Our annual golf
weekend was held on the 27th
and 28th of September 2003, and was superbly organised again by Bill
Stewart. This years outing, as in previous years, comprised of 16 participants
from the band, corps and friends; tearing us away from our loved ones for a
weekends golf and fellowship.
Last year we stayed
in a hotel in Blairgowrie in
Perthshire, and played three different courses in the immediate locality. This
was so popular that we kept the same format but changed the order in which we
played the courses. With it being a busy year for the band, we had to choose our
last local holiday weekend which meant it was much later than in previous years
and was going to put us at the mercy of the weather. Another example of the
power of prayer unfolded, as the poor weather of the previous week cleared up to
give us a superb sunny autumnal weekend.
Saturday 27th September
An early start was
needed for most of us on the Saturday, as we were due to meet at around 8.00am
at the Glenisla Golf Club for coffee and bacon rolls. This meant a 6.00am
departure for most of the Bellshill folk and especially our friends John Stewart
and Allan Milligan who were travelling from Inverness. After our refreshments
and catching up with each other on how bad our golf was (I don’t recall any
one saying how great their golf was and how much it had improved since last
year!!!!!); it was down to the serious business of getting that little white
ball as far away from you as possible.
Our first round was a
team event in the form of a Texas Scramble. This is a great format for shaking
the cobwebs off your swing, with the team captain choosing whose drive you used
and every one played their second shots from there, and the same with the next
shot, and so on until the ball ends up in the hole. Difficult to explain but
good fun to play.
The course was in
great condition, and although the weather was overcast it stayed dry. The Texas
Scramble competition is always fairly strongly contested, but George Conner’s
team with a score of 3 under par won this years competition. His fellow
teammates being Bill Stewart, George Ferguson and Captain Gary Robb. George had
probably the shot of the weekend at the last hole…we think!!
With a mighty swing of his new driver at the par four slight dogleg, he
probably hit the green. We think the guy still on the green was so impressed he
took Georges ball as a memento.
It was a slow morning
round, and as a result we basically left the eighteenth at Glenisla, threw the
clubs into the cars and drove to Strathmore Golf Club where our soup and
sandwiches awaited prior to our afternoon round (20 minutes to spare if we were
lucky).
The Strathmore Golf
course is a lovely course, quite open and with some lovely views of the
Perthshire countryside (which if your golf is lousy is some compensation….
isn’t it??) We played a single
stable ford competition with points being awarded for your score against
handicap. There were generally a lot of good scores posted, with shouts of
“Well you’re getting your handicap cut” after any good shot you played.
Gamesmanship being alive and well among the Army golfing ranks.
Our Bandmaster Ian
Dickie's beloved Callaway driver once again secured him victory in the longest
drive competition, with John Hill's new putter not being required on at least
one hole as he won the nearest the pin competition.
The other highlight
of the round was seeing Bill Stewarts Golf Buggy speeding across country like a
possessed Pope mobile. It transpired that after playing about three holes he
realised he had forgot to put his golf shoes on and was playing in dress
loafers. Still any excuse!!
We stayed at the
Angus Hotel in Blairgowrie, where we had great food and fellowship. Before our
evening meal a swim in the hotel pool, dip in the Jacuzzi and steam in the sauna
was called for. All the time pining for home!! Still it had to be done.
Sunday 28th September
After a breakfast so
big we could hardly move it was off to Alyth Golf Club for our 11.00am tee-off.
Alyth is a beautiful, but tight, parkland course, which proved quite a test. The
sun was splitting the sky for our last stableford competition of the weekend.
John Stewart won the
Longest Drive competition; having driven down from Inverness (a joke that seems
as fresh as it was last year!!); and George Conner won the Nearest the Hole
competition with what he assured anyone who would listen was a seven iron shot.
(See what I mean ……gamesmanship????)
The prize giving was
postponed until after our evening meal; although a few elderly ladies in the
clubhouse were looking at the prizes as if it was a bring-and-buy sale.
The Results!
My father, Dale
Ferguson, unexpectedly passed away in December 2002. He had taken part in the
golf weekend in previous years, and loved both golf and the great fellowship he
had shared with all the guys over the last few years. As a result the family
have presented a trophy in his memory to be played for annually. It was decided
that The Salvation Army Crystal Trophy, would still be awarded to the overall
stableford winner over the two rounds; and the new trophy would be for the best
stableford score in the final round.
David
Ferguson (left) and Benny Conway (right) with the new Dale Ferguson Memorial
Trophy
This inaugural winner
of The Dale Ferguson Memorial Trophy, with a score of 39, was Ian Dickie. George
Conner was second with 37 points, David Ferguson was third with 36 points and
Drew Davidson was fourth with 35 points.
David
Ferguson (left) and Benny Conway (right) present Ian Dickie (centre) with the
new trophy
The overall winner of
The Salvation Army Crystal Trophy with 75 points for the two rounds was David
Ferguson. Drew Davidson and George Conner were equal second with 71 points. Ian
Dickie was third with 70 points, and Bill Coffield was fourth with 69 points.
David
Ferguson (left) and Ian Dickie (right) with the Salvation Army Crystal Trophy
& Dale Ferguson Memorial Trophy respectively
All-in all we had a
fantastic time. The weather was great, the courses were in superb condition, the
Hotel and food were great and the golf was pretty good as well. But as my father
had commented in previous years, the company and fellowship of those involved is
special and not taken for granted.
Roll on 2004…
