ROSS Naismith continued his domination of the North Winter Golf Alliance as he won the competition for the third consecutive year.
Ross Naismith.
The Brora Golf Club member secured victory as he successfully retained his scratch title with a score of 273.
The Inverness police officer won the title by four shots ahead of Allan Cameron of Royal Dornoch Golf Club who claimed second place with a score of 277.
Billy Ferries of Tain Golf Club took third place with a score of 281.
Naismith (33) came out on top in the competition which saw players compete across 10 golf courses across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire between October and March.
Naismith won four of the 10 rounds which were played at Durness, Dornoch, Golspie and Tain on his way to winning the title once again.
He says that he was delighted with his performances across the whole competition to claim his hat-trick.
He said: “It is great to win three in-a-row.
“I didn’t think that I would do so well, I originally joined just to keep ticking over during the winter.
“I won it my first year and I will just keep playing in it. The competition keeps you sharp during the winter more than anything.
“There are 10 rounds in the competition where I played in eight of them. I won four and was second in one which was a good return.”
• Read: Sutherland courses named in Scottish Golf North Junior Order of Merit
• Read: Golspie Golf Club to pay tribute to course designer with four day centenary festival
• Read: Royal Dornoch Golf Club PGA Teaching Professional ranked among top 50 youth coaches worldwide.
Naismith says playing golf during the winter can be challenging, but says that it is part of the appeal of the competition.
He said: “That is why I enjoy the North Winter Alliance so much as it involves playing on links courses and courses that I would not normally play during the summer due to travelling and other things clashing.
“We definitely did see all sorts of weather this year. Playing the likes of Durness, Reay and Wick is great, but it is brutal up there during the winter.”
Naismith only took up golf after joining the police force and was previously a talented footballer, coming through the youth system at Ross County and playing for Highland League clubs Nairn County and Strathspey Thistle.
However, he gave up football after showing his potential and achieving success in golf.
He said: “I took up golf when I joined the police when I was 22. I played football previously, but when I got better at golf, I had to choose between the two and I gave up football.
“My father in law is the head greenkeeper at Brora Golf Club and I have been a member of the club for the last eight years.”
Naismith hopes that he can use his success in the North Winter Golf Alliance when he takes part in more competitions during 2026.
He said: “I play in all the local events and will represent the North District Team in national competitions.
“I will also play in the North District Championship as well as the Sutherland County Cup in Brora, the Brora club championship, Brora Five Day Open and the Order of Merit competition.”
Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.