Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open trophy comes to Peebles Golf Club

We're delighted to announce that the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open trophy, held by a famous list of winners including Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler, will be on show at the club this Sunday 2nd July for the Peebles Gents Open as part of its tour around the country

Members, juniors and visitors will have the chance to get their photo taken with the trophy throughout the day, which will be on display around the 1st tee from 7.30am when the first group tees off, to late afternoon You don't have to be taking part in Sunday's event to see the trophy, so if you want a photo please come along to the clubhouse.

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open takes place at Dundonald Links near Troon from 13 - 16 July (kids under-16 go free!) with one of the best line-ups in Europe this season including Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Andrew 'Beeeeeeef' Johnston and Jason Dufner, as well as Scottish stars Stephen Gallacher, Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay. Tickets can be purchased via the website at the link below, with concessions at £25 per day or £65 for a season ticket and standard adults tickets at £30 per day or £75 for a season ticket. 

https://www.aamscottishopen.com

Rickie Fowler and the AAM trophy

Thursday 29th June - Club Championship

We were hoping to be able to give you some good news about tonight’s fixtures however the weather has taken its toll and we will have to cancel tonight’s Club Championship matches. Since the course closing this morning, the rain has not stopped and the course is heavily water logged. With that in mind, please see below for the amended schedule:

Club Championship fixtures

Howies at the Double as Brothers Celebrate Number One Status

You wait for one Scotland number one to come along and suddenly two appear! That was the case this week when the latest Scottish Golf rankings came out, with Craig Howie surging to the top of the national Men’s Order of Merit, while young brother Darren’s excellent runner-up finish at the Henry Cooper Junior Masters in Kent cemented his place at the summit of the Scottish Boys Order of Merit.

After five events, Craig is more than 100 points clear of second placed Liam Johnston, having reached the last-32 of The Amateur Championship last week at Royal St George’s. Howie suffered a heart-breaking exit at the 20th hole to Norway’s Kristoffer Ventura, having qualified as the leading Scot after excellent rounds of 69 and 68 in the stroke play stages.

Younger sibling Darren was also in Kent last week and led the prestigious Henry Cooper Junior Masters after a first round 68. He slipped back in rounds two and three, a superb six-under par final round of 66 gave him an aggregate of 280, eight-under par, to finish ahead of many of England’s leading junior on second place, in an event won by his elder brother in 2012.

> View Scottish Golf Rankings

As a result of their number one standings, both players were celebrating automatic selections for their respective Scotland teams at next month’s European Amateur Team Championships (11 – 15 July). Darren will represent Scotland Boys at the famous La Manga resort in Spain, while Craig will travel to the Diamond Country Club in Austria, with Scotland’s men defending the title they won last year and aiming to become the first team to secure a hatrick of title since England achieved the feat back in 1973. Howie played a pivotal role in Scotland’s win in France last year and was undefeated in six foursomes and singles matches.

> View European Amateur Team Championships website

Draws Made for the Club Championship

The draws have now been made for the match-play stages of the Club Championship across each category, with ties played from Monday 26 June through to the finals day on Saturday 1 July. Come and enjoy all the action and cheer on your friends throughout the week..some great matches in store.

> Club Championship

1st round ties - Wednesday 28 June

> Ladies Championship

QF tie - Wednesday 28 June

> B Championship

1st round ties - Tuesday 27 June

> Ladies B Championship

1st round ties - Monday 26 June

> C Championship

1st round ties - Monday 26 June

Practice Makes Perfect as Peebles Opens New Driving Range

Peebles Golf Club’s reputation as one of the country’s most progressive clubs has been further enhanced with the official opening of its new driving range and swing studio last Friday.

Following the completion of a major clubhouse refurbishment earlier this year, club captain Graham Lowther cut the ribbon on its impressive new practice facilities which have been developed thanks to funding from sportscotland, Clubsport Tweeddale, Scottish Borders Community Grant Scheme, Scottish Golf and the Peebles Common Good Fund.

The new building was completed last month, featuring three covered bays, a state-of-the-art indoor PGA swing studio, with a further two outdoor Huxley all-weather bays next to the adjoining short game practice area. Floodlighting will be installed later in the season to allow winter practice, with the facility open to existing members and the local community.

Since embarking on Scottish Golf’s business planning programme four years ago, the club has grown its membership for each of the last four years, adding more than 150 new members during that period. The club also boasts a flourishing junior programme as part of the national ClubGolf initiative, winning the title of Scotland’s Junior Club of the Year in 2015, attracting an average of over 60 children every Sunday across its three coaching sessions, with junior membership also in the ascendancy.

PGA professional Steve Johnston was recruited two years ago as a key part of the business plan, introducing ‘Get into Golf’ for beginners which has helped attract a number of new female members, while the club also boasts two of Scotland’s rising young talents in brothers Craig and Darren Howie, both of whom are now competing at the top level of the amateur game on the national and international stage.

The new driving range features a swing studio, 3 additional indoor bays and 2 outdoor bays

“We are delighted to formally open our driving facilities which will offer a fantastic experience for our members, visitors and beginner golfers alike. The club has made great strides in recent years and we have built on our success by investing in the course, clubhouse and practice facilities. We are keen to support our most talented players such as Craig and Darren to give them the best opportunity to succeed, but also grow our membership by attracting more newcomers to the game through the driving range.” said Lowther.

“The club has worked hard to develop one of the best junior programmes in the country and the new facilities will help make our coaching better and our pro Steve Johnston and his assistant Jamie Allan will also benefit hugely from the improvements. Steve has quickly developed a great reputation as a coach and I’m sure he’ll get even busier as a result of the changes.” he added.

The club’s own investment has been matched with funding from its various supporting partners, with sportscotland’s Awards for All grant making a significant contribution.

Recently appointed club manager Niall Watson, who at 34 is one of the youngest golf club managers in the country, thanked sponsors and members:  “We are indebted to all our funders for helping make the driving range a reality and also to our members who continue to support us. We are striving to put Peebles Golf Club at the heart of the local community and we want everyone in the local area to benefit from using our facilities.”

The range is open to members and non-members, with tokens for 30 balls costing £2 each available to buy from the professional shop, while a new season ticket scheme will also be in operation, featuring discounts for juniors.

Club Championship Qualifying

Congratulations to the 16 qualifiers in each of the three men's categories of the Championship. The top 15 plus defending champion Steve Waldie will compete in the Club Championship matchplay stages, with the top 16 in each of the B and C categories will contest the knock-out stages. If you cannot take part in the match play stages from 26 June to 1 July, please contact the office and the next player down will be given your place.

Leading qualifiers in the Club Championship:

Defending Champion - Steven Waldie

1. Jamie Morris 69 + 68 137

2. Allan Turnbull 65 + 73 138

3. Kris Hopkirk 75 + 66  141

4. Jordan Lamb 69 + 73 142

5. Colin Fraser 71 + 71 142

6. Norman Forsyth 69 + 75 144

7. Lewis Bryce 72 + 72 144

8. Darren Davidson 72 + 73 145

9. Robbie Dalgleish 75 + 72  147

10; Alastair Meikle 75 + 72 147

11. David Thorburn 75 + 72 147

12. David Wells 74 + 74 148

13. Kenny McKay 77 + 72 149

14. Andrew Waddell 76 + 76 152

15. Kenneth Harrison 82 + 71 153

Topping the leaderboard in the B Championship was Ryan Forsyth with rounds of 76 and 78 for a total of 154, two clear of Patrick Shields, while Les Shortreed (87, 86) led the way in the C Championship with Ian Pemberton (84, 90) in second place.

> Full Qualifying Results

Peebles Golf Club Welcomes New Caterer

Catering update

Over the past five weeks the Board has reviewed a range of options and applications for the role of caterer at the Club.

I’m delighted to announce that we have agreed a new catering contract with Rathbone Restaurants Ltd. Rathbone own the well known Peebles restaurant “Osso” and have an excellent reputation for both high quality dining and large scale catering.

The club will benefit from the support of Ally McGrath as Executive Chef, who will be responsible for menu design and food \ service quality at the club.

The new menus will focus on fresh locally sourced food, will vary on a regular basis, and include “Golf Club fare” at prices in line with the current menus. This will not be “Osso at PGC” but both parties are committed to providing good quality food to members and their guests.

The new contract commences on Monday 22nd May and the kitchen will be closed for three days for some small layout changes, with a soft launch on Thursday 25th May. Rathbone have confirmed that they will offer employment to all existing catering and waiting staff.

Catering will be provided on a seven day per week basis over the summer and all existing function bookings will be re-confirmed with members. Catering will only be available to members (and their guests) plus visiting golfers. As is currently the case, functions will require a member to make the booking and will be subject to approval by the Committee.

The Board and Rathbone believe that this is an exciting opportunity for both parties. I am sure members will agree. Members should be aware the that Rathbone will pay rent to the Club based upon income generated from food sales. The house is not included in the contract and the Board is reviewing options for future usage.

There will be an inevitable period of disruption as the new team get used to the clubhouse and members get used to the new menus and new faces. I hope that all members will be patient and support the PGC and Rathbone teams through this exciting change.

Best Wishes

Graham Lowther
Captain

Latest Competition Results

Results

Ladies Stroke Competition 17/6/2017

Div 1

1st June-Anne Clark 76

2nd Moira Brown 76

Div 2

1st Dianne Keddie 73

2nd Susan Brown 77

Beltane Handicap 18/06/2017

1st Henry Coyle 63

2nd Ian Connor 63

3rd Martin Walker 64

Rowland Wyer Rosebowl 17/06/ 2017

1st Allen J Clark 64

2nd  David Bone 66

3rd Kenneth MacMillan 66

4th Cameron Young 67

Scratch Alan Aiken 68

Stroke Competition 14/06 /2017

1st Fearghas Lowther 62

2nd Roger Key 67

3rd Jamie Fenton 68

Ford Trophy 03/06/2017

1st Christopher Boyle 60

2nd John E Brown 64

3rd Jim Smyth 64

4th Ian Connor 65

Scratch Jamie Morris 68

Wells Quaich 21/05/2017

1st Denise Richards & Graham Lowther

2nd Marny Waddell & John Elliot

Gents Stableford 31/05/2017

1st D Knox 49 points

2nd Robbie Dalgleish 43 points

3rd Billy Duncan 42 points

Tweeddale Motors Trophy /Champ Qual rnd 2 27/05/2017

Lewis Bryce 64

Jamie Fenton 65

David Barr 65

Ian Pemberton 65

Allan Turnbull Scratch 66

The Cooksey Final

Winners Betty Scott & Tom Cooke

Runners up Fiona Craigmile & Mark Craigmile

Supporting Foursomes Morven Howie & Robert Howie 

Gents Stroke 24/05/2017

1st Calum Farmer 63

2nd C Gallacher 67

3rd Stuart Duncan 67

Ladies Championship Rnd 4 22/05/2017

Division 1

1st Denise Richards 71

2nd Margaret McGee 74

Division 2

1st Iris French 71

2nd Anne Derrick 71

Championship Qualifier Rnd1 20/05/2017

1st N Forsyth 65

2nd M Cowan 65

3rd J Lamb 66

4th D Dunbar 67

Scratch J Morris 69

Gents Stableford 17/05/2017

1st Lewis Bryce 44 points

2nd Michael Veitch 42 points

3rd Gordon Beveridge 41 points

Senior Stableford 16/05/2017

1st B Hardcastle 41 points

2nd A Lowe 40 points

3rd J Pettigrew 40 points

David Duthie Scramble 13/05/2017

1st J Morris,D Wells, K Wood, J Fenton  53.4

2nd C McDonald, D Dunbar, R Duncan, G Foster 54.7

McGregor Foursomes 10/5/2017

1st D Brotherstone & D Dunbar 68.5

2nd M Anderson & A Graham 70.5

3rd W Forsyth & D Watson 71.5

Capt v Vice Capt Qualifier 06/05/2017

1st Sam Anderson 64

2nd Blair Cormack 66

3rd Walter Forsyth 67

4th Ewan McIntosh 67

Scratch Jamie Morris 69

Gents Stroke 03/05/2017

1st Ian J D Stewart 67

2nd Gary W French 67

3rd Colin Brown 69

Glass Lady Competition 29/04/2017

1st  June-Anne Clark 68

2nd Moira Brown 69

3rd Dianne Keddie 73

Margaret Nelson Trophy 01/05/2017

1st Susan Brown 68

2nd Eve Hunter 69

3rd Dianne Keddie 71

Kiwi Cup 29/04/2017

1st H Coyle 63

2nd D McKean 65

3rd D Dunbar 66

4th B Morris 66

Scratch A Meikle 66 (BIH)

Gents Stableford 26/04 /2017

1st Tom Litster 38 points

2nd Ewan Morton 38 points

3rd Kenny McKay 37 points

Cystic Fibrosis Stableford 24/04/2017

1st Mandi Bain 32 points

2nd Moira Brown 31 points

3rd Susan Brown 31 points

Cullen Kilshaw Greensome 23/04/2017

1st Mark Craigmile, Fiona Craigmile 68

Factory Cup 22/04/2017

1st G Carruthers, K Wood, N Forsyth, A McCarley  125

2nd A Aiken, R Aiken, R Latto, S Latto 125

3rd J Callan, T Wynn, J Nicol, T Wynn jnr 125

 Gents Stroke 19/04/2017

1st Ian JD Stewart 62

2nd Robert Howie 70

3rd Angus MacLeod 70

April Scotsdale Medal 15/04/2017

1st Grant Foster 64

2nd Ewan MacKay 68

3rd Tom Cooke 69

4th Calum Farmer 69

5th Ross Duncan 69

Gents Stableford 12/04/2017

1st James Cutler 38 points

2nd Jim Lyle 37 points

3rd Ross Scott 37 points

Kirkland Rosebowl 08/04/2017

David Brotherstone 65

Ian Stewart 66

Brian Smith 66

Cameron McBride 67

Jamie Morris Scratch 69

5 Club Challenge 05/04/2017

1st Tom Litster 36 points

2nd Brian Smith 35 points

Captain's Putter 01/04/2017

1st Ryan Forsyth 68

2nd Gavin Carruthers 69

3rd Jamie Morris 69

4th Derek Young 69

5th Alan Aiken 70 

Gents Stableford 29/03/2017

1st D Turnbull 40 points

2nd K McDonald 37 points

3rd G Thomson 36 points

Club Scramble 25/03/2017

1st   S Matthews,R Brock, D Maitland, J O’Hara 68 less 15.2 net 52.8

2nd E Leggatt, C McBride,G French, P Martin 68 less 14.8 net 53.2

Seniors Stableford 28/03/2017

1st A Thomson 40 points

2nd John E Brown 38 points

3rd I Pemberton 38 points

2016/ 7 WINTER PAIRS OPEN COMPETITIONS

Wednesday 15th March 2017

Winners

1st I Stewart & B Robson  46 points

2nd M Reid & J Stewart 45 points

Club Announcement - Jazz Catering

It is unfortunate that we announce the resignation of Jazz Catering as the contract caterer at the club, having handed in his notice earlier this week. Having provided an excellent service for the club, our members and visitors for the past 9½ years, it will be sad to see Jazz and his family leaving the role. We are sure you have all enjoyed the food that has been served over the years, playing an important role in keeping our clubhouse busy. Jazz leaves with our best wishes and on behalf of the club we would like to wish him well with his future endeavours. His final day will be Sunday 30 April.

The club has already started the process to find the best possible solution for our catering and we will keep members updated with our progress. If any members have any suggestions or recommendations, we would gladly consider them, while we are also consulting other relevant parties in the golf industry as we seek to find a replacement, both short term if required and for the long term. As we are sure you will agree, it is vitally important for the club that we find the right catering partner who can continue to provide the best level of service for our members and visitors.

For those members who have existing bookings in place past Jazz’s departure date, please contact Niall Watson our club manager to ensure these bookings remain in place. Similarly, if any members have any queries regarding the catering situation, please do not hesitate to contact Niall Watson or Martin Kelso in the office.

Graham Lowther, Club Captain

Opening Day Scramble Draw

The Opening Day Scramble takes place this Saturday 25 March. The event is full with 20 teams competing in a shotgun start at 10.00am.

> Click here for the full draw

Competitors should be on their respective tees for 9.45am with those teams marked 'F' required to hit their tee shots first and be in place for their second shots by 10.00am, on the 9th and 18th holes.

A reserve list is on operation. Please contact the office or Pro Shop if you need to remove your name.

Captain's v Vice-Captain's Team Challenge Match - Draw

The draw for the 2017 Captain's v Vice-Captain's Team Challenge Match, taking place on Sunday 26 March, has taken place.

> Click here for the draw

The event is a shotgun start starting at 11.30am, with the Opening Ceremony for the 125th anniversary year taking place at 11.00am at the Millennium Cairn on the 9th tee. We look forward to seeing you there!

Peebles Unveils New Golf Club Management Team

Peebles Golf Club has appointed the new team of Martin Kelso and Niall Watson, part of CMS Limited, to take over the club’s management on the eve of its 125th anniversary year.

The new structure will see Watson take up the position of Club Manager, supported by Kelso as Club Secretary as the club looks to build on its growing reputation as one of the country’s most progressive clubs.

Kelso, previously the club’s finance director, brings a wealth of business experience to the role. A chartered accountant, he gained an MBA at Cranfield University and worked in a variety of senior financial management roles prior to establishing a successful consulting business. Having served on the club’s committee for a number of years, he has played a key role in the development of the club’s business plan, overseeing significant growth in membership and income over the past three years.

Having worked in the golf operations team at Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, Watson boasts an excellent CV, combining corporate hospitality experience through his most recent role at Scottish Rugby Hospitality. A 4-handicap golfer, he has recently undertaken the Club Managers of Europe Association Management Diploma and will become the main point of contact for members, visitors and staff at Peebles Golf Club, co-ordinating the day-to-day operations.

Club captain Graham Lowther said: “We are delighted to take on Niall and Martin in their new roles, bringing two people with a great blend of experience and knowledge to the club. Peebles has made significant progress in recent years with changes to our business and this appointment marks the final piece of the jigsaw.

“We are very proud of our achievements over the past three years, becoming one of Scotland’s most successful junior clubs, recruiting more than 120 new members, developing first class practice facilities and undergoing a major refurbishment to our clubhouse. The golf club is very much at the heart of the community in Peebles and the new club management team will help support that ethos with continued growth. I’m sure our members and regular visitors will wish Martin and Niall every success.”

Having been formed in 1892, Peebles celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. The newly refurbished clubhouse reopened earlier this week while the club is also marking the celebrations with a series of special events throughout the year, including an Anniversary Ball on Saturday 29 April at Peebles Hydro and a special 125 Cup in July.