It is with great sadness that I have to report the recent passing of Alasdair Cockburn (Coll 1959-64). Alasdair had been a partner at PWC and was a keen golfer who regularly represented OGGS. He attended its events over many years, organising its team entries for, in particular, the annually held Anniesland Trophy at Denham…
No matter how much planning goes into preparing teams for events such as this, surprises always seem to do their best to upset the applecart. Injuries to elderly players are predictable but clubs being stolen overnight from a car may well be a first in OG history. Nevertheless on the morning of the 22nd of…
18th green at a glorious Denham On the hottest day of the year (so far), on the sun drenched parkland of Denham, the annual gathering of the London Scottish Schools Golf Society took place with a group of Scottish educated gentleman in teams of four representing their old schools for a day of fun and…
On Sunday, 14th June, eight members of the Old Glenalmond Golfing Society met at Prestwick GC for a triangular match against the Old Lorettonian Golfing Society and the Old Merchistonian Golf Club. Having gathered in the impressive new Cardinal Restaurant for breakfast and the eagerly anticipated pairings announcements, twenty-four golfers headed out for the morning…
The Anniesland Trophy is a team competition run by the London Scottish Schools Golfing Society. It is held in June each year at Denham Golf Club. Each player returns a stableford score, with handicap. The aggregate of the best three scores is the team score. This year the competition will be on Tuesday 23rd June,…
Players for the Captain's Invitational The weather on the Ayrshire coast defied expectations as 8 golfers (and coach Andy Todd playing behind) ventured onto the links at Prestwick. The OGGS side were kindly gifted caps for the occasion by Andy, which turned out to be very helpful as glorious sunshine was interspersed with a few…
Early June, and whilst world tennis is still focused on Roland Garros, world golf attention has already moved to Wimbledon. The best putters from schools around the UK descend on Royal Wimbledon each evening for a few weeks to contest The Gordon Thorburn Schools Putting Competition. With 3 of the successful 2025 Plate winning team…
Royal Wimbledon Golf Club The annual gathering of English OGGS – or Exiles as we prefer to be known – took place once again at Royal Wimbledon this week, with seven enthusiastic OG golfers meeting in blustery south-west London for lunch and golf in the form of handicap stableford singles. The prize at stake was…
The odds are higher with the over 50s that injury or ill-health will have an effect and so it proved this year. John Laird was diagnosed with Shingles on the Friday. Despite numerous phone calls, by Saturday morning we only had a replacement for the Sunday, but John selflessly arrived to play that afternoon. Unfortunately,…
Captain Niall Booker led a strong OGGS side to victory against the pupils at Cairnies on Bank Holiday Sunday. The course was felt to be in reasonable condition, given the early phase of the season and the wet spring. The greens, in particular, were found to be running reasonably fast (and true) despite a covering…
1st Tee at RSG Having lost in the first round to a good Harrow team at Sandwich in both 2024 & 2025, there was a little trepidation this year. Although we were again drawn at Sandwich, Hurstpierpoint were a less dangerous opposition, albeit they were rated higher than us in the Anderson 5 Year Scales.…
In the week leading up to the annual match against Old Sedberghians on Thursday, 26th March produced decidedly wintery conditions including freezing rain and hailstones on two days, so it was with some relief that the OGGS Team arrived at Royal Wimbledon Golf Club to find bright blue skies and moderately warm temperatures as well…
The inaugural Founders Sports Day is set to be held on Saturday, 2 May, and is shaping up to be a fantastic day. It promises to be a brilliant opportunity to come together, reconnect, and enjoy some friendly competition back at Coll. The afternoon will feature a range of sports, including hockey, tennis, shooting, and cricket,…
The Wayfarers Medal trophy Tournament Sec Tom Simmonds winding up on the first tee The 16th at Elie on Saturday afternoon The first “major” of the year was held at Elie last weekend with the Scottish Wayfarers competing for the Stenhouse Quaich. In a return to more typical conditions, we were treated to a fairly…
The Wayfarers have announced details for the forthcoming match with the pupils. It is a friendly 4-ball better ball format (with handicaps) played at Bruntsfield on Thursday 30th April – soup & sandwiches at 2pm, with tee times from 2.56-3.36. Two OGGS and two pupils. Please sign up on the Fixture List if interested.
Match Manager John Bushell has selected an unchanged side as the OGGS seek to defend their Cyril Gray Trophy at Worplesdon in June 2026 (23rd-26th). The winning side from last year boasts 274 Hewitt caps (hopefully with a few more to be added before the Trophy in June), and comprises: Niall Booker John Bushell John…
Many thanks to all members of OGGS who contributed to the wonderful present for retiring Hon. Sec. Mike Thomson, who handed over the reins after nearly a decade at the annual weekend in October. Two engraved benches and a coffee table were delivered – the table to Golf House Club, Elie in time for the…
For any interested OGGS, there are tickets available for the OG Club Dinner & AGM in Edinburgh at the New Club on Friday 6th February 2026. Cost is £80 (£60 if aged under 30) and dress code is black tie. AGM starts at 7, and dinner at 8. Pre-drinks are available at 6.45 (if attending…
The draw for the 2026 Halford Hewitt was held at the East India Club in London last night. John Gordon and Sandy Gray were both in attendance, and I’m pleased to be able to report the draw. Glenalmond will play Hurstpierpoint, on Thursday 9th April at 08:55 at Royal St Georges Golf Club. The team…
For any interested OGGS, there are 10 tickets left for the OG Club Dinner in London on Thursday, 27 November, and ticket sales will close at midnight tomorrow. The full executive team, including Prof. Basak Akdemir (35 Education Group), Lucy Elphinstone (Warden) & Tim Bayley (Chief Executive Officer) will be there – and the evening…
The Annual Weekend was held in its usual spot at Elie on the 2nd weekend of October, and there was much excitement leading up to the event. We had two wins to celebrate, a former Lions captain as guest of honour, the new Warden, and a changing of the guard with a retiring Captain and…
Glenalmond returned to tournament golf this weekend, not long after our great success at the Cyril Gray in the summer. The Queen Elizabeth has traditionally been played over the weekend in September, finishing on the Monday to coincide with the Glasgow holiday. There has often been challenges in making sure it was far enough away…
Dear all, please find Alasdair Cockburn’s report of the Anniesland Trophy held on Tuesday 24th June at Denham Golf Club Mike This year it was decided to have a shotgun start at 8.45am. Everyone was on notice to arrive in good time to allow for long walks to their starting tees. However, the M25 did…
Yes, it’s true! Glenalmond have won the Cyril Gray 2025. Please find a report from Captain John Bushell. He has been indulged so this post will be longer than usual, but given the circumstances, its entirely appropriate! I hope you will be able to join us at Elie in October to celebrate with the team!…
Dear member of the Old Glenalmond Golfing Society Community, I am delighted to announce that our guest of honour at the Society’s Annual Dinner for 2025 will be Gavin Hastings OBE. Gavin is a former Scotland and British & Irish Lions rugby player. He played ten seasons of International Rugby as an amateur, whilst working…
An OG putting quartet blending youthful debutants and gnarled and grizzly veterans graced the hallowed lawns of Royal Wimbledon this evening for the Public Schools Putting Plate. This event has been described as ‘The Halford Hewitt’ of putting and Glenalmond have been something of a yo yo team for the last decade or so…
Nine OGGS golfers travelled to Prestwick for the triangular fixture against Old Lorettonians and Old Sedberghians. The four Glenalmond pairings in the morning foursomes played extremely well in their matches against Loretto, taking a commanding 3-1 lead into lunch. Sedbergh proved to be a tougher opponent, and we found ourselves down 1.5 – 2.5. The…
“Elite” is defined as “a select group that is superior in qualities to the rest of a group or society”. And so it was that an “elite” group of members of the English branch of the OGGS “knights” gathered from the shires on July 4th to do battle on the Royal links of Wimbledon. To…
It was a delight to welcome three pupils to Muirfield on Wednesday 21st May. Angus McCranor, Thomas Wolfe and Ronan Hamilton arrived in good time in the College minibus driven by Head of Golf Andrew Todd. Blue skies, golden baked fairways and true greens awaited, along with numerous bunkers! The emphasis of the day was…
In it’s 92 year history the OGGS has a good number of anecdotes, of glory, of failure, and of glorious failure …a new story can be added to the folklore after today as a young team with an average age of less than 30 and an average handicap less than 5 met at a sun-baked…
On a wonderfully sunny morning 8 OGGS members pitched up at The Cairnies to play against a Coll team of seven pupils and Head of Golf, Andrew Todd. Format of Fourball better ball in the morning and Foursomes in the afternoon played on a Cairnies which was as dry as it has been for many…
The senior Scottish Wayfarers returned to Western Gailes this year with the Merchistonians, having won three times in succession, matching the feats of Glenalmond and Loretto (twice). The course was in extremely good condition with plenty of growth on the fairways and greens. The hospitality and catering at Western Gailes was excellent throughout the weekend.…
President Sandy Gray and Immediate Past President Jim Patrick took on Glenalmond pupils Alex Dawson and Anna Kube over the Old Course on Wednesday 23rd April. Alex is in fifth form (off handicap of 1) and will be spending six form at High school in the US. Anna (off a very competitive 11), from Düsseldorf,…
As you may remember from a previous post, Glenalmond were drawn to face Harrow (again!) on Royal St Georges (again!), but this time starting on the Friday and not the Thursday. The hon secretary had his hands full for a while as the team changed several times from the original announced team. Andy Frey was…
We met for the annual fixture with Old Sedberghians at Royal Wimbledon Golf Club on 27th March in glorious sunshine, albeit with some Spring chill in the air – a far cry from last year when the match was cancelled due to the course being waterlogged following 48 hours of continuous rain! Both teams had…
The first “major” of the year was held in its usual time and place, being the Scottish Wayfarers weekend at Elie on the 3rd Saturday and Sunday of March. Unusually, we were treated with great weather, with light winds, constant sunshine (or at least no rain) and a course in decent nick, despite the recent…
The first golf match of the 2025 season was held on Saturday 1st March and I am delighted to report that it was the first ever (at least to my knowledge) bilateral match between the Old Glenalmond Golfing Society and our counterparts from Strathallan. Given our Perthshire connections, the obvious choice for our first game…
The draw for the 2025 Halford Hewitt was held at the East India Club in London last night. After last year’s centenary celebrations we are back to normal again. John Gordon, as the newly appointed vice president of the Halford Hewitt was in charge of choosing the numbers, whilst someone else chose the schools, so…
The highlight of the OGGS calendar is our annual weekend, and this year it was held at Elie on the 13th and 14th October. Turnout this year was the highest it had been for a while, with 29 entrants for the main Saturday Trophies and and 46 at the annual dinner. We welcomed several new…
Following last year’s first round exit to eventual winners Glasgow Academy, Glenalmond were keen to make amends in 2024. A team led by Society Captain, Stephen Titterington, were drawn to play the local side, Royal High School in round 1. Cameron and Niall led us out at 1, and didn’t find the form they were…
Which elite British golfers can be on the 1st tee at Pebble Beach midweek – 20 mins after finishing a tough day at work? When it’s dark, wet and cold outside how can a group of OG golfers be testing themselves on the back 9 of Ryder Cup Venue (Marco Simone) – in brilliant sunshine…
The Society again entered for this event as one of 15 teams from 14 different schools that turned up at West Sussex Golf Club in fine weather on 24th July. The winning score of 39 Stapleford points was 3 points ahead of the field. Glenalmond represented by Lennox Batten and Tim Worlledge returned a respectable…
Cyril Gray 2024, Worplesdon, 25-28 June. The OG Cyril Gray practice round normally starts with a ‘friendly’ match against St Bees – although as we play for ‘drinks’ it is healthily competitive. Held at Worplesdon – the venue for the Cyril Gray, it is also good practice. This year, thanks to Niall Booker, we held…
The Anniesland Trophy has been run by the London Scottish Golfing Society at Denham since 1983. A school team comprises four players with the aggregate of the best three stableford scores to count. Glenalmond last won in 2012. On a very hot day at Denham, probably as high as 28 C or more, sixty players…
On Sunday 9th June a team of 6 gathered at Prestwick Golf Club to face the Old Lorettonians and the Old Merchistonians for 36 holes of foursomes (and an excellent lunch in between). We were represented by Ruaraidh Stewart, Gerald Burnett, John Davies, Tim Worlledge, Donald White and were managed by Nick Kilpatrick. The results…
An elite group of OG’s gathered this week at Royal Wimbledon Golf Club for the annual southern based OGGS members. They were faced with the challenge of the recently redesigned and renovated RWGC course which is enjoying its first month of a full 18 holes after 9 month partial close down. The weather, catering and company…
In May there were two matches against the College, the Fraser Cup held on Sunday 12th May, and the Captain’s Invitation held at Muirfield on Wednesday 22nd May. Please find those match reports from Captain Steven Titterington Fraser Cup On a rather grey and cool morning myself, Bobby Dickson, Brian Richmond, Sandy Dudgeon and Cameron…
The biennial match between the Wayfarers FPs and the schools was held at Bruntsfield Golfing Society on 2nd May. David Rennie and Robin Black played for the OGs against Reene Carroll and Alex Dawson from the school. Reene is doing her GSCEs right now, but will jet off to Florida next year to finish school…
The six Wayfarers schools convened at Panmure on 20/21 April for the annual event, which comprises three foursomes couples from each school. The OGGS were represented by Sandy and Ben Gray (two shades), Jim Patrick and Mike Everett, and Niall Booker and John Laird. On the Saturday afternoon, Merchiston led the gross Stableford qualifiers with…
Halford Hewitt 2024 was going to be a special one for Glenalmond. Not only was it the centenary of the tournament, first played in 1924, but it was destined to be the year that Glenalmond played its 100th match in the competition. There are only 6 schools who have played fewer matches, but they did…
Over St Patrick’s Day weekend, or Super Saturday for the rugby fans, the Scottish Wayfarers descended on Elie for the annual playing for the Stenhouse Quaich. For the first time in many years, the medal was also participated for, more on that later. The Glenalmond team went into the event with high hopes, both as…
The first event of the year was the Halford Hewitt Centenary Dinner. Typically, the first Wednesday of January is when the Halford Hewitt draw and the Public Schools Golfing Society AGM is held, but this year, to celebrate the centenary of the Halford Hewitt tournament, a dinner was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in…
The Old Glenalmond Golfing Society was treated to another excellent weekend at Elie. The weather was bright, if breezy and occasionally chilly, and despite the greens having recently been sanded the course was in its usual excellent state. On the course, Saturday afternoon for the main trophies brought slightly stronger winds, so scoring was not…
Although the effects of COVID-19 are thankfully well behind us, this was not to be a year without disruption. One of our first events of the academic year is the Queen Elizabeth Coronation Schools Trophy, held at Royal Burgess in Edinburgh. This was due to be Sandy Gray’s last year as tournament organiser. However, it…
There was an air of confidence about the team this year, given the recent victory at the Stenhouse Quaich and last year’s strong showing. There was only one change to the team from last year, with David Primrose, unable to travel from Australia, dropping out in favour of Mike Thomson. Society Captain Brian Richmond joined the…
