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  Royal Montrose Golf Club

 

 

This page was last updated on: Sunday, 11 July 2010

 
 
THE 2010 CLUB BICENTENARY

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Newsletter – July 2010
from Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor

Angus Clubs Invitational Foursomes, Sunday 1st August.

Around 20 Angus clubs have accepted our invitation to send a foursomes pairing to this Invitational Foursomes.  Each visiting club will play with a Royal Montrose pair, selected from those who have won a Bicentenary Medal and from the Club Council and Ladies Section Committee.  A meal will be provided for all participants following play.

There are special prizes for the lowest-scoring RM pairing.  The first prize is a tee time for two at the Macdonald Cadrona Hotel and Golf Course, near Peebles, with an overnight stay and breakfast included.  The winning visiting team will receive a specially commissioned Rosebowl donated by Carnoustie Country who have done so much to support our programme of events in this bicentenary year.

Bicentenary Medal winners to date are asked to please indicate on the sheets on the men’s and ladies’ notice boards if they are available to play in this Bicentenary Golf Competition, on or before Monday 12th July./strong>  Winners of the men’s July Medal on 10th July and the winners of the Ladies SLGA medals on the 8th July will also be eligible to take part in this competition.


Week of Celebration, Sunday 29th August – Friday 3rd September
Principal sponsor - GlaxoSmithKline

Members are encouraged to participate in as many of the events as possible this week - the principal event of our bicentenary celebrations.  You are particularly encouraged to play in the four golf competitions for which entries are now being taken - entry sheets are now placed on the men’s and ladies’ notice boards - and to attend the Bicentenary Ball in the Town Hall on Wednesday 1st September and the social events organised on the other evenings.

Programme for the week

Sunday 29th August
Welcome and registration in the club house for visiting guests (approximately 80 to date) principally from Royal Clubs in the UK and around the world, followed by a Civic Reception in the Park Hotel at 7.30pm - sponsored by Carnoustie Country and Pro Simon - for invited guests, representatives of Angus Council and selected club members (more details later), with an official welcome by the Provost of Angus.
 

Monday 30th August
Greensomes Golf competition on Medal Course from 0930.  Enter as a pair or as an individual. Evening entertainment from 7.30pm in the RMGC clubhouse; Whisky Tasting sponsored by Whyte and Mackay, and Folk Singer, Jamie Stewart.

Tuesday 31st August
Individual Stableford Golf competition on Medal Course from 0930. Evening entertainment; a Ceilidh in Montrose Caledonia clubhouse.

Wednesday 1st September
Day trip to St Andrews for invited guests including free entry to British Golf Museum departing 9.00 am.  Limited capacity (10 places) for club members to go on this trip; please enter names on sheets in clubhouse.
Bicentenary Ball in the Town hall – see below for more details.

Thursday 2nd September

Individual Bogey Golf competition
on Medal Course from 0930. Evening entertainment in Montrose Mercantile clubhouse – further details later.

Friday 3rd September
7-Hole Hickory shafted competition on the Broomfield Course. Barbecue and Prizegiving for the week’s golfing competitions in the clubhouse from 1200 noon onwards.  Tickets for the barbecue costing £5.00 will be on sale from the 2nd August with no limit on numbers bought.
Bicentenary Ball – Wednesday 1st September.  Sponsors - Mike Fraser, Astute and Glenmorangie.
  • Venue - Montrose Town Hall, for invited guests, members and their partners.
  • Drinks reception at 6.45 pm.
  • Gifts of a Commemorative Brochure and Glenmorangie Miniature for all attending.
  • Dinner with wine served from 7.30 followed by speeches and toasts.
  • Dancing to music provided by Wayne Henderson Trio.
  • Interval cabaret by the Gordon School of Dancing.
    Tickets priced £25.00, which represents tremendous value, will go on sale first to those members who have volunteered to act as ‘buddies’ at 11 am on Wednesday 7th July and to other members from 11 am on Monday 19th July. Tickets will be sold on a first come/first served basis, with no refunds.  Once the allocation has been sold, a reserve list will be set up and extra tickets will then be sold if fewer than expected guests accept our invitation to the Week of Celebration.
  • Dress code for men – formal.
 
Newsletter – January 2010
from Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor

 

CLUB HISTORY BOOK LAUNCH

 FRIDAY 12 FEBRUARY AT 11.00AM

in the Clubhouse

 BE THE FIRST TO BUY YOUR COPY

All current members’ names are listed in the book

 MEET THE WRITERS’

Q&A SESSION

 ON SALE TO MEMBERS AT £ 10

Special-low price to encourage you to purchase multiple copies for golfing friends

 

 
HICKORY SHAFTED CLUBS

7 – HOLE COMPETITION

 Sponsored by

Park Hotel

 

SUNDAY 14 FEBRUARY

See Club notice board for details

 

BE THE FIRST TO WIN A BICENTENARY GOLF PRIZE

 
BICENTENARY BALL

 Sponsored by

GLADE RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME

For members and guests

FRIDAY 26 MARCH

TOWN HALL

8.30-1.00

DANCING TO WAYNE ROBERTSON TRIO

Interval cabaret by CENTRE S.T.A.G.E.

Light supper

 

TICKETS NOW ON SALE

£7.50

No restrictions on numbers purchased (but no refunds on tickets returned)

 

DINNERS AVAILABLE IN CLUBHOUSE; BOOKINGS FROM 6.30PM

 

1810 COMPETITION

 SUNDAY 25 APRIL 2010

Sponsored by ROOS LEAP

 200 LOCAL GOLFERS TO CELEBRATE 200 YEARS

 OPEN TO ALL OF OUR CLUB MEMBERS

 ENTRY FORMS ON NOTICE BOARD

 FREE ENTRY

25 HOLE OPEN

Sponsored by

ASTUTE (SCOTLAND) LTD.

 SUNDAY 30 MAY

See Club notice board and website for entry details


SCHOOL’S COMPETITION

Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline with junior coaching by McCain Potatoes

Launches Mid-February

****************************

REMINDER!! - ALL MEDAL WINNERS (April-July) are eligible to compete in Angus Clubs Invitation Bicentenary Foursomes
on Sunday 1 August for special prizes

WEEK OF CELEBRATION SUNDAY 29 AUGUST to FRIDAY 3 SEPTEMBER

BUDDIES WANTED!!!  45 couples/ pairs are expected to attend. We plan to offer each of them a BUDDY from the club - someone to make contact in advance, preferably by email, to answer any questions, meet on arrival, accompany to registration on Sunday, play golf with on the Monday and generally be welcoming.

Further details from Frank Cuninghame on 830557 or Harry Faulkner 672869; who welcome
names.
Buddies will have priority in buying tickets for the Ball on the Wednesday.


Newsletter – July 2009
from Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor
 

Programme of events. Click on the link above to view or print a copy of the Bicentenary Programme – please keep it for future reference. A new event added to the programme is the 25 Hole Open on Sunday 30 May 2010 over 18 holes on the Medal and Holes 1-7 of the Broomfield. In October 1866, Royal Albert GC organised the only other 25-hole Open ever held; Entry forms will be available early in the New Year.

The Bicentenary Committee and Council will take on most of the work of delivering the programme overleaf.

It would help greatly if a small group of members were to take on the detailed organisation of one of the dances, for example.

Week of Celebration.  To date, almost eighty guests from clubs around the world and the UK and Ireland have accepted our invitation with more responses awaited. It now looks likely there will be a civic reception for guests and members on the Sunday evening. The format for the golf competitions each day, playing in four balls, will be Greensomes (Monday) and individual Stableford and Bogey (Tuesday and Thursday respectively). I ask that you:-

  • Participate in all or selected events that week and give our guests a warm welcome.

  • Attend the Dinner Dance especially and the various evening entertainments.

  • Host (not accommodate) a visiting couple particularly from abroad. Hosting may involve being a point of contract before travel, meeting on arrival in Montrose, escorting to hotel and registration on Sunday, playing with them in the Monday Greensomes, sitting with them at the Dinner etc.

Sponsorship.  We are very grateful to these Companies for supporting our bicentenary to date:-  Pert Bruce, Guthrie Bros, Mike Fraser, GSK, Scotmid, Astute, Park Hotel, Tennent Caledonian, Rig-Sol, Whyte & Mackay, Diageo, Wallace Express, Glenmorangie and the many Calendar Sponsors. I invite you to:-

  • Let Brian Ritchie, Vice Captain,  or myself know if you have contacts with companies who may be interested in sponsoring some more parts of our programme.

  • Volunteer to approach up to three companies on our list of potential sponsors, using letters and materials we have prepared, and follow-up with a phone call. We will join you at any meetings you set up with them to explore sponsorship opportunities. Any help on this front would be most welcome.

Hogmanay Dance/ Hickory-shafted club competition on 2 January. I invite you to:-

  • Bring your family and friends along to the Hogmanay Dance to welcome in 2010 and kick off our bicentenary celebrations with free bubbly and a flag raising ceremony after midnight.

  • Let me know if you have any hickory-shafted clubs you would loan the club for use on the Saturday.

Club History Publication.   Much of the research and initial drafting is completed, it goes to printers in August and copies should be available early November, so please plan to buy your copy (see it also as the ideal Christmas present for golfing friends). I would welcome photographs now to help illustrate the club history of the last fifty years especially winning teams, club events etc., for possible inclusion in the book.

Bicentenary Calendar.  I have seen a proof of this calendar and it is an impressive pictorial record of golf in the town over the past 200 years. It will be available soon for sale in the clubhouse at a cost of £5.00 – definitely a “must have” for your home or office, or as a gift for golfing and non-golfing friends

Bicentenary Merchandise.  This will include caps, forks and marker gift sets, jerseys, polo shirts, bag tags, mugs, place mats and coasters, mouse mats etc. The caps come in two colours with either a full-colour or tonal bicentenary logo, have a magnetic fastener for a bicentenary-logo ball marker, which is supplied, and will be on sale in the club by August. Extra markers may be purchased.

Jerseys and polo shirts will soon be available to order from Jason Boyd’s shop. In the clubhouse, we will have a display of all garments and styles; the recommended club colour for jerseys, polo shirts and slipovers is light blue.

Future Strategy.  Council have agreed certain priorities for the next few months.

  • Inviting golf magazines etc to cover our Bicentenary story and seeking TV and press coverage of key events.

  • Offering a detailed presentation to members on the Bicentenary progress

  • With the help of a £4K grant from Angus Council, renovating the men’s toilets in autumn.

  • Exploring options for new lounge furniture, for possible delivery in early winter.

  • Contacting high profile golfers and media stars shortly to come to RMGC or send memorabilia.  

What can you do to help deliver this strategy?

  • Volunteers are required to complete the club redecoration October/November 09.  Please contact Brian Ritchie.

If you can help in any of the ways set out, please let me know.  Leave a note with the bar staff, telephone me on 672869 or send an e mail to: bicentenary@royalmontrosegolf.com.

Thank you.

Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor, July 2009

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Newsletter – December 2008
from Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor


New Bicentenary logo

The club council have approved the design shown at the top of the page as the logo for our bicentenary in 2010. My thanks to Mike Cummins for the design. You may expect to see it on all correspondence in relation to the bicentenary and on a new clubhouse flag to be flown throughout 2010; also on a new range of jerseys and polo shirts, golf tee markers, golf balls and other golfing memorabilia that should be available for purchase from Jason Boyd’s shop by mid-summer 2009, in plenty of time for purchase as birthday presents, Christmas gifts or gifts to golfing friends! 

 Bicentenary Sub-committee

This now comprises Past Captains John Anderson and Frank Cuninghame and club member Richard Phinney. John is taking the lead role in acquiring sponsorship. Frank and I are planning the Week of Celebration and Richard is working with me to research and write the history of the club – not just the history of the Montrose Golf Club set up in 1810, the Royal Albert created in 1845 and Royal Montrose in 1986 but also the history of the Victoria Golf Club who amalgamated with Royal Montrose in 1986 to form our present club, and North Links Ladies Golf Club who joined in 1987. 

Update on the programme of events

The Dual Circuit band has been booked for the Hogmanay Party on 31 December 2009 that launches our year’s celebrations and the Town hall is booked for the two formal dances in 2010  - on Friday 26 March  for Club members and on Wednesday 1 September for members and guests attending the Week of Celebration.

An additional social event has been added – a Bicentenary Burns Supper - on Saturday 23 January 2010, and I am very grateful to Sandy Jessop who has undertaken to organise this event. 

Week of Celebration, 30 Aug –3 Sept 2010

Council agreed to phase in the issue of letters of invitation to this event, so that we may keep numbers attending within the agreed limits. Invitations have been sent first to all 24 Royal Clubs outwith the UK and to Royal Blackheath, Royal Musselburgh and St Andrews Golf Clubs– clubs with whom we have annual matches - and to the R &A. Depending on the responses from the clubs above, invitations will be sent out in February 2009 to some or all of the other Royal Clubs in the UK. If you have received a warm welcome at a particular Royal Club in the UK, please let me know and we will include it in the invitation list. 

Club History

Research is under way using various club records dating back to 1813.  Richard Phinney and I are very grateful to Lyn Coull whose father, Bill, produced the first edition of that excellent publication, Golf in Montrose, since updated by Lyn and her sister, Doreen. Lyn is making available to us all of her father’s material and is going to do some follow-up research in the local newspapers files of the last two centuries. We welcome from members any documents or photographs that might further illuminate our club history. Morag Boyd has agreed to take on the task of researching the history of Ladies Golf in Montrose. 

A Bicentenary Calendar

This is another addition to the bicentenary programme; an exercise undertaken by our indefatigable Ladies section. Old photographs of the Montrose Golf Clubs or golf course as well as possible sources of financial support, e.g. potential sponsors of a calendar page, will be welcomed by Phyllis Sutherland, Ladies Section Captain. 

Sponsorship

John Anderson has made contact with a considerable number of companies and provided them with a fact sheet about our bicentenary celebrations. GSK have already made a contribution. In view of the fallout from the “Credit Crunch”, John is not pressing companies too hard at this stage but will be encouraging a positive response to our appeal early in 2009. If you know of a company that might respond positively to an approach, please get in touch with John. He will make copies of the fact sheet available to you if you prefer to make the approach yourself. 

Sub Committee contact details:-

E mail; bicentenary@royalmontrosegolf.com

John Anderson; 01674-675422
Richard Phinney; 01674-676008
Frank Cuninghame; 01674-830557
Harry Faulkner; 01674-672869

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Newsletter – June 2008
from Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor

Following my appointment as Bicentenary Convenor at the AGM in February, I consulted with Council and drew up plans to fit with the available budget. Council have approved these. The other two clubs in the town have also been consulted and, together with MGL who have agreed all the course bookings for special events in 2010, have been extremely supportive which is very encouraging. I can now share this programme with you and invite your comments and suggestions.

  • The programme outlined below was based on certain principles agreed with Council at the outset. These were: Every member should have the opportunity to participate in all events.
  • Costs involved must fit within an agreed budget.
  • Events to be planned to maximise the use of the clubhouse in 2010 and give us a good trading year.
  • The other two Montrose clubs and MGLL should be involved in the celebration, as the founding of our club on 1st January 1810 was the start of organised golf in our town and should therefore be celebrated by all.
  • We should invite clubs with whom we have close links and selected Royal Clubs around the world to join us in celebrating the bicentenary of the ninth oldest club
  • The publicity associated with the celebrations should be used to raise the profile of the club.


THE MAIN GOLFING AND SOCIAL EVENTS

HOGMANAY PARTY

Eat, dance and enjoy the build up to midnight and the chance to welcome the New Year and drink a toast to those members who founded the club exactly 200 years ago. Members of the other clubs to be invited to join us after midnight for free bubbly and the raising of a new bicentenary club flag to be flown throughout 2010.

2nd  January 2010;  RE-ENACTMENT OF FIRST GOLF COMPETITION

A 7 hole competition on the Broomie using hickory shafted clubs and dressed in the costume of the period followed by a party in the clubhouse. Prizes for best scores and best costume.

Friday, 26th  March 2010;  MEMBERS BICENTENARY BALL in the TOWN HALL

This is the main opportunity for members and partners to dress up in their finery and celebrate the bicentenary of our club. Optional dining beforehand in the club; dancing commences at 8.00pm. At the interval, a guest speaker will entertain us and deliver the toast to the club. A light supper will be served later in the evening. Ticket costs for members will be subsidised.

Throughout the year; COMPETE FOR BICENTENARY MEDALS

In the first decades of our club’s existence, the only competition held was for the monthly medal and the season ended with the playoff for the Original Gold Medal. These were presented at a dinner following play; attendance was compulsory. 

In 2010, we want to honour that tradition by putting a special emphasis on play for the medal competitions throughout that year. Specially-commissioned medals – possibly replicas of the Original Gold Medal if costs are not excessive –will be presented and all the winner’s names will be recorded for posterity on a plaque in the clubhouse.

The playoff by men for the Original Gold Medal and the ladies’ medal winners’ playoff will be held on the same day later in the year and followed by a dinner in the club for all participants and spectators to honour the winners.

Sunday, 25th April 2010;  THE MONTROSE GOLF CLUB 1810 COMPETITION

This competition will be played mainly on the Medal course, with a few Broomfield tee times, from 8.00am. Exactly 200 golfers- men, ladies and Juniors- drawn from the three clubs in the town will compete for specially-commissioned 1810 Bicentenary Trophies to celebrate 200 years of organised golf in Montrose.

Sunday, 1st  August 2010;  INVITATION BICENTENARY FOURSOMES

Each club in Angus to be invited to send a foursomes pairing, men and/or ladies, to compete with up to16 foursomes pairings from RMGC who are winners of specified club competitions throughout the year. Pairings from the other two Montrose clubs and MGLL will also be invited. The Scratch and Handicap winners receive Bicentenary trophies.

Monday 30th  August - Friday 3rd  September 2010;  A WEEK OF CELEBRATION

This is to be the principal event of our celebrations. Up to 110 representatives (55 couples) from local clubs, MGLL and selected Royal Clubs in Britain and around the world will be invited to attend this week of golf and social events as our guests. They will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs and all meals apart from those provided at the major social functions. Sunday 29 August will be registration and possibly practice round for guests.

The Golfing programme: - On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday we will have golf competitions of varying formats for all golfing guests and up to 50 members each day, mainly on the Medal course from 0930 - 1530. On Friday morning, there will be a 7 hole competition on the Broomfield course with hickory-shafted clubs, for all wishing to play.

The Social programme: - Mercantile and Caledonia Clubs have kindly agreed to offer club facilities to guests throughout the week. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, there will be an entertainment programme in one of the clubs each evening, in rotation. On Wednesday, the major event of the week, there will be a Dinner and Dance in the Town Hall for invited guests, a few guests of honour and up to 110 of our members and partners. The format is a buffet dinner, speeches and toasts and dancing to a top band. On Friday, at lunchtime, we close the week with a barbecue at the club followed by presentation of prizes for the week’s golfing competitions.

 

Saturday, 18th December 2010;  CHRISTMAS DINNER DANCE

This will be the final social event of the bicentenary year.

AND THERE’S MUCH MORE!

Ladies and Men’s Prize Giving and RMGC Opens will be made more special in 2010.  Prizewinners will receive bicentenary trophies and we also plan to have golfing celebrities attend our Prize Giving events.

Our Royal patron, Prince Andrew, is being invited to visit our club in 2010, hopefully to attend one of our events.

A History of the Club to mark our 200 years is being researched and will be published some time in 2009.

If advertising revenue meet printing costs, members may expect a free copy. Other copies will be gifted to visiting clubs and invited guests in 2010 and some will be on sale to the public.

Junior member recruitment programme for 2010. We will encourage schools to engage in a project focusing on Montrose in 1810 compared to the present and will offer all entrants a free golf lesson, as part of a big effort to attract more Junior members.

A Bicentenary logo will be designed and incorporated on bicentenary scorecards for use in all competitions in 2010 and on various golf memorabilia such as golf balls, ball markers etc. that will be available for purchase. We plan also to have bicentenary logo jerseys and polo shirts for sale to members and visitors, of one colour only we suggest, thus creating a consistent club “uniform” for 2010. Royal blue for jerseys and white for polo shirts has been proposed.

Sponsorship and fundraising; Sponsorship especially will be important in increasing the funds available for the programme and allow us possibly to do more. We will be trying very hard to attract a range of sponsors willing to support such a significant event. To aid this, we plan to push our programme into a media spotlight at every opportunity and talk to bodies such as Angus Council to enlist their support.

Clubhouse Improvements. Some part of the available budget will be spent on these. The Club Council will decide on the priorities and will also look to members to assist, perhaps by helping with redecoration and general tidying.

WHAT IS ASKED OF YOU?

Please: -

Note key dates for 2010, especially the Week of Celebration, and try to make yourself available to take part.

  • Think about potential sponsors – those who might sponsor major events or be the major sponsor of the bicentenary and those who might sponsor parts of the programme such as prizes for a particular event or the school competition.
  • Suggest improvements to this programme – planning is quite well advanced but still able to be adjusted – or events or activities that might be added.
  • Also, give us feedback on the suggested colour for bicentenary logo club jerseys and polo shirts.
  • Give your opinion on whether, on days we compete for bicentenary medals, we should have a social gathering in the clubhouse to present the medals following that day’s competition.
  • Offer help and assistance with any part of the programme. I have begun to set up a sub committee and we will welcome offers of help particularly with the running of events in 2010.

Contact me by leaving a note at the Club, phone me on 672869 or e mail: bicentenary@royalmontrosegolf.com

Harry Faulkner, Bicentenary Convenor

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