R&A Golf Club V St. Andrews Golf Clubs

The 'Town Match' is an annual game played between the members of the R&A and those of the local golf clubs in St. Andrews. It is played over the Old, New & Jubilee courses here on the links in the Foursomes format, alternate shot, and is one of the great fun events of the year.

I finally got my name into the hat along with my golfing buddy of many years, Andy. I sponsored Andy into the St. Andrews Golf Club this year and we were picked out as a team to golf on the Jubilee Course at 11.44am Saturday. Our opponents, from the R&A, were named as Mr J Rigg & Mr D Fay and our team's combined handicaps are 23, so no one gets any shots in this match play foursomes game.

Andy arrives at my 'holiday home' just outside St. Andrews on Friday evening after a horrendous day at work so the decision to head to the Dunvegan Bar in St. Andrews, after a couple of glasses of wine, was a no brainer! Once some food was taken with a couple of pints of guinness I suggested that he may like to visit his golf club for the first time as a member...an eagerly accepted invitation. A bottle of red was enjoyed.


Thankfully we were able to have a long stay in our beds before 'brunch', visiting the driving range, then heading over to the 1st tee and introductions to our opponents. As it turned out our R&A guys are both extraordinary chaps...Mr Rigg is one of the top Doctors in Britain and a former Captain of Royal Birkdale, host of many an Open Championship. His playing partner, Mr David Fay, happened to be the former head honcho of the United States Golf Assocciation (USGA). Goodness, one never knows who you are going to stumble into when golfing on the links at St. Andrews!

The match was a ding-dong affair with the game going down to the 18th green when David Fay sank a 6 foot putt for victory. Defeat yes, but it was such a grand game of match play golf that we all walked off with good thoughts and friends made.
The 15th green, signature hole of the Jubilee Course

We were invited into the R&A Clubhouse for a drink after the match, which was readily accepted as is the form of this tournament, and then we invite them into our club....and on it goes for the rest of the afternoon and evening...!

Andy sent me a lovely message on Sunday which I shall quote verbatim:

John as you walked ahead from the 18th tee David Fay walked to me and put his arm round my shoulder. He then said that he'd had many fine days in golf but today was memorable. He meant it. And I agree, it was.

A good day on the Jubilee links of St. Andrews, albeit we got defeated. The company was excellent, the game was played in the proper spirit of golf and my three golfing partners enjoyed their first ever round over the testing Jubilee Course.

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