By Jim Burke, Men's Golf Coach
The Men's Golf Program experienced a trip of a lifetime in
England and Scotland. The trip was made possible by the
efforts of those who arranged the daily details, hosted us during
our tour and fundraised in advance. Following is a day-by-day
recap of the people and experiences that made this trip
wonderful. The warm welcomes that we received throughout the
trip made our experience all the more special and memorable.
Day 1 - Practice round at Royal St
Georges: Thank you to Peter Fawcus, Assistant
Secretary, at St Georges for accommodating us. After travel
delays we showed up over an hour late for our tee times and he
simply took care of us without missing a beat. Also thank you
to Bruce Monrad for the tee gift and a personally autographed book
by F.R. Furber which details the history of Royal St. Georges.
Day 2 - Tournament at Royal Cinque
Ports: Thank you to Secretary Ken Harrah for letting
the members of the team participate in the Prince of Wales
Challenge Trophy. Also, thank you to Ken for letting me join a two
ball that was short a player in the event. I joined the group
on the second hole upon our arrival to the course. I ended up
playing with the eventual winner of the event -- Brian
Ingleby. The other player in the group, Arim Habibi, had the
low round of the day (-3) 69. Both players played shots around the
green that I had never seen before (putts from 50 yards!) and I was
able to learn a lot about how links golf is played.
Day 3 - Tournament at Royal St
Georges: Thank you to Secretary Christopher Gabbey
for letting the members of the team play in the Challenge Cup. The
course showed its true metal and "won" as only one player broke 150
in the 36 hole event!
Day 4 - Match with Cambridge/Oxford: Thank
you to John Valley the Captain of the Cambridge golf team and
leader of the Oxford Cambridge Golf Society. OCGS is renowned
for winning the match the night before. His plan of keeping
the team out all night backfired as we were able to outlast the
mixed team of Cambridge and Oxford. The team and I were fortunate
to experience the social aspect of UK golf at its finest in the 36
hole foursomes match play event and John was a terrific host.
Day 5 - Match with Royal Lytham and St Annes
members: Thank you to Secretary Graham Cochrane, Head
Professional Eddie Birchenough, and Captain Paul Gardner. I
was amazed by the generosity and friendliness that the club showed
towards the team. The day at Lytham was the highlight of the
trip for many and I attribute this to our hosts welcoming spirit.
Day 6 - Played at Royal Liverpool: Thank
you to our driver Jeff Costello from Dundee Scotland. We were often
running behind and Jeff was very understanding. Jeff provided
structure to the trip and a great deal of patience. The
experience would have been significantly reduced by a less
accommodating driver.
Day 7 - Played at Muirfield: Thank you to
Coach Paterson for setting up and organizing such a wonderful
trip. Golf in England and Scotland is plastered with history
and tradition and, much like Coach Paterson, it is bound to the
integrity of the game. Once we arrived in Scotland, at least one
person at every stop asked us to pass along their greetings and
respects to Coach Paterson.
Thank you to Ernie Monrad for his generous donation to the trip.
He would have proudly enjoyed observing the young men of Harvard
interact with all the fine gentlemen during a fantastic lunch at
the Muirfield clubhouse.
Day 8 - Played at St Andrews: Thank you to
the parents and the Friends of Harvard Golf. Because of your
support we were able to make memories that will last a
lifetime. Playing St Andrews is like going to
a great museum. There are a lot of tourists and everyone
enjoys the fine art.
Day 9- Visited the Clubhouse of the R&A / Played at
Kingsbarn: Thank you to Dr. Greenhough for inviting
us into and providing a tour of the R & A Clubhouse. The
history on display was incredible. We were all intrigued to
learn that there is a button in every room that you could press and
be personally served a drink in seconds. Kingsbarn was the
perfect course to finish a fabulous trip. The views of the Scottish
coast rival those of Pebble Beach.
Day 10 - Traveled Home: Thank you to all
that support H Golf we are all blessed and grateful to have had
such an unforgettable experience.
