Greenlees Trophy - 75th Anniversary


On Saturday 19th September 2015 Cathcart Castle Golf Club hosted a special Greenlees Anniversary Tri-Am with players from 28 golf clubs to mark 75 years of the West of Scotland Ladies Inter Club Golf League founded by Ysobel Greenlees. 
Cathcart Castle also provided a celebratory brochure about the young Mrs Greenlees and her pioneering idea. 

Here is an Extract from the brochure - kindly produced by Jean Smith (Cathcart Castle Ladies Handicap Secretary and RLCGA's membership Secretary)

YSOBEL GREENLEES
THE WEST of SCOTLAND LADIES INTER CLUB GOLF LEAGUE
75th Anniversary Year  2015


YSOBEL GREENLEES, golf internationalist and captain of the British Ladies Team, was born in Glasgow in 1902, the daughter of building contractor George Findlay (later a Bailie of Troon) and his wife Jessie Greenlees of Campbeltown and daughter of the late Samuel Greenlees. In 1919 age 17 she married her cousin Walter Greenlees, a son of the distiller Samuel Greenlees Jnr who had made Scotch an international drink.
Ysobel and Walter settled in Monkland House, Troon, and by 20 she had her son and daughter.
The Greenlees families hailed from Kintyre and developed three distilleries in Campbeltown (and one in Islay) and were founder members of Machrihanish Golf Club in 1876. They pioneered the mass-marketing and exporting of blended whiskies and soon became the largest holders in the world of thoroughly matured Pure Malt Whisky.
Ysobel learned her golf at Prestwick St Nicholas, which was instrumental in starting the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association, and became Club Champion at age 25 before joining Troon where her husband played. She became West of Scotland Champion in 1932; was a leading member of the first-ever British ladies team which toured Australasia, via India, in 1935; and captained Britain playing in France in 1938 when Britain beat France 7 and 2 at Golf de Morvantaine, where the home nation was captained by Madame Danae Vagliano, after whom the international Vagliano Trophy is named.
Ysobel founded the West of Scotland Ladies Inter Club League in 1930, for which her husband donated the Greenlees Trophy.  Her purpose in starting it was to give club players, especially the younger ones, greater experience in playing competitive match-play golf.
It was first played for in 1931 when Prestwick St Nicholas won, after a play-off against Troon. From 1939, due to the War, the League was suspended until 1949, when Troon won.  She advertised in the Glasgow Herald inviting more clubs to join in – creating a second division in 1954, and donating its trophy, all followed by a third division in 1986.
She was a vivacious, powerful golfer, and when playing in the Open competitions newspapers reported “her golf gives more aesthetic pleasure to the spectator than any other of the competitors.”

She passed on in 1996, and today is remembered for “The Greenlees” league, now of three divisions, playing in its 75th year of intense competition and rivalry between 27 clubs across the West of Scotland each summer. It is unique in Scotland.



FORMAT ---
The format was a Tri -am with the teams being drawn one member from each division - just to mix everybody up.

RESULTS PHOTOGRAPHS AND WINNERS : 


Winners: Gill Hendry, Linda McDougall and Sharon Edge
Runners Up: Margaret Gray, Alice Brown and Aileen Donaldson
The Greenlees 75th Celebration Triam was played in excellent weather today (19th September 2015) and was enjoyed by all the participants - it is a pity that something like this only happens once. Grateful thanks must be given to Sheila Orr and the ladies from Cathcart Castle for their organisation and their decoration of the Dining Room. Special thanks to Jean Smith and her husband for producing such and interesting brochure - I think we all learned from it. Special thanks to our guests, Fiona Butler, Willeen McCallum and not least Carol Fell. I would like to thank all the players who took part in our celebration and made it such a successful day..

Only the second prize winners were there and Greenlees Secretary Anne Dunn is going to ask the others if they can come to the lunch on Greenlees Lunch on the 20th October.  

Winners: - Gill Hendry ( Douglas Park) Sharon Edge (Lenzie)  and Linda McDougall, (Greenock).
2nd: Aileen Donaldson (West Kilbride),  Margaret Gray (Old Ranfurly) and Alice Brown, (Bothwell Castle). 
3rd: Jill Foggo (Milngavie), Eleanor Inglis (Largs) and Linda Hay (Eastwood).

To see some Photos --- CLICK HERE --  Courtesy of Anne Dunn's daughter Nikki and Carol Fell


Many thanks go to Cathcart Castle's Graeme and Jean Smith for advertising the Greenlees Trophy Celebration played on the 19th September in the Ayrshire Post.


SOME PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES OVER THE PAST 12 YEARS  AND BEYOND !!

2003 WINNERS - COCHRANE CASTLE

2004 WINNERS -- RANFURLY CASTLE

2005 WINNERS - COCHRANE CASTLE

2006 WINNERS - COCHRANE CASTLE

2007 WINNERS - COCHRANE CASTLE

2008 WNNERS - TROON LADIES

2009 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2010 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2011 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2012 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2013 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2014 WINNERS - CATHKIN  BRAES

2015 WINNERS - KILMARNOCK BARASSIE

2016 WINNERS - MILNGAVIE

2017 WINNERS - CATHKIN BRAES

2018 WINNERS - TROON LADIES

2019 WINNERS - CATHKIN BRAES

2020 - No Matches played due to Covid19

2021 WINNERS - WILLIAMWOOD

SOME VIDEOS OF WINNING TEAMS WITH GREENLEES SECRETARIES


L TO R : Willeen McCallum, Anne Dunn and Fiona Roger


2007 LUNCH AT PRESTWICK ST NICHOLAS WINNING TEAM COCHRANE CASTLE -- SECRETARY WILLEEN MCCALLUM
The Presentation Speeches of the Greenlees Trophy to  Rosemary Donaldson Troon, Rosa Maxwell Prestwick St Nicholas and Pearl Orr Cochrane Castle . Plus Willeen McCallum (Greenlees Secretary)

2010 LUNCH AT WEST KILBRIDE  WINNING TEAM MILNGAVIE - SECRETARY FIONA ROGER
The 2010 West of Scotland Greenlees Trophy Presentations. Fiona Roger the Greenlees Secretary announces the winners and West Kilbride's Ladies Captain Phyllis Howie presents the Trophies to Milngavie (Greenlees Champions), Cathkin Braes (Runners Up), Prestwick St Nicholas (Division 2 Winners) and Largs (Division 3 Winners)

2011 GREENLEES LUNCH AT WHITECRAIGS GOLF CLUB - WINNING TEAM MILNGAVIE  - SECRETARY FIONA ROGER
The 2011 West of Scotland Greenlees Trophy lunch and Presentation of Trophies took place at Whitecraigs Golf Club. Sheila Adams of Loudoun Gowf was presented with the Division 3 Trophy, Aileen Donaldson of West Kilbride the 2nd Division Trophy and Anna Telfer from Milngavie the Greenlees Trophy which they won for the 3rd year in a row. Fiona Roger the Greenlees Secretary for the West of Scotland  chaired the lunch and presentation.

2012 GREENLEES LUNCH AT WILLIAMWOOD GOLF CLUB - WINNING TEAM MILNGAVIE -- SECRETARY ANNE DUNN
The 2012 Greenlees Lunch and Presentation of Trophies. Milngavie win the Greenlees Trophy for the 4th year in a row and Anna Telfer (Team Captain) gives her vote of thanks. Loudoun Gowf win Division 2 and Liz Keohone gives her vote of thanks. Anne Dunn the Greenlees Secretary reads out the winners and Williamwood's Jinty Roger presents the trophies

2015 GREENLEES LUNCH AT CATHCART CASTLE GOLF CLUB - WINNING TEAM KILMARNOCK BRASSIE - SECRETARY ANNE DUNN
The 2015 Greenlees Trophy Winners are presented at the annual Greenlees Lunch. This year it was held at Cathcart Castle in its 75th Anniversary of the Greenlees Matches -- Winners were the Greenlees Trophy Kilmarnock Barassie - 1st Division - Cathcart Castle and Division 3 Haggs Castle. Cathcart Castle's Pat Lavelle presented the prizes and Greenlees Secretary Anne Dunn announced the winners