Cal Carson Golf Agency
From Colin Farquharson
Ballater Golf Club has accepted an invitation from the Scottish Ladies
Golfing Association to stage next year's Scottish senior women's championship
on September 8 and 9.
It will be the second national tournament at the picturesque course on
Royal Deeside in 2003. The BP Scottish boys team championship will also
be played at Ballater on Sunday, May 25.
Ballater Golf Club secretary Sandy Barclay and the club's council management
are understandably pleased that their course, which has delighted many
thousands of golfing visitors over the years - not to mention Prince Andrew
who has been known to play Ballater while staying at Balmoral Castle,
is back on the list of Scotland's most popular golf courses.
Winters are particularly hard on Royal Deeside and the severe one of 2000-2001,
when the course was in the grip of frost and snow for some 14 weeks, had
a devastating effect on the Ballater greens.
Large areas of turf on the sixth, eighth, ninth, 10th and 12th greens
simply died.
Some brave decisions had to be taken by the Ballater Golf Club officials,
based on the recommendations of agronomists. The affected greens underwent
a programme of recovery treatment and were taken out of play for several
months.
All the work paid off this year when the course was back in tip-top shape.
"In 2002, we enjoyed arguably the best Ballater greens for many a long
year," said Sandy Barclay.
Ballater's Royal Deeside Golf Week attracts more than 100 golfers from
all over the British Isles. It is a town rich in hotels, guest houses
and bed & breakfast accommodation so the competitors for the Scottish
senior women's championship will have no problem finding anywhere to stay.
Another reason for the SLGA choice is that Ballater can reached from the
south via Perth and Braemar, giving competitors the option of avoiding
Aberdeen on their trip north.
Aberdeenshire
Ladies County Golf Association stages competitors at Ballater on a regular
basis, including, from time to time, the county championship.
In 1985, the Scottish girls Under-21 open stroke-play championship was
held at Ballater and won by Kathryn Imrie who has gone on to fame and
fortune as a professional player on the United States LPGA circuit.
The Veteran Ladies Golf Association jamboree, an inter-area championship
featuring Scotland and England's North, Midlands and South area teams,
was held at Ballater in 1992 when Scotland were victorious.
Scotland's Victorious Vets Team 1992
The team was (back row left to right) Dorothea Hastings,
Ethel Jack, Elizabeth Simpson, Ann Prentice,
(front row left to right) Margaret Joss, Heather Anderson, Elspeth Hanlon
(Captain), Isobel McIntosh and Joan Lawrence.
Next year's Scottish senior women's stroke-play championship, for over-50s,
will be the fifth staging of the event. Pam Williamson (Baberton) won
the title for a second time at Crail this year. Mrs Williamson had won
the inaugural tournament in 1999, to be followed by Pat Hutton (2000)
and Frances Liddle (2001).
The 2003 championship at Ballater will have a special significance between
the Ladies Golf Union has decided to introduce a three-day home internationals
programme for senior women next year. It will be held at Whittington Heather
in the English Midlands and will feature teams of six players from Scotland,
England, Ireland and Wales.
The SLGA selection committee will be responsible for naming the Scotland
team.
The Ballater ladies' course measures 5,307yd with a Par and SSS of 71
(36 out, 35 in).
The scorecard reads:
1 384 5
2 400 4
3 183 3
4 390 5
5 121 3
6 277 4
7 457 5
8 291 4
9 193 3
2693 36
10 373 4
11 417 5
12 363 4
13 155 3
14 269 4
15 339 4
16 314 4
17 153 3
18 237 4
2611 35
Totals: 5,307yd. Par 71
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