Muthill ladies win National Nines title

Oct 10 2008 by Lynn Duke, Strathearn Herald

A TEAM of ladies from Muthill Golf Club lifted the National Nines Ladies Matchplay title in Jersey last week.

Already Scottish champions, the team travelled south to finish off the job, scoring a 2-1 victory over English champions Hampstead.

Conditions were wild, with the ladies teeing off in high winds and horizontal rain! Thankfully, the rain stopped, but the winds made the course difficult for everyone. In fact, it was a struggle to get the final played at all. Twice postponed because of August’s bad weather and course closures countrywide, the organisers just managed to stage it at the last minute.

The route to victory started in the Scottish group sections back in May, when the girls got past Dalmally, Bearsden, and Ravelston 2. A win over Milnathort in the semi-final found them matched against Ravelston 1 in the Scottish final. The Edinburgh team was duly dispatched and it was time for the girls from the wee Perthshire club to head south and claim the ultimate prize.

While our picture shows the final Muthill grouping of Perth sisters Claire and Mairi Milne along with Liz Stewart, who lives in Dunblane, and reserve Catherine Stewart (no relation) of Blairlogie, other players were involved.

Muthill Ladies captain Vicky Smith explained: “The team consists of a pool of six.” Vicky and Tracey MacKinlay played in the earlier rounds “because the ladies who work were not available on weekdays. As the competition progressed there were weekend ties, which meant we could put Claire and Mairi in.”

Indeed, one of the reasons Muthill is so popular with lady golfers from further afield is that it accommodates women who work.

“For our medals, we have friendly tee times for working women who can get to play their medals after they finish work,” said Vicky.

Muthill, which has been sending teams to the National Nines for six years, is intent on retaining the title in 2009. As Vicky said: “Small club we might be, but this proves you do not have to be big to be winners.”

Also represented in the competition were Comrie and Dunning. Unfortunately, along with a second Muthill team, they exited at the group stages.

The National Nines is the brainchild of Scot Colin Henderson, who spent his childhood playing holiday golf over the numerous nine-hole courses in Fife and Perthshire. He loved the camaraderie of the membership and the character of the nine-hole courses and eventually found a way to celebrate these qualities, staging a pilot event in North Wales in 1998.

The National Nines was announced to the media the following year and in no time over 3000 golfers from nine-hole clubs were taking part annually, with the Grand Finals always played in Jersey.

Since 2003, teams from the UK and Ireland have been joined by representatives from Holland and France.