Entry forms for all this season’s Club Competitions are now displayed on the Notice Board at HQ. Closing date for entries is the end of March so you have another couple of weeks to get your name up. If you don’t yet have a handicap or require to update an existing handicap, you must submit the requisite 3 cards as soon as possible after the season commences (April 1st) to enable us to issue you with a current ‘official’ handicap. You can still enter for any competition as long as you have a current handicap in place before playing your first tie.

We’ve had to change the date of our Spring Outing – it’s now on April 10th, with the 1st tee-off time 12.30pm. The tournament is open to all members and guests and the entry fee is £10 per person which covers prizes and a meal after the match. If you can’t make the meal, the cost is £5. There’s an entry form on the board now and the competition is limited to 8 tee-times (32 players), so get your name up quickly!!

Not long now to the start of the season so get these clubs polished-up!

Check-out the main changes to the Rules for the forth-coming season:

Summary of R & A rule changes from January 1^st 2016

Among the most significant of the changes in the 2016 edition of the Rules are the following:

• Withdrawal of Rule on Ball Moving After Address – Rule 18-2b (Ball Moving After Address) has been withdrawn. This means that if a ball at rest moves after the player addresses it, the player is no longer automatically deemed to have caused the ball to move. A one-stroke penalty under Rule 18-2 will be applied only when the facts show that the player has caused the ball to move.
• Limited Exception to Disqualification Penalty for Submission of Incorrect Score Card – A new exception has been introduced to Rule 6-6d (Wrong Score for Hole) to provide that a player is not disqualified for returning a lower score for a hole than actually taken as a result of failing to include penalty strokes that the player did not know were incurred before returning the score card. Instead, the player incurs the penalty under the Rule that was breached and must add an additional penalty of two strokes for the score card error. In all other cases in which a player returns a score for any hole lower than actually taken, the penalty will continue to be disqualification.
• Modification of Penalty for a Single Impermissible Use of Artificial Devices or Equipment – The penalty for a player’s first breach of Rule 14-3 (Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Abnormal Use of Equipment) during the round has been reduced from disqualification to loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play. The penalty for any subsequent breach of Rule 14-3 will continue to be disqualification.
• Prohibition on Anchoring the Club While Making a Stroke – As announced in May 2013, the new Rule 14-1b (Anchoring the Club) prohibits anchoring the club either “directly” or by use of an “anchor point” in making a stroke. The penalty is loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.

The full list of amendments can be accessed at: http://www.randa.org/RulesEquipment/Rules/2016-Rules-Updates

New bridges at the 18th near completion

Two new stone-built bridges crossing the Barry Burn at the Championship 18th hole are close to completion. The bridges are similar in design to the ‘John Imlay’ bridges at the 10th which were donated in 2011 by the American businessman and philanthropist who tragically died last year from a massive heart attack.

Masters Champions 2015

The Station Masters 10th Anniversary Dinner and Presentation of Prizes was held last week at HQ. Members and guests gathered to acknowledge the endeavours of our Champions for 2015 and indulge in a spot of fine food and wine. Master of Ceremonies Elliot Davie presided seamlessly over the evening and local lads Rodger Brunton and John Knox had the audience rolling in the isles with their usual brand of wit and repartee. Unfortunately, a strike by Lufthansa meant that Club Champion David Morton failed to make it back from Germany in time for the presentation, but dad Brian picked up the Arthur Christieson trophy on his behalf from Club President Evelyn Christieson who revealed poignantly it had been 63 years to the day that she and Arthur had been married. Captain Jim Simpson collected the Dave McNicoll Handicap trophy on behalf of winner Elaine Jewson, who is currently spending the winter in South Africa. (It’s all right for some – as they say)! 10 years ago, trophies for our four-ball and foursomes competitions were donated by members Matt Edmund and Arliss Rhind who were on hand to make presentations to the winners. Arthur Smith picked up the Enfield Trophy from Arliss and Matt presented the Dunbar Cup to Brian Morton. Norman Reid picked up the The Country Members Cup, donated by country member Graeme McGee. The Greensomes tournament, now in its 2nd year, was won by Nor Reid and Arthur Smith who were presented with the George Anderson Cup, newly donated by Rab Low. Honourary Captain Walter Campbell presented the remainder of the trophies. A fine time was had by all and a fitting end to another successful season.

CHECK-OUT ALL THE PICS IN ‘LATEST NEWS IN PICTURES’

Masters Autumn Outing over the Burnside

The Station Masters Autumn Outing took place over the Burnside Course last Sunday. An enthusiastic bunch of 28 members and guests turned-out in brilliant sunshine for the annual event. Captain Campbell’s team of jammie getts narrowly defeated the valiant Vice Captain Simpson’s team. Winner of the prestigious ‘Yellow Jecket’ was the youngish Dave Rutherford, with Martin Connor coming a close 2nd. Arthur Smith had the best scratch score. Nearest the pin was Danie Van Wyck and newcomer Nic Toshner had the longest drive. John Gamack was astounded to win the ‘Geordie Duncanson Most Improved Player’ trophy – so was everyone else!

Thanks to everyone who donated prizes and to the Station Hotel for a lovely meal.

Photos to follow – unfortunately

Station Masters Autumn Outing / Annual Good Causes Gig 

This year’s Autumn Outing takes place over the Burnside Course on Sunday 27th September, first tee-off time 1.00pm. There is an entry sheet on the noticeboard at HQ so please get your names down asap to allow us to fix make the draw. Cost of entry is £10 per head which includes a lovely post-match meal.

The Annual Good Causes Gig is on Saturday October 3rd in the Station Function Lounge, 8 til late. Local favourites ‘Lucky to be Here’ will provide the entertainment and this year all proceeds are to go to the Carnoustie and District Youth Brass Band. Tickets are only £6 per head and include something nice to eat. 

Caledonia beckons to Elliot

Vice Captain Elliot Davie has this week, taken-up the appointment as Captain of the Caledonia Golf Club, following his selection at their latest AGM. It has been mutually agreed that Elliot will step-down from the Committee of the Station Masters GC following the recognition that his new role could potentially result in a ‘conflict of interest’ as both Clubs move forward in the future. Elliot has been massively instrumental in the development of the Station Masters GC, from our inception some 10 years ago to the successful Club we are today and we gratefully acknowledge and thank him for all his hard work over the years. We are delighted that Elliot will still remain an active member of our Club as he sets about his new challenge and we wish him all the best. By all accounts – it will be challenging!

Masters duo qualify for Belhaven final

Captain Jim Simpson and Match Secretary Andy Gilbride headed to Montrose Links on Tuesday for the qualifying round of the Belhaven Best Captains and Secretaries 2015 Championship. 40 teams from all over Scotland took to the famous Links in what turned out to be a closely-fought tournament where the top eight teams qualified. Under clear blue, sunny skies, the dynamic duo of Simpson and Gilbride finished their better-ball round with a nett 3 under par 68, securing 4th place for the Station Masters. The final will be played at Cruden Bay in October.

Drumoig hosts 2015 Masters Away-day Outing

A smaller-than-normal contingent packed their bags and headed across the great divide of the River Tay to Drumoig Golf Course in the Kingdom of Fife. The 10-strong team of regular worthies took advantage of a window in the wet and windy weather of recent days to compete for the prestigious ‘Kiwi Shield’, donated by Graham Bell, serial visitor to our shores. Worthy winner was the ever-popular, Andy Gilbride. Team prize went to the fantastic trio of Martin Connor, Derek Phinn and Jim Simpson. Nearest the pin was Derek Phinn and Longest Drive was (him again) Andy Gilbride. Brian Morton picked the winner in the draw so won a bottle of wine -(it should be noted that he wasn’t really a winner, simply the recipient of good fortune in a game of chance!). The members enjoyed a great day’s golf followed by a lovely meal before retiring to HQ to watch Andy Murray competing for ‘Great Britainshire’ in the French Open. All-in-all a good day out – mildy ruined when Murray got stuffed the following day by Djokovic!

Steve Logan pulls out of Club competitions

Former Club Pro Steve Logan has pulled out of this year’s Club competitions citing ‘pressure of work’ as his excuse reason. Logan, who has recently taken up a new position, said “I never realised just how stressful and demanding this line of work can be”. As the deadline for the 1st round ties draws near, Logan leaves long-term partner, former Vice Captain, Captain Holland in the lurch. Under the ‘Rules’ however, as long as no ties have been played, substitute partners are allowed and word has filter through to Station Masters HQ that Captain Holland has surprisingly managed to find a new partner at the 11th hour. The identity of Holland’s partner remains shrouded in mystery as he explained “My new partner is a long-standing Club member with impeccable credentials and a fantastic track-record. I will confirm their identity as soon as possible”. Mmm – the plot thickens. We all wait with bated breath!!

Former Club Champion wins Spring Outing

Former Club Champion, Iain Burnett saw off the rest of the field with a nett 67 in this year’s Masters Spring Outing over the Buddon on Sunday, only hours ahead of Jordan Spieth winning that other minor competition with the same name from across the ‘pond’. Iain picked-up the prestigious Yellow Jecket, the Masters Trophy and a voucher for £30. Arthur Smith narrowly claimed 2nd place on a 3-way count-back from veteran campaigner Alan Clark in 3rd with Secretary Coutie back in 4th. All had nett 71s. Roy Purdom was nearest the pin at the 4th and longest drive at the 16th, (surprise surprise) was David Morton. John Gamack picked up the George Duncanson Trophy for the most improved player and the accolade of the ‘worst player’ on the day along with the famous ‘beg of tetties’ went to Dave Ritchie. The winning team was Vice Captain Simpson’s Team who trounced Captain Campbell’s duffers by 3 matches to 2 and too many holes up to mention. After the golf, the members retired to the sanctity of HQ for a lovely meal and one or two refreshments. All-in-all a very pleasant start to the season.

* MORE FOTOS FROM THE DAY – Latest News in Pictures

New season ‘kicks-off’ with Masters Spring Outing

The draw for the Spring Outing took place in the Clubhouse this evening (Sunday 5th April). As usual, the draw was carried out under strict independent scrutiny – on this occasion by the enigmatic James Hiney. For the full draw and relevant information please click on the link below:

Masters spring teams 2015

Coutie cleans-up in Winter competitions – handicap under review!

Club Secretary Peter Coutie has once again triumphed in the Winter eclectic competition over the Buddon. The cold weather specialist pipped Master Mariner and curler extraordinaire, John Jeans by one point, 45 to 46. Terry Convery ran out a close 3rd with a score of 47.5.

Not content with the Eclectic, Coutie also triumphed in this year’s Winter Trophy with a nett score of 123 over two rounds from Arthur Smith in 2nd place with 133 and Stewart Hunter 3rd with 142. Needless to say, Coutie’s handicap will be closely scrutinised from now on!

Arthur Smith won the Burnside Eclectic and sole entrant Sandy Norrie would have found it difficult to lose the Championship competition!

Well done to all those who took part, especially the Club Captain.

Club Competition entries

Entries for this season’s Club Competitions are now requested. Sheets have been posted in the Bar at HQ so please get your names up as soon as possible. Entry fee is £1 per person per competition – very simple but you would be amazed how many entrants ‘forget’ to pay!! You have until the end of March to enter. Please note, this year’s Club Championship will be seeded so there’s no excuse for not entering. Competitions open to all. Country Members Cup entrants must be over 55 at 1st April 2015.

Not long now ’til the start of the season!

Steve Logan coughs up

Former pro Steve Logan has finally stopped procrastinating and paid his membership fees! Logan, once a revered authority on the finer points of the game we all know and love, had steadfastly refused to pay his annual Club fee until he had been served with the appropriate notice. This week however, he was forced to concede that his good friend and playing partner, Mr Muir had failed to deliver the notice to him timeously, as agreed (see Reader’s Letters Page). Secretary Coutie graciously accepted Logan’s fees at HQ yesterday evening, witnessed by the impartial Mr John Burnett. However, on closer inspection of the contents of Mr Logan’s deposit, it was discovered that the full amount may allegedly not have been forthcoming… Investigations into the circumstances surrounding this anomaly continue apace.

 *The Committee would like to point out that at this stage, Mr Logan is not suspected of any impropriety. The fact that Mr Coutie suddenly found enough money to buy a round is currently being investigated. No stone will be left unturned!!

Keep tuned for the next instalment …

Committee take decisive action

The winning team in last month’s Texas Scramble comprising Doherty, Fulton, Burke and Reid has been relegated to last place following a Committee investigation into alleged duplicitous behaviour on the part of their team marker. Runners-up on the day and new

undisputed winners Gilbride, Meek, Shepherd and Anderson have been elevated to the top spot. Suspicion fell on Reid and co. immediately they were announced as winners, when shouts of “how the **** did they manage to win?” were clearly audible from other competitors assembled in the Club. Unfortunately, no official complaints, moans or queries were received within the allocated 20 second time period so the Committee were powerless to review the submitted scorecards at that stage. Following sustained grumbles since the tournament from certain discontented competitors and a thorough Committee investigation, it transpired that Nor Reid (aka Greentractorman or ‘the cheatin teuchter’) had only recorded scores for 15 holes, not 16 as required under the rules. The scorecards had been checked and collated by serial organiser and adder-upper, Brian Morton who, when questioned said, “when it became clear that me and David weren’t going to win again, I may not have paid as much attention to the other cards as I should have”.  Meantime, when put on the spot, a rather sheepish Nor Reid, not used to figures (apart from those of young eastern-european berry-pickers), said “Ye ken, I didna mean te cheat. Its like plooin a field …. efter one dreel, ye kinda loose coont! I tak fill respon, repsonsib, repsonbi, blame fir the mistack, ye ken”.

Having reviewed all the evidence it is the decision of the Committee that Reid’s incompetence was a genuine mistake. The team of Doherty, Fulton, Burke and Reid are relegated to last place and they keep what was the first prize of a bottle of wine which is now classified as a ‘booby prize’. The new winners Meek, Gilbride, Shepherd and Anderson retain the re-classified 2nd prize, now the first prize of a lovely box of Milk Tray. For the record, the teams of Soutar, Lawson, Muir and Mann and Norrie, Low, Simpson W and Fox finished joint 3rd.

Morton is cleared of negligence due to being in shock at the time because he and David hadn’t won anything.

The other five teams who took part in the competition were reported to have commented, “who cares? … it’s the taking part that counts”.

See you all in December for the annual Texas Scramble 2015!!

Frosty conditions for Annual Texas Scramble

The 2014 Station Masters annual Texas Scramble got off to a frosty start on the Monday after Christmas. A full compliment of 8 teams braved the cold to compete for the accolade of Masters Texas Scramble champions. The team comprising former pro Steve Logan, Dez Muir, Rodney Soutar and former Walker Cup player and pro Lindsay Mann came a creditable 3rd. Mizzou Tiger Jess Meek, thespian Andy Gilbride, pig farmer George Anderson and annoying person Stan Shepherd came 2nd. The winning team on the day (unbelievably) comprised Jim Fulton, Norman Reid, another thespian George Doherty and US University golf coach Stuart Burke. The teams retired to the Station Hotel for a slap-up lunch of peh, beans and chips courtesy of Ivor, followed by one or two drinks and an enjoyable games afternoon of pool and dominoes. Darts had to be withdrawn from the itinerary when it was discovered the dart board had disappeared, believed pinched. In a closely-fought Pool tournament, father and son duo Alan and Garry Clark narrowly defeated Andy Gilbride and Jess Meek in the final whilst the sylph-like Pete Coutie lifted the Bones title (can’t remember who he cuffed in the final). All-in-all a good days competition!! CHECK OUT LATEST NEWS IN PICTURES FOR MORE FOTOS     

Mortons ‘clean-up’ at Awards Dinner

This year’s Annual Dinner and Presentation of Prizes saw the awards dominated by father and son pairing Brian and David Morton. For the second season in a row, David picked up the Arthur Christieson Trophy as Scratch Club Champion. Handicap Champion this season and winner of the Dave McNicoll Cup is former Club Champion Iain Burnett. Brian and David Morton picked up the Enfield Cup (Fourball), the Dunbar Cup (Foursomes) and the inaugural Greensomes tournament award. Dave Meek is this year’s Senior Champion and recipient of the Country Members Cup. The Winter Trophy was picked up by Stewart Hunter and the Kiwi Shield, competed for at our annual away-day tournament was won by Andy Gilbride.

Vice Captain Elliot Davie, once again kept a firm but highly amusing grip on proceedings and guest speaker Bob Valentine, a former top flight national and international football referee, regaled our members and guests with numerous tales from his long career on (and off) the pitch. Representatives of the Caledonia, Carnoustie, Dalhousie, Mercantile golf clubs and Panmure Business Club joined members for a highly entertaining evening.