Paul Jamieson 'blown away by love and generosity' at Edinburgh golf get-together

A Scottish golf professional said he was “blown away” by the generosity shown to his family through donations raised at an annual golf lunch in Edinburgh.

Dunblane New head pro Paul Jamieson pictured with his wife Katy, who sadly passed away.

The event, held at the Canny Mans in Morningside, started around four years ago and is organised by Capital-based professional James McGhee. “It’s main aim is and always will be about bringing people in the golf industry together at the start of the Christmas period for a chat over a glass of wine,” he said.

Around 30 PGA professionals from all over Scotland were joined on this occasion by seven PGA in Scotland officials, including manager David Longmuir.

Others in attendance included Loch Lomond Whiskies duo Scott Dickson and David Guthrie, Bounce Sport co-founder Iain Stoddart, Kingsfield Golf Centre owner Robert Arkley, David Harris from Bonnie Wee Golf and David Kerr from Morton Golf.

On the club side, Gullane’s Gordon Simpson and Jamie Wales were also there along with Robert McGuire from Muirfield while buying group TGI were represented by Eddie Reid, Adele McLean, Neil McCrea and Ricky Gray.

The group of professionals included Dunblane New head pro Paul Jamieson and, unbeknown to him, the event doubled up on this occasion as a fund-raiser following the death of his wife, Katy.

“Paul has three kids to look after and, having recently become a dad, I could understand the difficulty in doing this while holding down a job as head pro,” said McGhee. “Everyone wanted to do something to show Paul that we were all thinking about him, so everyone made a donation.

“On hearing about that, Adele from TGI called me to say they wanted to donate on top of what they had already given as Paul's dad was one of the original founders of TGI and the family has deep roots throughout the group.

“That was a massive gesture from a fantastic group in Scotland and, on the day, we managed to give Paul, who had no idea what was happening, £4,450. When he came to collect it, he was literally speechless and shaking.”

In a message sent to McGhee, Jamieson said: “I’m struggling to express my gratitude to you all for the care and generosity shown to me and my family.

“I came today to see friends and colleagues that I’ve met across the years to enjoy the day with the group along with a couple of beers. I’ve been totally blown away by the love and generosity shown towards my family. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Admitting he’d been delighted to hear that, McGhee said: “Everyone jumped on board with the idea and it showed what a great bunch of people we had in that room. It was incredible that such a small act of kindness performed by so many could affect someone's life in such a positive way.

“I can't thank the Kerr family (owners of the Canny Mans and including Mark, a professional himself) enough for allowing me to host the lunch in such a fantastic venue and for everyone attending and donating.”