Many years ago before the dark lord arrived from Mordor there were a bunch o laddies that went a wandering through the foot hills of hunters bog. Anyway, enough about them, the old wood Mackenzie post boys, Messrs Reid, Mackie, Donald and McEwan meandered north in search of decent greens during the May of 1988. The previous autumn Auld Reid had joined McEwan for a day at his October bash around St Andrews with Kettles and Co the retired students and decided 1988 was a good year for the retired schoolboys. It was a good year if you were Frank McAvenie but enough about the birds. That year saw the flourishing of the blades across some of the tidest lawns Fife had to offer. once Vinny had ploughed them up they looked like the farmer’s field they now call Prestonfield.
The record books show Mackie to be a golfer of immeasurable talent as the opposition were so weak. Basically we handed him our cash and if you partnered vinny you handed him twice as much.
1989 was to be the high or high tide of the Olympian struggle for the boys as they all went through their moral dilemnas on the banks of the bed in room 7, the Marine hotel, Crail.
After a 36 hole struggle around Charleton the weary companions returned at 7.15pm for a supper that stopped serving at 7. As Stuart accompanied Vinny to the room, A young and hairy Mr Reid and Mackie enquired in the lobby about some supper for the famously faitgued four.
“Oh dear said Stu, I think you’ve been rumbled Vin,” as he glanced at the mattress leaning gently against the window, “and those boys are down asking if we can get some grub!”
Vin’s head hung low with a small smile splitting the somewhat twisted face, “I guess a small piece of lasagne washed down with a little chianti may be out of the question then!”
Down below in the lobby of the hotel the quiz master was asking our dynamic duo which rooms they were. “I’m room 7 but it wasnae me” cried Reid’y starting to lose his hair. Cackling with laughter Mr Cackie proudly boasted that “Dont look at me, we were in room three. Hey that rhymes!”
The Quizmaster was not amused “We’ve had complaints about room 3 too y’know” he hissed in that why me, why today, mode.
It was a lucky break as the golf tavern was much better food – but I’m sure the chef putting something special in Vin’s breakfast the next morning.
As the years went by the boys decided to have kids – or in the case of the Mackmeister – somebody at a Christmas party decided to have his. By 1992 there were Fraser and Caitlin and the golfing gods were to offer more venues including Winterfield and the buffeting of the East Lothian winds.
With the demise of Margaret’s caravan a permanent venue was finally chosen in 1994. Sauchope Links was to become our new master and the formula changed to. Having had the odd bystander the jump was made to 6. They wanted the Blackpool six but Fez, the legend behind the Ramones “hey ho lets go” hadn’t left a forarding address so they had to make do with “Ching Ching Donal’”, the other legend from Lytham. In what seemed like millenium moments, the jump to 8 was completed, and now to celebrate our 21st year we take on the challenge of 9.
Now that’s progress!
