Scottish Golf Union Board of Directors

Chairman – Douglas Connon MBE became Chairman of the Scottish Golf Union Board of Directors in January 2009, taking over from Alistair Low. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from both the private and public sectors and is currently Chief of Staff for Alliance Trust plc.

He is perhaps best known in golfing circles for his role as Head of Sponsorship for Aberdeen Asset Management, where he was heavily involved in the sponsorship of Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, the Senior Open Championship, Ladies Scottish Open and the Scotland amateur team.

Douglas served in the military for nearly 30 years which included operational tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, The Falklands and Bosnia. A keen golfer with a current handicap of 7, he is a member of a number of golf clubs including Royal Aberdeen and Nairn, where he was involved in the staging of the 1999 Walker Cup.

President – Bert Leslie was formally elected as the Scottish Golf Union’s 48th President, taking over from Ian Ross in January 2010. A member of Bathgate Golf Club where he served as club captain in 1979, 66-year-old Leslie has been a key figure within the Lothians Golf Association over the past three decades, holding the posts of Lothians Team Captain, President and SGU representative.

Bert is perhaps best known for his role as Scotland Team Manager, having worked in that capacity between 1997 and 2004 working with some of Scotland’s biggest amateur stars of that era including Marc Warren, Steven O’Hara and Barry Hume. He was also a GB&I Walker Cup selector, and was present in Sea Island when a team that included Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell as well as Marc Warren, beat the Americans on their own turf for only the second time.

Business & Marketing – Michael Clark OBE is a much respected businessman in the North East, having been Managing Director then Chairman of International Fish Canners since 1992, overseeing 400 employees and an annual turnover of £36m. He is also Vice Chairman of the Grampian Food Group and a Director of Scottish Enterprise Grampian.  For the past 15 years, he has been Commissioner of the Fraserburgh Harbour Board and also serves on the SFIA Pelagic Advisory Board.

A 3-handicap golfer, Clark is a past captain of Royal Aberdeen and is also a member of Nairn, Cruden Bay and the Isle of Harris Golf Clubs. The 53-year-old took over from Douglas Corner as Non-Executive Director of Marketing and Business activity for the Scottish Golf Union in January 2010.

Finance – Brian Duguid is the current secretary/treasurer at Dumfries & County Golf Club having previously held senior management positions at both Clydesdale Bank and Adam & Company. A former captain of Machrihanish Golf Club, Brian is still a country member there and an honorary member of New Galloway Golf Club where he was secretary for 5 years and still plays most of his golf.

Brian has been involved with the SGU in the past as a member of the Strategy Development Group that helped establish the SGU’s first strategic plan in 2000/01 and he also chaired the Finance Advisory Group immediately prior to the introduction of the current Board Structure in 2002. He remains Secretary/Treasurer of Kirkcudbrightshire Golfers Association which is part of the South Area.

Handicapping & Course Rating – Colin Wood joined the Board in January 2009, having previously served as President of the SGU between 1999 and 2001. A member and past captain of Peebles Golf Club where is currently Greens Convenor, Colin brings a wealth of on and off course knowledge to the role.

He is currently Chairman of the Scottish Golf Environment Group and is also actively involved in the Greenkeepers Training Committee and the STRI. Colin is also a past non-playing captain of the Scotland team, where he led the Scots to runners-up in the European Team Championship in Italy in 1997 with a team including Alastair Forsyth and Barclay Howard. Colin has also served on the European Golf Association, CONGU, R&A Amateur Status Committee and is a Trustee of Golf Environment Europe.

Championship – George Macgregor OBE is one of the country’s most successful amateur golfers and a popular face on the Scottish golf scene. His Scotland international career spanned 18 years having earned his first cap in 1969 and the Glencorse member went onto represent GB&I in the Walker Cup no fewer than five times.

McGregor, who was Company Secretary of Dalmore Mills near Penicuik until 2004, also captained the GB&I Walker Cup side in 1991 and 1993 and played in and captained the GB&I Eisenhower Trophy team. He won the Scottish Stroke Play Championship in 1982, the same year he reached the final of the Scottish Amateur Championship. With eight years of R&A administration knowledge under his belt on the Championship and Amateur Status committees, McGregor brings a wealth of experience to the SGU Board.

Development – Bill Miller spent most of his working life with HJ Heinz Beans as a Territory Sales Manager.  On taking early retirement he assisted his wife in the running of her two retail businesses.

He has been Captain of Monifieth Golf Club, Chairman of Monifieth Links Committee and President of Angus County Golf Association.  He has also served as a member of the Scottish Golf Union Council.  Bill is still a very keen golfer at Monifieth Golf Club where he is Junior Convenor and has a wealth of experience in junior golf.

His other love is the Boys Brigade of which he has been a member for nearly 60 years.  In that time he was President of the Dundee and Angus Battalion for six years. Until recent retirement he also played in the Boys Brigade pipe band.

Performance – John Fraser As a Physical Education teacher by training John has a strong background in promoting a wide range of sports at all levels of ability, including elite performance.  He was promoted to Headteacher and now oversees the management and leadership of all schools in Edinburgh in his capacity as Neighbourhood Manager.

He has been instrumental in forming the Edinburgh Schools Sports Academy for pupils showing potential in sport and was formerly a non-executive member of the Board of sportscotland.

He is a member of the Nairn Golf Club, Newtonmore Golf Club as well as the Royal Burgess Golfing Society.  He is a former District player for the North East District and represented Scotland in the Senior Home Internationals in 2007 and in the 2008 European Team Championships. John also qualified for the 2008 Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon, narrowly missing the cut after lying in a top-12 position on day one.

Vice President – Gordon Murray is a member of Hazlehead Golf Club in Aberdeen.  He has served on the SGU Council as the North East representative for many years as well as serving in various capacities on the North East District Association.  He remains active in developing junior golf and as a qualified R&A Referee, works across a number of the SGU’s major championships and events.

Junior Vice President – Maurice Shields is a recently retired PE teacher, having worked at a number of schools in the Glasgow area also in the role of acting Principal and Assistant Head during his teaching career. A member of Windyhill Golf Club since 1963, he has been an executive member of the Dumbartonshire Golf Union for the past sixteen years, taking over as Area President in 2010.

A popular figure on the national championships circuit, Shields has served on several Scottish Golf Union committees including development and child protection and has been the Scotland Team Manager at both boys’ and men’s level including the 2005 Sherry Cup in Spain and the Scotland v England U16s matches.