ONLY 20 or so enthusiasts splashed their way round a soaking Stonehaven golf course on Sunday for the first Winter League competitions of the new year.
High winds and drenching rain washed out the Saturday programme but, on Sunday, the few who played enjoyed beautiful overhead conditions.
Winter greens were in operation, which meant the gully holes were closed, but those who turned out really enjo
yed the exercise and the strange sensation of hitting a golf ball again after such a long absence.
It's not often that John Moderate tops the leader board but he did just that in the singles with 36points, two more than Jim Lonie or Derek Freeland could manage.
Iain Taylor and Stuart Soutar played the best golf of the day with a better-ball round of 64 to take the honours in the scratch doubles while Jim Hepburn and Eric Innes led the way in the handicap section with an excellent round of net 57.
Hopefully, the course will be back to normal this weekend and a big turn-out is expected as players have quite a bit of catching up to do. Ten rounds are needed to qualify for the final weekend's play -- and there are seven weekends left to register scores.
Winter League Singles (Stableford); 36 points John Moderate (17); 34 Jim Lonie (7), Derek Freeland (14); 33 Charles Watt (18).
Winter League Doubles: (scratch): 64 Iain Taylor/Stuart Soutar; Neil Irvine/Harry Roulston; 67 Gordon Adamson/Glennie Melvin; 71 Stewart Allsop/Brian Lawson; 74 Alistair Duncan (on his own). (Handicap): 57 Jim Hepburn/Eric Innes; 59 Neil Macarthur/Mike Griffin, Ian Hastie/John Starrs; 60 Malcolm MacEwen/Sandy Walker.
"Controlled Fade"
