[Chris Shepard: Internal Memo]

<declassified and redacted in accordance with s.y. order - 5/25/17>

I went to the downtown library, occult section, to do a little research on the (weird – I’m almost hesitant to type it’s name) Gargunnock.  I figured if we’re going to pass through its domain, we better be as prepared as possible.   Well the first thing I found was…nothing!  I mean there are a few verbal descriptions but even those are mostly about how dark everything became in its presence and an overwhelming sense of dread.  Tall, evil, murderous, the overbearing sense of a hard-stare down one’s neck…that’s all that really came from the first-hand tales (and even those were suspect as The ██████████ isn’t known for leaving much behind and what it does leave…well let’s say that its usually not recognizable). █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █  Of course, it doesn’t help that apparently it’s invisible to all those but the drunk <the source of this nugget is suspect as it was simply just handwritten in some crusty maroonish ink on the back cover of an old tome on loan from the Scotland Archives.

Anyway, here are some things that may or may not be helpful as we proceed:

First:  The G (I’m just going to use G…I think it monitors the Internet and I don’t want to call attention to us) is drawn to 3’s.  The number, groups of 3, 3 o’clock…anything with 3’s so we need to pay attention and avoid things like 3 of us ordering the same type of beer (either a 4th order it or one of the 3 change their mind). █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █  I’m a bit concerned about Gentlemen Gouffers of Gargunnock as that’s 3 G’s (I’ve consulted the Royal Council of Gargunnock and am awaiting their reply on that one). Known victims of the G include X X X X X X X X X, X X X X X X X X X X X X X, X X X X X X X X X X, X X X X X X X X X X X X X, X X X X X X X X X X X X .

Second:  Thistle (the ████████ Flower of Scotland) has been known to protect travelers in the region.  What is suggested is that whenever we see it, whether real or just a symbol, we swipe it with our hand.  I know – it seems silly but for some reason, more people made it through unscathed when they have done this vs not.  You guys can do what you want, but just to be safe, I’m going to pick one of the flowers and put it in my backpack. Only once has a G been X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Third:  Scotland Coat of Arms is red & gold.  This really pisses the G off as he LOATHES the colors red and gold – always has.  Nobody knows why that is. █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ Some believe the Scotland Coat of Arms was designed with this in mind (although if that’s so, I have to wonder if the colors ward the G off or makes the G lose its mind and attacks at the sight of the colors…and I’d think the lion/dragon thing would further enrage it if it is indeed an attempt to represent the G as mythos also suggests).

█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ So to wrap this up -- OUR SHIELD:  The 3 Gs – Gentlemen Gouffers of Gargunnock (as referenced above – it was designed before I came across the ‘3’ thing…it might be too late to change it though).  The 3 scratch marks – originally thought to pay homage to the G as he/she/it leaves those in stone or trees near where victim falls…but there are 3 of them so I dunno?  The thistle – now that should keep the G█████████ at bay…maybe.

 

* Some say the ██████████ isn’t real or went extinct eons ago.  Others say it’s just a town in Scotland whose name simply sounds frightening.  Others say some dumb Yank is yanking everyone’s chain.  Well we’re not here to say one way t’nother, but there’s a reason not one (NOT ONE) golfer has ever played through this town and lived to tell about it and we’re darn-sure not going to take our chances.  We promised our families we will return home safely and by-gum that’s just what we intend to do! (please)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE:  It's officially been 1 year.  We've raised over $8,000 for Shepherd's Crook.  We continue to add photos to our Gargunnocks Facebook page.  To-date we're still the only people to have golfed across Scotland, although a few others have begun talking about doing so.  We're sending out magical wonders to those that have logged their artifacts prior to 6/25/18.  Thank you to all who took the time - some funny findings (sticker found in the middle of a toilet paper roll), some cute (a couple kids were out on a treasure hunt with their parents and found a GGG coin under a rock), some puzzling (a GGG poker chip in the collection plate of a church).  Please continue to report any findings...there aren't a lot of people doing so, so if you make one of us laugh or smile, we'll likely still send something your way.  Down to the man, this adventure holds a very special place in our memories.