Most of our top players gear their summer around two competitions; the 'Western Isles' and the Club Championship, so it is 'countdown' to the first major of the season this week, as the last of the 'fine-tuning' gets underway.

Two good rounds in qualifying will ensure further participation in the match-plays and the chance to be crowned Western Isles Open Champion 2008.

Last year's champion Neil Rowlands has been conspicuous by his absence in competition this season to date and one can but hope that he joins the fray to attempt a defence of his crown.

Having missed golf week last year, and thereby the chance to win the prestigious title; members of the Western Isles Golf Team who represented us at the World Island Games in Rhodes will be very keen to perform well this coming week, and be 'there or thereabouts' at the end of the week.

With multiple 'majors' to their credit already, Norrie 'Onions' MacDonald and Andy MacDonald will be amongst the favourites, but young David Black and Kevin MacRae will be strong challengers in what looks like being the most fiercely contested 'Scratch' competition for years.

Also competing this year after taking part in Rhodes with our football team are Colin MacRichie and Scott MacIver.

Colin falls into the same category as Norrie and Andy, having already proved his mettle at the highest local levels, but Scott proved last Saturday with an excellent gross 72 that he means business this year also.

With the course beginning to resemble the condition most of us would expect as we enter July (recovering nicely after several weeks of drought), many of the 'heavyweights' warmed up last weekend by breaking 70 gross, taking advantage of receptive greens, and a putting surface which has recovered well after some rain and TLC from our hard-working greens staff.

It has been remarkable to watch the scoring tumble as the course reverts to a condition we are all vaguely familiar with.

Next week will see everyone making a concerted effort to be amongst the prizes in seven days of competition (Saturday to Saturday), so we need all be mindful of the basic rules of etiquette and speed of play.

With many visitors participating, this is our chance to showcase the club and the course, but more importantly ourselves , our town and our island hospitality to our guests.

Golf Week is the big event of the year, and includes one of our most important competitions.

Let's hope everyone enjoys themselves, and we wish everyone success.
Can I remind everyone to pay their entrance fees ahead of participation, and for all last years' winners to return their trophies in time for prize giving on July 11.

Last week's golf saw success come to players who have been avoiding the limelight of late.

Murdo Alex Macleod won the Centenary Medal qualifier on Wednesday with a blistering 44 points in miserable conditions.

Knowing that Neil 'Barber' Morrison had posted a fine 41 points in the afternoon rain, his evening round in the drizzle was his best for too long a time and saw him qualify for the final later in the season.

Neil , however, was just getting his land-legs, having spent the previous few weeks on an oil-rig helping to bring us the cheap petrol we grow on our own doorstep.

Normally one expects our offshore contingent to spend a couple of days acclimatising to golf and dry land before producing their best, but Neil looks to have hit the ground running this time, shooting 75 on Wednesday to finish second (but qualify as best Div 1 player), then 71 on Saturday to qualify for the Jackson Medal Final with the best round of the day.

Donna MacLeod won for the first time this season, capturing the ladies section Cancer Relief trophy ahead of newly crowned club champion Jane Nicolson.

Despite both scoring 38 stableford points, Donna finished more strongly (better inward half), and will be looking forward to the week ahead and the chance to collect more silverware.

Stewart Macaulay took the junior prize on Saturday, and as a proven winner expect to see him feature strongly next week.

We have too many fine golfers entered in all competitions for me to attempt to guess the identity of any winners in this column.

One thing I can confidently predict is that there will be plenty golf, plenty 'craic' and plenty new friendships made.

What else is Golf Week for?

Senior's Summer League – w/e 28/6/2008
Whilst the past week's rain may have been welcomed by greens staff it didn't necessarily suit the senior golfers who tend to perform much better with a gentle breeze on the brow and a warm sun on their backs.

Norrie MacLean's had one of those topsy-turvy rounds that causes so much frustration with 25 points going out and a mere seven on the inward half. A game of two halves indeed!

Top score of the week came from Jimmy (Agga) MacKenzie with 37 points.
Since then, Jimmy has been hospitalised as a result of a fall at home – we wish him a speedy recovery.

We can now publish the first league table of the season and it will be no great surprise to find the three Norrie's to the fore.

Some of the usual suspects (Robbie, Dennis and Harris) have not yet played ten rounds, but will doubtlessly be making their presence felt over the coming weeks.