Another year had passed, and it was time for the friends
and Soldiers of Bellshill to dig out the golf clubs and put on brave faces about
leaving their loved ones for a whole weekend.
On the 4th and 5th June we went down
to play in the Scottish Borders for the first time since we started our annual
weekend. The venue was the Cardrona Hotel Golf and Country Club in the beautiful
Peebles countryside, and after squirreling away the pennies over the last year
we stayed in the Cardrona Hotel right on the golf course.
As we soon found out to our cost, it wasn’t just the Hotel
that was above our expectations!!
Our regular group of friends were enhanced this year with a
few welcome additions. Following our bands visit to Sheffield earlier in the
year, Jim Wright was swayed to make the drive North. Our young euphonium section
in the band (Ross Pentney and Chris Shanks), decided to show the oldies how to
do it, and came along for the first time.
The weather over the weeks leading up to the weekend had
been fantastic. Thankfully that soon changed as soon as we arrived at Cardrona….well
we wouldn’t want it to be too easy a task would we!!
The Cardrona course is a championship quality par 72 course
designed by the renowned golf course designer Dave Thomas. It is a visually
stunning and difficult course that stretches along the valley with the River
Tweed meandering through the course. With the stunning Border hills rising up
around us and a course that is a mixture of parkland and woodland, it proved to
be the toughest golfing test we have inflicted upon ourselves.
As in previous years we played two rounds on the Saturday,
and one on the Sunday. Our Saturday morning round we play as a team event with
the Bandmaster fixing (oops!!)…"helping to fairly sort out the teams
handicaps"…the teams for our Texas Scramble. This is a great competition which
gets everyone involved, and helps you get your bearings of a new course. After
being sustained by coffee, tea and bacon rolls we set off….the smart ones, as we
were to find out, had hired electric buggies to whisk them around the course.
Not only was it a long course to play, but the distance
between some of the holes was amazing. None more so than the route march needed
between the eighth and ninth holes. As I alluded to earlier the weather had been
amazing leading up to this weekend. The forecast was "showers" and that was an
understatement - We had absolutely torrential downpours mixed in with amazing
sunshine and heat.
Due to the weather and the course being busy and very
tough, it was one of the slowest rounds we have played. I was in the last group
out in the morning, but in the first out in the afternoon. My group got into the
clubhouse with only ten minutes before we were to tee off for the afternoon
round. Thankfully, we were able to alter the tea-off time to give us half an
hour to recover and grab a bite to eat.
We were all finding the going really tough. The course was
longer and tighter than we have previously played the golf weekend over. The
rough was severe, and even more so given how wet it was. The course was in great
condition, but given the various factors a lot of us were getting a bit
despondent.
The golf is really a secondary factor in the enjoyment we
take from our annual golf weekend. The fellowship. Criac and general banter is
the main attraction of the golf weekend (although we do want to give the BM a
bit of competition !!)
The play was so slow that my group (the first group in the
afternoon) didn’t get into the hotel until about 8.30pm; and we were supposed to
be sitting down to our evening meal at 9.30pm. No Chance !!
The light was starting to go as we left the course. My
group had motivated ourselves over the last few holes with the thought of the
Hotels swimming pool and saunas. Our luck continued…..they all closed at 8.00pm.
A luxurious steep in a hot bath was the second best option, new set of clothes
then ready for our meal.
My Uncle Benny was my roommate, but he was in the last
group out. At nearly 9.30pm as I made my way to the restaurant there was still
no sign of him. What a vision met my eyes in the foyer of this lovely hotel. Not
only had the light gone, but God had decided that this part of Scotland needed a
little more rain.
The BM was trying to book into his room with the water
literally still running of his waterproofs. Uncle Benny was like the proverbial
"drowned rat". His bunnet (Scottish headgear for those of a certain age) laded
down with water and his jersey so full of water it was nearly down to his knees.
Meanwhile, Melvyn Shanks, my brother-in-law was outside in the rain trying to
get a signal to phone his wife!! Hadn’t he heard of "I couldn’t get a signal
Darling"!!
The meal was put back to allow everyone to dry out and get
changed. The meal was a beautiful a-la-carte affair, which was enhanced with the
look on those "traditional fayre eaters" faces as they looked for "the rest of
it !! or where are the chips ??"
Unfortunately, by the time our meal was finished it was
about 11.30pm. With most of us having had early starts (5.30am for most) and the
tough tiring day we had experienced, by the time midnight came we were flagging.
After breakfast (buffet with FRY-UP !!!!), the main focus
was for those who had not booked an electric buggy to get one. My partner for
the afternoon was Ross "Schumacher" Pentney. As a result I will not need by
Platinum highlights done for a while.
The Results
As always, the competition part of the weekend was closely
run. Although they take a lot of slagging, Ian Dickie and George Connor called
it right again. We have our Texas Scramble team event on the Saturday morning, a
Stableford winner for the afternoon rounds and Nearest – The-Pin and Longest
Drive competitions on both days. (A great temptation to go for it and blow your
chances)
The Team that won the Texas Scramble consisted of our BM
Ian Dickie, Bill Coffield, Jim Wright and Kenny Allan.
The Nearest-The-Pin prizes were won by yours truly and Jim
Wright.
The Longest Drive prizes were won by George Connor and my
brother-in-law Melvyn Shanks (steroids testing of Lynn's cooking may have to be
considered !!)
There are separate prizes for the afternoon round and
Sunday round; and an overall prize for the best scores over the two days going
to our Champion Golfer. (the overall winner not claiming either individual
prizes. Ian loves brass but hates cleaning it !!)
The Jack Dickie Memorial Trophy was proudly won by myself.
And my fathers trophy, The Dale Ferguson Memorial Trophy was won by my nephew
Chris Shanks. (Who invited him?? And we really must get Lynn's cooking checked
out !!)
After two years in the wilderness (although he skilfully
managed to avoid Cardronas' wilderness) was our BM Ian Dickie. A very tough test
of golf with the cream rising to the top!! (Did I really say that?? Time for a
lie down in a dark room !!) Seriously, Ian did a great job keeping his game
together in sometimes ridiculous conditions.
Our organisers of Bill Stewart, Ian Dickie and George
Connor did another fantastic job.
And Finally Months Later...
Well….. the clubs and clothes have dried out; the
nightmares have ceased; the hunger pains for many have been satisfied; the
question of Why did Dickie bother buying a new driver (AND NOT CALLAWAY !!) has
been answered; and we are looking forward to next year's event at Taymouth
Castle in Perthshire.
Would I go back to Cardrona?…..absolutely. But next time I
will hire an electric buggy…but I'll drive, not Schumacher Pentney!
