Draw - Seniors, Super Seniors Trophy and Monthly Medal. Queen’s. White Tees. Sat 30th May.

This weekend the spotlight falls on the Queen’s Course, where the Seniors, Super Seniors, and a concurrent monthly medal combine to produce one of those Dun Whinny occasions in which experience, guile, touch, temperament and the occasional selective memory all become equally valuable commodities.

The Queen’s, of course, has a habit of luring the unsuspecting into a false sense of security. It is not the bruising, chest-thumping examination of the PGA, nor does it possess quite the same austere grandeur as the King’s, but it remains a course of subtle menace. Tee shots must still be placed with care, approaches judged properly, and any golfer who assumes the job is done after finding the fairway usually finds the putting surface has prepared a small but personal insult. In short, it is a fitting venue for a weekend in which seniority may bring wisdom, but offers no immunity.

First away at 7:30am are Richard Hally, Tariq Ali and Bill Sexton, a group that promises either composed, seasoned golf or an early outbreak of animated forensic analysis. Mr Sexton is never far from the conversation when a score might be compiled, while your correspondent, Mr Ali, will no doubt set off with noble intentions, only hoping this time to remember which season is actually being played. Mr Hally completes a tidy and experienced opening trio, and if one of them posts a number, the rest of the field may spend the morning glancing nervously at the leaderboard.

At 7:40am, matters become immediately serious with Mike Collier, Andy Lothian and Scott Williamson. That is a heavyweight grouping by any standard. Collier brings quality, pedigree and the sort of golfing self-belief that usually arrives with a well-maintained swing and a cabinet containing significant silverware. Lothian, as last year’s Senior Trophy and Net Medal winner, returns as a man with history on the Queen’s and every reason to believe he might do it again. Williamson, meanwhile, is more than capable of spoiling everyone else’s script by quietly assembling a score while the others are still discussing theirs.

Then at 7:50am, the draw serves up one of the more intriguing trios of the day: Ryan Longmuir, Billy Z McNeill and Rob Crockart. Mr McNeill’s presence in any net competition will, naturally, cause the usual murmurings in the corners of the clubhouse. Crockart arrives in excellent heart after his recent net triumph in Strokeplay Round 1, and anyone carrying that sort of form onto the Queen’s is immediately dangerous. Longmuir, for his part, may enjoy the freedom of letting the more notorious names attract the attention while he goes about more serious business.

At 8:00am, Michael Page, Aidan O’Carroll and Kevin Dickson set off in a group containing plenty of potential. Page has shown enough recently to suggest he is more than capable of featuring prominently, while O’Carroll has the sort of game that can take to the Queen’s rather nicely if the putter shows even a flicker of decency. Dickson is perfectly capable of joining that conversation, particularly if the card remains free of the sort of adventurous arithmetic that has troubled better men.

The 8:10am group of Rob Simpson, Tony Moran and Doug Law looks one of the most interesting of the early starters. Moran’s smooth swing and calm temperament make him a natural fit for a competition of this sort, while Law has more than enough craft to manoeuvre his way into contention. Simpson, meanwhile, brings raw power and tenacity to the game, which makes him both dangerous and excellent value.

There is then a small leap forward to 9:10am, where the draw produces what may be the marquee group of the day: Alan Black, Paul Lewis, Ken Marshall and Eric Lambert. It is a quartet rich in storyline. Black has been a notable figure in this company before and will surely have designs on the age-category honours. Lambert returns as the defending Super Senior champion, and though age may place him in one bracket, experience and competitive appetite place him in several more. Ken Marshall continues to knock insistently on the door of any competition he enters, and Paul Lewis will no doubt bring his usual combination of good humour and dangerous golfing ability. It would surprise nobody if one of the weekend’s decisive scores emerged from this fourball.

At 9:20am, Paul Wadsworth, Tony Stewart and David Bruce head out. Stewart’s name will, in some quarters, immediately summon memories of adventures in bunkers past, but the Queen’s is generous in only one respect: it offers almost endless opportunity for redemption. Wadsworth has the sort of steady game that can flourish in medal conditions, and Bruce completes a group that may prove more potent than first glance suggests.

At 9:30am, Ken Swa, Crawford Gray and Tom Fleming go in a trio likely to appreciate the subtleties of the assignment, before 9:40am gives us David Paterson, Craig Scott and David Logie. Any draw containing Mr Logie tends to attract immediate attention, particularly where gross scores are concerned. If there is to be a particularly eye-catching medal round this weekend, his group would be one sensible place to start looking.

The 9:50am tee time also deserves a careful eye, with Paul Kelly, Tom MacKenzie and Mark Higham. That is a group full of players capable of tidy scoring, and Higham in particular has the sort of game that can turn a quiet morning into a very noisy leaderboard. Kelly and MacKenzie will not require much encouragement either.

From 10:00am onwards, there is no let-up. Steven Smart, Sandy Grant and Jonathan Fletcher promise competitive golf and, one suspects, a few well-struck approach shots. At 10:10am, Alan Penman, Gordon Stewart and Patrick Elsmie offer another group packed with solid medal men. Then at 10:20am, Jim Stewart, Allister Wallace and Douglas Hamilton take their turn, with Wallace arriving in particularly buoyant mood after his recent Jubilee Member/Guest Day victory. Confidence, as we know, is a dangerous thing in golf — especially when attached to a man already playing well.

Finally, at 10:30am, Ian Fisher, Mark Nicolson and Cameron Wilson close the field, by which time they will know exactly what sort of number is required and precisely how much trouble the Queen’s has caused everyone else.

So who catches the eye? Andy Lothian will surely fancy a stout defence of his Senior crown. Eric Lambert has every reason to believe he can once again make life uncomfortable for the other Super Seniors. Mike Collier, David Logie, Ken Marshall, Rob Crockart, and Allister Wallace all arrive with either pedigree, form, or both. And somewhere in the mix, one suspects, there will be a name not widely tipped who will spend the day cheerfully dismantling everyone’s predictions.

That, after all, is the beauty of a weekend like this. On the Queen’s, reputation is useful, but not decisive. Seniority may bring wisdom, but it does not read putts. And in a field such as this, the trophies will go not necessarily to the loudest names, but to those who keep their ball in play, their nerve intact, and their scorecard free from the sort of hole that demands a stiff drink and an imaginative explanation.

By close of play on Saturday, somebody will have claimed the Senior honours, somebody the Super Senior prize, and somebody the monthly medal. The rest will retire to the bar to discuss what might have been, what should have been, and what definitely would have been had that putt on the 14th shown even the faintest sign of good breeding.