Reay ready for start of summer season with Captain versus Vice-Captain match
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There is excitement in the air at the prospect of the start of the summer golf season at Reay this weekend.
Following the retirement of long-serving greenkeeper James Macadie in January, his replacement, Jason Norwood, has already started to make his mark on the course by refurbishing bunkers and reshaping greens among other initiatives.
The club has also benefited from an increase in membership, mirroring the nationwide trend of greater participation in golf during the pandemic. New players are always welcome, and the club will be running free "come and try" sessions for ladies and gents throughout April. For further details see the club website or get in touch via its Facebook and Twitter pages.
On Saturday, the season will begin with the traditional Captain versus Vice-Captain match, although the social side of this event will be curtailed due to the current restrictions.
The final action in Reay's winter season saw several competitions decided. In the senior section Alex Anderson won the eclectic competition with an excellent score of 59. Fred Groves had to settle for second place on 62, edging out Colin Struthers on countback after he also finished on a score of 62.
Anderson also finished in joint first place of the senior Stableford competition alongside Murdo Macdonald.
The gents' Winter League Stableford competition reached a thrilling climax with the final two rounds played at the weekend. On Saturday, Bruce Mackay topped the standings with a fine haul of 37 points after a solid round of 83. Gavin Gunn birdied the 14th and 16th holes on his way to 35 points and second place, while Mike Halliday also birdied two holes, the third and 15th, on his way to a share of third place on 34 points. Pete McCartney also birdied the third to join Halliday on 34.
In the final round on Sunday, Kenny Farmer Jnr was a comfortable winner after an excellent haul of 41 points which included a birdie at the 17th. Joe Wilson took second place on 35 points, with Kenny Farmer Snr finishing third.
In the final standings, Wilson’s 35 points in the final round proved to be crucial, as it allowed him to improve his six-round aggregate score to 223 points. Long-time leader Donald Mowat also finished on 223 points but was edged out by virtue of Wilson having the highest contributing individual score in the shape of a round of 43 points against Mowat’s best score of 42.
John Nicolson finished third, a single point adrift on 222, with Kenny Farmer Snr fourth on 221 and Kenny Farmer Jnr fifth on 220.
