Scottish Universities Golfing Society

Young v Wise - Royal Burgess - Sunday 24 August 2025

Sunday 24th August saw the inaugural SUGS Young v Wise Match. In a rare change of pace for SUGS, the match was played on a hot summer’s day at a parkland course – Royal Burgess.

I suggested the Young v Wise match as a method of integrating the society; allowing for fresh-faced new members to get to know the established gentlemen of SUGS at an internal event, rather than at a match where they’re meant to be meeting their opponent! Interest in the event was well received, but the real difficulty came in choosing the teams. Two precedents were set in this process:

• The current Captain is to choose the Wise team.

• The cut-off for the “Young” classification is 35 years old.

Several members protested that they were neither young nor wise, however the day was still well attended with 27 SUGS members; 12 Young, 12 Wise and 3 past Captains ready to enjoy the lunch and observe the spectacle. While the spectacle

could refer to the golfing talent within the Wise team, it may also refer to the ability of the Wise gentleman to ensure the wine glasses of the Young team were well-filled in advance of their first tee shot.

Fourball Results ("Young" names first)

1) Gregor Miller & Lewis Govenlock v Drew McCrone & Mark Kernaghan

I felt like I pulled out a Captain’s performance for this match; putts were dropping at a surprising rate. Sadly, my opponents were sent out with a mission to put a point on the board and did not disappoint. A match with swings both ways, it was thoroughly enjoyed. Congratulations to my opponents and thank you for an excellent afternoon.

2) Lee Coulter & Callum Connacher v Ewan Cameron & Kenny McKay

Despite Mr Cameron’s best attempt to “hydrate” his opponents during lunch, Vice Captain of the Young Team Lee Coulter was full of praise for his partner after this match. Mr Connacher lived up to expectations and provided his regular flurry of

birdies at the end of this match to gain a point for the Young team.

3) Daniel McKiddie & Stefan Hindmarsh v David Simpson & Richard Muckart

Wise Captain David Simpson looked at the Young team sheet in advance of the match and was more than happy to take on the pair that stretched the definition of “Young”. With a mix of handicaps in the group, the Young gents were more than

happy with the suggestion of a scratch match where their 4-handicaps would balance against David’s +1 and Richard’s teen handicap. They should not have been happy with the suggestion. Dr. Hindmarsh noted that David “put on a clinic” and

quickly dispatched them.

4) Ross Finlay & John Bisset v Sandy Reid & Sandy Philips

The real headline from this match was that Sandy Reid nearly ended up playing for the Young Team. A simple administrative error with a mix up between Sandy Reid and Alexander Reid nearly left Sandy handing back his bus pass and teeing it up for the Young side. Sadly, some protests led to the deadly pairing of the two Sandys picking up a point for the Wise.

5) Martin Friel & Robert McNutt v Ian Kerr & Mike Reid

My favourite thing about Royal Burgess is the placement of the halfway house; easily accessible from the 9 th , 12 th and 16 th . This was not the case when I met Mr. McNutt after I finished the 12 th and he mentioned he was 4 down through 9 and it was not likely to improve. Point to the Wise.

6) James Cameron & Steven Sinclair v Gordon Simmonds & Ross Brydon

We were very grateful that Ross Brydon stood in to play for the Wise team at the last minute. Even more grateful as he would usually be classed as Young; perhaps this is why our final pairing managed a half point. We had a man on the inside.

A final score of 4½ - 1½ in favour of the Wise. From all reports the match was thoroughly enjoyed by all and we’ll be looking to continue the fixture annually. I’d welcome all to sign up, especially new members who may have more success than

those representing the Young team this year.

Gregor Miller