July/August 2023 report

Our August open meeting was the Hornsey-Walker Cup, looking resplendent having been polished and with the base now firmly fixed to the cup by 2022 winner Andrew Winterbotham. The cup was first presented in 1927 and so it is approaching its centenary; we shall have to plan an appropriate celebration.

The fixture was held at Royal Ashdown Forest GC, and this time we played the Old Course, with players having

Jerry Hamley hits the green on the 249yd 11th

the choice of using the yellow or red tees. Whichever choice was made, the key for all players was to keep the ball on the fairway, since the slightest deviation either side meant playing the next shot from the prevalent heather, which was in full and lush condition. So much so that many a ball was lost, and many a 3-minute spell spent foraging in the purple heather for a glimpse of white (or yellow). No-one completed their round in less than 5 hours.

Having finished as runner-up on his last two outings, Nigel Huxtable was due a win, although his victory speech afterwards suggested that he had miscalculated, since he said that he wanted to avoid the consequent cut to his society handicap! Nigel’s winning score of 32 points, very  creditable in the conditions, was also achieved by David Absalom, who lost out on countback by the narrowest of margins, one less than Nigel on the last six holes. Third was David Hughes (29 points) who also finished ahead on countback, this time at the expense of Mike Berners Price (also 29).

We welcomed three new members, Daniel Emkes, Trevor Watkins and Ben Rudall, all making a debut appearance on probably the most difficult course of the summer!

The next (and last) outing of 2023 is at Piltdown GC, in September.

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We played a match against Croham Hurst GC in August. All very enjoyable in lovely weather, but a 4-0 win for the hosts.

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The frenetic activity of June is over and the relative calm of July has arrived. Why there should be such a difference is beyond me!

Anyway, July brought with it our President’s Day meeting at Addington Palace and there was a decent turnout for this one, although still low by historical standards. Our President, Pip Burley, now in his fourth year of office, teed off first alongside Messrs Forbes, Skeen and Champness (all pictured alongside), and another five groups followed behind. All participants seemed to enjoy themselves, on a generally fine day on a fine course, with traditionally fast and true greens, and a varied background of holes, some of which wind their way through narrow gaps in the trees and others of which are in open parkland, nearer the palace itself. A good challenge.

It was fitting that Pip himself should be amongst the prize winners, finishing third on countback from Peter Kelley with 34 points. Second was Nigel Huxtable, a member of Addington Palace, and demonstrating the validity of his handicap with 36 points, 18 on each nine holes. Nigel may have regretted sharing his knowledge of the course with playing partner Mark Chatham (pictured right, with Pip), who pipped him to the President’s prize with 37 points; apparently the lead changed hands only on the 16th hole, where Nigel found a bunker and looked likely to stay there for the duration.

Thanks are due to John Gould, who managed the match for us superbly, but was unable to participate because of injury.

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