INNELLAN GOLF Club’s summer season signed off in style with a flurry of trophies, low scores and a sunny away day to Rothesay — before attention turns to night golf and the winter league.
Changeable weather made for a tale of two halves in the Medals Final, with early starters dodging the worst of the rain. Ben Bryant set the target and won on a net 64, edging Alasdair Simpson (also 64) on countback. Billy McBride took third on 65.
A packed field chased the Sunday Cup, but Robert Baxter blew the doors off with an outstanding net 60 featuring 12 pars and two birdies. Stewart Campbell was runner-up on 62, with Alasdair Simpson third on 63.
The Autumn Series title went down to the final day, with Harry Black one point clear of Simpson and Campbell still in touch. Black produced a composed closing round, including a tidy two at the 4th, to bank 19 points for the day and secure the trophy on 58 points total. Simpson finished second on 55, and Campbell third on 52.
The ladies played back-to-back nine-hole Stablefords, with Sandie Gemmell winning both events. Seconds went to Shonna Derrett and Rhona McCourt on respective days; thirds to Katie Houston and Rhona McCourt.
Consistency over the season was rewarded in the Order of Merit (best 18 counting cards), where Dan Wilkinson clinched top spot on the final day. Ben Bryant was a close second, with Alasdair Simpson third.
With the sun shining and spirits high, a travelling party crossed to Rothesay Golf Club for the traditional end-of-season outing and the coveted Millennium Jug. Fast greens and firm conditions produced plenty of highlights, including chip-in twos from Kennedy and McKie.
Local knowledge told in the end as Johnny Fisher,dubbed the ‘local bandit’, carded an exquisite 39 points to lift the Jug. Touring stalwart Andy Holland took second on 37, while the ever-present Harry Black claimed third with 36 (‘holding back,’ he joked, with his trophy cabinet already heaving).
The day finished with a light-hearted doubles competition, created by pairing cards at random. Early leaders Holland and Black posted 73 and popped the corks — only for fate (and the hat) to deliver B. Lauder with 35 and then draw Fisher’s 39,
handing Lauder and Fisher the win and Fisher yet another sleeve of Pro V1s.
Innellan extended warm thanks to Rothesay Golf Club for superb hospitality, course condition and catering.
Next on the schedule is the Observer Shield, where the course is played backwards, on Sunday, October 5.
The club paid tribute to the greenkeeping team for keeping the course in tremendous shape all year, the committee for its time and energy, and the many volunteers who quietly keep things moving, with thanks to members and visitors for supporting a course that offers ‘views of the Clyde and holes that make you cry’.
Only the winter league and a fun trophy remain before the clocks change — but if recent form is any guide, there’s plenty more golf (and a few more tall tales) left in 2025.
