85 HOLE CHALLENGE BY LADIES CAPTAIN - Thursday, 26th June

I am delighted to say that I managed to complete 85 holes of golf in one day in aid of Alzheimer Scotland on Thursday, 26th June starting at 4.20am finishing at 9.30pm.  (Thank you to Stuart for opening up the clubhouse when he arrived for work before 7am - we had already finished Round 1 on Rosemount, so to be able to come in for coffee was much appreciated !)

The emphasis was on speed golf so that I would have lots of time to rest before the next one, with each round taking around 2 hours 20 minutes - so I definitely got a good workout!

Thank you to Marion Kay and Pauline Hill for raising money on the day.  To Pauline, a special thank you for all your efforts coming out in a buggy to bring me provisions and to "interview" me during the challenge which was very amusing.

The support I have received, the kind words of encouragement and your generosity spurred me on to make sure that I accomplished my goal.

The total amount raised was a combination of cash donated and my Just Giving page, totalling an incredible £3,657 (plus another £592.80 in Gift Aid).

I cannot thank you enough.  From the feedback I have received before the challenge, I realised that I was not only doing this in memory of my mum, Ellen, but for all of you who have been touched in some way by this illness.  Thank you so much !!!

Here are some photos from the day............

Presenting the cheque to Mr Lindsay Brackenbridge, Alzheimer Scotland on Friday, 27 June

Round 1 completed on Rosemount with Stan (my husband) - photo taken by a greenkeeper !

Round 2 on Rosemount with Claire Bidwell - thank you !!

Round 3 on Rosemount with Cassy Grant - thank you !!

Round 4 - 13 holes on the Wee Course with Moira Campsie - thank you !!

Final Round 5 on Lansdowne with Heather Dawson, Alistair Batchen and Steve Bruce - thank you !!

We were also joined by Elaine Robson and my husband Stan who were our caddies.  

Thank you to Gill and Bill Tissell for your support during our final round.

THANK YOU EVERYONE  !!

FRIENDLY MATCH AWAY v. LADYBANK - Wednesday, 25th June

We received a very warm welcome for a most enjoyable day playing in the sunshine at Ladybank.  The course was in excellent condition although, having been set up for their Club Championships, the pin positions on the slick greens proved to be somewhat tricky!!

The matches were keenly contested, and played in wonderful spirit, with plenty of laughter along the way.  The home team were however able to take advantage of their local knowledge and secured a 3 1/2  to 1/2 win.

Post match we enjoyed a delicious two course meal in the clubhouse where thanks were extended to our hosts, the catering staff and greens team.  Many thanks also to Carolyn Haddow, Elaine Robson (team captain), Liz Fertacz, Sue Waddell, Gill Tissell, Eileen Brown, Anne Walker and Jo Menzies for representing the Club.

LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP AND SUNDOWNER

The finalists in the Ladies Club Championships are as follows:

Club Championship - JKaty Alexander and Jillian Milne

Division 2 Championship - Meriel Walker and Lesley McPherson

Sophie's Trophy - Gill Tissell and Bronwen Godley

Referees will be as follows:

Club Championship - Maggie Marshall

Division 2 Championship - Marion Kay

Sophie's Trophy - Elaine Robson

All matches will be played over the Rosemount course on Sunday, 29 June starting with the Club Championship match at 12.30pm, followed by Division 2 Championship at 12.45pm and then Sophie's Trophy at 1pm.

Congratulations and good luck to all our finalists.  Please come along and support them on Sunday !

Sundowner 

This fun competition will take place on Tuesday, 1 July.  Following the success of last year's event, there is

- an optional afternoon tea in the dining room from 2.30-4.30pm, including sandwiches, scones, strawberry tarts and fizz (Prosecco or Nosecco) at a cost of £15.50 per person (please sign up at the bar)

- 12 holes on Rosemount from 4.40pm, playing in teams of 3 (the best 2 scores to count) with a prize for the winners and runners-up.

This is open to Full and Lansdowne Associate members.  Please sign up on IG.  The draw will take place the day before.

I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

FRIENDLY MATCH v. EDZELL AT HOME, Monday, 16th June

We were delighted to welcome the Edzell ladies to our Friendly Match on a pleasant afternoon. The course was in an exceptionally fine condition, perhaps due in some part to the preparations for the Club Championships qualifiers.  The downside of this was that the pin positions were in some cases pretty challenging!  All matches were played in a friendly, but still competitive manner and local knowledge helped Blairgowrie to a 3-1 win.  Afterwards, we were served a delicious two course meal in the dining room which was accompanied by lots of good-humoured chat.  The visitors were very complimentary about the course, the food and the service provided by the catering team.

Thanks go to the Blairgowrie team of Sue Waddell, Morna Bell, Linda Rice, Eileen Brown, Gill Tissell (team Captain), Elaine Robson, Carolyn Haddow and Denise Ginley.

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP DRAWS

Now that the four qualifying rounds have concluded the draws for the Ladies Club Championship, Division 2 Championship and Sophie's Trophy have been made and are now live on intelligentgolf.

This year all matches will be played on Rosemount, with the quarter finals to be played by Wednesday, 18 June; semi-finals by Friday, 27 June and the finals all to be played on Sunday, 29 June.

Congratulations to all the qualifiers, and good luck.

HANDICAP LEAGUE MATCH v. KING JAMES VI - Monday, 9th June

On a drizzly evening the team welcomed King James ladies to Blairgowrie, whom for three of the ladies was their first visit, so enthusiasm was not dampened by the weather! 

Club knockout season was in full flow, and the teams watched match after match set off in the heavy rain. Slight delay, due to a fourball match trudging up the 19^th.  Course remained in great condition, bunkers 14-17 out of play due to the recent downpours. 

There were great tussles in the matches, two went all the way to the 18^th, the rain getting heavier and heavier!  Unfortunately, local knowledge did not win over this time and Blairgowrie Ladies suffered a 4-1 defeat.  A late start and matches going to the line, it was a late wet night, and a quick thank you to all the ladies and praise from the King James lady team captain.

Thanks to Jo Menzies (team captain), Fiona Johnston, Mary Miller, Gill Tissell and Heather Dawson for representing the club. 

TRI MATCH AT ST ANDREWS - Thursday, 5th June

What a fantastic day was had in the Tri match with St Rule, Turnberry and Blairgowrie on the New Course, St Andrews.

Prior to teeing off we met for tea/coffee and a breakfast roll in the Links Clubhouse and were given a gift from the St Rule Lady Captain to remember our day.

Six of our ladies were mixed with another from each club, playing in the fun format of best of 2 stableford scores per team with Denise Ginley's team winning the prize.

The New Course was in beautiful condition and we were lucky to play in sunny and reasonably calm conditions.

Post golf we were welcomed to the fabulous St Rule club overlooking the 18th green of the Old Course.  We were treated to a delicious buffet of salads, cold meat, prawn cocktail and quiche before a scrumptious dessert of raspberry ice cream and fresh fruit.

Thanks go to Fiona Johnston, Morna Bell, Denise Ginley, Fiona Edwards, Marion Kay and Maggie Marshall (Team Captain) for representing the club.

We look forward to welcoming the St Rule and Turnberry ladies to Blairgowrie in 2026.

Here are some photos from our day.

FRIENDLY MATCH v. ALYTH - Monday, 2nd June

On Monday we welcomed 8 ladies from Alyth for our friendly match on Rosemount. We were lucky with the weather, despite it being windy and cooler of late it remained dry all afternoon.

The green keepers had done a fantastic job in bringing the course back to pristine condition following the rain deluge on Friday which caused significant damage to the bunkers on the back nine. Much to the relief of many of the players bunkers on holes 14 -17 were GUR.  As always, the matches were keenly contested, however local knowledge of our greens favoured the home side with a win of 3 games to 1.

After our match we enjoyed a tasty, well presented two course meal in the dining room. Many thanks to the catering, waiting and bar staff for looking after us. Finally, thanks to the team of Sue Waddell (team captain), Elaine Robson, Jo Menzies, Heather Dawson, Linda Rice, Fiona Edwards, Gill Tissell and Pauline Hill for giving up their time to represent the Club.

KYOCERA GOLF CLUB CLASSIC v. INVERNESS - Monday, 2nd June

Heather Anderson, Liz Fertacz, Maggie Marshall, Anne Walker and Morna Bell set out on Rosemount in singles match play against a keen Inverness team.  

An exciting end ensued with a drawn match after the 5 games, meaning Team Captain Heather continued down the 19th hole.

Delighted to report a win on that hole and overall victory for the team.

Inverness were gracious in defeat and tea and sandwiches were enjoyed by all post golf. The away team were given a gift of a ball marker and Blairgowrie golf ball to remember their day.  

Well done ladies and Good Luck in the next round!

LADIES SUNDOWNER COMPETITION - Tuesday, 1st July

Full and Lansdowne Associate members are invited to join us for afternoon tea with fizzy, tea/coffee and a blether before we go out for a fun 12 holes on Rosemount.  

If you'd prefer to skip the afternoon tea and just to play golf, please sign up on IG as normal.

More information below.  A sign-up sheet for the afternoon tea has been put behind the bar and a poster has been placed on the noticeboard in the Ladies locker room.

I hope to see as many of you there as possible.  

WEE COURSE TEXAS SCRAMBLE - Wednesday, 28th May

What a wonderful day was had by all, with the sun shining 19 ladies managed to finish their rounds before the rain started.

The competition was open to the Wee Course Ladies, Ladies 70+ and the Ladies Committee and it was lovely to see so many ladies there to enjoy a round of golf together and each other's company.

Post golf we met up for a spot of lunch, for those who wanted it, and were delighted to be joined by some more ladies where we chatted about our game.  It was Linda Clark's birthday and Pauline Hill organised for a small cake with candle to be presented to her, where we all sang Happy Birthday!!

Prize winners were:

1st.  Morna Bell, Hazel Grant, Jean Laburn and Heather Welsh (24)

2nd. Shirley Irvine, Marion Kay, Liz Ridsdale (29 on c/b)

Winners and runners-up received some prizes, presented by myself.  Well done !

Thank you to everyone who played, to Heather Welsh and Pauline Hill who helped with the draw.  My thanks also go to catering for setting up the tables.  It was such good fun, fantastic to play together and to spend some time together afterwards too.

Here are a selection of photographs from the day......

FRIENDLY MATCH v. STRATHMORE - Tuesday, 27th May

We were delighted to welcome the visiting ladies from Strathmore to Blairgowrie on Tuesday for our annual friendly match, with a nice mix of old friends and new faces playing together on Rosemount.

The course was in excellent condition, the weather warm and generally fair and all matches were keenly contested.  The teams were well matched on paper, and most games were very close, however our visitors fared slightly better on the fast greens and were able to win the match 3/1.

Post play we enjoyed a delicious meal in the East Lounge where thanks were extended to the greens, catering and hospitality teams and to Sean and Zoe for their assistance, and of course to Heather Anderson, Marion Kay, Anne Farquharson, Elaine Robson (team captain), Eileen McMurray, Meriel Walker, Jo Menzies and Louise Luke for representing the Club.

FRIENDLY MATCH v. CRAIL - Monday, 19th May

Blairgowrie ladies welcomed a team of 8 ladies from Crail on Monday, 19^th May with the format of 4BBB. Early morning the temperature was slightly cooler of late but gradually increased and by the time the match commenced it was very warm with little wind. The course was in good condition and this was commented upon by our visitors and members alike. Grateful thanks to our hardworking greenkeeping staff. 

Although the Blairgowrie team put up a brave challenge, it was not good enough to match the Crail ladies who were victorious in 2 matches and shared one, making the overall result 2 1/2 to 1 1/2. Congratulations to them. 

Despite the loss, it didn’t dampen our spirits to enjoy a good blether on and off the course with some new friendships being formed. A delicious 2 course meal was enjoyed by all after the match which was much appreciated. Thank you to Tina and the team. 

My thanks also to Fiona Johnston, Marion Kay, Shirley Lewis, Jo Menzies, Angela Rooney, Anne Walker and Meriel Walker for giving up the opportunity to sunbathe and represent the Club.  Last but not least, Anne Farquharson for being the Team Captain on the day and for producing the match report and photo !

LADIES INVITATION DAY - Tuesday, 20th May

Another glorious day of sunshine greeted forty six ladies to play in the Invitation Day.  The 4BBB stableford format on Rosemount produced some impressive scoring.

See below for the Prize Winners (full results can be found on the website).  

Vouchers have been left behind the Pro Shop reception desk addressed to the member of The Blairgowrie Golf Club.

Alongside the competition, Pauline Hill had organised a raffle raising another £136 for Alzheimer Scotland.  If you have not already collected your prizes, please ask at the Pro shop as I believe the office have kept them for safe-keeping.

My thanks go to everyone who helped on the day, especially two of our Ladies Committee, Heather Dawson and Pauline Hill.

I hope you all had a wonderful day.

Congratulations to all winners !!

FRIENDLY MATCH v. CARNOUSTIE CALEDONIA - Monday, 12th May

On Monday we were welcomed to the Caledonia Golf Club for our friendly match on the Championship course at Carnoustie. Whilst the handicaps and pairings were confirmed, we were treated to complimentary bacon rolls and coffee.

We couldn't have asked for better weather with clear blue skies and a warm, brisk wind (which for Carnoustie was calm playing conditions!). The course was in a fantastic condition, the fast undulating greens however posed a few challenges in the wind together with the deep, well placed bunkers and water hazards! On the plus side the rough was manageable as it is still early in the season for growth.

All the matches were keenly contested, however local knowledge of the golf course terrain certainly favoured the home team with a win of 4/0.

Afterwards we enjoyed a very tasty two course meal where we shared stories of missed putts, balls refusing to make their way out of the sand and balls lost to never be seen again after landing in the water hazards! Despite all these distractions we all had a fantastic memorable day.

Thanks to the Blairgowrie team - Morna Bell, Sheila Bruce, Anne Farquharson, Linda Rice, Elaine Robson, Angela Rooney, Sue Waddell (team captain) for the match report and photos and Louise Whitehead for representing the Club.

GOLF IN SCOTLAND BOOK IN THE BLACK & WHITE ERA

Following on from the success of the unveiling of the Jessie Valentine wall, Vike Brown has gifted the Club a fascinating book on golf with incredible photos.  

I will leave this in the Ladies locker room for you to have a look through - check out Pages 114-136  !!

P&K COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP SCRATCH FINAL - Sunday, 11th May

Defending Champion, Katy Alexander put up a valiant fight on Sunday at the County Championship at Alyth Golf Club but was beaten by Megan Ashley, both Blairgowrie Ladies.

Below is an extract from the P&K blog.

Congratulations to Megan on becoming the 2025 County Champion and to Katy Alexander for reaching the final.

 

SCOTTISH GOLF MEDAL FINALIST UPDATE

I am delighted to announce that Lesley MacPherson has qualified for the final at the Carrick course at Loch Lomond in August.  

Lesley came second out of 54 entrants with a 2 under par nett 70 at Falkirk Golf Club.  Well done Lesley !!!!

We wish her well in August.

GUR ON HEATHER TOPPED BUNKERS

 As you are aware, the heather on the top of bunkers are marked as GUR (Ground Under Repair).

If your ball goes into the heather, you must take the nearest point of relief in the General Area.  At no point, should you drop the ball into the bunker (as the nearest point of relief) as bunkers are not part of the General Area.

Please see the rules below:

UPDATE - AMOUNT RAISED FOR ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND - as at 14th May 2025

Thank you to everyone who has donated money independently to the Alzheimer Scotland top-up account, or found something to buy in the clothes recycling area, taken part in the Guess the number of Golf Balls competition or helped raise money at the Coffee morning on 8th May.

I am delighted to say that, as a result, we have raised a further £1,318.32 for the charity.  Please see the breakdown below which will also be posted on the noticeboard in the Ladies locker room.

The total amount raised since October 2024 is £3,400.78.

 Thank you so much - I really appreciate it !

ALZHEIMER COFFEE MORNING - Thursday, 8th May

A huge thank you to the fabulously talented bakers - Calum Christie, Anne Farquharson, Pauline Hill, Tony Kay, Lorraine MacGregor, Mary Miller and Angela Rooney who put so much time and effort into baking and donating cakes for this morning's fundraising event.

Also, thanks to everyone who came along to indulge (let's face it, who could resist!), we have managed to raise £585 in aid of Alzheimer Scotland.  For those of you who couldn't make it but still donated money, I really appreciate your generosity.

The office and catering staff have been a great help too in setting up tables etc.

I hope you all enjoyed the event.  Thanks again.

WEE COURSE TEXAS SCRAMBLE - Wednesday, 28th May

Sign up will open for this event at 10pm on Monday, 12th May; entry is open to all ladies aged 70+, all Wee Course lady members, and those serving on the Ladies Committee.  

Please join us for a fun competition with prizes for the winners and runners-up.

GUESS THE NUMBER OF GOLF BALLS COMPETITION - ** RESULTS **

Thank you to everyone who took part in the above fun competition.   Well done to all winners.  This will be put on the noticeboard in the main foyer and on the noticeboard in the Ladies locker room.

I will announce the amount raised for this and the Alzheimer Coffee Morning on Thursday, 8th May which is taking place at 10am..... I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

ALLISON TROPHY ROUND 1 - Friday, 23rd May

The Allison Trophy is a strokeplay competition played over 9 holes on the Wee Course.  There are three rounds, the first of which is on Friday 23rd May; the second is Friday, 20th June with the final round to be played on Friday, 25th July.  The trophy will be awarded to the player with the best nett aggregate of two scores out of the three rounds.

All lady members, including Lansdowne and Wee Course members, aged 65 and over on 1st January 2025 with a handicap index of 20.5 and above are eligible to compete.

Online booking for round 1 opens on Monday 12th May at 10:00pm.

GRAND UNVEILING OF THE JESSIE VALENTINE WALL - Tuesday, 29th April

The afternoon started with Iain Valentine hosting a lunch for those involved in the project, which was enjoyed by all before the members arrived at 3pm for the unveiling of the Jessie Valentine Wall.

There was a very good turnout and after a few opening words from myself regarding the background of the wall, Iain Valentine took the floor.  Iain's words were heartfelt and  had several of us in tears or near to it!.  We were then treated to a very interesting talk from Eve Soulsby, the author of the book "Wee Jessie".

Iain had not seen the wall and was delighted with the results.  Members were invited to view the various photographs featuring pictures of Jessie Valentine from age 5 onwards.  Some of Jessie's trophies were also on display together with Eve's book.

Thank you to everyone who made it along on Tuesday, however, if you didn't make sure you pop into the Dining Room to have a look.

My thanks also go to my team in the House Sub-Committee, Heather Dawson and Meriel Walker, to Stuart and his team in the office as well as Mark (the handy-man) and Tim Edwards,  and to catering for such a lovely lunch.

Here are a selection of photographs.  This story has also been covered in Golf Business and other online platforms, and has been published in the Perthshire Advertiser, the Courier and The Scotsman (see below).

FRIENDLY MATCH SIGN-UP SHEETS

It is great to see so many of you putting your names down to play in the Friendly matches this year.  For those of you who have played so far, I hope that you have enjoyed your matches, the courses played and most of all made some new friends.

Marion will be posting the 3rd and final sign-up sheet on the noticeboard tomorrow, Tuesday, 29th April so you can add your name if you would like to come along and play in this friendly format.

I would encourage new ladies to add their names to try something new - you will be looked after, so don't worry if you haven't played in one of these before.

If you have any queries, please contact Marion Kay, Friendly Match Secretary.

AWAY FRIENDLY MATCH v. FORFAR - Monday 21st April

On a cool, but dry day, we were welcomed to Forfar Golf Club for our friendly match.  The undulations and sloping fairways posed a few challenges to those of us used to the flatter terrain at Blairgowrie, but the course was in superb condition.  New plantations are beginning to fill the areas devastated by the loss of many trees during Storm Arwen.  We also had to deal with lots of frisky pheasants who seemed to enjoy standing just where we wanted to hit our balls! 

The matches were all played in a friendly fashion and the result was a 2 ½ - 1 ½ win to Forfar.  

Afterwards we had a very pleasant meal including a selection of delicious desserts - and enjoyed a chat.

Thanks to the Blairgowrie team of Carolyn Haddow, Lorraine MacGregor, Marion Kay, Linda Rice, Angela Rooney, Sue Waddell, Meriel Walker and GIll Tissell (Captain).

AWAY FRIENDLY MATCH v. ST ANDREWS UNI - Sunday, 20th April

The second of our Friendly matches was played away on the New Course at St Andrews on a day with almost no wind (which is rare!) and even the sun came out.

Despite St Andrews Uni being unable to field a full team, we played our matches as best we could in a 2 vs 1 format with 1 Blairgowrie lady playing odd holes and the other playing evens.  Four out of five of the St Andrews players had single figure handicaps with one player +1.4 !

Undeterred, our ladies fought hard and although we lost 2 1/2 to 1 1/2, it was a very respectable score.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a hot bowl of soup at the One Under Bar before we made our way home.

My thanks go to Fiona Johnston, Elaine Robson, Kathleen Norris, Heather Dawson, Jo Menzies, Teresa Lynch and Margaret Johnstone.  It was a pleasure to be your Team Captain on the day.