For the first GROGS Lunch of 2016. the selection process used by the Committee for speakers again proved successful with the enlightened choice of Nick Rogers, the HeraldScotland golf writer, It further proved that, although rugby is undoubtedly their first love, most GROGs are interested in many other sports … so long as there is a ball involved! 113 established GROGs and new Members including one “spy” (as described by Chairman, Johnston Sime) from EROS, our sister club in Edinburgh, enjoyed a Burns season influenced lunch of scotch broth and haggis, neeps & tatties followed by a very entertaining and enjoyable presentation from Nick Rogers. A product of The Muckle Toon (Langholm for the uninitiated), Nick confessed to losing his public speaking virginity at this Lunch. At no time was this ever apparent as he entertained the good humoured GROGS audience with stories mainly about golf including several ones about stellar personalities whose names (McIlroy, Montgomerie, Watson, Woods et alia) were mentioned in such a familiar way that it was surprising he didn’t just use first names. Although he’s been in the presence of most of the big names, he was most impressed with Tom Watson’s sheer professionalism and dignity. He didn’t restrict himself to golf but dipped into rugby too, including his own playing experience, all delivered in a couthy, self deprecating manner. Imagine hearing the description of a personal wonder “try” being disallowed because it was over the ‘deid ‘ba line’. He also talked about his own career from art student to Herald golf correspondent and freely admitted that he just loves his job and considers that it beats working for a living, especially when asked to cover any of the amateur events, which were his first love. Perhaps fittingly, for a golf correspondent, the first of a number of questions which Nick took came from GHA’s own “Old Tom Morrice” the name soundalike of the golfing legend, “Old Tom Morris”. For his troubles and his entertainment value, Nick received a bottle of rare GROGS whisky.