SEASONAL GREETINGS FROM THE CAPTAIN
As we move into a New Millennium our Club is in splendid shape on all fronts. I, Vice Captain Tom and your Committee are dedicated in our efforts to keep the Islay Golf Club moving forward. We wish Malcolm King, Ian Brown, Simon Freeman and all their staff success and prosperity in 2000.
I hope the New Year brings all that you would wish for you and your family and that we will continue to play good golf on a great course in superb condition in good comradeship
CAPTAIN DAVID WILSON AND THE COMMITTEE WISH ALL MEMBERS A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW MILLENNIUM
NEWS FROM MACHRIE
Wait till you see what has been
happening in the Hotel! The Golf Bar and the Byre Restaurant have been completely renovated and refurbished in time for the festivities.
The trophy cabinet has been re-sited to the main golf bar between the windows overlooking the car park. New carpeting, furnishings and wall hangings will be in place and the whole highlighted with new light fittings.
The Byre Restaurant will retain the ‘stalls’ but all else will be renewed. Details can be had from the Hotel of its Hogmany activities which will extend from 7pm on 31st to sometime in the New Year?
More good news – next years hotel tariff will be little changed for guests.
We hope to make little change to our
Subscription rate also.
ICICLE TROPHY
The Club will again be running the Trophy for the Hotel Management. For the convenience of the revellers the times have been altered.
The first Stableford round will tee off on 31 December at 9.30am and the tee will be available all day.
The 1st January will be set aside for recovery and /or practice at whatever skill is lacking.
The second round will tee off between 9.30 and 10.30 on 2nd January and the prizegiving will be held at 2pm in the golf bar.
The First Prize will be £100 and the second £50. Other prizes will be presented.
Entry Fee will be £10 for members of IGC and £20 for visitors
ON COURSE
Simon continues to work wonders on the course. New tees have been built at the 18th and landscaped pathways down to the 17th green and off the 18th tee will be ready for next season. Work is well underway to the new 9 hole course being constructed over the present practise area and the ground behind the 17th tee, 16th and 14th greens. Most of the holes will replicate the features on the existing course. All this outdoor activity and Simon still manages to increase his family. Catherine recently brought home a new brother for 2 year old Brandon.
SECRETARY’S NOTES
Every year it’s the same – another increase in membership. We now have over 350 and many are locals taking up the sport or returning to it after some years absence.
The Direct Debit system of paying by instalments has been a great success and will be repeated next year.
The Committee recently agreed to drop the Retention Fee of £30 which was being paid by some and not others. In is place they have introduced a £10 fee to be paid by all who do not wish to take up full membership but who wish to remain on the Mailing List.
It was also decided to encourage teenage golfers by levelling the subscriptions for 18 to 21 year olds at 40% of Local Senior Male
As you will know by now Cross Week 2000 is also the 100th time the Cross will be competed. To mark the occasion a dinner has been arranged for all past winners during Cross Week and hopefully some thirty guests will meet in the Library.
I am delighted that the 1933 winner, Roy C MacGregor has accepted the invitation along with many of yesteryear’s winners.
This special year seems most appropriate to introduce a trophy in memory of Ian Muir who died earlier this year. Liz, in donating the trophy, has asked that the competition be arranged during Cross Week The committee
considered that the Visitors -v- Locals match which brings everyone
together early in the week, is played in the spirit which embodies all the principles and attributes held by Ian.
Also for Cross Week and for those disappointed at the S W Thompson Cross bring advanced to 60 year olds, a new trophy will be donated for the over 60s and the Thompson Cross will revert to the over 50s but played over 18 holes
The Dinner – Dance and Presentation of Prizes was again successful. Many of our mainland members attended the function which is now firmly fixed as an annual event.
The busiest man of the evening was local Sandy Peter. He seemed to be called for a prize on every alternate occasion. (It worked in quite well for the trophy cabinet had to be emptied for the renovations)
WEB SITE
Have you visited recently ?
John MacIntyre took recent photos of Simon’s activities around the 5th green. It will give you early warning of what to expect on your next round.
Pay us a visit at www.islaygolfclub.co.uk
I have several e-mail addresses but if you have not sent yours on please do so. Eventually I hope to send Newsletters etc via the net and thereby save postage.
The club’s e-mail address is islaygolf@gmail.com
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
There are still copies of John Cubbage’s Chronicle of the Islay Golf and the Machrie Links. It would make a fine last minute stocking filler at just £10 plus postage. Give the Secretary a call now.
Also available from the hotel is a full range of Lyle and Scott knitwear with the Machrie Crest (this batch’s logo refers only to the Golf Links and not the Hotel). A worthwhile present while stocks last. Give the Manager a ring.
IAN MUIR MEMORIAL DINNER
On Sunday 24 October 13 members of the Club (including Iain Wilson, Alan Hyslop and John MacIntyre jnr from the Island) attended the above dinner which was in aid of the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association. There were 300 in attendance to pay tribute to Ian’s memory and it was the standard of the evening he would have enjoyed.
Ian loved Islay, the course, the Islay Golf Club and was at his best during Cross Week.
Liz Muir has presented the Club with a trophy in Ian’s memory and she has agreed with the Committee’s suggestion that the Visitors -v- Locals match on Cross Sunday will be the appropriate recipient of this trophy. It will give added spice to the battle between Tom Dunn and his Vice Captain Gordon Hyslop DW.