Midsummer Outing - Edzell

What a wonderful afternoon out at Edzell yesterday - it reminded us that we don't go there often enough. The whole package - course, clubhouse, scenery - is first class and I've taken a mental note to make sure we go back again next year, whether for our Midsummer outing, or on some other occasion.

Here's the teams - well, nearly all of them - lined up at the start:



The 3rd group out seemed to have some problems finding balls:



Gary started off like a dream - almost drove the 1st hole, got his birdie here, and another one - a two - at the 6th - and won nearest the pin. However, his tee shot at the 8th was his first aberration - a horrid pull in to the deep crap, but he still managed to conjure up a bogey out of it:



The last group out seemed to be enjoying the surroundings as they strolled round the course:



Gary's partner, Malcolm was disproving his own theory that he can't putt, by holing everything in sight. Malcolm was 21 points to the turn and Gary was 20 points, but Dick and I somehow managed to be only one down at that stage. Here's Malcolm about to hole yet another one:



At the 14th hole, there was yet another trolley incident. Gary played his tee shot long and left and strode up towards his ball, when he spotted a crow on the 15th fairway attacking a pheasant chick. He ran towards it clapping his hands loudly to try to frighten the crow away, but completely forgot that his Powacaddy was still switched on - by the time he realised, his trolley was careering half down the steep slope in to the old railway line. I clocked him putting the bits back together:



Back in the clubhouse we sat down to our supper and did the prizegiving. Here's the two tables:





Ian McRae got the nearest the pin at the 14th and Les got the longest drive at the 11th hole. The match score was 3-1 to the Youngsters, with only Jack and Jas winning for the old boys.

I was the winner on the day with 36 points - in fact, our fourball were the leading four, and I had, in the space of just over a week, in Hugh's words, gone from hero to zero and now back to hero again. Here's all the scores:

1 Stewart, Ian 36
2 Grant, Gary 35
3 Grigor, Malcolm 35
4 Taylor, Dick 33
5 McRae, Ian 33
6 Meaden, John 32
7 Page, Ken 31
8 Simpson, Jack 31
9 Dring, Ian 30
10 Black, Ken 30
11 Bhagrath, Jas 29
12 Gray, Keith 28
13 Mitchell, Steve 27
14 Whyman, Bill 27
15 Street, Peter 26
16 Gray, Les 25

Most of us made it back to Banchory golf club to watch the England - Algeria match - the only dull spot in an otherwise perfect day.