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East Lothian Junior golfers heading to Pinehurst

East Lothian Junior Golf League

2018 Junior Golf Pinehurst

A Junior Golf Team of 10 Players from various Clubs in the Lothians and Borders areas of Scotland who all play for Clubs in the East Lothian Junior League, are going to Pinehurst in the USA on February 9th. They will compete in a “Winternational” competition at the famous golf resort in North Carolina and will also play a match against Pinecrest High School who have a strong Team led by their Men’s Golf Coach, Lynne Beechler. 

The East Lothian Team will be based at the excellent Mid Pines and Pine Needles golf courses in Southern Pines, a short distance from Pinehurst itself. Altogether, they will play 9 rounds of golf in 9 days, plus having access to excellent practice facilities and short courses. Two of these rounds will be over Pinehurst No. 2 which has hosted 3 US Opens and a Ryder Cup. Pine Needles has hosted 3 US Women’s Opens.

The “Winternationals” have been running for 24 years and Peter De Young, the Series Founder and Chairman, has kindly facilitated the participation of the East Lothian Team. They will be competing with many other Players from US Schools. Past participants in the “ Winternationals” include Dustin Johnson, currently the World No.1, and Major Champions Webb Simpson and Jason Dufner.

The League would like to thank their sponsors - Dan Van Horn of US Kids Golf, who provides generous funding to the League, Bob Gunning of Scotlands Golf Coast and Eamonn John of East Lothian Council for additional funding, Russell Shepherd of hotdocs who funded the cost of golf bags for the Players and Jim Wilson of Cablecom who funded the cost of Team clothing. Thanks are also due to Tim Anderson, a resident of Pinehurst, and member of North Berwick Golf Club, for a donation to buy a dozen golf balls for each Player. The Players have also been invited to attend an Ice Hockey game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Los Angeles Kings, courtesy of JJ Jackson, a part owner of the Hurricanes and also a member of North Berwick Golf Club. 

Bob Gunning for Scotland's Golf Coast stated “East Lothian, just a few miles from Edinburgh, has 22 must-play golf courses stretching through 30 miles of stunning coastline, golden beaches and rolling countryside - this is a golfing paradise. We wish the East Lothian Team good luck in North Carolina and hope to see Teams from the USA coming here soon.”

The League also thanks Martyn Huish, the Professional at North Berwick Golf Club, for his assistance in obtaining Team clothing and golf bags, and providing the Players with a chance to sample some shots at Pinehurst No. 2 on his “Trackman” device and simulator at his excellent club fitting and practice facility at Fenton Barns, just outside North Berwick. 

All the Players met for lunch at North Berwick Golf Club on Sunday the 28th January. Most of the parents were also present, and we thank them for their financial support to enable their Players to make this trip. Our guests included some of our sponsors, and supporters Iain McLean of Gullane Golf Club, and Alan Chainey of North Berwick Golf Club. After the lunch, the group leaders Dave Warren and Ric Foulner gave all those present some detail about the trip and presented each of the Players with a golf bag and clothing bearing our sponsor's names. 

Dave Warren, Secretary of the League said “Thanks to our Sponsors and the Parents, this is a fantastic opportunity for young players to experience different types of golf courses to those traditional links courses we find in Scotland’s Golf Coast and to mix with Players and Coaches from schools in the USA. It is something we hope to do annually if there is more funding available. Together with Ric Foulner, the Captain elect of Tantallon Golf Club and their long time Junior Convenor, we are delighted to be co-leading this group of young people, who will have many new experiences whilst there, make many new friends, and see the long-term opportunities which the game of Golf can provide. On this occasion our Team is comprised only of Boys, who were all selected from the Orders of Merit based on our League Fixtures, or from outstanding performances in our other competitions. There are already plans to take a Girls Team on a similar trip on a future occasion. So if there are other young Players who wish to make a start in golf, a sport that they can play all of their lives and open up opportunities like this trip, they should inquire at their local Golf Clubs about how to start and even consider joining Golf Clubs in East Lothian where golf is usually possible throughout all the winter months as well. Details of the League's fixtures 2018 fixtures, regular reports on the Pinehurst trip and lots of useful junior golf info can be found the East Lothian Junior Golf League's website

The photo attached shows all 10 Players, and with their East Lothian Junior League Clubs they are:- Back row L to R Josh Grahame of Craigielaw, James Morgan of Longniddry, Harry Rogan of Haddington, William Ladbrooke of Gullane. Front row L-R Jack Noon of Musselburgh, Lewis Irvine of Craigielaw, Jack McDonald of Haddington, Ross Lunn of The Glen, Liam Currid of Gullane, and Lewis Hannah of Musselburgh. 

The League was founded in 1975 and the logo is of a gannet diving for fish near the Bass Rock, an island in the Firth of Forth, near North Berwick and Edinburgh. The cliffs on the island support the world’s largest colony of Northern Gannets, and around 150,000 of them breed there each summer. Adults can have a 6 foot wingspan. It is one of the wildlife wonders of the world.

 

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