MONTHLY TERN
Green is the word!
Course Manager, Matty Smith updates us on the course conditions
Club News & Top Tips
All the latest Club news and Newburgh Pro, Robbie Stewart shares his monthly 'Top Tips'.
Newburgh Links Pro Shop Joins Foremost Golf!
Bringing You a Wider Selection, Better Prices, and Improved Services
The Newburgh Links Pro Shop team are delighted to announce that we have officially become a member of Foremost Golf, the UK’s largest golf retail and marketing services group, boasting over 990 members. This exciting development will enable us to provide our customers with an even greater selection of highquality golf equipment from a wider range of leading suppliers—all at the best possible prices.
One of the first major benefits of this partnership is the upcoming launch of our very own Pro Shop website. This platform will serve as a convenient ‘click & collect’ service, allowing you to browse and purchase a wide variety of golfing essentials, from golf balls and clubs to GPS devices and accessories—in short, everything you need to help you play your best game. Stay tuned for further updates in your inbox as we finalise the details and get the website up and running.
In addition, we will soon be integrating the new Foremost-POS point-of-sale and stock management system in the shop. This upgrade will significantly enhance the efficiency of our daily operations, including an improved members’ account system and a much smoother checkout process. The installation and setup will keep us busy over the coming weeks—typically a quieter period—but we are confident that this will lead to a better shopping experience for all our valued customers.
We look forward to bringing you these exciting changes and enhancing the services we offer. Thank you for your continued support! L
Seniors Section Seniors Convenor, Dave Burness, gives all the latest news from the seniors section.
Matty Smith Course Manager
A New Year at Newburgh!
We would like to start by wishing a Happy New Year to all our members and visitors! We hope you enjoyed a great festive period and are back and ready to embrace the golfing opportunities ahead in 2025.
At Newburgh Golf Club, despite a winter of challenging weather, we've been hard at work preparing the course for the year ahead. Here's an update on what’s been happening on and around the greens.
Weather Challenges
As you will be aware, there was a lot of snow in the first few weeks of the year followed by frost, which have naturally posed some challenges
for maintenance work. However, whenever the weather has allowed the team have been making the most of it and working hard on the course.
We’ve focused on aeration work on the greens and their surrounds, which is essential to maintain healthy root systems and ensure the surfaces remain firm and consistent. This was followed up with monthly applications of our winter nutrition plan, which helps keep the greens in great condition during the colder months.
Hole Eight Gorse
A major project this winter has been the reduction of gorse at the eighth hole. This area has been a problem spot for the course due to the damage caused by rabbits on the eighth fairway. By removing more than 80% of the gorse, we aim to minimise the rabbit activity in this area and protect the fairway.
The work is ongoing, but we’re confident it will be completed before the start of the golf season. Once finished, this will greatly improve both the playability and maintenance of the eighth hole.
Walkway Improvements
One priority over winter has been to improve the walkways around the course, and work has already begun on this important project. During wet and icy conditions pathways can become an issue, and it’s one we seeked to get ahead of.
It is a project that will happen in stages, with further work planned in the next few weeks. Our aim is to make every aspect of the course as accessible and enjoyable as possible, and the pathways certainly add to this.
Bunker Enhancements
We’re also planning improvements to the bunkers, which will focus on enhancing their aesthetics. While this work is weather dependent, we’re ready to get started as soon as conditions allow. The bunkers are a key feature of our course, and we want to ensure they are not only functional but also visually appealing.
Top Dressing for Greens
As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining high-quality greens, we’ll also be adding top dressing (sand) to the greens complex. This will help to keep the surfaces firm and true, ensuring that the greens remain in excellent condition heading into the spring and summer seasons.
Welcoming New Members and Looking Ahead!
One of the highlights of the winter season has been seeing new faces around the club. Despite the colder weather, the club has seen lots of activity whenever conditions have allowed. We’re always thrilled to welcome new members to Newburgh Golf Club and look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces out on the course in the months ahead.
As we move closer to the start of the golf season, the greenkeeping team will continue to work hard to ensure the course is in top condition. Whether it’s tackling long-term projects, enhancing the look of the course, staying on top of regular maintenance, or making quick fixes, we’re committed to providing a top golfing experience to all.
We’d like to thank all our members for their continued support and understanding during the winter maintenance period. Your enthusiasm and dedication to the club mean a great deal to us, and we’re excited to share another fantastic year of golf with you all. L
The top dressing will be applied in between our other winter projects to ensure minimal disruption to the course.
An introduction to your new Club Captain
With a New Year, comes a new Captain for Newburgh...
With the new set-up in the club, subscriptions go to OGV. We as members now need to become selffunding to pay for Trophy engraving, signwriting to update the club champions and captain boards and help pay for hospitality for interclub competitions. At present we have 2 funds, the Captain’s Fund which shall be used to pay for improvements for members on the course and around the clubhouse and a Members Fund which will go to pay for the above expenses. The Seniors and Ladies sections already do this, by holding raffles at their Open competitions. We are looking for men from the Gents section to volunteer at Opens to assist the starters and run raffles, they will still be able to participate in the Opens as times can be reserved for the volunteers. Again, if anyone has an idea for raising funds please get in touch. We are also looking for volunteers to assist the greenkeepers with maintenance on the course, sclaffing, raking bunkers etc, on the job training will be given, also anyone that has time to help with tidying up around the clubhouse.
A plea for players
Would you like to represent the Club?
This year, the Club has once again entered teams into both the Gordon District Pennant League and Gordon District Greensomes League.
The format of the Pennant League is scratch fourball better ball, whereas the Greensomes League, as the name suggests, is a handicap greensomes format where both players drive, you pick the best one and then play alternate shots from there.
The matches are typically played on a Thursday night, teeing off around 5:30pm. Soup and sandwiches are provided afterwards.
Although we have a few ‘old hands’, we are always looking for new members to join the squads. It’s a great way to meet fellow members, and play different courses in a competitive but fun environment.
Could any players wishing to represent the Club in these matches please contact: Paul Marshall on 07748 907 246 for the Pennant League and Brian O’Neill on 07766 423 190 for the Greensomes League.
about joining the committee let alone become Club Captain, but I was nominated at the AGM in November 2023 this was when the club was going through critical financial problems, so I accepted the nomination and joined the committee.
Thankfully, due to the intervention of Kenny Dooley and OGV the club was saved. However, there is still a lot to do to get the club on a good financial footing.
When Brian Thomson resigned as Club Captain I was elected by the committee as Vice-Captain. It was agreed that I would hold this post until our next AGM in November 2024 where a new Club Captain could be elected. At the AGM I was the only member nominated and seconded for the roll of captain, with no other nominations being put forward I was appointed as Captain.
Over the coming year the committee and I hope to create a good working partnership with Kenny, his greenkeeping team and OGV to turn NOYGC into one of the best golf courses in the Northeast and Scotland. With Kenny’s backing Matty and his team have already made great improvements to the course which I am sure everyone has noticed.
We have received good feedback from visitors and members commenting on how good the course is now. If any member has any ideas for improvement, please contact either myself, a member of the committee or one of the Robbie’s in the Pro-shop and let us know your thoughts.
Preparations for the coming summer season are underway, and the fixtures list will be issued shortly. The winter season finishes on the Sunday 30th of March leaving a gap of 2 weeks before the start of the new summer season on the 19th of April. The committee discussed this, and we have decided to introduce a couple of new fun competitions to fill the 2 Saturdays and get those that did not play over the winter season back out onto the course without worrying about their handicap. We are planning to have a Captain’s Team v Pro-shop Team on Saturday 5th April, this will be a mixed four ball match play competition. A Stableford on Sunday 6th of April and a Double Irish Stableford on Saturday 12th of April. There is also a Mixed Open on Sunday 13th of April. We hope to get a good turnout for these, especially for the Capt. v Pro competition and if it proves to be popular, we may introduce it as an annual event. Full format for his will be issued soon.
Finally wishing everyone a good year of golf for 2025.
Happy Golfing - Sam
Newburgh ladies update
Firstly, very best wishes to all for a Happy and Healthy 2025 from the Newburgh Links Ladies Section
Thanks to some rotten weather so far this winter there isn’t much to shout about in this update. Our Ladies Winter 9 hole Stableford Competition has got off to a pretty slow start with only 6 of the possible 11 rounds having been played. Of the results posted so far only 2 players have recorded 6 scores – some of which, it has to be said, do not suggest that potential Solheim Cup players are among us!!
Only 3 points separate the top 2 cumulative scores - So ladies there is still plenty opportunity to accumulate 8 great scores.
The really good news for all the budding golfing ladies among us is that there are another 10 rounds in the diary to be played, so come on down on a Sunday and take on the challenge to win the trophy. You’ve got to be in it to win it!!
Regards, Sheena
New Member Of Staff
Welcome to Newburgh Fraser!
You’ll see a new face in the shop now as Fraser Clubb from Ellon has joined the team in a Golf Operations role which will see him split his time between working on the golf course with the greenkeeping team and also in the shop with the 2 Robbies. He will be working towards a greenkeeping qualification, and we all wish him the best of luck in his new role. As long as he can make a good cup of tea he’ll get on well.
Club Fitting At Newburgh
Looking for some new clubs?...
Custom fittings available at Newburgh
Links
Getting properly fitted for golf clubs can significantly enhance your performance and enjoyment of the game. Custom-fitted clubs improve accuracy, consistency, and distance by ensuring the right shaft length, lie angle, grip size, and clubhead design for your swing. A proper fit helps optimize launch angle and spin rate, leading to better ball flight and control. It also reduces the risk of injury by promoting a more natural swing motion, preventing unnecessary strain. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced golfer, fitted clubs maximize your strengths and compensate for weaknesses, ultimately leading to lower scores and a more enjoyable experience.
PING offers the most time-tested and precise custom-fitting process in golf, one proven to generate the optimal ball flights and consistency you need to shoot lower scores. You will come away with the exact club specifications that fit your individual swing to deliver the results you’re looking for. Robbie is a certified Ping club fitter so don’t hesitate – book your fitting appointment now.
A smarter, more precise iron fitting is only a few swings away. Wilson Fit AI is the first-of-its-kind generative intelligence that processes real time swing data for exact custom iron recommendations. The magic lies in Wilson’s Black Box Algorithm and motion analysis from industry-leading Blast – an up-and-down combo that is the future of fitting.
Book your fitting with Robbie at the Club Shop or by calling: +44 (0) 1358 789058 today!
Robbie's Top Tips!
The first piece of advice that is often given to those aspiring golfers picking up a club for the first time is ‘KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN’. However well intended this advice may be, this is quite simply the worst thing that you can try to do.
Correct posture at the set-up position is vital for putting your body in the best position to allow for a full, relaxed and unrestricted golf swing. When every part of your body is moving during the swing the last thing that any of us need is something that is going to restrict or inhibit that movement, in particular a full shoulder turn.
Image 1 shows how easy it is to fall into a poor posture, with the head in the ‘DOWN’ position and tucked into the chest, therefore restricting the free shoulder turn that we’re looking for. The body movement from this starting position will tend to be more of a lateral sway than a turn and will typically cause a topped or thinned shot, exactly the type of shot that is often followed a shout of ‘I Lifted My Head’!
Image 2 shows the correct posture with definite angles at the knees and at the waist and showing the head and chin in an ‘UP’ position. From here it is much easier to turn the shoulders correctly without the chin getting in the way.
So, remember – knees bent, bum out, chin up – and you’ll have a much better chance of a good result.
Newburgh Hosts North East Alliance
On Wednesday 5th February, we were delighted to host 104 players from the North East Alliance. The weather was great for the time of year and the feedback from the Alliance for our Greenkeeping team was extremely positive. Well done Matty, Wayne, John, Ron and Fraser! ��⭐
See some of the lovely comments below:
"The North East of Scotland Golfers’ Alliance has been in existence since the early 1930s with the Championship Uniroyal Quaich first played for in 1935. The founders main objective was to bring together professional and amateur golfers, male and female, keen to maintain their interest in golf during the season’s winter months. Members join the Alliance each year in early September and currently have around 150 members in total with up to 100 players involved in each weekly competition over 25 weeks between September and March."
100 Club Winners 100 Club Winners
January's Lucky Winners:
1st Prize £50
Ewan Aitken No79
2nd Prize£40
Jane Middleton No73
3rd Prize £30
Stuart Mitchell No13
Winter Members!
Hopefully our winter members have been able to get out on some of the lovely days we have had in between the storms!
The winter membership ends on March 28th and during February we will be sending out bills for those who wish to transition to full membership. The cost for transitioning to full membership will be £525 plus affiliation fees. This can either be paid in full or a DD can be set up for 9 months.
Please note that the full membership will expire on 31 January 2026 in line with all other members.
If you have any questions regarding this, please pop into the pro shop or send us an email clubmanager@newburghgolfclub.co.uk
The Robbies
Live Music at the Taproom
Platform 5 debut at the OGV Taproom Newburgh!
Thank you to everyone who supported Platform 5 at the Newburgh Links Taproom on February 2nd for their debut gig. Your support meant so much to the band, it was great to see lots of happy faces and to see so many of you up dancing throughout the evening.
Seniors Winter Calendar
Dave Burness Seniors Convener
It’s been a wet and icy start to our Winter Season with considerable disruption to our planned fixture list, but Sam Boyle has done a great job in rearranging the key fixtures to ensure all trophies have been played for. This years medal winners to date are as follows:
November
December
January 25 Wullie Dyker Frank Rattray
Frank Rattray has had the best of things so far registering 2 wins with the other 4 Medals evenly shared. Remaining
Rollin rollin rollin…
Anew“addition” to the course this winter has been Dave Philip’s spanking new motorised cart. Great to see Dave continuing to enjoy his golf with the improved mobility that his buggie offers. Attached picture shows Dave showing his fellow players a clean pair of heels as they try to hitch a lift up to the 1st tee. Keep on trucking Dave.
Seniors Opens – 2025
Our next Seniors Open is on Thursday 27 February and names are filling up fast.
Prices are £12 for members and £18 for visitors and can be booked using the following methods:
• Via the club website https://newburghgolfclub.co.uk/ select GOLF OPENS, then VISITORS.
• Phone the Pro Shop on 01358 789058, option 1. Payment is requested at time of booking
In addition to the above Winter Open our other Opens for 2025 are also now available to book. Prices for the Summer Opens are £15 for members and £25 for Visitors.
Celebrity spotting – a pair of Toffs
Can you spot the celebrity? (The one on the right), pictured with our own Senior member Grant Leslie.
Snap was taken at her recent engagement party held in Ellon…….that’s HER engagement party and not THEIRS.
For those who do not follow celebrity media the lovely young lady is Georgia Toffolo of Made in Chelsea fame, recently engaged to Brewdog owner James Watt.
Let’s see what other celebrity snaps we can collect going forward into 2025. Happy to receive your pictures for future inclusion in Tern Articles.
Just for Fun
1 Categories (7)
5 Petty quarrels (5)
8 Harmonious sounds (5)
9 Scold (7)
10 Plentiful (7)
11 Yours (5)
12 Sheen (6)
14 Menace (6)
18 Traverse (5)
20 In name only (7)
22 Make intelligible (7)
23 Wading bird with long legs (5)
24 Lying face downwards (5)
25 Broad river mouth (7)
1 Funny (7)
2 Ancient Greek fabulist (5)
3 Relief in time of distress (7)
4 Game played in a court (6)
5 Dalai Lama's land (5)
6 Delicate (7)
7 Grass-like plant (5)
13 Eighth sign of the zodiac (7)
15 Small axe (7)
16 Despotism (7)
17 Ascent (anag.) (6)
18 Inexpensive (5)
19 Look fixedly (5)
21 Immature form of insect (5)