Greenock Whinhill Golf Club

Whinhill Trophy Result

We recently heard our Gents Open competition, The Whinhill Trophy, with over 100 members and visitors competing to take home the trophy.

That honour went to the Whinhill’s own, Willie McCulloch, who returned an excellent score of nett 66 in some very tough scoring conditions.

This is the second time Willie has won this competition, with his previous victory coming 37 years ago in 1989.
An incredible achievement and a testament to his longevity as a fine golfer.

We would like to congratulate Willie and also thank Heather, Caitlyn and the team from Inverclyde Leisure for their hospitality on the day as well as Tony and his greenkeeping team.

Results;

*Winner*

William McCulloch - £150
73-7-66

*Scratch*

1st - Sean McLaughlin - £100
69

2nd - John Donald - £60
72

3rd - Stephen Donald - £40

*Visitors*

1st - Gary Lyon (Skelmorlie Golf Club)- £100
71-4-67

2nd - Evan Conway (Port Glasgow Golf Club) - £60
75-3-72

3rd - Paul O’Neill (Greenock Golf Club) -£40
90-17-73

*1st Section*

1st - Brian Mallon - £100
78-11-67

2nd - Jason Lindsay - £50
74-6-68

2nd - Tommy Morton - £50
79-11-68

*2nd Section*

1st - John Ellis Jnr - £80
83-16-67

1st - Raymond Messenger - £80
87-20-67

3rd - Gordon Fraser - £40
83-15-68

*Twos*

6 x £18

Jamie Douglas
David Siddons
Evan Conway
Gary Kelly (Kilmacolm Golf Club)
Connor Walsh
Roy Stewart

IBM Trophy - Inverclyde Team Championship

This years competition was held at Whinhill Golf Club, with teams from Greenock Golf Club and Port Glasgow Golf Club competing alongside the hosts for the trophy.

Gourock Golf Club were unable to field a team this year.

It was a tightly contested affair, with all the matches reaching at least the 16th hole.

The Whinhill team managed to secure the victory by virtue of count back against Greenock, after both teams finished with 4 points.

Thanks to all the players and representatives from the three clubs. We would also like to thank Kerry and Caitlin of Inverclyde Leisure for providing the hospitality.

A special thanks to our greenkeeping team who presented the greens in particular in great condition. All of the players were very complimentary.

Next years trophy will be hosted by Greenock Golf Club, we look forward to making the trip down the hill to try and defend the trophy.

Whinhill Team

Ryan Campbell and Sean McLaughlin
John Donald and Jamie Douglas
Stephen Donald and Jim Lyon
Gary Harkins and Chris McDiarmid
Jason Lindsay and John McGovern
Paul McCarn and Kevin Trainner

Handicap Club Championships - Results

We recently held the finals of our Handicap Championships for our 2nd and 3rd Sections.

The 2nd Section Championship Final was a match between John McCabe and Jamie McEwan, after they defeated Brian Hamil and a Tommy Morton in very tightly contested semi final matches.

John raced into a 3up lead after 8 holes, but Jamie fought back by winning 9 and 10.
The next three holes were to prove crucial as John made birdies on 11 and 12, followed by a par on 13 to take a 4up lead. This would ultimately lead to a 5&3 victory for John, who secured the title on the 15th green.

Our 3rd Section Championship Final was played between Billy Boyd, who defeated Robert MacDonald in the semi final and Andy Little, who had taken care of Kenny Beaton in his semi final match.

This was a close match, with the players making the turn all square.

Billy took the lead with an excellent birdie at the 11th, but Andy won 12,13 and 15 to take a 2up lead. Billy managed to win the 17th to ensure the match went down the 18th, but Andy managed to hang on to his lead, with an excellent pitch onto the green all but securing victory.

Congratulations to both John and Andy, and commiserations to our beaten finalists, Jamie and Billy.

Thanks to Kerry and all Inverclyde Leisure for providing the hospitality in the clubhouse following the matches.

Results;

2nd Section Championship Final

John McCabe beat Jamie McEwan - 5&3

3rd Section Championship Final

Andy Little beat Billy Boyd - 2up

Pat Stewart - Start Delayed

Due to overnight rain, some of the greens have standing water and are currently unplayable.

As the forecast is expected to improve within the next hour, we have delayed the start time by one hour to allow the greens team to clear the greens and for the rain to subside.

Your tee time will now be one hour later than originally scheduled.

Should anything further change, we will send another communication.

2026 Club Championship - Result

Sean McLaughlin beat Barry J Hughes - 9&8

The 36 hole Club Championship Final was played today between Barry J Hughes and Sean McLaughlin.

Sean got off to a great start in the morning round and put together a great score to secure a 4up lead. In the afternoon round, he got off to another fast start and raced into a 9up lead after covering the first 8 holes in 4 under par.

Barry was producing steady golf, and his 2 at the 7th was matched by Sean, but the lead being built by Sean would prove to be unassailable as he claimed victory on the 10th green.

Commiserations to Barry, who produced some great golf throughout the week, knocking out two former champions on his way to his first final.

Congratulations to Sean, who adds this year’s title to his 2012 triumph. Rory broke his major drought last year, and Sean follows in his footsteps this year.

Thanks to Kerry and the Inverclyde Leisure team for their hospitality in the clubhouse.

Also, a big thank you to our Match Secretary, David Ellis, for his tireless work throughout the season.

Club Championship Update

The Club Championship Semi Finals were played on Friday evening.
Both matches were extremely close and resulted in Barry J Hughes and Sean McLaughlin edging out Stephen Donald and Lee Watson respectively to progress to Sundays final.

This will be Barry's first final, but its one of many for Sean, who will be looking to add his name to the Club Champions board for a second time.

Barry and Sean will be joined on the day by the players competing on the Handicap Championship finals.
John McCabe, Jamie McEwan, William Boyd and Andy Little all won their Semi Final matches on Friday evening.

Congratulations to all finalists and good luck on Sunday.

Club Championship - Semi Final Results

Barry J Hughes beat Stephen Donald - 2&1
Sean McLaughlin beat Lee Watson - 1up

John McCabe beat Brian Hamil - 2&1
Jamie McEwan beat Tommy Morton - 1up

Billly Boyd beat Robert MacDonald - 4&3
Andy Little beat Kenny Beaton - 2&1

Championship Finals - Sunday 26th July

Club Championship

9:00 and 12:30
Barry J Hughes v Sean McLaughlin

2nd Section Championship

11:30
John McCabe v Jamie McEwan

3rd Section Championship

11:40
William Boyd v Andy Little

Club Championship - Update

The Quarter Finals were played on Wednesday evening in testing conditions, as the firmness of the course and the thick rough were accompanied by a strong wind to really test the players.

There were some very tight matches, which ultimately resulted in wins for Stephen Donald, Barry J Hughes, Sean McLaughlin and Lee Watson.

These four will play on Friday evening as they attempt to make Sunday's Final.

The will also be joined on Friday by 8 other players competing in the Handicap Championships Semi finals.

Best of luck to all involved on Friday.

Club Championship - Quarter Final Results;

Stephen Donald beat Hugh Speirs - 1up

Barry J Hughes beat Chris McDiarmid - 1up

Sean McLaughlin beat Willie McCulloch - 6&5

Lee Watson beat John Donald - 2up

Semi Finals - Friday 24th July

Club Championship

5:00
Stephen Donald v Barry J Hughes

5:10
Sean McLaughlin v Lee Watson

2nd Section Championship

5:20
Tommy Morton v Jamie McEwan

5:30
John McCabe v Brian Hamil

5:40
William Boyd v Robert MacDonald

5:50
Andy Little v Kenny Beaton

Club Championship - Last 16 Results

The last 16 was played tonight, with some great golf on show by all competitors, complimented by the weather, which was once again kind to all involved.

Commiserations to all those who lost on ten evening and congratulations to the winners, who will now move on to the quarter finals stage.

Last 16 Results;

Stephen Donald beat Jim Dougan - 3&2

Hugh Speirs beat David Ellis - 5&4

Barry J Hughes beat James Jordan - 7&6

Chris McDiarmid beat Gary Harkins - 3&2

Sean McLaughlin beat Ross Ballantyne - 3&2

Willie McCulloch beat Jason Lindsay - 1up

John Donald beat Ryan Campbell - 3&2

Lee Watson beat James Smith - 5&4

Quarter Finals - Wednesday 22nd July

5:00
Stephen Donald v Hugh Speirs

5:10
Barry J Hughes v Chris McDiarmid

5:20
Sean McLaughlin v Willie McCulloch

5:30
John Donald v Lee Watson

Club Championship - 2026

The second round of this years Club Championship Qualifier was played on Saturday in fine weather conditions.

The Strokeplay Trophy was won by Stephen Donald, who backed up his first round 66 with a round of 73.

This was impressive golf from Stephen considering the tough conditions faced by the competitors the last few weeks, with the course playing firm and fast.

Stephen takes his spot as number one qualifier for the Matchplay section of the championship that gets underway on Monday evening and will be aiming to add the 2026 Club Championship to his 2014 victory.

Good luck to everyone playing in the Matchplay this week.

Club Championship - Last 16.

Monday 20th July

5:00
Stephen Donald v Jim Dougan

5:10
David Ellis v Hugh Speirs

5:20
Barry J Hughes v James Jordan

5:30
Gary Harkins v Chris McDiarmid

5:40
Sean McLaughlin v Ross Ballantyne

5:50
Jason Lindsay v Willie McCulloch

6:00
John Donald v Ryan Campbell

6:10
James Smith v Lee Watson

Jimmy Lang 2026 - Results

The rescheduled Jimmy Lang Trophy was played on Sunday 28th June, with an excellent turn out despite the rearranged date.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors and participants who contributed on the day, in particular our main sponsors Garden Makeovers, the Village and Roma takeaways in Port Glasgow. Their generous support has allowed us to raise around £3000 for Ardgowan Hospice.

The winners on the day were Alan Graham and Steven Millar of Port Glasgow Golf Club, who returned an excellent score of 62, beating their nearest challengers by 2 shots.

The best scratch score of the day was an excellent 69, courtesy of our Captain and Vice Captain, Dougie Wilson and Paul McCarn. Great golf in tough conditions.

Thanks to Kerry and all the Inverclyde Leisure team for their support on the day.

We would also like to reserve a special mention to our new Head Greenkeeper and his team. Tony has been doing some excellent work since joining and the course was presented in excellent condition, with particular mention to the quality of the putting surfaces. All members and visitors were very complimentary on the day.

And as always, we would like to thank the Lang family for being in attendance for the prizegiving. Sally and her daughters were on hand to present the prizes and draw the raffle, despite a controversial raffle winner from the same household, their attendance is always very much appreciated
All at Whinhill would like to pass on our best wishes and hope that Jimmy Lang Jnr makes a speedy recovery.

Results;

Winners
Alan Graham and Steven Millar - 62 - Trophy and £140

2nd equal
Bobby Bell and Brian McAleer - 64 - £90
Paul McLaughlan and Sean McLaughlan - 64 - £90

4th equal
John Deafley and Andy Little - 65 - £50
Adam Watson and Lee Watson - 65 - £50

Best Scratch
Paul McCarn and Dougie Wilson - 69 - £80