Scottish Golfers Experience Scare in Egypt

Civil and political unrest in and around the Cairo, Egypt area have headlined many major news outlets for the past few weeks.  While most of the violence and public demonstrations have remained within city limits, world visitors have also been exposed to some incredibly frightening experiences as a result.  This includes a small group comprised of many promising young golfers from Scotland during a recent visit to the Mirage City. According to an article by Martin Dempster of The Scotsman, 15 athletes from Scotland's Stirling University, along with their coach and a team psychologist, found themselves caught up in the unrest in the Egyptian capital during a winter golf training trip to the area.  During their trip the group was forced to remain indoors by two large military tanks at the Mirage City complex in which they were housed for an extended period.  During this time, no members of the group were able to contact the outside world including families or University officials for at least two days.

When finally allowed to leave the complex this past Wednesday en route to a nearby airport, the experience took a serious turn for many members of the group.  As Dempster writes, University golf performance director and former European Tour winner Dean Robertson describes the team's experience:

"When we got outside we were met with a mass of tanks and bollards along the highway. We went through numerous check points and it then became really serious.

"There were lots of vigilante groups brandishing swords and machetes and they were coming up to the side of the bus as it was moving slowly. One of them lifted his machete and drew it horizontally acorss his neck. We were glad to get to the airport."

The entire team and coaches are now home after experiencing a trip they will surely not forget anytime soon.