Golf
Scotland is the birthplace of Golf, so, as you might expect, the Scottish Universities programme is rich in golfing history. Not only that, but University Golf is stronger and more competitive in Scotland than anywhere else in the United Kingdom due to the concentration of excellent players and fine courses in this part of the country.
The sport is welcoming and provides a number of exciting opportunities for keen golfers of both sexes. Firstly, the Scottish Universities League, which takes place between October and Christmas provides a high level competition and route to qualification for the British Universities knockout competitions against the best golfing Universities from the rest of Britain. Though the majority of players in this league are men, there is nothing to stop women taking part in the fixtures, according to the team selection policies of the individual universities.
The eagerly anticipated Scottish Universities Championship weekend takes place at Lossiemouth, with the women playing 54 holes and the men contesting the individual and team titles over 72 in a strokeplay competition.
There is a separate women’s individual league, based around four tournaments throughout the course of the academic year, with points awarded to the top five scratch and top five handicap women at each event and a series winner declared after the final fixture. In addition, a new Scottish Order of Merit has been introduced, in collaboration with the Scottish Golf Union. The 9 fixture card takes in 4 student specific events, and 5 on the SGU youth programme (for players aged 16-22). This arrangement allows players to compete for SGU and SUS individual titles at the same time, and increasing the competition for these titles. The top six players at the conclusion of the Order of Merit are selected, alongside two wildcards, to play for the Scottish Universities Golf Team in the Home Nations Championships.