The 15th day of October was quite a special day at Shanghai Silport Golf Club. That’s when a 30-person entourage, led by Scotland’s Angus city council chairman, Rob Murray, arrived at Shanghai Silport for the Scotland Tartan Day International Golf Challenge/Reunion Invitational. The groundwork was laid for this event back in April, when Silport’s Vice General Manager, Jack Huang, took club members to Scotland, where they all enjoyed the traditional festivities of the “Tartan Day Golf Challenge.” This interchange forged a friendship between the ZH and Scottish counterparts.

When it comes to Scotland, all golfers exhibit immense respect for the nation known as the “Home of Golf,” where centuries ago the game was originated. In 2005, Silport’s founder, Beta Soong, enjoyed the honor of being designated an honorable citizen of the city of the Scottish city of Angus for his design of his pure links-style course, Tiger Beach Golf Links (located in Shandong Province). In addition, the 300-year-old course at Carnoustie, Scotland, which has hosted the British Open seven times, formed a sister alliance with Tiger Beach and honored Soong as the club’s only honorary member. The city of Angus city also renamed two local streets as “Silport Place” and “Tiger Beach Drive,” quite a lot of honors for a ZH golf club that can now be proud of a high level of acknowledgement and respect from the nation that is the Home of Golf.

On Tartan Day, Shanghai Silport Golf Club resonated hill and dale with the regal sound of traditional Scottish bagpipes. Even the immense dining hall was outfitted completely in Scottish tartan (traditional plaid Scottish clan fabrics). Within this truly Scottish atmosphere, Beta Soong delivered a warm welcome speech to all his far-hailing guests, in which he expressed his hopes that the friendship between China and Scotland would grow closer through the joint promotion and development of the sport of golf. Angus city council chairman Rob Murray displayed his appreciation for Soong’s warm welcome by an invitation to his ZH friends to visit Scotland. Murray also explained the origin of the tartan, and how its clan significance represents a similarity between the ZH and Scottish cultures.

As for the results of the Tartan Day tournament, Deng Yun, Wu Zhong Fang, and Song Long Qing won the longest drive prizes. The individual champion trophy went to Jim Leckie from Britain, with Jung Ling Liu a close second. Group Team competitors fought it out furiously, with the Scottish team overcoming the ZH team for the title. Soong and Murray joined David Valentine, head of the Angus Economic Development, and Scotland Area Director Patrick O’Shaunessey in presenting prizes to the winners. Soong and Murray then exchanged gifts with one another and proposed a hearty toast to all present for everlasting friendship.