Professional Services Heat East Lothian

Date – Thursday 16th March

Supporting Industry Partner

Companies we have involved:

Business Fours tees off in unified spirit

Scotland’s golf coast is one of the gems of East Lothian and action for Scotland’s national business golf tournament got underway at the stunning Craigielaw golf club.  Players from Edinburgh’s Professional Services sector gathered in the new clubhouse which offers panoramic views over the Firth of Forth towards Fife.

 

The heat was supported by the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and Marketing Manager, Emma Reid and Account Manager, Alice Beeby got into the spirit of the day by donning some traditional golf gear, a pair of Royal & Awesome tartan troos.  The competition itself was played in a friendly spirit with all the teams enjoying the day in a relaxed atmosphere.

 

In what was the inaugural Business Fours professional firms took part from a range of sectors from banking represented by companies like RBS and Hampden & Co to law firms being represented by Turcan Connell and Anderson Strathern.  The tournament aims to integrate professionals together, a formula that was embraced by the sector.  In an intimate and exclusive setting teams came with the view to meeting like-minded professionals in a relaxed environment.

 

The Yard Scotland are charity partners for the Links season of Business Fours, a partnership born through the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce networking events.  The day served as a great platform for the East of Scotland-based adventure play centre for kids with complex needs to raise their profile.  Business Fours has made a company commitment to donating ten percent of proceeds to charity and for the West of Scotland heats is also working with Beatson Cancer Charity as a charity partner.

 

Play got under way blue skies which finally give way to greyer clouds around the turn.  With the Craigielaw course in brilliant condition for this time of year play continued undisrupted even if the scorecards did take a beating on the back 9 due to the tough conditions.

 

The format for the day was a Stableford competition with a few individual prizes up for grabs.  The main twist on the course was the addition of the yellow ball that reflected the distinctive branding of charity partner, the Yard Scotland, with 4 double scoring points on the course, provided players didn’t lose their balls.

 

Brewin Dolphin Director, Johnny McGlynn’s long putt on the 18^th was enough to see him lift the accolade for the Longest Putt competition.  Another winner from Brewin Dolphin, Assistant Director, Ross MacNish saw his booming drive land beyond the fairway and on the green of the 393-yard par 4 fifth hole, even downwind this was a massive drive and thankfully he did manage to walk off with a birdie.

 

Business development manager, Murdo McHardy from Scotland’s newest bank, Hampden & Co, beat off stiff competition to get within Turcan Connel’s Andrew Ross’s fine approach to the par 3 17^th hole to claim the Nearest the Pin prize.  Anderson Strathern’s, Robin Turnbull hit a brilliant shot into the 3^rd hole to pip Frank Hoskins of Hampden & Co to stop the banks’ clean sweep of the nearest the pin trophies.

 

To encourage integration and networking individuals from each company were paired off with players from other teams to spark off relationships with the common ground of golf.  For the purposes of qualifying for the national final companies were scoring alongside their colleagues with the 4 scores from each team combining to determine the eventual overall winners.

 

The Edinburgh Airport team were one of the eventual qualifiers helped largely by 3 Stableford scores in the high 30’s from Bryan Weir, Gregor Fraser and Nick Gilmore.  For law firm Anderson Strathern it was 2 particularly good scores from Daniel Ferguson and Robin Turnbull that helped them qualify for the national final and maintain a proud history in the Business Fives family of events by reaching every final so far across football and golf.

 

It was steady scoring from all four members of the Turcan Connell team that saw them qualify, with Andrew Ross, Scott Hunter, Callum Townsend and Gareth Hall all scoring in the 30’s.

 

It was the Brewin Dolphin team who ran out eventual winners thanks to a team effort from the quartet of wealth managers.  As winners, they will wear their Royal & Awesome trousers with pride come finals day on 24^th May at St Andrews Fairmont.

 

Importantly it was the Yard Scotland who went away with the generous charitable donations for the charity raffle, won by Jamie Boyd which was probably a fair reward for the 40 points he scored on the course.  Winning a fourball at Trump Turnberry which was kindly donated by the course.

 

With 3 more qualifying heats to come the action concludes at St Andrews Fairmont on May 24^th with the national final to determine Scotland’s national business golf champions 2017.   The action continues next week with our Professional Services heat in Glasgow before the Construction, Housing & Property and Technology & IT sectors meet in April.

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Companies we work with

Being Held At Craigielaw Golf Club, East Lothian

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Player Profiles

Ross MacNish – Divisional Director

Handicap: 16

Home Club: Dun Whinny (Gleneagles)

Favourite Golfing Memory: Europe’s Ryder Cup Victory at Medinah

Favourite Golf course: Kings Course Gleneagles

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: To develop connections with Corporate Advisers

Johnny McGlynn – Divisional Director

Handicap: 5

Home Club: Bruntsfield

Favourite Golfing Memory: Seve Ballesteros St Andrews 1984 fist pumping

Favourite Golf course: Muirfield

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Meet people in right environment

Jamie Boyd – Divisional Director

Handicap: 12

Home Club: Muirfield

Favourite Golfing Memory: Hitting the fairway on the 1st hole during my first ever round at St Andrews last summer!

Favourite Golf course: Boat of Garten

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Meet new people

Marc Wilkinson – Regional Managing Director

Handicap: 16

Home Club: Luffness New

Favourite Golfing Memory: Breaking 80 on the old.

Favourite Golf course: Old Course

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Meet people in right environment

Player Profiles

Daniel Ferguson, Paralegal

Handicap: 18

Home Club: Prestonfield Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Attending St Andrews in 2000 to see Tiger Woods win The Open

Favourite Golf course: La Manga, Spain

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Good opportunity to link up with new contacts.

David Coutts, Senior Solicitor

Handicap: 10

Home Club: Craigmillar Park GC

Favourite Golfing Memory: my friend Joseph Galloway declaring in frustration as the ball left the tee “that’s not what you meant to do, Joe!”, only for the ball to go straight in the hole for his first ace.

Favourite Golf course: Augusta – I’d sell my right arm to play there, or even just to play Amen Corner!

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: my Business 5s career ended and, as sport is the best form of BD, the Business 4s seemed the perfect way to generate new likeminded contacts

Robert McNab, Solicitor

Handicap: 15

Home Club: Royal Burgess Golfing Society

Favourite Golfing Memory: sinking a 3 iron from 200 + yards for first ever eagle @ La Diable, Canada

Favourite Golf course: Machrihanish Championship Course

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: to meet some contacts who also enjoy a bit of golf. Best way to do BD out of the office

Robin Turnbull, Senior Solicitor

Handicap: 19

Home Club: Previous member of Murrayfield.

Favourite Golfing Memory: Having a decent round on Braid Hills for once.

Favourite Golf course: Cally Palace, for the nostalgia.

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Getting back into golf and meeting new like-minded business contacts.

Player Profiles

Frank Hoskins, Banking Director

Handicap: 10

Home Club: Bruntsfield

Favourite Golfing Memory: Long summers in my youth on Crieff golf club from morning to night

Favourite Golf course: Kings Course, Gleneagles

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Business exposure for our new bank

Murdo McHardy, Business Development Manager

Handicap:  12

Home Club:   Milnathort

Favourite Golfing Memory:  Watching Watson V Nicklaus in the duel in the sun (age 10) on a grainy TV in 1977.  Got me hooked.

Favourite Golf course: Turnberry

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours:  To enjoy the company of other like minded business people in a fun environment.

Mark Prentice, Head of Banking – Scotland

Handicap: 12

Home Club: Craigielaw

Favourite Golfing Memory: Sandy Lyle bunker shot to win the Masters

Favourite Golf course: Kingsbarns

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Chance to spread the word about Hampden & Co.

David Bell, Banking Director

Handicap: 8

Home Club: Royal Burgess

Favourite Golfing Memory: Watching Paul Lawrie win the Open Championship from a bar in Key West with cocktails in hand!

Favourite Golf course: Any course where I play to my handicap.

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours:

Player Profiles

Gregor Fraser, Commercial Manager

Handicap: 10

Home Club: Gifford Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Holing my putt for a birdie on the 18th at the Old Course, St Andrews

Favourite Golf course: Carnoustie

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: To meet new people and enjoy some golf.

Adrian Witherow, Chief Operating Officer

Handicap: 20

Home Club: Murrayfield Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Europe in the Ryder Cup at Medinah

Favourite Golf course: Druids Glen

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Opportunity to meet new people.

Bryan Weir, Security Supervisor

Handicap: 14

Home Club: Turnhouse Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory:  Jamie Donaldson’s approach to at the 15th hole at glen eagles to win the Ryder cup for Europe. Even more so seeing it live

Favourite Golf course: St. Andrews old course. Never played there but my dream is to play it.

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: played in the business 5s tournament in football and it was well organised and was very interested to meet more people through this.

Nick Gilmore, Procurement Business Partner

Joined Edinburgh Airport 18 months ago

Handicap: 7

Home Club: Murrayshall

Favourite Golfing Memory: Shooting 75 Scratch round the Royal Course Val de Lobo (Portugal)

Favourite Golf course: Castle Course, St Andrews

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Good opportunity to meet new contacts

Player Profiles

Scott Hunter, Associate

Handicap: 11

Home Club: Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Twilight Golf in Las Vegas. My golf was terrible, but the views were stunning.

Favourite Golf course: Muirfield

Reason for getting involved in Business: meet new contacts and to play some terrible golf!

Andrew Ross, Solicitor

Handicap: 10

Home Club: Ratho Park Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Playing The Old Course and somehow finding the fairway on the Road Hole.

Favourite Golf course: Carnoustie

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: To meet some new contacts and enjoy a round of golf.

Callum Townend, Trainee Solicitor

Handicap: 12

Home Club: Linlithgow Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: My first (and one of very few) victories over my Grandad.

Favourite Golf Course: Royal Aberdeen

Reason for getting involved in Business:  Networking and to have an attempt at playing golf.

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: played in the business 5s tournament in football and it was well organised and was very interested to meet more people through this.

Gareth Hall, Trainee Solicitor at Gibson Kerr

Job Title: Trainee Solicitor

Handicap: 22

Home Club: Bruntsfield

Favourite Golfing Memory: Birdie at The Postage Stamp

Favourite Course: Royal Dornach
Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Late call up!

Player Profiles

Peter Hodgkinson, Relationship Director

Handicap: 20

Home Club: Kinross

Favourite Golfing Memory: Ryder Cut at Gleneagles

Favourite Golf course:  Kinross

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Invitation

Russell Pinkerton, Senior Relationship Manager

Handicap:12

Home Club: Gullane Golf Club

Favourite Golfing Memory: Ernie Els’s bunker shot at the 13th in the final round of the Open at Muirfield  2002

Favourite Golf course: Muirfield

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours: Raise local awareness of the Royal Bank of Scotland

Christian Stewart, Joint MD of D M Stewart Ltd

Handicap:  20

Home Club: Crieff

Favourite Golfing Memory: Early morning tee off at Gleneagles

Favourite Golf course: Gleneagles Queens Course

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours:  Invitation

Mark Mitchell, Partner at Thomson Cooper

Handicap: 20

Home Club: Pitfirrane, Dunfermline

Favourite Golfing Memory:  Open at St Andrews

Favourite Golf course: Old Course St Andrews

Reason for getting involved in Business Fours:   Invitation