Scottish Open pro-am opportunity is a birthday treat for Thurso community volunteer
Caithness golfer and community volunteer Carol Paterson said it came as "a bolt out of the blue" when she was invited to take part in a pro-am challenge ahead of the Scottish Open.
Carol, who is treasurer of Thurso Community Development Trust (TCDT), was one of a small number of "Covid heroes" from around Scotland who were given the opportunity to play 18 holes on the Renaissance Club course in East Lothian.
It meant she spent her 58th birthday playing alongside Scotland's number one golfer Bob MacIntyre and BBC presenter Dan Walker as well as fellow nominee Ewan McKinnon, from Arran Mountain Rescue Team.
Carol lives in Thurso with husband Colin, who is also a golfer, and plays at Reay where she is a member of the ladies' management group. As a board member of TCDT she has helped deliver Covid-19 community support in the Thurso area.
She was nominated by daughter Eilidh (26) as part of Golf for Good, the European Tour’s corporate social responsibility programme, which sought to reward individuals for their heroic work during the pandemic.
Eilidh accompanied Carol to the North Berwick venue for the pro-am. It took place on Wednesday last week, before the start of the tournament sponsored by abrdn (formerly Standard Life Aberdeen) as part of the Rolex Series.
“They were looking for Covid heroes and Eilidh put me forward," Carol explained. "I was unaware she had done that – so it came as a bolt out of the blue.
“I was nominated but I'm sure there are much more worthy people. It probably helped that I play golf, because it was a golfing experience.”
She was delighted to team up with Bob, Dan and Ewan.
“The three of them were just the loveliest, nicest, kindest people – I don't know how many adjectives I could use to describe them," Carol said. "The four of us got on brilliantly.
“I was very nervous to start with but after two holes they put me so much at ease. It was just like meeting family members – it was great.
“The best thing about it was it was also my birthday. It was so nice – I don't know what ideas the family are going to have to come up with to surpass that!
"A week later the smile is still on my face."
Carol has been instrumental in TCDT's efforts to help the community through the pandemic.
“We all worked very hard to provide 15 months of community support," she said. "It was nice to know that we were all helping to ensure that our community was kept safe – and not only us, but our lovely volunteers who were able to give up some of their time.
“Everyone should be proud of everything they did during that time. Although I'm the one that got this lovely nomination, there are many on the board who deserve recognition too because they've devoted lots of their time as well.”
Carol, whose handicap stands at 9.6, has been playing her part in encouraging more women to take up golf at Reay.
“I volunteer out at the golf club a bit as well," she said. "In the last year we've been trying to encourage more ladies to golf and this year we've taken on about an extra 22 ladies. That's a great number for a small village golf club.”
Scottish Open championship director Rory Colville said: “We were thrilled to host just a few of the true heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic at this year’s pro-am and we truly hope they enjoyed their day playing alongside some of the biggest stars on the European Tour.
“Through Golf for Good, we felt this was the least we could do to recognise and thank the many people who have gone above and beyond during the last 18 months or so. The honour was truly ours to welcome them on site and hopefully give them an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
The abrdn Scottish Open was won by Australia's Min Woo Lee.