Cowal Golf Club, Dunoon
Russell Weir "The Tartan Tour Chieftain"
Scottish golfer and a great friend to Cowal Golf Club
1951-2022
We don't currently have a Club Professional at Cowal Golf Club, but for over 40-years we were privileged to have one of the very best.
Having served notice of his talent back in 1968 when he landed the Scottish Boys’ Championship as a teenage amateur, Russell would go to over 100 wins as a pro on the Tartan Tour. He topped the Order of Merit five times while his competitive longevity and consistency was underlined by eight successive playing appearances in The PGA Cup.
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Russell captained Great Britain and Ireland’s PGA Cup team in 2011 and 2013, the first match in CordeValle, California, ending in defeat, the second at the De Vere Slaley Hall resulting in a tie. Prior to that the Scot played in eight matches, a PGA record shared with his compatriot David Huish, and registered 15 victories.
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Russell was elected to PGA Membership in 1975, made an Honorary Member in 2013 and served Cowal Golf Club for 42 years until his passing in 2022.
Russell would make over 30 appearances on the European – now DP World Tour – with an eighth place finish in the 1988 Scottish Open being his best result at the top table. Three years later, his assault on the European Clubs Professionals’ title in Holland came to a painful end when his leg gave way. It transpired that he had broken his tibia and fibula and Russell required 10 months of recuperation.
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A tremendous standard bearer for The PGA and its values, Russell was made an Honorary Member of the Association and his career of unwavering professionalism will be rightly cherished.
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There remains a generation of golfers at Cowal, who were taught golf and encouraged to respect the game by Russell, and through them, his memory lives on.