For the third year in a row we returned to the fabulous Ayrshire coast. Despite the recent rebranding by its new owner (“He who shall not be named”) there can’t be a more beautiful stretch of holes than the front-9 at Turnberry. It’s quite simply golf-porn. 

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2015 saw Mr Wheeler join our fabled ranks and he settled in immediately. We stayed on-site at the Turnberry Resort Hotel and had an absolute ball from start to finish. 

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We warmed up on The Kintyre Course on the Wednesday. The first round on The Ailsa Course saw Gaz, Rolfey and Bazza locked together at the top of the leader board. The latter two had been hitting the gym and there were clear signs that it was beginning to pay off. Bazza in particular seemed to have gained an extra 25 yards from somewhere. Bryn made up the numbers in the final group, as an interested spectator. 

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The three main protagonists battled it out all through the final round, with more thrusts and counter-thrusts than Stormy Daniels’ latest DVD. They eventually reached the 36th hole with Gaz and Bazza level-pegging and Rolfey just one behind. Gaz found sand off the tee whereas Bazza hit the drive of his life down the middle. Gaz found sand with his second while Bazza caressed an 8-iron into the heart of the green and made the two-putt look like a formality. It was a masterclass of how to handle the pressure and a fitting climax to a fantastic tournament. 

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After the trophy presentation we headed over to Edinburgh for the night. We had a great singalong in the minibus and drank the night away, visiting many of Auld Reekie’s finest establishments. 

 

Scores:

The scores for the first round were lost in the Blue Book Heist of 2017 (seriously, death’s too good for whoever nicked it) but the final round scores survived! Apart from Barry and Gaz the remaining members are ranked according to their second-round scores only.

1. Barry (13): ?, 32: ?
2. Gaz (5): ?, 31: ?
3. Rolfey (9): ?, 31: ?
4. Bryn (7): ?, 29: ?
5. Beast (5): ?, 29: ?
6. Woodsy (17): ?, 26: ?
7. Ant (12): ?, 24: ?
8. Flex (18): ?, 23
9. Andy (20): ?, 16: ?