By Rory Reynolds
THE friends of a promising young golf pro who tragically died in a road accident are to pay their respects at their pal’s funeral – by dressing in golf clothes.
Friends of Stuart Hutchison – who died after a collision on the A7 last Wednesday – are preparing to give him a send off on his “last round” in honour of the 22-year-old’s love of golf.
His family asked that no one attending his funeral at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh on Friday wear black, instead encouraging people to come “dressed for the final round” with Stuart.
His mum Isobel, 50, said: “Stuart was always in golf clothes – we wanted people to come dressed for gold because it’s Stuart’s final round of golf.”
She and her cabbie husband David, 51, said they were touched by Stuart’s friends’ plans, as well as the support they’d got from them.She said: “He was a special boy, it’s been very difficult but we’re coping because Stuart would want us to – he loved life.
“We’ve been on Facebook and that is giving us great strength, reading everything his friends have said.
“He was a natural, his dad used to take him out on the golf course and try to show him how to play golf, but it was actually the other way round.
“He was a very bright boy, who didn’t apply himself at school, because all he wanted to do was play golf.
“But in the last three years he settled down and got himself together and he managed to achieve the standard required to become professional.”
Stuart worked in the Scottish Golf Centre shop in Leith, where he was developing with the help of professional Stuart Pardoe.
Stuart had been taught by his grandfather, David Stein, and was handing down his knowledge to sister’s young son Callum, teaching him to play the sport he lived for.
His proud mum added: “He had him playing golf already with no problem at all at the age of three.
“He spent as much time as he could on the golf course – when he wasn’t working he was golfing, that was his one real passion – and his family and friends.
“At the weekend he would always go up to Edinburgh to see his friends.
“In the long term he didn’t want to be a Tiger Woods and play on the circuit – he really just wanted to be a golf club pro and play.”
See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel, Deadline TV.
