Twenty-two ladies from County Armagh Golf Club made a trip to the home of golf at the weekend. Their arrival coincided with Nicola Sturgeon's call for a second referendum on Scottish Independence, however the two events were not linked.
Abandoning spouses on Mothering Sunday, the party flew to Edinburgh where they met up with Glasgow resident and CAGC member, Alexandra Mawhinney.
The Ardgowan and Pilmour House Hotel was an excellent base from which the party left for a walk along the Old Course on the Sunday. After photographs on the Swilcan Bridge, most retired to the famous Jigger Inn where a selection of whiskeys was sampled.
The golf began in earnest on the Monday in outstanding weather. The scores over the magnificent Eden course, reflected the benign conditions. A full list of prize winners is set out below but the winner of the St. Andrew's Cup, turned by June Humphries and skilfully inscribed by Nicola Spence, was Sylvia Ashe with an outstanding 40 points.
Much revelry followed with entertainment provided by the ladies with the highlights being Noeleen Muldoon's rendition of a Pam Ayres ditty, “They should have asked my husband”, Sylvia Ashe's adulteration of “The boys from the County Armagh” and an unrehearsed version of River Dance featuring the “not Strictly dancing” skills of Anne O' Reilly and Bernie Harvey.
The competition on the second day, featuring a reduced field of players, (attributable in part to a scarcity of tee times as much as the after effects of the revelry) was won by Siobhan Donnelly with 43 points.
Photographs of the trip, heavily edited in some cases, are in circulation and a small sample of approved pics is set out below. All of the participants expressed admiration for the organisational skills of the Lady Captain, Gail and vice-Captain Elizabeth, and are looking forward to the next outing. In the words of one participant. “It will need to be very special to match the enjoyment of this unforgettable experience.”
St Andrews Cup -Competition Results:-
Back nine winner with 24 points = Ronnie Toal.
Front nine winner (beating Lily McMullan on countback) with 19 points = Breda Naughton.
Category D winner with 32 points = Anne O'Hea.
Category C winner with 30 points = Sheila Stinson.
Category B winner with 31 points = Elizabeth Mawhinney.
Category A winner with 36 points = Alexandra Mawhinney.
Third place winner was Ellen Brady with 36 points. A delighted Bernie Harvey took second place with 37 points. The overall winner was Sylvia Ashe with an impressive 40 points.
St Andrews Cup Day 2 -Competition Results.
Third place winner was Ellen Brady with 38 points beating Anne O'Hea on countback. Second place went to Lily McMullan with 40 points. The overall winner with a magnificent score of 43 points was Siobhan Donnelly.