot a 72. There were other scores in the seventies from Ian Tasker, Ross Baillie and Ian Montgomery. Generally the scoring was a bit better and there were fewer NR's. The rough is begining to get very lush, like a few of our members, following the recent rain. I predict even more lost balls at the next competition. The CSS was 73 and so Jim has been cut 1.2 for the second competition in a row. This takes him to a career-low handicap of 13.3. Jim also drew Rory in the club sweep for The Open, so he's on a roll! No two's today, so it's a rollover.
It chucked it down all Wednesday night, probably an inch of rain. So maybe some of our members decided to stay in bed. But Thursday morning was dry, warm and calm, and sixteen members turned up to compete in The Victory Cup. The first fairway was a bit squelchy as we walked up it but the course quickly dried. No-one quite matched Rory's 63 but Jim Dunlop returned an excellent nett 70 to win, even though he lost balls at the 6th, 11th and 15th holes! The only other person to match the Standard Scratch was John Tait, who shot a 72. There were other scores in the seventies from Ian Tasker, Ross Baillie and Ian Montgomery. Generally the scoring was a bit better and there were fewer NR's. The rough is begining to get very lush, like a few of our members, following the recent rain. I predict even more lost balls at the next competition. The CSS was 73 and so Jim has been cut 1.2 for the second competition in a row. This takes him to a career-low handicap of 13.3. Jim also drew Rory in the club sweep for The Open, so he's on a roll! No two's today, so it's a rollover.
July Medal
We had seventeen and a half competitors for the July Medal on Thursday, including Pat ("No, I'm not in the competition unless I return a really great score!"). The course is giving us fewer excuses: some recent warm and wet weather has brought the greens on significantly. A pretty strong breeze made conditions tough. We were glad not to be playing off the new competition tees, with a wind like that almost all of us would have to chip over the yellow tee and then get to the fairway with the second. We'll try it out soon, September is usually nice and windy....
So 17 entered (and Pat): 9 NR'd; 2 in the hundreds; 6 in the 90's; 1 in the 80's: Jim Dunlop with 89 nett 73. And a 2! Well done to Jim who therefore won the Group A. Hugh Wilson won Group B with a 93 nett 75. David Birrell had the only other nett score in the 70's with a 77. With a CSS of 75, he was in the buffer zone, Jim was cut 1.2 strokes and Hugh 0.6. Everyone else up. Including Pat. Rules is rules.
Well done also Bill, for tipping the winner of the 3.20 at Ayr. A number of the members benefitted financially, including Hugh who decided he didn't have to buy a drink! Aberdonian heaven.
We had seventeen and a half competitors for the July Medal on Thursday, including Pat ("No, I'm not in the competition unless I return a really great score!"). The course is giving us fewer excuses: some recent warm and wet weather has brought the greens on significantly. A pretty strong breeze made conditions tough. We were glad not to be playing off the new competition tees, with a wind like that almost all of us would have to chip over the yellow tee and then get to the fairway with the second. We'll try it out soon, September is usually nice and windy....
So 17 entered (and Pat): 9 NR'd; 2 in the hundreds; 6 in the 90's; 1 in the 80's: Jim Dunlop with 89 nett 73. And a 2! Well done to Jim who therefore won the Group A. Hugh Wilson won Group B with a 93 nett 75. David Birrell had the only other nett score in the 70's with a 77. With a CSS of 75, he was in the buffer zone, Jim was cut 1.2 strokes and Hugh 0.6. Everyone else up. Including Pat. Rules is rules.
Well done also Bill, for tipping the winner of the 3.20 at Ayr. A number of the members benefitted financially, including Hugh who decided he didn't have to buy a drink! Aberdonian heaven.
The Alex Jackson Trophy
This was a non-qualifying event, as there were three temporary greens in play. A few of our regulars were away but we still had 17 people out in the competition. Conditions were good, a light drizzle soon cleared and we played the second nine in warm and sunny conditions. Quite a few NR's, caused mostly by balls lost in bushes or heather. Vincent McGlinchey won the competition with a gross score of 88 giving a nett 70. Runner-up was Raymond Shek with a gross 84 (nett 74). If it WAS a counter, the CSS would have been 73, and Vincent would have been cut 0.9. Sorry, Vince, get you next time!
This was a non-qualifying event, as there were three temporary greens in play. A few of our regulars were away but we still had 17 people out in the competition. Conditions were good, a light drizzle soon cleared and we played the second nine in warm and sunny conditions. Quite a few NR's, caused mostly by balls lost in bushes or heather. Vincent McGlinchey won the competition with a gross score of 88 giving a nett 70. Runner-up was Raymond Shek with a gross 84 (nett 74). If it WAS a counter, the CSS would have been 73, and Vincent would have been cut 0.9. Sorry, Vince, get you next time!
Captain's &
Vice-Captain's Prizes
A good turnout on Thursday for this competition. Weather conditions were pretty good: cool and windy to start with, but sunny and increasingly warm after the first few holes. The greens at Bogside are improving, but still a long way to go and scoring is higher as a result. The best gross score was 85 from Raymond (Handicap 11), whose missed puts could not all be blamed on the greens. His nett 74 was equalled by Gerald (12) and beaten by Grant (15) who shot a 73. Vincent and Stewart had the next best scores at 76. The silverware would therefore have gone to Grant (Captain's Prize, handicaps up to 17) and Vincent (Vice-Captain's Prize). As Captain however, Grant can't win his own prize, so it goes to Gerald. Grant got the consolation of being cut; the only round to beat the course.
It was a wonderful day for golf: 23 degrees, sunny and still. We had a decent turnout of 20 players for the Club Championship and most agreed that this year the competition was wide open. 84 was tipped as a possible winning score and Ian Tasker won the event with just that. His nett score of 74 was also good enough to win Group A of the June medal. Well done to Ian, he has long been one of the club's steadiest golfers and is a worthy winner of the beautiful 'Brown Challenge Medal'. The medal shows a golfer striking the ball one-handed in what appears to be a fit of temper. Nothing could be less like the placid Mr Tasker, whose cries of 'NO! IAN!!' can be heard throughout Irvine on a golf day. Congratulations also to Ernie Bolton who had the best nett score with a 73 to win Group B. Despite the perfect day the scoring was high, not least because the greens are only slowly recovering from being encased in a sheet of ice for two months, followed by a prolonged dry spell that shows no sign of ending. No-one cut, others in the buffer zone were Grant Hood (77), Vincent McGlinchey (NR but 73 adjusted), Ian Montgomery (75) and Raymond Shek (75).
….same old rubbish from our members. OK, the greens are still recovering from a harsh winter but the weather was benign. Most of us harboured high hopes of getting a score in. Once again, the course reminded us who's the boss. One player, Alastair Wilson, beat 90 with a gross 89 (nett 79). Ernie Bolton returned the best nett with a 75 and really the only 'steady' card. Paul Biondi was the only other player to break 80 with a 78. Half the players NR'd and the average gross score for the remainder was 97! But it was fun, boys, wasn't it? Oh, and another rollover for the Twos: I'll need Group 4 next time to bring the sweep. Well done Ernie and Alastair. CSS 75, reductions only. May 20th the next qualifier, see you then.
The annual friendly against The Cellar Club ended all square, meaning that St Mungo as holders retain the trophy. The Cellar Club managed to round up more players than usual so that, rather than having to lend them a player or two to make up the numbers, an extra game was added. 7 fourballs and the result was 3½ - 3½. Conditions were fine and a very enjoyable event, thanks to Captains Ross Baillie and Grant Hood and all the players. See you in the bar…
Normally St Mungo members can handle any conditions and still return scores somewhere in the region of 100. Today, however, a freak of nature (no, not
him!) caused some of our scores to go
through
the
roof.
The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (a sound I thought I detected several
times on the course, but louder) not only caused airports to close
throughout Scotland but also was the only rational explanation for the
poor scores returned in the James Barclay competiton. However only 8
NR's showed a certain determination (or courage, to submit cards like
that!!). The winner was Alastair Wilson with a Nett 74. The high CSS of
75 reflected the poor scoring of most. Paul Biondi and Ian Montgomery
came in with 75's and were cut after adjustment. The only other players
to avoid handicap increases were Andy Auld, Ross Baillie and David
Birrell who all NR'd but were in The Buffer Zone (and probably still
are, celebrating). Well done to Alastair, and
thanks.
So the course made April Fools of most of us today. Fergus however played exactly to his handicap to return a Nett 72 and comfortably win the Medal
and our Group A prize. David Birrell, not long out
of
hibernation, also played well to return a 76 and thereby win the Group
B's prize. Well done to both! The only other score in the
70's
was Jim Dunlop with a 78. Three of us got the wrong side of a hundred
(aye, gross) and 7 NR'd out of a field of 15. Wind was the usual
problem but it was only a gale. Greens were the main challenge: fast,
and holes all seemed to be on wicked little slopes. Wind and gravity
did the rest. A lot of 3 puts reported. Fortunately, yours truly
escaped before they had finished building the gallows. Rules
are
rules, boys, it was a counter! CSS was 75; Fergus was cut;
two in
the buffer zone and everyone else up. Ouch! Two weeks to get
ready for the next comp, the James Barclay Trophy.
A good turnout on Thursday for this competition. Weather conditions were pretty good: cool and windy to start with, but sunny and increasingly warm after the first few holes. The greens at Bogside are improving, but still a long way to go and scoring is higher as a result. The best gross score was 85 from Raymond (Handicap 11), whose missed puts could not all be blamed on the greens. His nett 74 was equalled by Gerald (12) and beaten by Grant (15) who shot a 73. Vincent and Stewart had the next best scores at 76. The silverware would therefore have gone to Grant (Captain's Prize, handicaps up to 17) and Vincent (Vice-Captain's Prize). As Captain however, Grant can't win his own prize, so it goes to Gerald. Grant got the consolation of being cut; the only round to beat the course.
Club
Championship and June Medal
It was a wonderful day for golf: 23 degrees, sunny and still. We had a decent turnout of 20 players for the Club Championship and most agreed that this year the competition was wide open. 84 was tipped as a possible winning score and Ian Tasker won the event with just that. His nett score of 74 was also good enough to win Group A of the June medal. Well done to Ian, he has long been one of the club's steadiest golfers and is a worthy winner of the beautiful 'Brown Challenge Medal'. The medal shows a golfer striking the ball one-handed in what appears to be a fit of temper. Nothing could be less like the placid Mr Tasker, whose cries of 'NO! IAN!!' can be heard throughout Irvine on a golf day. Congratulations also to Ernie Bolton who had the best nett score with a 73 to win Group B. Despite the perfect day the scoring was high, not least because the greens are only slowly recovering from being encased in a sheet of ice for two months, followed by a prolonged dry spell that shows no sign of ending. No-one cut, others in the buffer zone were Grant Hood (77), Vincent McGlinchey (NR but 73 adjusted), Ian Montgomery (75) and Raymond Shek (75).
Spring
Arrives at Bogside and…
….same old rubbish from our members. OK, the greens are still recovering from a harsh winter but the weather was benign. Most of us harboured high hopes of getting a score in. Once again, the course reminded us who's the boss. One player, Alastair Wilson, beat 90 with a gross 89 (nett 79). Ernie Bolton returned the best nett with a 75 and really the only 'steady' card. Paul Biondi was the only other player to break 80 with a 78. Half the players NR'd and the average gross score for the remainder was 97! But it was fun, boys, wasn't it? Oh, and another rollover for the Twos: I'll need Group 4 next time to bring the sweep. Well done Ernie and Alastair. CSS 75, reductions only. May 20th the next qualifier, see you then.
Honours
Even in Cellar Club Match
The annual friendly against The Cellar Club ended all square, meaning that St Mungo as holders retain the trophy. The Cellar Club managed to round up more players than usual so that, rather than having to lend them a player or two to make up the numbers, an extra game was added. 7 fourballs and the result was 3½ - 3½. Conditions were fine and a very enjoyable event, thanks to Captains Ross Baillie and Grant Hood and all the players. See you in the bar…
Birdies
Grounded by Icelandic Volcano!
Normally St Mungo members can handle any conditions and still return scores somewhere in the region of 100. Today, however, a freak of nature (no, not
him!) caused some of our scores to go
through
the
roof.
The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (a sound I thought I detected several
times on the course, but louder) not only caused airports to close
throughout Scotland but also was the only rational explanation for the
poor scores returned in the James Barclay competiton. However only 8
NR's showed a certain determination (or courage, to submit cards like
that!!). The winner was Alastair Wilson with a Nett 74. The high CSS of
75 reflected the poor scoring of most. Paul Biondi and Ian Montgomery
came in with 75's and were cut after adjustment. The only other players
to avoid handicap increases were Andy Auld, Ross Baillie and David
Birrell who all NR'd but were in The Buffer Zone (and probably still
are, celebrating). Well done to Alastair, and
thanks.All
Fools Medal
So the course made April Fools of most of us today. Fergus however played exactly to his handicap to return a Nett 72 and comfortably win the Medal
and our Group A prize. David Birrell, not long out
of
hibernation, also played well to return a 76 and thereby win the Group
B's prize. Well done to both! The only other score in the
70's
was Jim Dunlop with a 78. Three of us got the wrong side of a hundred
(aye, gross) and 7 NR'd out of a field of 15. Wind was the usual
problem but it was only a gale. Greens were the main challenge: fast,
and holes all seemed to be on wicked little slopes. Wind and gravity
did the rest. A lot of 3 puts reported. Fortunately, yours truly
escaped before they had finished building the gallows. Rules
are
rules, boys, it was a counter! CSS was 75; Fergus was cut;
two in
the buffer zone and everyone else up. Ouch! Two weeks to get
ready for the next comp, the James Barclay Trophy.St
Mungo Quaich
The
annual Bogey competition took place on Thursday 25th March with players
competing for the generously proportioned St Mungo Quaich (I can see
why he was made the patron saint of Glasgow, as the Quaich makes even
quarter gills look stingy!). We obviously don't play enough bogey
competitions as there was a bit of confusion about the format. There
was never much doubt about the winner, though: Bogside beat all comers
as usual. The best of the losers was Hugh Wilson, 1
down.
Historical note: Dumbarton won the St Mungo Quaich in 1951, beating Ayr United 2-1. Funny game, golf.
Historical note: Dumbarton won the St Mungo Quaich in 1951, beating Ayr United 2-1. Funny game, golf.