Result- Roy Nicolson Salver. Stableford. Queen’s. Yellow Tees. Sat August 23rd.
Roy Nicolson Salver — Queens, Saturday 23 August 2025
A fine day in memory of Roy Nicolson: mild and misty to start, the heavens cleared and Queens served up a beautiful late‑summer afternoon — just the sort of day Roy would have enjoyed. Heartfelt thanks to Mark Nicolson for joining us and for the generous drams on the first tee: 12‑year Macallan and a nip of Johnnie Walker Gold Label to settle the nerves (or encourage them, depending on your tolerance).
The contest was a proper nail‑biter. Congratulations to Ken Marshall, who took the Salver with a superb 39 points. Hot on his heels were Eric Lambert, Mark Higham, Jonathan Dickson and David Frame — all on 38 — showing just how fine the margins were. With so many pins unkindly cut at the front or on the edges of the greens, every approach and lag putt counted.
Top‑five analysis
Ken Marshall (39): Ken married sensible off‑the‑tee play with a steady short‑game and avoided the bogey holes that caught others. His scorecard showed a composed back nine and plenty of one‑putt saves; in a week of brutal pin positions that was worth its weight in gold. Small margins and consistent par‑saves won it for him. Well deserved, Ken.
Eric Lambert (38): Eric’s highlight was the sublime approach to 13 — closest‑to‑pin and then the birdie putt was holed right on cue. Sadly his putting deserted him when it mattered: three‑putts at 17 and 18 cost him the extra point he needed. One fewer stroke on the greens and Eric would have been level — indeed, he’d have taken the title on a better back nine. Putter shopping, anyone? (eBay (GolfClubs4Cash?) is always there…in case you’re asking.)
Mark Higham (38): Mark produced the lowest gross in the leading group and his ball‑striking left him with numerous chances. A couple of missed mid‑range birdie putts and one small lapse were the difference between tying for top spot and taking the spoils. Plenty to be pleased with and plenty to work with for next time.
Dr Jonny Dickson (38): Jonny’s wedge play and short‑game were exemplary — his front nine yielded a stack of points. A tidy second half kept him in the fight, but a couple of wayward holes cost him the extra shot. Credit to Dr Jonny for steady recovery and for sticking at it when the pins were least obliging.
David Frame (38): David laboured early but found a rhythm to grind out points; his card shows reliable mid‑iron play and good scrambling. A stray hole or two prevented him from converting pressure into the outright lead, but 38 on a tough pin day is outstanding.
Features, follies and flasks
In my correspondent’s group Frank Johnson produced a bit of modern‑golf improvisation on the 6th: driver, 3‑wood and two 3‑hybrids to scramble a par. Ingenious stuff — and a reminder that sometimes it’s better to invent shots than to apologise for them.
Jon Cooper, fresh from that extraordinary round with eight birdies a while back and famous scalps of the likes of Logie and Marshall, mysteriously failed to find a single birdie today. Worse, he was out‑driven twice — yes, twice — by yours truly, the one‑armed ( bandit or cripple"?) correspondent. I’ll leave Jon to ponder whether eBay has a “how to add yards to your drive” section. On the bright side, your correspondent managed two birdies on the back nine.
Iain Aitchison had an unforgettable 3rd hole: after seven shots without reaching the road in front of the tee, he sensibly conceded and picked up. Golf provides humility in many forms.
Billy Z. McNeill sacrificed four golf balls mid‑round after an urgent phone call from his daughter in Dubai. Alarmingly, it transpired she was merely contemplating a new car — not an international emergency. Billy still managed 34 points from just 14 holes; imagine what he could have done with all his balls and his phone on silent.
Special mentions: Eric Lambert’s closest‑to‑pin on 13 (and the holed birdie) was a joy to behold. David McLeod navigated the brutally hard pin on 17 to leave his approach two feet — superb nerve and execution.
In reverence to Roy
We played in good humour but with proper reverence. Roy’s name remains a welcome presence on our fixture list and it was fitting to have his family with us on the day. The drams at the first tee were a lovely touch from Mark — much appreciated and, I suspect, responsible for a few extra brave drives.
Warm congratulations to Ken Marshall, the Roy Nicolson Salver champion; and to Eric, Mark, Jonathan and David for a splendid, tight leaderboard. Thank you to everyone who turned out — and if anyone has spare putters or eBay advice for Eric, you know where to find him.
Next week: the Muirfield Salver (not at Muirfield, but at Dundonald Links). See you there — entries via the app.
Special thanks to Mark Nicolson for the wonderful prizes.
David McColgan launching his drive on the first hole!
A rare occurence, Jon Cooper being outdriven. Trying his best to say ‘on the angle’ he was closer to the green!
Robert McLeary tidying up his two putt, as his playing partners were in quiet contemplation of their day.
