Kirkcudbright Golf Club

Newsletter - July 2016 (Issue 07)

KIRKCUDBRIGHT GOLF CLUB

www.kirkcudbrightgolf.co.uk

Facebook: Kirkcudbright Golf Club

Phone: 01557 330314

Captain’s Desk

At this time of year many of you will be torn between cutting your own grass or watching our green staff whizzing around the golf course. With growth at its peak there is little time for anything other than cutting, yet summer aeration of the greens and foliar feeding, all part of the summer programme, move on a pace. I am particularly pleased by members and visitor plaudits regarding course condition.

All congratulations to competition winners, whether team or individual, details further on in the newsletter. Remember this is your newsletter so contribute. I also try to do a weekly update, at the beginning of the week, and if you wish to contribute with information please let me know.

Just a gentle reminder that we have only 5 buggies and you can book online with your tee time. You need a number (see the office) and you create your own password. (Simples).

A big thanks to all who returned the Member Satisfaction Survey. It is difficult to create a forward looking plan that meets members needs, without your input. I will publish the outcome on the main notice board and action areas with the appropriate people over the next few weeks.

We are now looking forward and on the course, our convenor Adam Gray (busy man), will be working with head greenkeeper John on a winter programme. If you have expertise we would like to talk with you. Surveyor, topographer, drainage, agronomist, etc. We may not be able to use your skills, but having a skills register is always helpful and remember it is your club.

Swing Slow,

Maurice. (Club Captain)

LADIES NEWS

19 Ladies are off to Slaley Hall Golf Resort in Northumberland on Wednesday for two nights and three rounds of golf. Slaley Hall has two 18-hole golf courses and we intend playing them both. The Hotel offers a swimming pool and Spa and other facilities should we need them! The plan is to have an individual competition and two team competitions. Results will be published in the next Newsletter.

There is a Galloway Championship and 18-hole Competition on Sunday 10th July. This is expected to have about 10 ladies who will do the Championship 36 Holes and about 25 - 30 doing the 18 Hole Rennie Salver. There is still time to enter. We would like as many of our members as possible to have a go at the Rennie Salver. Lots of the ladies are getting involved in competitions around the Region and our own club competitions are being well supported.

Mary Robertson

EGGS NEWS

EGGS Match v Glenluce The Eggs played a home match against Glenluce on Thursday 2nd June with the Eggs running out winners by 4½ to 2½ despite Glenluce fielding a strong team. The weather was very kind to us and to date the Eggs as still unbeaten having played three matches.

Zip Wire Challenge Well the long wait is over as the lads have managed to conquer the Zip Wire. A big thanks to Brian Turnbull and Ian McConchie and to all who sponsored them. It was great to see some of the Eggs and their wives at Laggan Outdoor Centre to support the boys. A big thanks to Duncan and his staff at Laggan for making the day a great success. Brian was well up for the challenge but Ian was a bit apprehensive and needed a bit of help from Stacey in getting Ian to complete the challenge as she had to give him a helping hand (or was it a push). The total raised was £965 which was a valuable contribution to the financing of the gents’ toilet refurbishment. (see Zip Wire photographs below)

Bill Telfer Memorial Trophy The Eggs played for the Bill Telfer Memorial Trophy on Friday 10th June, with the competition being stroke play as this was Bill’s preferred format. 34 players took part in the competition and it was great to have Bill’s son John over from Ireland to compete and his daughter Karen to present the prizes. The conditions were good and this was reflected in the scores.

Winner Stewart McKean= net 63 Runner-Up Neil McIntosh =net 65 Third Place David Brown =net 66

(Continued ….)

Ted Houghie Open The annual Ted Houghie 4BBB Open competition was held on Thurs 16th June in excellent conditions with a good turnout of 39 pairs. The winners on 43 points were Wm. Brown and Rbt. McGuickin from the Doon Valley Club. Jimmy Cloy and John Sawyer from Newton Stewart were a close second on 42 points with our own Bryan Crawford and Gibby McCoskry third on the same total. Trevor Williams from Southerness impressively holed his tee shot at the 13th.

EGGS Match v Moffat Baffies On Monday 20th June 6 pairs travelled to Moffat Golf Club to challenge the Baffies in our return match. Good golf and home advantage prevailed and we were defeated by 4 and1/2 matches to 1 and 1/2 matches.

June Medal On the last Friday of the month a good turn-out of members contested the June medal in favourable conditions. It was good to see an old hand in the shape of Bob Currie triumph with an impressive 39 points.

Zip Wire photographs …

(Continued …)

JUNIOR NEWS

The Joanna Shamash trophy is coming up on Sunday 31st of July. This is the junior/adult day which has greensome competitions held over 5 holes, 9 holes and 18 holes. If you would like to play, please get in touch and we will find you a partner if you don't already have one.

Kirkcudbright golf course hosted the recent junior match between the South and Cumbria. Four of our own were part of the team. Angus Bendall, Nathan Watson and William Squires were joined by Callum McMillan making his full team debut. The other members of the team were Mitchell Cowie (D&C), Callan Harkness (Loch), Dylan Cairnie (D&C) and Ross Whyte (D&G).

Unfortunately, we lost the morning foursomes 4-0 which meant we had to win 6 out of the 8 singles games to tie the match. It looked possible for most of the afternoon but they couldn't quite pull it off. We won the singles 4½ to 3½ but lost the match 4½ to 7½.

Well done to Angus and William who both won their matches on the 18th green and Nathan with a convincing 5&4 victory.

I would like to thank and congratulate John, Jamie and Bob for the superb way they presented our course. There was nothing but praise from the Cumbrian players, officials and spectators who all enjoyed the course. The standard of golf was incredible with lots of birdies and eagles the order of the day.

(Continued … )

Pictured above are the four juniors that represented the South at the Boys Area Team Championship at Grangemouth at the beginning of June. Angus Bendall (CD) Callan Harkness (Loch), Nathan Watson and William Squires from Kirkcudbright. They finished in a creditable 6th place. Angus has since joined our junior section and we are delighted to welcome him.

Nathan and William then went on to Perth to represent Dumfries and Galloway at the Scottish Schools competition at Murrayshall. No prizes this time but they enjoyed the experience.

HANDICAP & COMPETITION NEWS

The season is well under way now with competitions coming thick and fast. Our premier Gents Singles competition the Silver Tassie was played on 4th June and the eventual winner was Ian McBeth of Castle Douglas who successfully defended his title from 2015 with a great score of 68-5=63. We had a field of 127 competitors on the day and I’m sure they will all have been impressed with the tremendous condition that the course was in, not only on the day, but largely for the whole season to date.

Away from Kirkcudbright, Jamie Menzies captured the Cally Cup at Gatehouse-of-Fleet with a great score of 68-6=62. Well done Jamie!

The second prize-giving of the season will take place after the Dalziel Trophy in September. Winners are reminded that trophies should be engraved and returned to the club office in advance of this.

Don’t forget that all competition results, including live scores can be found in the results section of our website at www.kirkcudbrightgolf.co.uk or directly through www.masterscoreboard.co.uk

5 STAR INTERVIEW

In the hot seat this month is former Club Captain and six-time Club Champion Stephen Eccles. Here is what he had to say …

What’s your handicap right now? 5

& whats the lowest it has been? 1

What's the best course you have played? Kragero in Norway and Kingsbarns

What course would you most like to play that you haven't? Machrie Golf Links, Islay

If you could only play links or parkland for the rest of your life what would you choose? Parkland

Who would you pick to hole a 6-foot putt to win you £100? My good friend John Thomson

Best player you've played with or against? Andrew Coltart and George MacGregor

What has been your best moment in golf? Wining club championship 6 times and County Championship

Who would be your dream 4-ball? Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle, Seve and my son Jonathan with me caddying for Jonathan

What is your favourite club in the bag? My TP19 Mizuno Wedge

If you could change one thing about golf what would it be? The time it takes sometimes.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Play the ball as it lies and enjoy yourself.

What's your bogey hole at Kirkcudbright? None really, but find the tee shot at 5th hard.

Do you have any golfing superstitions? Like to line up logo on ball in the direction I want it to go.

Away from golf, what are your other interests? Family, gardening, walking and DIY

Thanks Stephen, good luck for the rest of 2016!

6 David Broadfoot's Coaching Column - July Edition

We're into July and two of the season's majors have been and gone. Next up is The Open Championship at Royal Troon. Can't wait to go up and watch the best players in the world. I love to watch them in the flesh and learn as much as I can from them.

Rory McIlroy will be looking for a better result than his missed cut at the US Open a couple of weeks back. I just read an article after his first round of the French Open this week about how he immediately started working on swing changes after missing the cut at the US Open because he wasn't happy with how he was playing.

Bear in mind, this is arguably the most naturally talented golfer in the modern game with the third major if the year just round the corner. Still trying to change to make things better. What can we all learn from this?

Sometimes change is needed. Although it can be scary and can take a lot of work, change can be a good thing. If you are not happy with how you are hitting the ball, chipping, putting etc then change is needed. Don't be afraid of it, relish it. You can always be better at something.

I hate the thought of standing still. I feel if I am not getting better, I am getting worse. There is always someone trying to improve and eventually they will overtake you unless you improve as well. Wether it's your friend or someone you've never met, don't let them get better than you! Stay ahead by moving forward.

July lesson offer - 3 hours for the price of 2! This works out at only £20 per hour. At the very least you can make huge improvements to your short game and putting. There isn't a single member of Kirkcudbright Golf Club that can't improve their short game. Everyone needs a better short game, it's the fastest way to lower scores. If you think your short game is good enough, then unlike me, you are happy to stand still. Personally, I always want to get better.

Thanks for reading, David Broadfoot, PGA Golf Professional

AND FINALLY …

Finally, don’t forget this is your newsletter. If there’s anything particular you’d like to see included let us know. You might have a story or even photos from days gone by we could include. Feel free to pass them on, either to the clubhouse or contact me at [email protected].