Islay Golf Club – Club Update May 2024

Dear Fellow Members,
Great to see that the season is underway and our busy competition schedule is in full swing. It is fair to say that reports on the course are very favourable and the hope is that all 4 greens which have been given the intensive care treatment will be in play for The Open 8/9th June.

Membership Renewal 2024

We have had a slight drop in membership numbers, with the current total standing at 424. With this in mind, we do have a number of spaces available in all categories, so if you have any friends or family who may be interested in becoming an IGC member, please make sure that they know we’ve got room for them. It is still great value, and speaking from my personal experience, a fraction of what the membership fees would be on the mainland.

Junior Golf

After 6 years of committed service, Brian O’Neill has stepped down as Junior Convenor of the Club. I would like to thank Brian for all his hard work in the role and I know that we only need to look out on the course to see some of the success that our juniors have achieved on his watch.  We are currently looking at options to resurrect the Junior Golf programme, so please bear with us as we try and get this back on track and again creating a nurturing cradle for our future golfers.
If you feel you could help with our Junior Golf in any capacity, please do let me know (brian.monks@sky.com or 07765890867). Worth noting that IGC will be happy to support any PSG requirements.

Course Liaison Convenor

Donald Hendry has made a great effort in establishing a clear line of communication with The Machrie’s Head Greenkeeper, Dale Northway, and I personally look forward to hearing regular updates on the items Donald has tabled with Dale. I won’t steal Donald’s thunder, as I know he’s keen to share an update with you all very soon – so watch our on Facebook & email.

April Winners

The following members enjoyed their moments of glory in April:
• Hunter Trophy – Angus Kerr
• April Medal – Iain Shaw
• Bowmore Plate – Angus Docherty
• Robert Brown Trophy – Susan Middleton & Alister Blair
• Higginbotham Trophy – Ruaraidh MacIntyre
Congratulations to all our winners ! Full results and scores can be found on Master
Scoreboard.

Upcoming Golf Fixtures (May)

• Fri/Sun 10/12th May – Guy Quaich – Men’s Singles Stableford – please book your
Friday match tee time with The Machrie
• Sun 19th May – Letter’s Prize – Men’s Strokeplay
• Sun 26th May – Mrs MacIntyre Trophy – Men’s Singles Par/Bogey
Score Submissions
As we get into the swing of competition and are again submitting cards to ensure our handicaps are current, I’d like to thank all for the adoption of the casual score
submissions via the SGA app. For any club competitions (on Master Scoreboard) a
reminder that scorecards must be submitted to the Match Secretary on the day you
play. Any scores submitted after the match day risk rejection.

Honour Boards & Trophies

We have created a working party to create an inventory of all (circa 85) IGC trophies, and to get all engraving up to date. We are also looking at the Honour Boards in the hotel and updating all of these too. We are also looking to get the IGC Club Championship Board wall mounted in a prominent position, as this has not been up for some years.

Glenmuir IGC Clothing

We have had a strong uptake on the offer of IGC branded Glenmuir cloting, wich is great to see. The deadline for orders is the 12th May, so please be quick and get your orders in, via the link below:
https://glenmuirpro.com/orderform/O81YMl9fwPLWUeKt

The Machrie

The Machrie General Manager, Ian Ferguson, has decided to leave The Machrie to take up a position with Machrihanish Dunes. Ian will be leaving at the end of May. I am sure you will join me in wishing him every success in his new role. Audrey Gow is taking over at the Hotel General Manager and The Machrie are currently seeking to fill an equivalent role to look after the golf side of the operation. News on this new position will be shared as it arrives.

Hope to see you all soon over Feis, The Open and the coming months.
Best regards,
Brian