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Saturday 29th June – The WBGC Ladies Open

A splendid turnout of 41 ladies played in our Ladies Open played as a Stableford over the full 18 holes with a shorter 9 hole version for those that preferred it. It was nice to see so many friends from other island clubs come long to support us, as well as a good sprinkling of members from mainland clubs. Jill Foggo, a member and regular player at Whiting Bay, although this time playing under the colours of Milngavie Golf Club, put her local knowledge to great use to score a magnificent 40 Stableford points and win by 2 from fellow WBGC member Trish Tait. In doing so Jill equalled the ladies course record which has stood since 1995.

1st Jill Foggo (8) – 40 points
2nd Patricia Tait(25) – 38
3rd Catherine McAdam (20) – 33
4th Gillian Lockhart (8) – 32
There were no 2s recorded.

In the 9 hole competition a smaller field of 3 golfers played with Elizabeth Sinclair of Lamlash GC and playing from a handicap of 12, coming out on top with 14 points.
As with the gents and junior opens last weekend, the course was in fantastic shape and our thanks go to Stuart and George for that.

Once again the clubhouse staff rose to the occasion as John and his brigade of helpers, the few, catered for so many, the players and our thanks to each of them. Thanks also to Lynda Blair for the neat handwriting on the clubhouse leaderboard.

Finally our grateful thanks to our main sponsor, The Tartan Tablet Company and to Colin Mainds and to Bay Stores for their generous contributions of drinks for the occasion.
We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Wednesday 26th July – The Jim Pirie Quaich

28 played in the Jim Pirie Quaich Stableford and, until the evening rain, enjoyed a fine day’s golf, although the pin positions left from the ‘Open’ weekend caused more than a few problem approaches. Peter Towndrow was undeterred however returning a fine 40 points to win by 3 from Sean Higgins

1st Peter Towndrow (17) – 40 points
2nd Sean Higgins (22) – 37
3rd David Blair (12) – 36
4th Markus Kroner (3) – 35

Danny Head and Peter Towndrow scored the only 2s of the day at the 2nd and 17th respectively.

Monday 24th July – The WBGC Junior Open

Our annual Junior Open just grows and grows and this year we had an excellent turnout of boys and girls ranging from pre school years to teenagers. As ever the day was organised to the last detail and all golfers played a course tailored to their age and ability with even the smallest – the “Tiddlers” – able to enjoy a game, especially after a short lesson from professional golfer, David Pirie, our thanks to him for that important contribution. A generous array of prizes ensured no one left empty handed and along with the burgers and drinks everyone had a great time

The winner and 2023 WBGC Junior Open Champion is Rory Stewart from Bridge of Weir. Here he is receiving his trophy from WBGC captain, Doreen Mainds. The best scratch score came from 2022 champion Scott Palin. Congratulations to both of them.

Our thanks go to all who participated and to the adults who acted as guides, caddies, referees etc, with a special mention for Flora Jean Mack and Nellie Mckechnie, perennials when it comes to helping out at this popular event. Without their input this would be a very difficult day to stage. Thanks also to the course and clubhouse staff who carried on on Monday just as they had left off on Sunday – superb! Finally another huge vote of thanks to the Adair and Foggo families for organising. It’s an encouraging sign to see so many youngsters interested in the game

Saturday and Sunday 22nd & 23rd July – The Hunter Furnishings WBGC Gents Open

After the near washout of last years event we had high hopes of decent weather for this year’s but Saturday morning brought with it a thick damp mist that enveloped the course well into the middle afternoon. Sunday brought better conditions with a steady breeze and bright spells rewarding those who had endured the previous day. A good turnout on both days resulted in some fine scoring considering the weather on day one and the challenging manner in which the course had been set up.

Saturday 22nd July – The Bank of Scotland Cup

106 played
1st Lucas Henderson (31) – 62 acb
2nd David Mair (7) – 62
3rd Duncan Heenan (10) – 63
4th Craig Young (+1) – 64 and lowest scratch score
Nine 2s were returned. The full list is available on the club’s website

Sunday 23rd July – The Royal Bank of Scotland Cup

100 played
1st Douglas Auld (20) – 62 acb
2nd Danny Head (6) – 62 acb
3rd David Blair (13) – 62
4th Ben Love (4) – 62
Craig Young (+1) returned the lowest scratch score of 65
Twelve 2s were returned. The full list is available on the club’s website

The Whiting Bay Gents Open

The 2023 WBGC Open Champion is Ben Love who playing off a handicap of 4 at Ranfurly Castle, returned a 36 hole total of 129. If not the youngest, Ben is certainly one of our youngest ever champions. The best overall scratch score came from Craig Young of Lamlash GC with a 36 hole total of 129. Congratulations to Ben and Craig and to Lucas Henderson and Douglas Auld for winning the individual trophies. Thanks to all who supported us by playing. The turnout was 25% up on last year and considering the wet weather on Saturday that is a real testament to the popularity of this competition and the reputation and condition of our course. More of that later.
Once again our thanks go to Neil Richardson and Hunter Furnishings for their generous sponsorship. The Stressless Recliner chair and stool offered for the first hole in one remained unclaimed but Neil’s generosity enabled us to auction the item in the clubhouse for a substantial contribution to club funds.
The course was in superb condition, despite a couple of setbacks early in the season when first the weather and then equipment failed to cooperate. The hard work done by Stuart and George to ready the course paid huge dividends and Ryan Armstrong’s assistance with the finishing touches is very much appreciated. Our heartfelt thanks to them all.
In the clubhouse John and his catering brigade of Nanci, Louise, Jackie, Jenni and James worked wonders in keeping such a large number of golfers fed and watered and Jamie the Train kept up a constant supply of burgers lovingly cooked on the outside barbie.
Finally our thanks to all our friends and neighbours who supported us by sponsoring and donating prizes or who otherwise assisted in the running of the competition. The weekend was a huge success and we hope to all meet up again for the 2024 edition.