Plenty happening in forthcoming season
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THE highlights will undoubtedly be the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart and Nairn Golf Club hosting the Curtis Cup, but there is plenty more for north golfing fans to look forward to this year.
First to arrive in May are the Scottish Ladies Golf Union, who bring to this part of the world for the first time their Scottish Women’s Close Championship, which takes place at Tain Golf Club from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th.
While it is this events first visit to Tain, it is not a first for the Ladies Union. In 2005, the Scottish Girls Championship was played over this Old Tom Morris course, but it arrived just a few years too early for Tain’s rising stars of that year, Sammy and Julie Vass, although 2012 may give both sisters the opportunity to emulate the club’s heroine of 23 years ago, Lindsey Anderson, who reached the championship final at Moray Golf Club, Lossiemouth, in 1989.
By the time the women’s championship is played at Tain, it will be hoped that Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald has received her Curtis Cup call-up. If not, the record four-time Scottish Under-21 Stroke Play champion, can prove the selectors wrong at Tain.
MacDonald is currently with a group of seven Stirling University student golfers that are playing in several events on the Florida Orange Blossom Women’s Tour.
Playing with a new set of golf clubs, MacDonald hopes these will help her to a successful final season as an amateur. She also hopes to graduate from Stirling with a degree in sports studies then, at the end of the campaign, attempt to gain a card for the European Women’s Tour.
Meanwhile in the same May week that the women are in Tain for the Scottish, but starting a day later (16th to 18th), the Men’s Senior Northern Counties Cup competition returns to Brora where the host club will be hoping to repeat their winning form of 2006.
Prior to the Tain event, Northern Counties women will contest their championship at Elgin Golf Club (12th to 14th May) and at the end of the month, the men will converge on Inverness for the North District’s Championship, that is scheduled for Saturday 26th May, while the Culcabock course will also host its own popular four day open event at the beginning of July
Also in 2012, the Scottish Men’s Golf Union return to Royal Dornoch for a third time and from 31st July to 4th August, the cream of Scotland’s amateur golfers will do battle over the world renowned links for the national title.
Royal Dornoch previously hosted this championship in 1993 when the winner was Dean Robertson (Cochrane Castle), then in 2000, Steven O’Hara (Colville Park) triumph.
The return of the Men’s Championship to Dornoch has, as it did 12 years ago, caused some disruption to established local fixtures.
To avoid a clash, Tain have held over their highlight four day tournament until the week commencing Monday 6th, while the Carnegie Shield at Dornoch will not start until Sunday 19th and end on Saturday 25th August.
Ignoring the clash with the Scottish amateur competition, Brora Golf Club have stuck to their traditional end of July/August week to play their five day premier event for the Clynelish Salver. It will begin on Monday 30th July and finish on Friday 3rd August.
Brora will end the championship visits to north of Inverness on Friday 7th September with the North District Senior tournament for the Macallan Trophy.
