This club is famous for… the war memorial on the course
Remembrance is a part of modern British life, culture and heritage – how the British Legion aptly describes the time each November when we come together to think of those who sacrificed themselves to protect our freedom.
Abernethy, a 9-hole course found in the Highlands of Scotland in Inverness-shire, is no exception to this.
But members at the Nethy Bridge course can pay their respects on site, for a 25-foot war memorial lies in the middle of one of the holes.
The 8th, known as Monument, is a 244-yard par 3 off the white tees. Still laden with poppies at this time of year, the obelisk sits right in the centre of the fairway between the tee and green.
#lestweforget pic.twitter.com/ZlypaF6PUb
— John McCook (@JohnMcCook07) November 11, 2016
This year’s armistice service was held at the memorial, which resides in the parish of Abernethy and Kincardine, and commemorates those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
Monument is a blind hole and this means that the huge structure sometimes inadvertently acts as a marker for golfers standing on the tee. It is frequently struck.
Another more recent feature of the hole, which sees drives go over a hill and try to negotiate three bunkers round the green, is the ‘Bell of Remembrance’.
Located near the green, the brass bell was donated by two members and is designed to notify those on the tee when the green is clear.
Please note that the Armistice Service will be held at the Monument on the golf course at 1pm this Sunday. #remembranceday pic.twitter.com/gvStKVZP7i
— Abernethy Golf Club (@AbernethyGC) November 8, 2016
It was bequeathed on the grounds it was dedicated to Sergeant Thomas Stewart Shaw, who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery in Zillebeke, Belguim, in 1940.
He and his crew helped to stem a German advance and rescued wounded soldiers while under heavy fire.
He was killed at the age of 36 trying to defuse a mine in North Uist in 1943 and is buried in Nethy Bridge Old Kirk Graveyard.
His name is among those on the war memorial.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
