FACTORY CUP 2018 RESULTS

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Congratulations to the ‘young team’ of Cameron McBride, Jamie Fenton, Kris Hopkirk and Martin Walker who took victory in the Factory Cup with an impressive score of 125, beating off competition from 38 other teams. A great day at the club in glorious sunshine with another packed course and busy clubhouse.

1st - Cameron McBride, Jamie Fenton, Kris Hopkirk & Martin Walker = 125 points
2nd - Toby McDonald, Brian Robson, Andrew Thomson & Alister Lambie = 126 points
3rd - Grant Parker, Kevin Blacklaw, Douglas Parker & Guest of G. Parker = 127 points

Well done to all who took part.

GENTS SENIORS 4 MAN TEXAS SCRAMBLE RESULTS

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Well done to all those who took part in a wet and windy Gents Seniors  Scramble yesterday. Glad you all enjoyed the course, hope to see the visitors again soon.

1st team prize - A. Mckenzie/G. McClelland/A. Hunter/G. Wither all from Swanston GC - nett 59.7

2nd team prize - C. Espiner (Ponteland)/ G.Waugh (Gosforth)/G. Hill (Ponteland)/ T. Longhirst (Maften Hall) - nett 60.1

Nearest the pin on the 7th - Iain Mitchell (Peebles

Longest drive on the 9th - Tom Litster (Peebles)

Nearest the pin on the 16th - Ian Clincscales (Galashiels)

Peebles members will be able to collect their prizes from the bar, we will be in contact with all victorious visitors. 

Full list of scores

Captain's v Vice-Captain's Challenge - The Result

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It proved to be a winning start to the season for the new Captain as Ross Duncan's side edged out Gavin Carruthers' troops by a margin of 11.5 - 8.5 to get the season officially underway the Spring sunshine.

The course was in excellent condition for the time of year and with the lure of new caterer Gary Moore's Sunday carvery waiting back in the clubhouse, the pace of play proved to be very quick! 

> Click here for full results

A big thanks to our Piper Tracey Thomson for piping us in and out at the Millennium Cairn for the opening ceremony, and to David Brown, Gordon Sanderson and the Carruthers family for hosting the annual Jim Carruthers Memorial Walk. 

Peebles Golf Club Gents Competition process

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The entry fee for gent’s weekly competitions has been increased to £2.50. This is the first increase in over 20 years and will enable an increase in both prize money and the amount available for trophy engraving etc.

We will also be introducing a new process for prize distribution.  The current process of issuing club vouchers is inefficient for both club and Pro.  In addition, we have members missing out on competition winnings due to non-collection of vouchers.

The new process is set out below;

A list of winners and values will be provided to the Pro as each Gents competition is closed.  The Pro will credit the appropriate member account (as is currently the case with 2’s).  Money won on a Saturday will be credited to an account by Monday.  Money won in midweek competitions will be credited by Friday.

Members will be advised via email that winnings have been credited to their Pro shop account. 

Notices of all competition scores will continue to be posted in the Gent Locker area.

Scottish Golf Vouchers will continue to be issued for winnings gained at the Thorburn Cup, Centenary Trophy, Captains \ Vice Captains Trophy and all Open Competitions.

 Martin Kelso

Secretary

Practice range: 2018 Season tickets now available

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The club has made further investment in the practice range with new short game tee areas and new yellow practice balls.

Season tickets offer members a cost-effective, easy way to access the range facilities. 

There are two season ticket options available.

Summer Ticket: 1st April – 31st October: Adults £100; Juniors <18 £50

Season Ticket: 1st April – 31st March 2019:  Adults £120; Juniors <18 £60

In addition, members can buy:

Monthly Ticket (30 consecutive days): Adults £25; Juniors <18 £12.50

How does the season ticket work?

Ø  A season ticket holder entitles the holder to 60 baskets of balls per month.  The ticket holder receives two 30 square cards each month.   A square is marked every time a range token is collected.  Unused baskets cannot be carried forward to future months.  

Ø  A maximum of two tokens can be collected from the pro shop or the bar at any one time (two squares marked).  We don’t want tokens sitting in golf bags and glove boxes.  Members are encouraged to only use one token at busy times – competitions days etc.

Ø  The season ticket is for the named user only and is strictly non-refundable and non-transferable.  Abuse of the process will lead to the season ticket being voided.

Ø  Purchase of a DOUBLE season ticket will give access to unlimited range balls.

Ø  N.B.  Yellow practice balls should only be used on the practice range or short game area.  Use on the course or the area next to the 15th is not allowed.

How do I get a season ticket?

Application forms are available from the Office or the Pro.  Once the form is completed and cash paid you will be issued with your April Cards. 

Example of the range ticket

Take Part in the Jim Carruthers Memorial Walk

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Peebles Golf Club’s opening remembrance ceremony for the 2018 season will take place at the Millennium Cairn (the 9th tee) at the above time.  All those wishing to participate, golfers and walkers, are requested to arrive no later than 11.00 am.  

Immediately after the ceremony, at around 11.10 am, the Jim Carruthers Memorial Walk - a popular addition to the opening weekend's activities in memory of the current Vice-Captain Gavin Carruthers' late father Jim - will begin for those who are not taking part in the Captain’s v Vice-Captain’s golf match.  The walk is open to anyone, including children, whether golf club members or not.  On this occasion, dogs will be allowed.  From the cairn the route will go along March St, Venlaw High Road towards Glenbield, crossing the burn and returning via Soonhope, Kerfield and the Gytes.  Total distance about 5.5 miles (2.5 - 3 hours).    

Even if the golf is postponed because of unplayable conditions, a walk will hopefully go ahead on the above date.  We do not intend to organise a walk on any subsequent day.

There is no definite plan to return to the clubhouse car park by a particular time.  However, any walkers who wish to visit the clubhouse for food and refreshments are welcome to do so.  A suitable change of footwear should be brought.

For further information, please contact Gordon Sanderson (tel. 720511) or David Brown (721680).

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

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The draw has now been made for the Captain's v Vice-Captain's Team Challenge, taking place on the second day of our opening weekend on Sunday 25 March.

The matches will commence with a shotgun start at 11.30am following the official opening of the new season at the Millennium Cairn on the 9th tee at 11.00am. We would encourage all players and other members to join us for the opening ceremony.

> Captain's v Vice-Captain's Team Challenge: Draw

For those not taking part in the match, there is the option of the annual Jim Carruthers Memorial Walk, led by Gordon Sanderson and Davie Brown, which will make its way around their walking route before joining the golfers back at the clubhouse for food and drinks and the presentation of the trophy.

New Caterer Joins Peebles Golf Club

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We are delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Moore Catering Services as Peebles Golf Club's franchise caterers, who will join the club in a month's time on Friday 15 March.

A popular name in the Borders and North East of England, Gary is a hugely experienced chef with years of experience in the catering industry. He was Executive Chef at Burts restaurant in Melrose in the late 90s and early 2000s, while in recent years he has managed a thriving function and catering business across the region. He has provided catering at Traquair House, Melrose and Peebles Rugby Clubs and is famous for his Hog Roasts, which many of you may have experienced at local weddings or other functions.

Gary's team beat off stiff competition to be awarded the role at Peebles, having had significant interest since announcing the departure of Rathbone Restaurants, who will leave when the new team commences.

Gary and many of staff will be known to many of our members already and we hope that you will give him your support. He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm and we are confident that he will deliver great food at the right price, flexibility to meet the needs of members and visitors and some excellent new ideas. 

We hope that many of you will come and sample Gary's new menus on their first weekend, or during the first official weekend of the season, which will take place on Saturday 24th (Opening Day Scramble) and Sunday 25th March (Captain's v Vice-Captain's Team Challenge). Thereafter, we look forward to the team providing an excellent 7-day a week service throughout the season.

If you would like to make an advance booking, or discuss booking a function at Peebles Golf Club this season, please do not hesitate to contact Niall Watson in the office on 01721 720197 or e-mail manager@peeblesgolfclub.com

 

AGM – Meet the new Captain and Vice-Captain Team

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The Peebles Golf Club AGM takes place this Tuesday 13 February, where current Captain Graham Lowther will hand over the reins to a new captain and vice-captain elect team, Ross Duncan and Gavin Carruthers, supported by fellow Board members David Wright (Membership), Jim Dickson (Greens) and Grant Foster (Finance).

We thought it would be helpful to give some background on Ross and Gavin ahead of the AGM…

Ross Duncan – Captain elect:

Ross has been a member of the club since joining as a junior in 1985. His first ever job was as a glass collector in the old clubhouse under the stewardship of Terry McIntosh and worked as greenkeeper at Peebles during his summer holidays whilst a student at the University of Strathclyde, where he studied Marketing. His finest golfing achievement was winning the Boys Championship in 1990, although his golfing highlight was partnering current US Open Champion Brooks Koepka in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Pro-Am at Gullane (finishing fourth!). Ross will take over as captain exactly 30 years after his dad Stuart served in the same role.

Captain elect for the next two years, Ross Duncan

Ross has been on the club committee for the past 10 years, supporting the club as Marketing Convenor where his role has covered website development, design, photography, Peeblesshire News reports, social media communication across Facebook and Twitter and all the Howie brothers updates! He is also one of the ClubGolf volunteer coaches involved in junior coaching on Sundays and is on the junior sub-committee. Ross is co-organiser of the Odd Shaped Ball, which has generated more than £28,000 for junior sport in Peebles, and also runs the Odd Shaped Golf Day, which has become one of the club’s most popular team events. Having previously worked at Sunderland Football Club, he is currently Marketing & Commercial Director for Scottish Golf, where he has worked since 2004.

What one thing would you like to see change in golf?

“On a local level, I would like to see our members enjoying themselves more! The golf club should be a place where you are relaxed, having fun and happy, not a place to moan and grumble. We have a fantastic golf course which has been in great condition for the last few years with amazing views, and there is no better place to be when the sun shines. We have a lovely clubhouse, a great practice facility and a diverse community of members. I speak to many other clubs across Scotland in my job and Peebles is very highly regarded across the country because of the work we’ve done and changes we’ve made over the past few years. We have a great team of volunteers at the club who put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make the club as good as it can possibly be. It’s never going to be perfect, but I think we all need to appreciate what we’ve got a little bit more.”

Gavin Carruthers - Vice Captain elect:

Gavin joined the club in 1980 as a fresh-faced 10-year-old and quickly became a regular in junior competitions, encouraged by his Dad Jim, who was a long standing member. A prolific performer on the competitive junior circuit, Gavin’s first major achievement was winning the Boys Championship in 1984. From 1985, he qualified for match play stages of Club Championship for no fewer than 25 consecutive years, reaching the final on 3 occasions, eventually becoming Club Champion in 1998, the proudest moment of his golfing career. Indeed Gavin and his late dad Jim are the only father and son combination to have both won the Championship. Gavin is also a twice winner of the Thorburn Cup. Other notable achievements include twice winning the Balfour Beattie with Colin Fraser and being a member of the winning Borders Summer League team on three occasions.

Vice-captain elect Gavin Carruthers and wife at last year's 125 Anniversary Ball

His first spell on the Committee was from 1988 – 1994 where he was heavily involved with competitions and handicapping, then re-joined in 2014, taking on the challenging role of Junior Convenor. Gavin has been a driving force in the growth of the ClubGolf programme, taking junior membership from 60 to 130 kids and was on stage at the Scottish Golf Awards to receive the Junior Club of the Year award in 2015. He has restructured the junior sub-committee and is also a PGA Level 1 coach. Outwith golf, he has served as Treasurer of Peebles Football Club for many years, while his working life has all been with Standard Life, where he works in the role of Change Manager.

What one thing would you like to see change in golf?

“Golf is facing significant social and economic challenges: fewer people are joining Golf Clubs than ever before. Peebles Golf Club is not immune to this and I want to ensure we remain financially strong and a prize community asset for many years to come.  In order to achieve this, the club need to do things differently which might not always sit comfortably with all our members. I would ask every member to be an advocate for the club, promote positive messages to their friends and relatives and ask themselves - what can I do for Peebles Golf Club?”

> Click here for the Annual Report