Clubhouse Refurbishment: First Floor Closed

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Members and visitors are advised that the first floor of the clubhouse will close from Monday 30th January in preparation for, and handover to, the refurbishment contractors.

It is planned that the bar, lounge and restaurant areas will reopen by 24th February at the latest. During the works there will be no access to the first floor of the clubhouse, either internally or externally, as it will be a hard hat area.

In addition an area of the car park will be handed over to the contractor and will be cordoned off until the work is complete. Members will still be able to access the locker rooms and toilets on the ground floor of the clubhouse during the refurbishment.

The Pro Shop will remain open at the usual winter hours of Wednesday to Sunday, 8.30am to 3.30pm, closed on Monday and Tuesdays.

The club apologises for any inconvenience during the works which will benefit both members and visitors once completed. We look forward to welcoming you to the new-look bar, lounge and restaurant areas later this month, at the start of our 125th anniversary year.

Tickets on Sale for the 125 Anniversary Ball

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The club celebrates an historic year in 2017 with it’s 125th anniversary. A number of special events have been scheduled, the first of which is the 125th Anniversary Ball, which will be held at Peebles Hydro on Saturday 29 April. Tickets costs £40 per person or £400 for a table of 10, for a package which includes a glass of champagne on arrival, 3-course meal, photo booth and live entertainment from The Back Green Band.

To book your seats, please visit the office or call 01721 720197. Proceeds from the night’s fundraising will go towards our nominated charity, The Fragile X Society.

Howie Makes GB&I Walker Cup Squad Shortlist for the Road to LA

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Peebles golfer Craig Howie has been named in the provisional Great Britain and Ireland 19-man squad for this year’s Walker Cup match against the USA.

Taking place in September at the prestigious Los Angeles Country Club, Howie’s selection gives him a good opportunity to make the final team of 10 who will line up against the leading Americans in the amateur game’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup.

Following a successful 2016 season in which he rose to a career high of 66th in the world amateur golf rankings, the 22-year old University of Stirling graduate is one of six Scots picked by captain Craig Watson, with GB&I aiming to successfully defend the trophy they won at Royal Lytham two years ago. Having played a starring role in Scotland’s European Amateur Team Championship victory in France last July, Howie has clearly caught the eye of the R&A’s selectors.

Former British Amateur Champion Craig Watson, who will captain the GB&I Walker Cup team for the first time, said: “We have identified a strong group of players who are all in contention for a place on the team and we will be monitoring their performance and results over the coming season.

“We will also pay close attention to the progress and form of players who have not been included in this current squad as they also have the opportunity to play their way into contention for the team selected to play the USA in September.”

Howie is joined by fellow Scots Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten), Connor Syme (Drumoig), Craig Ross (Kirkhill), Barry Hume (Haggs Castle) and Nairn’s Sandy Scott.

Having been preparing for the new golf season at the Scottish Golf training camp in Florida last month, Howie has jetted off for a few more weeks of warm weather in South Africa with the Scotland squad, where he’ll compete in a number of major events including the South African Amateur Championship. The Scottish Golf trip is funded through support from Aberdeen Asset Management, sportscotland and the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation.

Clubhouse Refurbishment Update FAQs

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Dear Member

Firstly, on behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank you for your support during what has been another successful season at Peebles Golf Club. We have continued to grow the club, with an increased membership, a rise in visitor numbers, a buoyant ClubGolf junior section and financial performance ahead of budget. We have received excellent feedback on the course and catering throughout the year and with the likes of Craig and Darren Howie flying the flag at national and international level, our profile is growing. We very much have a Club to be proud of.

Since publishing the designs and plans for the Clubhouse Refurbishment, we have had many comments, e-mails and general feedback and I thank everyone who has contributed for their input. The proposals have largely been met with positive feedback and we remain committed to implementing the plans for the long-term benefit of the club. Although relatively modern by golf club standards, the clubhouse is now more than 18-years-old and anyone looking closely at the furniture and decoration will appreciate that investment is required. We believe the timing is good, working from a position of strength, to ensure we have a good quality facility which is attractive to existing members, potential members and visitors. Our town is a competitive marketplace with many other bars and restaurants in Peebles upgrading in recent years.

Rather than respond to every individual query, we felt that the most appropriate way of communicating to you was to gather the feedback on collated basis and produce a Q&A document which hopefully addresses the key questions, concerns and suggested changes. The Q&A is comprehensive, with details on each area of the clubhouse as well as providing information on costs, timings and rationale. The clubhouse work will not be done to the detriment of the course – both go hand in hand as part of the comprehensive business plan which we started in 2014.

> Clubhouse Refurbishment FAQ

The document details some of the current and future investment being made on the course and reflects on some of the successful initiatives we have put in place, thanks to the efforts of volunteer members and staff. We hope this information meets with your approval, however myself or fellow directors would be happy to discuss any further questions arising.

Although we are in the off-season, golf goes on. There is a regular diet of stableford, winter league and mixed events together with coaching available from the Pro shop if you’re looking to keep your game ticking over. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us over the coming months. Finally, I would like to make you aware that tickets are now on sale for our Hogmanay Party, priced at £28 per person, available from behind the bar. This event is always popular so please ensure you are quick if you want to avoid missing out!

Yours in gol...

Graham Lowther, Captain

Club Presentation Night - Winners

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The Club Presentation Night for the Gents and Mixed Competitions takes place this Saturday 22 October, celebrating the achievements of our trophy winners from the season past. The evening gets underway at 8pm with the presentation of all prizes, followed by live entertainment at the conclusion.

It promises to be another great social event at Peebles Golf Club, so make sure you join your friends on Saturday night and toast our winners.

> Full list of prize winners for 2016

Please note the Ladies dinner and presentation night takes place next Saturday, 29 October, with the Junior Presentation Night on Friday 4 November.

Competition results

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12/10/16

PGC STROKE COMPETITION

1st Kenny McKay 68

2nd Simon Dryden 69

3rd Vic Roberts 71

08/10/16

PGC STROKE COMPETITION

1st Chris Patterson 65

2nd Ian Connor 69

3rd Donald Nisbet jnr 69

4th Ivor Clark 69

5th Andrew Thomson 70

 

06/10/16

PGC GENTS STABLEFORD

1st Tom Litster 36 points

2nd Simon Dryden 34 points

3rd Graham Neil 33 points

01/10/16

Scotsdale Medal

1st Andrew Flannery 65

2nd Andrew Thomson 68

3rd David Brotherstone 68

4th Martin McKemmie 69

28/09/16

PGC GENTS STROKE COMPETITION

1st Phil Staples (67)

2nd Craig Bain (70)

3rd Kenny McKay (71)

24/09/16

SCOTSDALE MEDAL

1st Nathan Dores 65

2nd Kenny McKay 68

3rd Ian A J Mitchell 71 

4th Ross Greenshields 72

5th Brian Robson 73

Ryder Cup Challenge 2nd October: Peebles v Rest of the World Draw

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The draw has been made for the Peebles Golf Club Ryder Cup Challenge on Sunday 2nd October, for the second playing of the match between Peebles and the Rest of the World. Taking place on the final day of the Ryder Cup, the event has a 1pm shotgun start, followed by the real action unfolding live back in the clubhouse on Sky Sports.

> Click here for the draw

You can watch all the Ryder Cup on the clubhouse big screens throughout the weekend, from Thursday 29 September with the opening ceremony, with live action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Competition results

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14/9/16

PGC STROKE COMPETITION

1st Richard Martin (66)

2nd Kevin Wood (68)

3rd Ian JD Stewart (68)

10/09/16

HOLMES SCOTT QUAICH

1st Mike Veitch (62)

2nd Kevin Wood (65)

3rd David Wright (65)

4th Bryan Wilson (66)

1st Scratch Darren Davidson (67)

07/09/16

PGC GENTS STABLEFORD

1st Darren Davidson (39 points)

2nd Andy Tucker (37 points)

3rd David Brotherstone (37 Points)

06/09/2016

PGC SENIORS OPEN 4BBB STROKE COMPETITION

1st K Davidson Musselburgh & N Ashelby West Linton (60)

2nd S Lindsay Pitreavie & A Beveridge Pitreavie (61)

3rd K Hoddlesworth Prestwick St Nicholas & J Snowden Kingsacre (62)

4th D Armitt Lockerbie & W Wilson Lochmaben (63)

5th J Fairgrieve Craigmillar & C Spink Kingsknowe (63)

Nearest the Pin hole 7 I Ferrier Baberton

Nearest the Pin hole 12 W Morton Dunbar

Darren is a Record Breaker!

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New course record holder Darren Howie 

Peebles Golf Club’s course record was smashed in style on Sunday afternoon as 16-year-old Darren Howie went round the course in just 61 shots, nine-under par.

Just two days after elder brother Craig had scored a seven-under par 61 at Dalmahoy’s West Course in the Scottish Area Team Championship, Darren beat the previous Peebles record – which had stood for 21 years and held jointly by Colin Fraser and Norman Forsyth – by two shots.

Having parred the first three holes, Howie went on an amazing run of six consecutive threes, starting with a birdie at the fourth hole and finishing the front nine with an eagle three to reach the turn in an incredible 29 shots, six under par.

A further birdie followed at the short par four 13th, and despite finding a bad lie with his tee-shot on the 15th, he squeezed another birdie there to have the course record in sights. Pars came at the 16th and 17th leaving him at eight-under, and while a par on the last would have been good enough to take the course record, he calmly rolled in another birdie putt to be home in 32 and sign up with the magic number of 61.

“I’d been playing solid over the last few weeks with some good scores, including rounds of 5-under and 4-under so I knew I had a good score coming. I managed to get to 8-under par after 15 holes by somehow getting a birdie at the 15th after a bad tee shot, but I wasn’t really thinking about the course record, more thinking about getting a few more birdies to shoot a 59!” said Darren.

“I hit a driver up the right of the 18th and had 200 yards left with a bad lie, but managed to get it down near the green with a 5-iron and get a good up and down for birdie to beat the record.”

Needless to say, Darren topped the leaderboard in Sunday’s stableford competition, amassing 43 points, although with his plus two handicap, his nett score was actually two shots higher with a 63. His handicap is now a career low of plus 2.6, although he still has a bit of work to do to catch big brother Craig, who currently sits at plus 4.8, one of the lowest in Scotland.