Kilspindie Golf Club
North Berwick Seniors v KGC Seniors
North Berwick Seniiors v KGC Seniors
In surprisingly nice weather the team arrived at the famous links. There was some discombobulation at the apparent parking restrictions which turned out not to be active yet. Best not to broach the subject with NB members though or a 20 minute rant will ensue. Suffice to say, thank your lucky stars for the KGC car park as grim stories of paying 25 quid for parking every time you golf abound.
The luxury of table service for the bacon butties was much appreciated. Skipper 3C’s Zoltie fancies himself as a bacon buttie aficionado - his verdict - exceptional!
NB skipper David Maitland got rather tongue tied in his welcome speech but Gary saved the day by being Clear, Considered and Complimentary with his words (get it). However that was after the two captains ( both retired accountants) failed to calculate the handicaps. They came up with a brilliant solution though - work it out yourselves - genius!
So to the first tee. The team had mostly worn their snazzy new Seniors tops (except those who forgot) but on the tee clad for the links we looked like any other group of golfers rather than the E Lothian elite we are. From the first tee you could have mistaken NB for Dubai such was the quantity of sand across the course, caused by adverse weather apparently not an attempt to create the Doha of the North!
Both teams made a decent start. It was the 2nd before the final group made their presence felt when John “The Eagle” ( more later) Hope launched a majestic drive appreciated by all, including the lady on the beach who couldn’t believe her luck as she pocketed the ball and headed of after her kids to show her prize. She didn’t reckon on The Eagle who raced off after her, stopping short of a rugby tackle to encourage her to replace the ball from where he played a reasonable shot back onto the green stuff. Meanwhile the golden pairing of GZ and GMac were struggling to cope with the amount of sand on the greens and the course in general, you would have thought the meticulous sandy green training we undergo at Kilspindie would stand us in good stead - apparently not! Our NB playing partners were the model hosts. Generous, helpful and hospitable to a fault. Aptly demonstrated on The Redan when John Hope and Dougie N were both off the green from the tee when DN, getting a shot, took a long putt to within a few feet and as he walked towards his ball confident he would probably miss the next putt he was given the putt by scratch player and all round gentleman Douglas Crawford. Game over. That turned the screw on their opponents who had witnessed Mr Hope springing eternal at the 11th reaching the green of the mighty par 5 in 2 and walking off with a 4 less a stroke for the eagle, a nickname was born . John also gave a masterclass after the win, standing up on the 16th tee he demonstrated the Kilspindie Smack, apparently legendary, it’s a low runner to stay below wind and weather. His ball cleared the wall in front of the tee by at least 3 millimetres. Precision golf! He and his playing partner promptly lost their balls in the water frustrating the opposition who had hoped for a collapse before, not after the win.
In our third group Malky renewed his rivalry with Martin Pia, a tough task as Martin was basking under a 22.5 handicap. Inevitably the Pia slipped in front but the good news is his brother Simon is no longer a sports columnist so only here is it on display and not the back page of the Scotsman!.
Back at the clubhouse lunch was served by the great staff in the period dining room. The spiced parsnip soup was ace and the chips to die for. But the result? Sadly despite best efforts NB triumphed by 3½ to 2½. A valiant effort from the whole team.
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