July 2009

Monday, July 27, 2009

Ken Chisholm Memorial Trophy by Webmaster @ 15:14 GMT

Chirpy, cheery Canadian Ken Chisholm was remembered on Friday evening at the annual Memorial Mixed Scramble set up in his memory by his family. 9 teams competed for the trophy and the honour of being among the prizelist so generously sponsored by Ken's family and organised by good friend Harry Slaven. Winners on the night, by virtue of 0.5 of a shot, were Ladies Captain Betty Campbell, Graham Fisher and Jimmy Gordon. Beaten into second place by that 0.5 of a shot were Lelagh McGuigan, Donald Standaloft and Jim Bicker with Margaret McMillan, Ted McDonald and John Marshall back in third place. As is normal with the mixed Texas Scrambles at The Port the prizelist was long and very generous with the following also among the prizes:
Nearest the Pins: Ladies at 10 - Helen Macleod, Gents - Andy Cormack: At 18- Gents - Graham Fisher
Straightest drives at 5 - Ladies - Eillen Barker, Gents - Willie Hunter
Nearest Team to the pin in 2 at 3rd:Liz Archibald, Ian Shaw & Andy Cormack
The Club's thanks to the Chisholm family and to Harry Slaven for their continued support n the running of this competition.

Anchor Tavern Shield

Andy Cormack won the Anchor Tavern Shield by virtue of the better inward half over Walter MacLean with both players on 65. The CSS was 65.

News

With the torrential downpour over Saturday evening and most of Sunday morning the greens were visibly flooding during the early starters' play in The Magners Qualifier and it had to be postponed. The new date wil be posted.
The entry sheets for the Bute Blacksmith's Open, The Hanson 4 Man Team Open and The Jimmy Whitelaw Cup are filling up rapidly and those keen to enter these compeitions are advised to enter sooner rather than later.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR GRAHAM by Webmaster @ 14:43 GMT

There will be a new name on The Championship Trophy this year and that will be Graham Dunn. It was a case of third time lucky for Graham as he had been defeated in two other finals prior to Saturday’s thriller against Stephen Renfrew. There will be many who will not be surprised at our new Champion as Graham has been playing well all season but his form over the Championship Week in particular was outstanding. He beat Graham Fisher by 1 hole in the quarter but his fight back from 3 down playing 13 to win at the 20th against defending Champion Donald Standaloft was epic. Stephen had reached the final by his wins over Ian Shaw and David Reid.
Understandably both players seemed nervous at the start and this was borne out by the nervy putts on the first, Stephen for birdie and Graham for par. Both missed but Stephen went 1 up straight away. He then went 2 up at the 4th with a par but both players had birdies at the 5th and this seemed to settle both into playing Championship Final golf. Pars were the order of the day up to the 8th where Graham had a birdie to pull one back but Stephen fought back to 2 up with a birdie at 9. Three’s at 10 and 11 saw graham back to all square but he then proceeded to carve his tee shot at 12 into the heavy rough never to see it again and allow Stephen to go 1 up. However from here on in Graham seemed to be inspired and a run in to the 18th of three under 4’s to Stephen’s 1 over fours saw Graham go into lunch 3 up. (Best ball for morning round was 63).
After a superb Janey Jardine lunch both players took to the first tee and Graham took the initiative straight away by winning the 1st with a par. Stephen birdied the 2nd to get one back and then both went par for the next 2. Graham then birdied the 5th to go 4 up, parred the 6th, which was good enough to stretch his lead even further. Stephen won the 8th and the 9th to pull Graham back to only 3 up at the turn. Graham then went 3, 3,4, 4, 4 to Stephen’s 1 over 4’s and suddenly Graham was Champion by the margin of 5&3.
Congratulations to Graham but also to both players, not only for the standard of golf played but for the spirit in which the game was completed.

ARTHUR SLACK TROPHY

Alex Greer (Jnr) won his second Arthur Slack title by a 1 up win over Mike Ivory on Saturday afternoon. Alex had reached the final by a quarter final win over John Black and a walk over in the semi. Mike had reached the final by his wins over Robert Jardine and Andy Cormack. Both players admitted it was not the best golf they have ever played but a 1 up score indicates a close and tense game. Congratulations Alex!

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Jonathon Robertson won the Junior Championship by defeating Arran Dunn 6&5. Time is undoubtedly on Arran’s side for him to win his first title while Jonathon makes his way into the senior ranks.

OVERSEAS PAIR WIN STANDALOFT GREENSOMES

For the second time in its short 3 year history the Standaloft Greensome title went to the Falkirk pairing of K. Gillespie and S. Cockburn. It is obvious that this competition is growing in popularity with Sunday’s turnout of pairings and that is in no small measure to the superb sponsorship from Donald and Jimmy Standaloft. The Club’s thanks go to these two gentlemen and hope that this competition goes from strength to strength.

Prizes as follows:
1st: K. Gillespie & S. Cockburn(Falkirk): 2nd - D. Reid & D. Driver: 3rd: J. Gordon & J. Marshall: 4th - P. Hughes & T. Joyce (Falkirk): Scratch - D. Beattie & R. Jardine: Booby - D. Garcie & D. Garcia: Nearest Pins - 10 - A. Durrant: 18 - P. Hughes: Longest Drive at 2 - D. Standaloft: Best Inward Half - C. MacPhail & R. Pedder: Best Outward Half - R. Turnbull & H. Archibald.

SUMMER CUP 6

This round of the Summer Cup was won by the pairing of Mark Crichton and Donald Standaloft and with 15 3’s they also won the most 3’s prize. It looks to be a contest between this pairing and that of David Reid and Ian Shaw with both having 4 scores in the 50’s. however with the extension into August Wednesdays there is still time for all the other pairs to catch up.

COMPETITION NEWS

The entry sheets for the Bute Blacksmith Open, The Jimmy Whitelaw Cup and The George Hanson 4 Man team Event are filling up fast. If you wish to enter you are advised to do so sooner rather than later.

THIS WEEK-END

Friday evening is The Ken Chisholm Memorial Trophy and players are requested to arrive for a 6.00pm Shotgun Start.
Saturday is the Anchor Tavern Shield while Sunday is The Magners Qualifier.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Championship Qualifiers by Webmaster @ 14:30 GMT

Defending Champion Donald Standaloft set the pace as top qualifier for this year's Championship knock out stages. Going for 4 in a row Donald's 2 rounds of 69 and 64 assured him as top spot qualifier. Apologies are due to Donald for the mistake in last week's report that indicated that the course record was 61 when in actual fact he holds the record with a 60. However, this year he certainly showed his intent with 2 below 70 rounds and his round on Sunday of 64, in what was the worst of the weather, was real Championship play. Hot on his heels are seven others who all have aspirations of the title themselves and 3 of them previous holders. Second of the eight, by virtue of the better second round, was David Beattie, previous holder, who now plays David Reid in the quarter final. The other half of that quarter final draw sees Stephen Renfrew take on Ian Shaw, both of whom have held the title. In the top half of the draw Donald will play Jack Paterson while Graham Fisher will play family rival Graham Dunn. By the time this goes to print only the semi-finals on Thursday with the 36 hole final on Saturday will be left to play with the beaten quarter finalists left to think what might have been and hope for better in 2010.

Arthur Slack Qualifier

Captain Robert Jardine's net 59 on Saturday guaranteed him a place somewhere in the Arthur Slack knockout stages but with a gross 73 he had hopes of the bigger competition. Sadly his score on the Sunday round relegated him to the handicap competition and only as third qualifier. In top spot was Alex Greer (Jnr) with an aggregate score of 130. Andy Cormack took second spot by virtue of the better inward half over the Captain. Andy goes against John Preston in the lower half of the draw while Captain Jardine will play Mike Ivory in that same half. In the other quarter finals Alex Greer plays John Black while Jim Bicker plays Jamie Jardine. As with the actual Championship there quarter final ties will have been played and the 18 hole final takes place on Saturday at 1.00pm.

Other News
Summer Cup has been extended into August.
Standaloft Greensomes, sponsored by Donald and Jimmy Standaloft, is on Sunday. Those pairings who have entered requesting tee times will find the times posted on the Competition Board.
Entry sheets for the Bute Blacksmiths Open, The Jimmy Whitelaw Cup and the Ken Chisholm Memorial Trophy are on the Competition Board.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Geo's 63 Wins Macleod Homes Port Open by Webmaster @ 11:29 GMT

A scintillating 63, only 2 off the course record, won George Reynolds the MacLeod Homes Port Open, 4 shots ahead of runner up Jim O'Donnell. A very healthy turnout competed for both the scratch and handicap prizes and it was very close apart from Geo's outstanding 63. Third place in the scratch went to Steven Renfrew with a 68, last year's winner G. MacClean took fourth with a 69 while Ian Shaw's 70 put him in 5th place. Ian McMurchie continued his winning streak by winning the handicap section with a net 60 and has now earned himself a severe cut from the handicaper's knife. Two shots behind was David Whitelaw while Robert McKirdy's gross 68 minus 6 gave him a healthy prize in 3rd. 4th was Jimmy Burke's 63 by virtue of the better inward half over Francois Lintermans.
Once again the fantastic sponsorship from Macleod Homes ensured another very successful Port Open and the Club's thanks to them for their continued support.
Other prizes were:
Nearest the Pin at 4/16 - J. Jardine: Nearest the Pin at 10 - K. Thomson: Nearest the Pin at 18 - T. McCready:P Longest Drive at 2/14 - G. Reynolds.

July Medal

Donald Standaloft recovered from his disappointment at the Port Open to take the scratch July medal with a 68 while David Greer won the first class with a 62. Jimmy Gordon showed all the second class competitors the way with his winning 68 though only beating Alex Greer through the better inward half. CSS was 65.
(Due to the number of members playing in the Argyll & Bute Handicap, The Magners Qualifier will now be played on July 26th)

Summer Cup
An "un-entered" pairing took the winning spot in the Ian Shaw sponsored Summer Cup on Wednesday. Ian McMurchie teamed up with Thomas McCready, instead of his ususal partner G. Fisher, and their score of 57.1 beat the Greers into second place by 0.7. Crichton and Standaloft had the most 3's with their tally of 13. (2's is a rollover).

This Week-End

Can Donald Strandaloft make it 4 Championship wins in a row? A feat not achieved in The Port Club's history. This week-end is the start of that quest with the Championship qualifying rounds on Saturday and Sunday. Members are reminded that the knockout stages, for both Championship and Arthur Slack, are on Tuesday and Thursday with the finals on Saturday. Any member not able to play in the knockout stages is asked to indicate this on their cards. The Championship may also need a play off decider on Monday evening.

Other News

Entry sheets are on the Competition Board for the Standaloft Greensomes, The Bute Blacksmiths Open, The George Hanson Builders 4 Man Team and The Jimmy Whitelaw Cup (2x12 holes with an 18 Handicap limit).

Monday, July 06, 2009

25th YEAR OF THE C. & J. GORDON TROPHY by Webmaster @ 15:54 GMT

Friday evening saw the 25th year of competition for the C & J Gordon Trophy which was the first ever Mixed Texas Scramble in the club. Kindly, and generously sponsored by Cathy and Jimmy Gordon throughout its existence, the 25th competition was no exception. Such was the extent of the prize list very few competing went home with nothing either from the golf or from the raffle. Winners on the night were Ladies Captain Betty Campbell with her partners Ted McDonald and Gordon McIntyre who was appearing in the winners’ enclosure for the first time since joining the Club. After the golf a superb buffet was enjoyed courtesy of the Ladies Club and the Club’s sincere thanks go to Cathy and Jimmy for their continued generosity in the sponsorship of this competition.
Prize List as follows:
Winners - 36.5 - B. Campbell: T. McDonald: G. McIntyre: 2nd - 38.1 - L. McGuigan: H. Whitelaw: J. Marshall: 3rd - 38.5 - M. Wood: H. Archibald: W. Hunter: 4th - 40.3 - M. McMillan: G. Dunn: C. MacPhail: “Consolation” - 44.5 - C. Moffat: H. Slaven: J. Gordon:
Straightest Drive - Ladies - M. Wilson: Gents - G. Dunn
Nearest Pin at 10 - Ladies - C. Middleton: Gents - T. Wilkinson
Nearest pin at 18 - Ladies - J.Jardine: Gents - J. Bicker

JUNE MEDAL

With many of the Club members competing in The Kingarth Open and the Firth of Clyde Team match against Cowal it was understandable that a small field would compete the June medal. Winner of the scratch medal was Jamie Jardine with a gross 71. Harry Lloyd won his first medal since joining the club with his net 70 which waas good enough to take the first class section. A net 67 took the second class in the shape of John Marshall. CSS was 65.

FIRTH OF CLYDE LEAGUE V COWAL

A 2:2 draw was probably a disappointing result at home but considering that many of the team were playing their second round of the day then, although disappointing, understandable.

SUMMER CUP

The new two man scramble format of this competition, so kindly sponsored by Ian Shaw, is not only proving very popular but very competitive. No fewer than 14 pairs are competing in the competition and such is the enjoyment factor that it has been decided to extend it into the month of August. SO - if you have not yet entered there is still time to manage the required 6 scores towards the aggregate total.
The first week was won by the pairing of the sponsor himself and his partner David Reid with a score of 60.5. David Whitelaw and Cemal Hassan took the second week with 56. Week 3 was won by Donald Standaloft and Mark Crichton with their score of 56.3. With a prize every week for the winning pair AND a prize for the most 3’s, including net 3’s, it is no surprise that The Summer Cup of 2009 is proving so popular. (Most 3’s scored so far? 15 from Ian Shaw & David Reid during their round of week 3).

THIS WEEK-END

MacLEOD HOMES PORT OPEN

The ever popular Macleod Homes Port Open is on Saturday and those already entered have their tee times and pairing already drawn and posted on the Competition board. However with £300 prize vouchers at stake there is no doubt that many will enter on the day. Tee times begin at 9.00am and last tee time is 2.00pm. There is no doubt with the dry spell and a wee bit of wind it will make for some interesting scoring and even more interesting “what might have beens”.

July Medal and Magners Qualifier
This is scheduled for Sunday with the usual ballot times.