Allyn Dick delighted to become most decorated player in Lothians' history

Allyn Dick has become the most successful player in Lothians Golf Association history after overcoming an injury that left him unable to walk for three days earlier this year.

Kingsfield's Allyn Dick after being presented with the South East District Open trophy by Lothians president Jean McNab at Castle Park. Picture: Lothians Golf Association

The 43-year-old landed his 12th title triumph in LGA events as he made a successful defence of the South East District Open last weekend.

He opened with rounds of 69-67 at Royal Musselburgh before adding scores of 65-72 at Castle Park for a seven-under-par total.

That secured a one-shot success over Lothians champion Connor Wilson, who played the final two rounds on his home course, with Craigielaw’s Davidson, the only other player to break par, five shots further back in third place.

The win moved Dick, who landed a record-breaking clean sweep of the LGA’s majors last year, ahead of Keith Nicholson in the overall title standings in the Lothians.

“I’ve only been in the Lothians for 12 years and I’ve managed to accumulate 12 Lothians titles,” said Dick, who played his golf at Shotts before joining Kingsknowe initially but now loving being attached to Kingsfield on the outskirts of Linlithgow.

“That’s a huge achievement given the quality of players the Lothians have had over such a long period of time. It’s something I’m immensely proud of.”

Dick’s latest victory on the Capital scene is pretty remarkable given that he thought his 2022 season was about to be cut short earlier in the summer due to a back issue.

“The most frustrating thing is that it was something that had probably festered from working at home and sitting in the one position all the time,” he revealed.

“As a result of that, the hip flexors were pulling on the back and pulling the hip out of place. It was tough to take because for three days I couldn’t walk and the chiropractor had basically told me not to play golf at all because the spine is not supposed to rotate from left to right; it’s supposed to move the other way.

“The golf swing is then contributing to what was the pain of basically the torsion of the pelvis. I’m in this week for my final assessment after 14 sessions with my chiropractor.

“At the last one, he was happy that we were past the pain stage and we were into the rehab and now I’ll be getting a programme to see where we go from here.”

Though it was still something of a triumph, Dick fell at the final hurdle in his bid for a third straight Eden Tournament triumph at St Andrews before landing a seventh 72-hole victory on the Scottish circuit.

And he’s hoping there are more to come. “I keep saying I won’t have many more opportunities but, if I winter well and my body is in better condition, then you don’t know what is around the corner,” he declared.

“The young boys are coming through and they are more polished in terms of having an overall game from course management to how they swing it and the distance they hit it is just ridiculous. But, injury-free, I don’t see why I can’t add to my record.”

Stephen Gallacher helped put Kingsfield on the map with his successes in the pro ranks and now Dick is delighted to be doing likewise in the amateur game.

“It’s everything you need in a golf course,” he said of the Arkley family-owned facility. “It’s unbelievable to have that on your doorstep and to have them supporting what I do is incredible. Anything I can give back is always a good thing.”