Tain Golf Club's 2007 season championship cup winners. Back row (left to right): Brian Waddell, Stuart Smith. Front row (left to right): Julie Vass, lady captain Fiona Brand, Mary Smith, Munro Ferries, club captain Ian Innes, Dennis Albutt.

SAMMY AND JULIE VASS CARRY ON THE FAMILY
TRADITION AT TAIN GOLF CLUB

By ROBIN WILSON
It was not so much a family at war but a family domination of the women’s club championships at Tain last week and in the men’s scratch final Munro Ferries gained revenge for his defeat of 12 months ago at the hands of James Macleod.
At any time through the golfing season any one of the three Tain siblings, Mary Smith, Anne Ryan and Maggie Vass, are making golf news and now Maggie’s teenage daughters, Sammy (15) and Julie (13) are sharing part of the stage with their mother and Aunts.
Last week the three sisters were joined in the semi finals of the scratch championship by Sammy but it was Mary, the eldest sister, who prevailed once again. While Anne and Maggie were the dominant players in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mary only emerged as a first time winner in 1999 after her family had grown up.
She won again in 2000 and 2002 but had to concede to Audrey Murray over the next two years before recapturing the title in 2005 and retaining ever since, this year with a win in the final over young niece Sammy.
It was Sammy’s first time in the final, having beaten her auntie Anne in the semi final but Mary’s golf, just one above par, was too good for the youngster when the tie ended on the 16th green.
JULIE'S FIRST-TIME TRIUMPH
Sammy had, in a previous year, won the handicap championship and this year it was the turn of her younger sister, Julie, to triumph for the first time in this section by beating Claire Ross after 16 holes.
In the last 10 finals of the men’s scratch championship Munro Ferries and James Macleod have shared six wins between them but now Ferries has gone ahead with four wins. He beat the defending champion at the second extra hole.
James Macleod, who is the son of head greenkeeper Ian Macleod, had previous wins in 2001 and 2003. In last year's final, coming at the end of his golf scholarship in America, his golf was too hot for Ferries and he won easily after 13 holes.
After a return to America but this time working at golf clubs, mainly as a caddie, he has not played so much and his golf was not so sharp before coming up against an in-form Ferries who had led the qualifiers into the match-play stages setting a new course record of 64 in the process.
While both players began well by exchanging birdies on the first two holes the inclement weather of wind and rain spoiled play and par figures were sufficient to take holes. MacLeod won both the outward short holes with par but the first sign of trouble with his driver, that was to prove his downfall, showed through at the ninth hole with a visit to the bushes to hold just a one-hole lead at the turn for home.
Although he regained his two-hole advantage at the 10th, trouble on the 12th and 13th brought the game back level and with an excellent birdie 3 at the 14th, Ferries went ahead again for the first time since his birdie on the first hole.
BIRDIE PUTT OF 20FT
The lead was held until the 16th where Macleod rolled in a 20ft putt for birdie and then driver trouble showed again in the holder’s game at the 18th. From the rough he was able to salvage a half in 4 to continue the game to the 19th tee.
The first extra hole was halved but from another wayward drive at the second extra hole Macleod could only recover sideways to the fairway and after three years Ferries was champion once more.
Brian Waddell, Dennis Albutt, and Stuart Smith were three first time champions in the men’s other finals. Waddell beat Hamish Skinner to win the handicap cup, Albutt became the senior scratch champion with a last hole win over the defending champion
James Cunningham and Kenny Anderson lost his grip on the senior handicap cup to Stuart Smith who also won on the final green.
Tain Golf Club’s junior policy is also making winners outside the club. Last Saturday at Golspie 13-year-old Andrew Bell returned the lowest net handicap scores in the Millicent Bowl competition. With a handicap of 17, he had net rounds of 71 and 66 for 137 but unfortunately was not able to take home the Bowl as it is confined to Sutherland club members.