Scotland's most-decorated golf club with three Ryder Cup players produces another one to watch

Bathgate is the home of three Ryder Cup players, having seen Eric Brown, Bernard Gallacher and his nephew, Stephen, all come through the ranks at the West Lothian club, taste success in the professional game and go on to face the Americans in golf’s biggest team tournament.

Brown and Bernard Gallacher were also captains in the biennial contest while Stephen Gallacher is Europe’s current Junior Ryder Cup captain, having been reappointed for this year’s match on Long Island in New York state after masterminding a thumping triumph in Rome in 2023.

For lots of young players in particular over the years, it’s been a great environment to be introduced to the game and, in some cases, lead to other extremely good golfers to roll off Bathgate’s conveyor belt of talent.

Take Joe Bryce, for example. His eye-catching amateur career included back-to-back wins in the Craigmillar Park Open and Battle Trophy at Crail in 2019. His competitive golf was then curtailed a bit as he did his PGA training at Bathgate under Stuart Callan but, with that out of the way, it looks as though the 27-year-old is ready to try and take his game to the next level.

In this season’s Edinburgh & East of Scotland Alliance circuit, Bryce has picked up five trophies, sparking his hot streak by landing the Bernard Gallacher Trophy at Bathgate and then adding the Alliance Trophy at Uphall, Professional’s Trophy at the Glen, Tom Galloway Trophy at Craigielaw and, most recently, the T C Jordan Trophy at Winterfield.

“I’ve not actually seen any of them yet,” he declared, laughing, with the trophies not being handed out on the day on the long-running winter circuit but done so all at once at an end-of-season prize-giving ceremony.

Bryce shot 64 to win by six shots at Bathgate while he signed for a 63 at Winterfield, posted a 65 at Craigielaw, had a 66 at the Glen and triumphed at Uphall with a 69. In addition, he also carded the best scratch scores in events at both Gullane No 3 and West Linton with a 62 and 68 respectively.

“Yeah, it’s been quite nice,” he said of his purple patch. “I’ve been hitting plenty of balls and it’s been good to get out on the golf course after not really playing at all in November and December. It’s been good to see the range work has been paying off on the golf course and, once you get a win under your belt, it helps you build a bit of confidence.”

The Alliance circuit around Scotland remains healthy, with both amateurs and professionals using events to stay competitive over the autumn and winter months. Former Open champion Paul Lawrie shared the top scratch prize in the final North-East Alliance event of the season earlier this week while Brian Soutar, who won the South African Amateur Championship when he was one of Scotland’s top amateurs, has been in winning form on the Midland circuit in Angus, Fife and Perthshire.

“I’ve been a member of the East Alliance for four or five years now, having also been a member for a couple of years after leaving school. I love it,” said Bryce. “It’s a good day out with a good group of guys who play at Bathgate. It keeps things ticking over in the winter when there’s not much on and it allows you to keep a scorecard in your hand and you are somewhat competitive at this time of the year, which is all you can ask for.”

Mentored by Callan, Bryce completed his PGA training last year and is now ready to see how far he can go as a player while also being in a position where he can fall back on all the good things he has learned about the game over the past three years.

“I’m hoping to pretty much play full time after being a little bit tied down over the last three years with my training,” he said. “But, with that behind me now, I can give it a proper go and I will be playing in all the Tartan Pro Tour events and PGA in Scotland Order of Merit events, as well as bits and bobs in between as well. I am really looking forward to it and it will be good to focus on the playing side of things.”

For the second year running, the Tartan Pro Tour, which has just been elevated to Satellite circuit status, will see two Hotel Planner Tour (formerly known as the Challenge Tour) cards up for grabs, with Graeme Robertson and Sam Locke securing those last season and now getting an opportunity to test themselves at the next level up the ladder.

“If there is no route off these circuits, then it is quite hard to get motivated and lay out the expense to go and play in the events,” observed Bryce. Having those Challenge Tour cards is a massive bonus for all the boys who are playing it this year and we are all going to have that same goal of trying to get a step up. That opportunity is superb and the boys who run the Tartan Pro Tour do a brilliant job.”

As 2018 Open Championship leading amateur Locke, for example, has discovered, it can take time to make proper headway in the paid ranks. “There’s a lot of good golfers all around the world these days,” noted Bryce. “Just because someone might be at the top of the tree in the amateur game doesn’t mean they are going to be at the top of the tree in the pro game.

“I think that’s what is good about the Tartan Pro Tour. The standard is superb and you are often up against boys who have Challenge Tour cards and even DP World Tour cards if they have a week off and want to fill in a gap on their schedule. It’s brilliant to get to compete against those boys to see where you are at. I think it has shown the last few years how good the standard is on it and that only makes you a better player as well.”

What about being inspired by those Bathgate legends? “You take it for granted almost,” he admitted,” but it’s superb that we are the only club to have produced three Ryder Cup players. There’s always a good buzz about the place and a lot of people don’t realise what a great place it is until they come here. We’ve seen a fair bit of Stephen Gallacher since he moved back to Bathgate and that’s been great. It also shows that it’s a good environment for me and others to be playing their golf.”