Gavin Aitken Memorial Event
Sunday 29th June 2025
On Sunday, we participated in the annual Gavin Aitken Memorial Tournament held in honour of a young Gleneagles Professional whose life was tragically cut short.
This is a very important event in The Gleneagles calendar as it is the only event where all four clubs participate. As always, the organisation from the whole of the Gleneagles golf team was exemplary for which we are most grateful.
Each year there can be nuanced differences in format and course but for 2025 the event was played only on the Kings course and each club entered a core team of seven supplemented by an allocated professional from the Gleneagles academy: we were fortuitously joined by the ever-jolly Andrew Owens.
Gents played from 'yellow' tees and to ensure social golf, the ladies generously played from the 'green' tees. For each club, the aggregate stableford score was taken for all team members, so every shot on every hole counted. Each group comprised players from all four clubs.
Despite recent 'variable' conditions the golfing Gods provided a day of no rain and merely breezy conditions whereas the greenkeepers weren't so kind with their selected pin positions. Several perfectly competent golfers were able to four putt the odd green ( a particularly 'odd' one being 17th).
The appreciation of just what this unique event represents was palpable throughout the day but whilst the gathering of the Gleneagles clubs in such a gloriously combined way is, in truth, 'the main event', this is a competition and so to results.
In terms of personal achievements, Emily Lowther managed a very impressive 37 points to head the individual points tally and Ross (radar) MacNish gained the award for nearest the pin on 16th.
However, possibly the standout achievement on the day was from young Joel Thomson (Pro) with his hole-in-one at the fifth - many thanks Gleneagles for the dram!
And so, with fabulous contributions from Kevin Beattie and Ken Swa (each adding 35 points to our collected pool) and a very steady complete team performance, I am delighted to report that your Club has won the trophy in 2025; our first victory in this event in a decade.
Congratulations and thanks for a terrific team effort.
Let's not leave it for another decade....
