SUFFOLKNORFOLKSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012&

GOLFERWINTER WARMERS

page 32

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STARLET ALICE PULLS OFF DOUBLERising starlet Alice Barlow, 13, has pulled off double success by winningtwo important Suffolk titles within a few weeks.The Great Cornard school girl, who plays for Newton Green Golf Club,has won the county girl’s match play title to go with the Berendt Jug fortaking the Suffolk Ladies’ handicap prize in the recent countychampionship title scratch event.She also recently finished seventh in the East Anglia Junior under 15schampionship and was 15th in the equivalent four-round England Girls’ event a few weeks earlier.In the Suffolk girls’ final at Waldringfield, Alice won through to the quarter final stage by defeating her fellowNewton Green junior Eloise Aldous, who plays off nine. Both are in the national girls’ training squad.Alice, handicap six, had a walk-over in the semi-final of the Suffolk match play because her opponent was unwell,and then faced five-handicapper Lottie Whyman in the final.The Newton youngster was three up after five holes, but Lottie levelled the match by the 10th, following whichthree holes were halved. Alice then won the next three holes to finish three up with two holes to play.

3

The Truman Show in SuffolkSam Truman, of Woodbridge Golf Club, is making the most of his lastsummer as a Junior by taking junior and senior trophies. He is nowthe Club champion, as well as the Junior champion at Woodbridge.Playing from a handicap of two, he played 36 holes to level par atWoodbridge to finish 2 shots ahead of a very strong field. The weekbefore, he won the Coronation Cup, a Suffolk Order of Merit,competition held at Felixstowe Ferry and in the process Sam recordeda gross 68 in his second round which is a new Junior course recordfor the Martello course. This crowns a very successful year for Samwho had come close in other order of merit events and representedthe Club and the County U18 teams in matches - well done Sam (right).

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4

RUSHMERE’S RUN OF HOLES-IN-ONE!

Liam Markwell (right) achieved his first hole inone at the Pond Hole 14th, 161 yards, atRushmere using an 8, iron four days beforehis wedding. His playing partner was Fatherin Law Richard Trayler (left).

Terry Mills, amember ofRushmere Golf Clubsince 1980,achieved his firsthole in one at the6th Hole 164 yds.He used a 5 ironinto the wind ANDhis playing partnerswere Paul Smythe,Mike Devaux and Stephen Jennings.

The picture above sees Terry Mills celebrating with the Wednesday Boys. L to R LeviSykes, Spanish, Michael Buck, Glen Goldsmith, Mike Devaux, Stephen Jennings, TerryMills, James Caley, Tony Wallis, Bob Caley, Roger Baird, Paul Smythe.

Jackie Flewitt (centre) achieved her 2nd hole in one at the Par3, 111 yards, 8th hole at Rushmere using a 7 iron. Her playingpartners were Jane Howard (left) and Denise Martin (right).

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Valid until 29th October 2012. Tee times can be booked 28 days in advance for a maximum of eight golfers. One player is required to either hold a handicap certificate or be a member of a golf club to maintain the pace of play.

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Stuart and I have not gottogether much over the summerso I was keen to see how histechnique had progressed. He hasjust returned from a golfing tripto Portugal which he enjoyedimmensely and felt that his levelof play had improved. On watching Stuart hit some shots Iwas impressed with how histransfer of weight on thedownswing and through the ballhad improved. This was reallyimproving the strike he was able toget on the ball. Picture 1 shows Stuart just after hehas hit the ball. You can see that theright heel has raised, weight has

moved onto left foot, hips and bodyhave rotated to face the target andthe head is beginning to lift, allgood indicators of a correct action. Compare this to picture 2 whichwas taken in our previous sessionand you can see the right heel stillfirmly on the ground and headdown. Although picture 2 is taken acouple of frames earlier than picture1 it still shows notable changes ofwhich Stuart can be really proud.After watching some video ofStuarts swing, our next area to workon is getting him more clubheadspeed as we hit the ball. We aregoing to achieve this by trying toretain the angle created between theleft arm and the shaft of the clubfor longer in the downswing. Thisis also termed as trying to createmore lag. If the wrists unhinge tooearly in the downswing thenvaluable clubhead speed will belost by the time the clubheadreaches the ball.

Picture 3 shows Stuart mid-waythrough his downswing where hiswrists are beginning to unhinge andlose this vital power accumulator. Good examples of players past andpresent who have created superblag in their swings would be BenHogan and Sergio Garcia. Both ofthese players, although notphysically big, hit the ballexceptional distances. Our workwill now involve improving thisaspect of Stuarts swing and I amlooking forward to watching itprogress further.

by KELKELVIN VIN VINCEVINCE

PGA Professional,Rushmere Golf Clubkelvinvince@hotmail.co.uk01473 728076

Stuart, 29, from Felixstowe is likemany newer golfers, who has been

to the driving range and playedwith family and friends, but hashad no formal tuition. We aregoing to report on our sessionsand see how much my adviceaccelerates Stuarts progress.

Pic3

Pic1

Pic2

8

Bungay & Waveney Valley Golf ClubFounded 1889 • Course Designed by James Braid

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Fast draining Heathland CourseOct-Jan

FELIXSTOWE FERRY GOLFCLUB’S MENS CHAMPIONSHIPThis year it was decided to change the format and play thecompetition for the first time over 2 consecutive days andthen have a cut of the Top 40 and ties, plus the Nett Leadersif not above the cut line. There was a near 50% increase inthose taking part in day one, compared to 2011. The Club Champion was RHODRI HARSTON with scores of 74/70(total 144). Rhodri was also Champion in 2006, previously theWales Junior Captain. He was five shots behind the first leader,Paul Waring, who ended second overall with a score of 69/78 (total147). Third was Nigel Fosker (Winner 2011) – 76/72 (total 148),4th was Paul Sayers 73/77 (total 150) on countback from hisbrother Steve who was 5th scoring 72/78. 6th place was NeilMeadows with 75/77 (total 152). The Kersey Cup is also playedon the same days over 36 holes and is awarded to the best netscore for those in the Championship. The winner was JONATHANPAINE with net scoresof 59/70. His handicapfor the competition was19 (now 15). 2nd wasJohn Williams – 69/67on countback from BenSayers (68/68), 4thwas Kevin Parris 67/70on count-back fromMark Linney (66/712)and 6th was DeanMundy (67/71).The best net score forday was Ian Brownwith a score of net 65.

JONATHAN PAINE andRHODRI HARSTON

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9

Joshua Robertson fought off a late challenge fromRobert Salter to retain the Mens Club Championshipfor a 2nd year running. It was played over ascorching weekend at Ufford Park Golf Club. His 73on the first day put him in the driving seat as Robertscored 75, which included an 8 on one of the holes.Robertson had extended his lead after 9 holes of thesecond round to 4 shots, but dropped a few on thefinal stretch, having to hole a good 4 foot putt on thelast hole to win by 1. Seven time winner Joe Paynemade a welcome return to the game and with a fewbetter placed shots could have pushed the othersclose.

In the nett event, (the Aldous trophy) there weresome great scores recorded with 4 players undertheir handicaps for the 36 holes.The Winner, Michael Catling, had 2 rounds of 68,which was only 1 shot ahead of Tom Wake who had69 + 68 and 3 ahead of Ronnie Scott who scored 69+ 70.In fourth place in both events was 12 year old HarryFricker who scored 81 + 79 to finish 2 under his 10handicap, this may reduce his handicap to singlefigures. It is hard to believe he was playing off 28earlier this year, this may not be the last we hearabout this particular young man.

Repeat success for RobertsonGroup Winners From left to right: Joe Payne, Robert Salter, Joshua Robertson with Championship Trophy,

Michael Catling with Aldous Trophy, Tom Wake and Ronnie Scott

Club Championship Winner from left to rightSteve Law, Joshua Robertson, Colin Aldous

HOLE IN ONE at Ufford ParkOn a glorious sunny day, a group of golfers visitingfrom Chelmsford Golf Club ventured out onto Ufford'sPark's 18 hole golf course. For Jean Anderson it will bea trip to remember after she had the delightfulexperience of watching her ball fall into the hole fromthe tee of the 102 yard 3rd hole. The incredibleachievement was followed by a screech of joy from theentire group, which was heard around the course,eventually followed by a trip to the bar to celebrate.''I have never had a hole in one before - I just couldn'tbelieve it when I saw my ball in the hole !!!'

10

Suffolk Golf UnionWELCOME FROM RON KENT

I was interested to read yet another piece of medical research, the result of this team’s particular study indicatingthat playing 12 holes of golf once a week, every week, would save as many lives each year as the number whosedemise is due to smoking.I am not quite sure how some of these fairly precise estimates are arrived at, but the results published in TheLancet declared that about one third of the world’s population do not undertake enough physical activity(passable assumption), causing 5.3 million deaths each year (not 5.1 or 5.5 million you will note). It also statedthat 5 to 6 million deaths (pretty precise) occur around the world as a result of smoking-related diseases.The extensive study, understandably requiring a team of 33 researchers (verified daily), recommended that adultsshould do about 150 minutes of moderate exercise, including playing golf, each week. I suppose that is areasonable pace of play these days, indicating a round of 31/2 hours, although beginners, teeing off and seeking,thereby, to delay their departure to meet their maker, might take quite a bit longer. That could be counter-productive in total terms in so far as it would, undoubtedly, cause apoplexy, with unfortunate results, among themembers being held up behind, an assumption not quantified and seemingly ignored by the researchers!Interesting to note that, just a few days after the results of the study appeared, the Scottish Union called for nomore 18-hole courses to be built, but instead nine-hole courses or courses with two or three loops of six holeseach.The study suggested that people in the UK had relatively poor levels of activity although other press commentssuggested that the recent Olympic Games here had created an unparalleled demand for sports facilities, so muchso that there was real concern about finding enough volunteers to help run them, bearing in mind thegovernment’s support for a healthier lifestyle, whilst ruthlessly cutting the purse strings at the same timeYou pay your money and believe what you will. There is no doubt, however, that sport, and golf in particular, isa great way to take exercise and enjoy the countryside around us at the same time.The moral is clear. Get out of that armchair, get down to the nearest golf course (6, 9 or 18 holes) and…

... enjoy our golf and prolong your life by 365 days - precisely.

Anyone wishing to submit articles or comment about golf matters generally should write to Ron Kent, 77 Bennett Avenue, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3JJ. e-mail: golfsgu@btinternet.com

EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING: 150 Fronks Road, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex CO12 4EF Tel: 01255 242141 E-mail: suffolkgolfer@aspects.net www.suffolkandnorfolkgolfer.com Publisher: Linda Basham

Opinions, comments and reports in Suffolk & Norfolk Golfer Magazine are not necessarily those of the SUFFOLK or NORFOLK COUNTY GOLF UNIONS.

Front Cover:KINGS LYNNGOLF CLUB

Suffolk Golf Union Current Officers and Members of the Executive CommitteePresident: Ron Kent (Hintlesham) Tel: 01284 705765; Vice President: Jon Marks (Woodbridge) Tel: 01394384232; Honorary Secretary: Charlie Wilderspin (Rookery Park) Tel: 01502 588028 Treasurer: Geoff Henney(Woodbridge) Tel: 01728 685525Executive Committee: Ray Baines (Felixstowe Ferry) Tel: 01394 276076; Bill Darling (Stowmarket) Tel: 01449615854; Alan Eriera (Beccles); Colin Firmin (Ipswich) Tel: 01206 298742; Phil Platten (Woodbridge) Tel:01394461246; Tony Tyrrell (Fynn Valley) Tel: 01473 785463Other positions: Chairman Suffolk Junior Golf: Mike Stevenson (Rookery Park) Tel: 01502 569765; TeamCaptains: 1st Team: Mike Rees (Rookery Park) Tel: 01502 568941 2nd Team: Andrew Collett (Bury StEdmunds)Tel: 07919 250396; Seniors: John Cullum (Bury St Edmunds) Tel: 01284 735614; Seniors Manager:County Referee: Mike Rees (Rookery Park) Tel: 01502 568941 EGU Delegate: Charlie Wilderspin (RookeryPark) Tel: 01502 588028; SE Group Delegate: Ron Kent (Hintlesham) Tel: 01284 705765; Chairman SuffolkCounty Golf Partnership: Colin Firmin Tel: 01206 298742; Ecology Officer: Michael Thomas (Ipswich) Tel:01394 283973.

11

President’s NotebookHaving attended many golf events around the Countrythis year, I have to express my disappointment withsome of the breaches of etiquette which have beenobserved.The current edition of the Rules of Golf devotes fourpages to setting down what should be the basicrequirements of etiquette, defined in the OxfordDictionary as “the conventional rules of socialbehaviour” or, alternatively, “the customary behaviour ofmembers of a profession towards each other”. The latter definition is interesting in its reference to“profession”. Amateur golfers are not members of aprofession in the strict sense of the word but memberswho belong to a club or play, as a group, on a coursewithout taking up membership. In both cases,considerate care of the course is an obligation and onehas to be concerned about the trend to ignore even thebasic principles set out for the enjoyment of all.Those engaged in the “profession” are subject to strictrules by their Associations and stand to be heavilypenalised should they commit a breach, although, asMichael Thomas points out in his letter to the Editor, theremoval of caps during media interviews is oftenignored by the pros as sponsorship money is involved.That apart, their behaviour is beyond reproach althoughthose who remember the American pro Tommy Boltmay think otherwise.Frequent breaches regularly observed include takingmassive divots on the tee (and failing to replace themwhen a thoughtless breach has occurred) and takingtrolleys on to the aprons of greens, something whichinfuriates many older club members. Sadly, this isoften ignored completely in some European countries,which can lead to confusion here. Here, in somenational events, I am led to believe that warnings for atrolley breach are given with disqualification in theevent of a repetition. Increasingly common, it seems to me, is the decision byplayers in a 36-hole competition to withdraw after round1 (or even worse in the middle of a round), leavingplaying partners high and dry. Most such competitions,certainly here in Suffolk, consist of three balls thesedays and there is absolutely nothing worse than beingleft as a two-ball in a field of three-balls, waiting onalmost every shot. For all but the most sanguine ofmembers, it ruins their day. In the case of genuineinjury, withdrawal is unavoidable but one is often led tobelieve that the “injury” is to the player’s pride after abad round rather than to his body!My old friend Peter Clarke, Treasurer of the NorfolkGolf Union, obviously shares my concerns, and has

written in to the Editor on the subject (above). In theseharum-scarum, highly competitive, money-driven days,standards are bound to slip. Those who are responsiblefor running our leisure activities have a duty to try, ifthey can, to stop the increasing slips from becoming alandslide.Don’t think I consider myself perfect. Towards the endof my active playing days, I developed a habit of leaningon my putter when removing the ball from the hole. Ididn’t even realise I had started doing it until I happenedto read about it on page 21 of the Rules of Golf andthought about it. Perhaps that is the whole point. Weshould all think about what we are doing and do our bestnot to spoil it for our fellow golfers. An impossibledream in this day and age? Let’s hope not.With regard to my own idiosyncrasy, leaning on theputter, fortunately, my rounds of golf are very rare thesedays and, on those occasions when I do play, I don’t hitmany greens anyway.Here endeth the lesson!

Ron Kent

A view from Peter Clarke, Treasurer of the Norfolk Golf Union.“I was talking with Ron Kent, the Suffolk President,recently about the decreasing number of entrantsfor each of the numerous County Championshipsand he confirmed that Suffolk was encounteringthe same situation. To belie that statement itturned out that the Norfolk Seniors Championshipwhich followed shortly after this discussion had arecord entry of 95 competitors. Previously thehighest number of Senior Championship entrieshad been in the low fifties.During our talk Ron mentioned a problem theywere having which again was similar to our ownrecent experiences. It seems that some playersentering a 36 hole event are not prepared to makethe commitment to play 36 holes if they scorebadly in the first round.Both of us had noted certain players suddenlybecoming ill or injured after a particularly bad holeor two and walking in, declaring to the organisersthat they could not continue. In some cases thishad proven to be true but in others it seemed thatthe only illness was a blow to their pride becauseof poor play.Whilst leaving the course and reporting that theywere unwell on some made up pretext was badenough but both counties had experienced othercases of players just leaving their partners on thecourse and going home without a word to theorganisers. As a result of this rudeness and lackof courtesy, to put it mildly, some players havebeen disciplined by barring them from certainChampionships in the following year.Where have the manners and decent behaviourfrom years past gone to?”

12

The 77th Suffolk OpenChampionship was played out overthe splendid parkland course at BurySt Edmunds. Head GreenkeeperSteve Millard had presented thecourse in tip-top condition, therecent policy of narrowing thefairways on some holes making lifetesting for many of the competitors.The club had also acquired the useof a giant scoreboard, financedthrough sponsorship, and this lookedout toward the clubhouse beyondthe 18th green.83 competitors set out on the 1stround, seeking to qualify for the finaltwo rounds the following day.The early pace was set by the 1997winner, Paul Wilby, now HeadProfessional at Haverhill. A fine 68 saw him twoshots ahead of regular County amateur Jack Cardy(Hintlesham). Patrick Spraggs, winner of the event inthe previous two years, finished in third position afterday 1, returning 72, one shot ahead of AmateurChampion Sam Forgan (Stowmarket) and AlastairHall (Halesworth), a regular on the County scenethese days.With the top forty players and ties set to contest thetwo final rounds, the cut hovered between 79 and 80but it was the lower figure, eventually, which saw 46qualifying to return next day.Lawrence Dodd, the ex-tour player, now at BuryDriving Range, made a move in round two, firing 70for 145 at lunch. A 74 by Wilby, gave him 142 butdefending champion Spraggs leapt into the lead with140, his second round of 68 being the best morningscore. Hall, with 71, kept in touch and Rookery Parkamateur Chris Soanes returned 69 to move up theleaderboard. A solid round of 70 to add to Saturday’s74 saw him in 3rd equal place with one round to go.Crowds gathered as the final round got under wayand they were to witness plenty of drama in theclosing stages.Spraggs blew his chance of a third consecutive titleby three putting three greens as he turned for home.Hall kept up a determined challenge for the title andstood four under for the tournament on thepenultimate tee. By then, Dodd was well on his waydown the 18th, eventually finishing with a 66 and fiveunder par for the tournament.Sadly, Hall’s challenge vanished with a pushed driveinto the trees down the 17th. After that it was troubleall the way and by the time he walked disconsolately

off the green, he was looking at level par for thetournament. Dodd was now out of sight and theamateur’s hopes were shattered.So it was Dodd’s Championship with a course recordfor a professional to boot, to add to the amateurrecord of 67 he set some years ago before turningpro.The Christopher Easterbrook Trophy, awarded to theleading amateur in the Championship, was won bySoanes who produced another fine 69 to finish aheadof Hall on countback.The Championship team moved on to Gorlestonwhere a disappointing field of just 36 golferscontested the Seniors Championship. Gorleston,where the welcome is always warm, arranged thebest possible weather for the seaside course anddespite the lack of numbers, there was plenty ofquality on show.With the title decided in 2011 on countback, theChampionship Committee had decided to introduce aplay-off in the event of a tie for future events,mirroring the procedure in all the County’s otherstrokeplay championships. It proved necessarystraight away.Alan Garrett (Bury St Edmunds) looked to be in linefor the title, returning a gross 76, ahead of five otherson 77 and four more on 78. But he was to bedenied by rounds of 75 by long-time county playerand supporter, Andy Whittaker (now Woodbridge butone time a member at Bury St Edmunds) and RonSpore (Stowmarket), also a regular in County events.A brief respite and it was off down the first play-offhole. Both secured par 4s and turned back towards

Championship News With Ron KentOpen Champion Lawrence Dodd with

the President and Chris Soanes

13

theclubhouseover theappointed9th hole.Whittakerbouncedsafely offthe bankof abunker,Spore hita hugedrive butinto thebushesdown theleft. Hehad noalternativebut to take

a drop and hope for the best. On in three and twoputts was to prove one shot too many as Whittakerkept his cool, taking four and the title. It was hisfirst-ever Championship win in several years ofcompeting at County level.Stowmarket won the Michael Thomas Team Trophy,their team comprising Ron Spore, Ken McCredie andGiles Oates.With the Suffolk Mid-Amateur Championship, due tobe played at Rookery Park, cancelled due to only ahandful of entries, the two exciting contests hadmarked the end of another Championship year in theCounty.Venues for next year are the Suffolk AmateurFoursomes at Rushmere (28th April), the AmateurChampionship at Haverhill (9th June), the OpenChampionship at Stowmarket (on 10th and 11thAugust) and the Seniors at Felixstowe Ferry inSeptember on a date to be agreed.

SeniorsChampionAndyWhittaker

DO I GET RELIEF ?Michael Thomas explains threesituations where you need toknow your options:Ball lodged in atree rootThe fallen tree is stillattached to theground by part of itsroot, so it cannot bedeemed a LooseImpediment. Even if itwas a LooseImpediment (notattached to theground), in thisparticular situation its removal would have caused theball to move and that would have resulted in a onestroke penalty and the ball would have to bereplaced.This tree was well away from the line of play, but if ithad been deemed unfair not to give relief, theCommittee could have made it GUR and relief wouldthen be available underRule 25. (page 94 inyour Rules Booklet)

Ball on the greenwith aeration holesSometimes aerationholes, especially on thegreen, can be aproblem. The

Committee can, if it so wishes, allow relief to betaken if a ball is in or on an aeration hole. But thiscan only be done by A LOCAL RULE - there’snothing automatic. So make sure you read anytemporary local rules on the notice board beforegoing out to play. Any rules should be spelt out in fullso you know exactly how to proceed. The sort ofthing you will see will be based on the specimen localrule on page 129 of you Rules Booklet.

Ballplugged ina bunkerA ball in thisposition is areal bore andoften givesrise toexpressionslike “oh dear”or from youropponent“hard luck”.There really is little you can do except, have a go andrisk not getting out of the bunker or making the lieworse, or take the decision to declare the ballunplayable.You now have to proceed under Rule 28 (page 102).All with a one stroke penalty, this gives you threeoptions:

(a) Go back to where your last shot was played and play another.

(b) Drop a ball back on line.(c) Drop a ball within two club lengths but not

nearer the hole.But do remember, if you decide on (b) or (c), the ballMUST BE DROPPED WITHIN THE BUNKER.

14

County Team News1st and 2nd TeamsIt proved a disappointing year for the teams inthe Anglian League, the 1st and 2nd teamsfinishing fifth of the six Counties.However, under the captaincies of Mike Reesand Andy Collett there were some encouragingsigns for the future. The first team got off to agreat start to the campaign, beatingCambridgeshire 71/2 to 41/2 at Felixstowe Ferrybut lost to Norfolk by 51/2 to 61/2 in a closelyfought match at Halesworth.Taking to the road, we were well beaten 8-4 byNorthamptonshire at Peterborough Milton andwere thrashed 10-2 in our next match againstLeicestershire at Haverhill. It was a stormy daywith players called in twice because of lightning.The disruption seemed to cause our players moreproblems than it did for a young Leicestershire sidewhich played some outstanding golf throughout.Expectations could not have been very high when theteam travelled to Stoke Rochford for the final match.Lincolnshire have been frequent winners of theAnglian League title in recent years and we havefrequently fallen victim. On this occasion, a superbperformance in the morning foursomes saw usleading by 3-1 and despite a strong effort by thehosts after lunch, we held firm and ended as winnersby 61/2 to 51/2. Amongst an outstanding teamperformance, Alastair Hall, in the final game cameback from two down to win his match and ensurevictory. Without doubt, as reported in a previous issue, ourfinest hour was the victory in the weather-affectedSouth East Group Qualifier and the County team willmake its first-ever appearance in the NationalChampion County final at Beau Desert in Cheshire atthe end of September.Unfortunately, the team which won at CrowboroughBeacon will not be the same as the one at the final.Sam Forgan has returned to college in the States,Phil Westley has moved into the professional ranks,Alastair Hall will be in Thailand and Ryan Talbot haswork commitments. However, the Suffolk teamcomprising Jack Cardy, Chris Vince, Nathan Overton,Chris Soanes, Patrick Spraggs, Josh Cottrell and BenWallis will enjoy a wonderful experience, as we allwill, and will not let us down.Led by Andy Collett, our 2nd team lost their openingfour matches but finished the season on a high with awin by 61/2 to 51/2 against Lincolnshire at Diss.Again there were some encouraging signs for thefuture, the team that day including five players fromthe junior ranks, James Biggs, Calvin Sherwood,Jack Forgan, Robert Salter and Jasper Johnson.

Biggs gained maximum points for the team and JasperJohnson is to be commended for putting County dutyahead of his Club Championship at Woodbridge.The second team captaincy is, arguably, the toughestjob in the County set-up, with players regularly calledup for first team duty or otherwise unavailable. Weare fortunate that Andy has agreed to captain the sideagain in 2013.

SeniorsOnce again our seniors had a busy and enjoyableseason, narrowly missing out on the newly-formedAnglian League for Seniors title, following their closingmatch against eventual winners Northamptonshire atFelixstowe ferry.Jon Marks, who has captained the side for severalseasons, has decided to step down from the positionand the Executive Committee were pleased to agreeto John Cullum becoming his successor. John has along association with County golf having been aregular County player in his earlier days and one-timeChairman of Suffolk Junior Golf. We wish him well inhis new role.The seniors have an exciting trip at the end of Octoberwhen they travel to Sherborne in Dorset for the final ofthe Southern Counties Seniors Foursomes, havingqualified by beating Cambridgeshire and Norfolk in theQualifier at Gog Magog back in July.

JuniorsChairman of Suffolk Junior Golf, Mike Stevenson, haskindly sent us a report covering our juniors and, inorder to avoid repetition, it appears on page 16.

Suffolk Second Team at Diss. L to R (back): CalvinSherwood, James Biggs, Dean Fairweather, Jack Forganand Jasper Johnson. L to R Front:Robert Salter, ChrisBartrum and Andy Collett (Captain).

Stuart Robertson raised someinteresting issues in “The New GolfingEtiquette?”which appeared in theMay/June Suffolk and Norfolk Golfer.We were encouraged to comment, but I quickly realisedthat one was on dangerous ground when trying to setstandards for dress and general behaviour.Golf clubs are desperate for members and to be seen todiscriminate in any way when considering applicationscan land you in big trouble. So there is a temptation fornumbers and income to be the overriding criteria.Yet if one is honest about things, potential new

members will now come from a wide spectrum ofsociety (a good thing). There will be some who arecourteous and considerate and possibly with a goodgolfing background, who will clearly contribute to theclub, whilst others will be a bit of an unknown quantity.Its easy to generalise, but I have a suspicion that manyclubs do not “embrace” new members to give them anidea of what is expected of them (along with allmembers), both on and off the course and how they canlearn more about the game, which will lead to greaterparticipation and fulfilment.These concerns of course do not apply so much tojunior golf, for most clubs have excellent developmentprogrammes and Suffolk County Junior Golf is probablyone of the best coaching set-ups in the UK. It’s the olderperson who is perhaps taking up golf in retirement orthe Pay and Play golfer who is a bit “on their own”.Gone are the days when new members always had theongoing support of a proposer to help them meetpeople, learn about etiquette and the finer points of thegame which will make their participation so much morerewarding.I’ve mentioned the encouragement of young golfers andI recall during my spell in charge of the County Juniors,that golf and a golf club were occasionally the first timesome boys had experienced such a set of structuredvalues and we must not underestimate the work that thecounty coaches and team managers do in recognisingthis.Understandably first encounters with “rules” andacceptable ways of behaviour, can sometimes result inresentment, but once overcome these youngsters canbecome the staunchest defenders of the standards theyhave adopted.Stuart is irritated by the wearing of headgear indoors –me too. However the fact that it was bad manners for agentleman not to remove his hat when entering abuilding is now “a bit oldie worldy” and the example setby top professionals when interviewed on TV (no doubtbecause of sponsors’ insistence) cannot help. Thankgoodness we still doff our caps when shaking hands atthe end of a round – may it long continue.

When itcomes todress code,FelixstoweFerry GolfClub sethighstandardsright fromthe verybeginning!Here’s MrStrickland in1896. Fromtop to toe:HarrisTweed cap,monocle(very goodfor shortputts, if youmust smoke then a decent cigarette holder, a brass-buttoned jacket with velvet lapels (Harry Vardonadvocated a tightly buttoned Norfolk Jacket for acompact swing!), white gloves (on both hands), PlusFours (or are they Two’s?), proper long golfing socksand highly polished leather golfing shoes.

Michael Thomas

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Etiquette - A letter to the Editor

Suffolk Golf Union Junior Committee 2012Chairman - Mike Stevenson 485 London Road South,Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0PD Tel: 01502 569765 Mobile:07778 576008 E-mail: mike@marysmithsolicitor.co.ukSecretary - Charles Wilderspin 10A Chestnut Avenue,Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, NR32 3JA Tel: 01502 588028Mobile: 07921 102826 E-mail: charles.wilderspin632@btinternet.coManagers: Under 18s - Trevor Mason Fells Cottage, 72Ferry Road, Felixstowe, IP11 9LU Tel: 01394 274331 E-mail: trevor@mason72.fslife.co.uk

Under 16s - Tony Watkins 43 Bull Road, FoxgroveGardens, Ipswich IP3 8GN Tel: 01473 713748 Mobile07710 763091 E-mail: tonywatkins01@hotmail.co.ukUnder 16s - Ian Woodhead 29 Spire Close, SudburyCO10 0PZ Tel: 01787 378733 Mobile: 07818 403020 E-mail: i.woodhead@virgin.netUnder 14s - John Morcombe The Old Chapel, CalderRoad, Melton IP12 1TP Tel: 01394 386515 Mobile:07899 791028 E-mail: jdmorco@msm.comHead Coach - Keith Preston Aldeburgh Golf Club,Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5PE Tel: 01728 453309 E-mail: preston901@btinternet.comCounty Child Protection Officer - Stuart McCallum Tel: 01473 782780

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Suffolk JuniorsBy Mike Stevenson, Chairman ofSuffolk Junior GolfIt has been a very successful playing season for all ourage groups and the decision by the Head coach and teammanagers to push the younger players forward early andgain experience has been very beneficial and showswhat depth we have for future years.UNDER 18We won the Anglian League Qualifier at BarnhamBroom, where we won all foursomes matches in themorning which gave us a winning position. We thenwent on to the final at Boston West and the manager,Trevor Mason, chose a completely different teambecause it clashed with a South East competition at theend of the same weekThe team playing the final at Boston contained 6 boysunder 16 and they certainly did not let the manager.Despite being a point behind after the foursomes andlosing the first 3 singles, the boys won the last fivesingles matches to win the trophy by 61/2 to 51/2. Thelast match went down to the last hole which JordonBloomfield needed to win or half. He maintained hisconcentration and nerve and his result secured thetrophy.

South EastGroup JuniorChampionship atJohn O’Gaunt 8 boys took part asindividuals in a fieldof 77 entrants. Thehighest finisher(Chris Vince) gained10th position with a36 whole score of 2over par. MattMann at 5 over parwas edged out of theprize for the bestscore in the under16 group on countback. The othersgenerally acquittedthemselves well in atop quality field.

South East 6 Man Team Championship HeldAt Mid SurreyFor the first time Keith Preston accompanied the boyson their practice round, which was a great benefit tothem. We finished in 9th place out of 11 counties,which (considering the handicaps of the competitors)was not unexpected. Our best placed individual was SamTruman who finished 22nd out of 66. Three under 16s,Matt Mann, Lewis Staff and Jasper Johnson, representedthe county and gained valuable experience.

South East Junior ChampionshipThe last tournament was the South East Foursomes inwhich we do not have a good record. Yet again the other8 competing counties were too strong for us and despitebeating Kent and Middlesex we finished 8th out of 9 andare, therefore, relegated for 2013. Manager TrevorMason stated that he witnessed some pretty poor shotselection which did not help. The only bright spot wasthat the President of the golf club at which it was held(Sanford Springs) is Dickie Davies (T V Sports presenterin the 1990’s) and Trevor and Tony Watkins were starstruck but the boys had no idea who he was.

UNDER 16We feel that the current squad is potentially the strongestwe have had for several years However the results todate, with 2 matches left, have failed to live up toexpectations. There have been narrow losses to Essexand an indifferent team performance at the SkevingtonSalver. The boys had to leave home at 5am and a 3 hourminibus journey did not help in a competition at thislevel. But this has been noted and we will remedy thissituation next time. The good news is that some boys aregaining experience at under 18 levels as stated.

Suffolk 2012Junior Champion

Chris Vince(Haverhill)

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UNDER 14 Ian Woodhead is on top of the world as his teammanaged to beat Essex for the first time in 13 years.The match for the Anglian Shield was played atWaldringfield, with teams of 10 a side. After the 5foursomes the score was 3/2 to Essex. Afternoon winsby Whiting, Driver, Cuthbert Levermore and Salmonmade the points even and Connor Talbot’s excellent teeshot into the par 3 18th hole enabled him to win hismatch and Essex were beaten! The Suffolk boys playedsome excellent golf against a strong Essex side - theircareful preparation and team spirit saw them through.The Keith Bass Trophy was played at Bawburgh,Norfolk in adverse weather conditions. But for ascorecard error by one of our players we would havewon the team event by 6 shots. We came second - alesson to be learnt. The afternoon scores included 5under by Jack Levermore and 2 under by Jack Cuthbertwhich emphasised what a great performance this was.The last match was against Norfolk at Swaffhamcomprising 5 foursomes and 10 singles. The morningsession was halved but we won all ten singles matches inthe afternoon - the result being 12.5 to 2.5.Congratulations must go to Jamie Hurren and Jai Gaylewho are much younger than the present group but gainedvaluable experience. This year we were able to send 3boys to the Reid Trophy which is a record number forthe county. The boys played with competitors from allover the world and gained valuable experience.

Congratulations must go to Ian and the coaches for thework they have done with this group as you can seefrom the handicap reductions from January to August2012. Lewis Whiting (6 to 4), Joshua Driver (9 to 4.8),Laurence Staff (11 to 5.5), Will Morcombe (9 to 6.1),Sam Byford (16 to 9.8), Connor Talbot(20 to 9.7),Michael Gee (20 to 10.4), Jack Levemore (17 to 11.0),Jack Cuthbert (14 to 11.0), Andrew Salmon (20 to 14.3)and Luke Cleland(17 to14).

UNDER 12In an effort to get further depth in our squads, JohnMorcombe is working hard to obtain further fixtures forthe Under 12’s to gain experience and maintain ourmomentum.We had our annual fixture with Cambridgeshire awayand we did well to come away with a 5-5 draw. We havethe return in October and hope to secure a win with avery young side.

ENGLISH JUNIOR CHAMPIONCLUB FINALSCongratulations must go to the Fynn Valley juniors whorepresented Suffolk in the English Junior ChampionClub finals at Woodhall Spa, just missing out on thenational team prize on count back from Bridgenorth. Agreat performance.

Delays in completing two of the five County Men’sMatchplay competitions has meant that, at the time ofwriting, it has only been possible to complete the TollyCobbold Cup and the two seniors’ competitions, TheParks and Beaumont Trophies.

Hambro Cup and Stenson ShieldThe Hambro Cup was delayed by the tragic death ofSam Jaggard. Being a member of the Southwoldsquad, his colleagues, quite understandably, were inno frame of mind tocontest their semi-finalagainst Rushmere just afew days later. The final,between Aldeburgh andRushmere, is now due totake place at Southwoldon 23rd September. TheStenson Shield was thevictim of an unfortunatedate clash and will nowbe played at Ipswich on27th October. We willpublish reviews of bothcompetitions in our nextissue.

Tolly Cobbold CupWith finals of these competitions being played over thecourse of the previous winners, wherever that ispossible, Thorpeness and Haverhill met to decide thecompetition at Felixstowe Ferry. The weather wasexcellent but with recent conditions, the coursepresented a tough test.Both clubs were attempting to win the trophy for thesecond time in their histories, Haverhill winning in 2002and Thorpeness a year later in 2003.

Suffolk Matchplay Competitions

A jubilant Thorpeness after their Tolly Cobbold win

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Both clubs had had the luck of the draw in the openingthree rounds. Haverhill received a bye in round 1 andthen two home draws at Coupals Road, beatingprevious multiple winners Waldringfield by 14 in round2 and Stowmarket by 11 in round 3. They travelled toNewton Green for the semi-final and won a fine matchagainst Brett Vale by 9 holes.Thorpeness received three home draws on the way tothe semi-final, overcoming near neighbours Aldeburghby 16 in round 1 and a gallant St Audrys by 33 inround 2, St Audrys having won a notable scalp inround 1, beating Gorleston at home by 11. In round 3,Thorpeness ended Halesworth’s hopes, winning by 16and went to Bungay where they overcame Seckford inthe semi-final by 8. The final at Felixstowe did not go Haverhill’s way andtheir morning efforts left them trailing by 13. CaptainEamon Bareham switched things round in theafternoon, bringing in his reserve. The results weremuch closer, Thorpeness enhancing their morning totalby just 1 hole to take the Trophy by 14 holes overall.

Parks TrophyThe final of this very popular competition for lowerhandicap senior golfers was played out at Stowmarketbetween Rookery Park, looking to record a recordthree consecutive wins and Woodbridge, who had notwon the trophy before but had been beaten finalists ontwo previous occasions, having lost to Diss in 2008and today’s opponents at Ipswich in 2010.

On the way to the final, Rookery Park had enjoyedthree home draws, beating Ufford Park by a singlehole in round 1, Thorpeness by 8 in round 2 andIpswich by 14 in round 3. In their semi-final match atDiss, they were too good for Hintlesham on the dayand booked their place in the final by 13.Despite a bye in round 1, Woodbridge faced a trickyroute to the final. In round 2 they won by 17 atCretingham and then won a tough assignment at BurySt Edmunds by 4 holes in round 3. In their semi-finalat Newton Green, the match went down to the last pairon the last green. Woodbridge triumphed on the toughpar 3 finishing hole to go through.

It was a blustery day at Stowmarket for the final.Rookery never really got into their stride and only theopening pair of Chris Lay and David Porter recorded apositive result by 1 hole, their colleagues losing by 16to enable Woodbridge to get their names on theTrophy for the first time.

Beaumont Trophy

27 of our clubs set out to win this very popularcompetition, started in 2010 for senior golfers withlonger handicaps than their Parks Trophy colleagues.The finalists, Ipswich and Rookery Park, had beenfortunate to receive byes or home draws in the 3rounds leading up to the semi-final. Ipswich, runners-up in the inaugural year 2010, had a tough match inround 1 beating Felixstowe Ferry by 6, St Clements inround 2 by 7 and Bungay and Waveney Valley by 23 inround 3. They travelled to Newton Green for thesemi-final and triumphed over Stowmarket by 7.Rookery Park received a bye in round 1, beat a pluckyBeccles by 13 in round 2 and won a local derbyagainst Gorleston by 2 in round 3. Like their ParksTrophy colleagues they travelled to meet Hintlesham atDiss for their semi-final. Having lost their ParksTrophy match, it proved a bad day at the office forHintlesham who went down by 10.In the final, at Stowmarket, Rookery Park suffereddefeat like their more accomplished brethren and werewell-beaten on the day by 20 holes.Woodbridge Captain Dick Barton receives the

Parks trophy from The President Ron Kent

Ipswich Captain David Pearman receives theBeaumont Cup from President Ron Kent

www.suffolkgolfunion.co.ukFor all your updatednews, information,

contacts & downloadableentry forms.

Diary of a PresidentRon Kent looks back over two busy monthsAfter a busy period in June and early July, it wastime to take a few days out to recharge the batteriesbefore embarking on another whistle-stop tour.25th July To Halesworth for the Junior Club Team

Championship final, won by Fynn Valley, always apresence in junior events, who defeated RookeryPark. As a result, Fynn won the right to contest thenational final of the Junior National Champion Clubtournament at Woodhall Spa.

29th July After a three day break we were off on familyduties, granddaughter spreading her wings and tryingher luck in national events, finishing 10th in theEWGA Abraham Trophy at Delamere Forest,followed by the English Girls at Sandiways. Twotough Cheshire courses but invaluable experience.

1st August Unquestionably the saddest day of the yearfor so many of us – the funeral of Sam Jaggard, sotragically killed in a car accident. The crematoriumin Gorleston was absolutely packed and it proved adeeply moving experience.

5th August Refusing to be distracted by the Olympics,we returned to the Anglian League scene at Haverhill,the first team entertaining Leicestershire.Leicestershire played some sparkling golf and left uslicking the wounds caused by a severe thrashing.Nice to meet up again with Stuart Marriott,Leicestershire team captain and a first-class bloke.

6th August To Stowmarket for the Suffolk JuniorChampionship, Haverhill’s Chris Vince adding thetitle to the Suffolk Matchplay Championship. Localboy Jack Forgan, Sam’s brother, was just one shotbehind.

10th August At the Junior Matchplay Championship,played over two days at Newton Green. Inevitably,

there weresome surprisesalong the waysbut theWoodbridgejunior, JasperJohnson,emerged aschampion,defeating thelong-hittingKyle Proctor(Waldringfield)in the final.

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11th August An early start next morning at Bury StEdmunds, fortunately for me just round the corner fromhome. A giant scoreboard beside the 18th green and afirst tee bedecked with sponsor’s boards, all laid on bythe club, set a splendid backdrop to the first tee as thetwo-day event got under way.There were dramas along the way, none more so thanthe closing few holes on the Sunday, before formertouring professional Lawrence Dodd added the title tothe many he had won as an amateur previously.

13th August I ventured up to Sheringham, no greathardship as it is one of my favourite parts of the world.Our seniors were engaged in a triangular match overthe Sheringham links and with the day drawing on, Ileft with our team lying second. Unfortunately theyslipped a notch and trailed in third but enjoyed theirday. Who wouldn’t at such idyllic surroundings?

14th August Back to family matters, taking in the club’sJunior Open at Purdis Heath. Not the best of daysweather-wise and we all got soaked!

15th August The merry-go round took us back to NewtonGreen once more for the hugely popular Parks andBeaumont Trophy matches, Stowmarket contestingboth semi-finals. It was a bad day at the office forthem, losing out to Woodbridge in the Parks, literallyon the 18th green, and Ipswich in the Beaumont.

17th August Another family commitment, this time atRoyal Norwich. Golf was not great but I ran into myold friend Peter Clarke and we chewed the cud over afew golf issues. Nice, too, to see whitebait on themenu at several golf clubs lately. I enjoyed mine atRoyal Norwich (and at Felixstowe Ferry a few weekslater).

19th August At Newton Green (again), venue for the TollyCobbold semi-final, Haverhill winning through to thefinal. I left early to drop granddaughter off at Watfordfor the Girls County Week at South Herts Golf Club,then on to Lincolnshire where the County juniors weredue to contest the Anglian League final the next day atBoston West.

I was a bit late leaving for Boston and had borrowed aSatNav, the first time I had used one. It proved the

Suffolk Junior Matchplay Champion JasperJohnson with the President

The impressive scoreboard at Bury St Edmunds

20

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most cantankerous of gismos, leading me throughsome wildly uninteresting parts of Peterboroughbefore giving up the ghost totally in some obscurepart of the Fens. With night approaching rapidly, Iwas mindful of Corporal Jones advice to CaptainMainwaring and managed to avoid panicking, butonly just! Eventually, the contraption decided tobehave and I was indeed grateful when it told me, lateinto the evening, that I had arrived at my destination.

20th August The day at Boston Manor was exciting andour juniors put in a tremendous team performance,bringing home the trophy for a delighted TrevorMason .

22nd August Back to South Herts to watch the closingstages of Girls County week and bring Lily back.Suffolk put in a brilliant team performance andfinished in second place just behind Essex. Withsome young players in the side, the result promisedwell for the future.

23rd August Still with the juniors, it was off toWaldringfield for the Junior Handicap Cup final.Fynn Valley have won through to the regional finalsbefore but this time Felixstowe were too good on theday and won the right to go to West Essex in October.

25th August Stenson Shield semi-final day at Haverhill.The match was finally completed in favour ofHintlesham, who defeated Bury St Edmunds. A clash

of dates for the final and another headache for theCounty officials quickly loomed!

2nd September An early start for Stoke Rochford, some80 miles away up the A1. Fortunately, the roads arequiet at that time on a Sunday morning. The curiousentrance to the course is via a BP garage forecourt.Miss it and you face the prospect of several extramiles to negotiate your way back onto the right road.The journey was well worth it, Suffolk beating regularconquerors Lincolnshire, that county having won theAnglian League title on countless occasions, dishingout several beatings to Suffolk along the way. Oncewe had all got onto the southbound carriageway, wereturned home triumphant with victory by 1 point.Spirits were even higher with the news that AndyCollett’s second team had done even better winningby 3 points at Stowmarket.

September and OctoberIt looks no less hectic with a number of engagementsahead including one of the most exciting dates in Suffolkgolfing history, the National County finals at Beau Desertin Cheshire. Several finals and a couple of committeemeetings plus two days at the South East Group SeniorsChampionship at Felixstowe Ferry thrown into the mixand it’s another mouth-watering pot-pouri to come.Still, it keeps you young and stops you getting bored!Just as well that I don’t actually play the game myselfthese days. Watch this space!

Golfers welcome owl boxes at Felixstowe FerryBy Michael ThomasGolfers at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club have welcomed two “House in the Clouds” boxes that have appearedon the boundaries of the Kingsfleet course.These were recommended by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust after one of their advisers had helped with amanagement plan for rough areas round the course. These are ideal habitat for Barn Owls providing a goodfood supply – mice, voles, shrews etc.It has been a bumper year for Barn Owls with more and bigger broods. Young Barn Owls will be seekingnew territories and roosts this autumn and next spring and hopefully one of the boxes will attract a nestingpair in due course. The smaller higher level chamber might well be taken up by a Kestrel!The boxes were made by SOLD (Special Objectives for the Disabled) of Lowestoft and donated by amember. The ex BT poles were provided by the Club and a local builder did the installation which was paidfor by Suffolk Coast and Heaths’ Community and Conservation Fund.The boxes will be monitored twice a year and data sent to the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) at Thetford.

Above: Glenn Rayfield(Head Greenkeeper) pointsout some finer details toCatherine Smith (SuffolkCoasts and Heaths FundingOfficer) and Felixstowe ferryCaptain James DouglasHamilton

Suffolk & NorfolkGolfer is revamping

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You will be able toread the magazineonline, downloadoffers/deals etc.

Involve yourBusiness / Club /Restaurant / HotelLook out for newoffers in our new

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Know Your ProThis month Ron Kent meets upwith Ipswich ProfessionalKevinLovelockI first got to know Kevinwell when I managed theSuffolk Under 18s back inthe mid-nineties, apartnership which yieldedSuffolk its first and onlySouth East Junior TeamChampionship, won on ablistering hot day in1995, at SunningdaleGolf Club. It was avictory which saw thethen President of theSuffolk Golf Union, Chris Easterbrook, sheddingtears of joy in the clubhouse. I have met and talked with Kevin on numerousoccasions since that halcyon day in Surrey and, as aresult of his dryish wit, enjoyed a mutual reparteewhenever we have come into contact again.Kevin was born in Orsett, Essex and his route intogolf was, like many others, as a result of playing withhis dad at Warley Park.His other early sporting interests at school were theusual cricket, football and hockey but golf was hismain inclination and he progressed steadily to ahandicap of 2.Kevin eventually turned pro in 1982 at the age of 20and served under Gordon Roberts at Orsett. Kevinreferred to his boss as an Alex Hay “look-alike”,believing in the simple things in golf. Kevin recallsthat, on one occasion when the boss went on aweek’s holiday, Kevin undertook to take £1000 in thepro-shop during his absence and succeeded inearning a nice bonus by doing so.Kevin moved to Stoke by Nayland and becameHead Professional following thedeparture of Chester Jarvis.That was in 1986 and Kevin wasto serve there as HeadProfessional for 21 years until hemoved to his present position atIpswich.Kevin was somewhat dismissiveabout his playing career althoughhe did win a few Pro-Ams, the

best a Mizuno event in FranceI asked him what his best golf tip would be and hestrongly advised using the scoring clubs, putter andwedges, to maximum advantage. Mischievously on anumber of past occasions, sometimes at my expense,I have also heard him suggest to players that they donot take too much notice of grandad’s coaching!His advice to youngsters seeking to turn proconcealed some concerns and caveats – get as muchas you can from the amateur game before you plungeinto the fiercely competitive world of professional golf.Kevin was particularly concerned about the number ofyoung golfers being trained up as club professionalsto fill what appears to be a declining number ofvacancies. His best golfer ever brought a different name to thefore for our series – Seve Ballesteros. His reason,experienced at first hand at East Sussex National, puta new slant on greatness, being the Spaniard’s artistryand sheer entertainment value.I asked Kevin for his best hole in Suffolk and like atrue salesman, it was a case of buy one get one free.He suggested two holes which he thought should beincluded in the top 18 in the County, the finishingholes at Aldeburgh and Purdis, his reason being thatthey both reminded him of classic British Openfinishing holes.Kevin has moved, with his partner Di, to a housewhich is just a few minutes drive from Purdis andspends his limited time away from the club indulginghis new found enthusiasm for gardening, a task whichhas developed as the couple set about reclaimingwhat had become a rather neglected part of theproperty which they bought recently.Naturally, we talked over some juniors from the past,although both memories fell somewhat short whentrying to remember some surnames.Fate has decreed that whenever I turn up at golfcompetitions in which Kevin is playing, there is analmighty but seemingly inevitable rain storm. It hassince earned me the title of Rain God which he neverfails to call me whenever we meet up.The future for this long-serving PGA professional looksgood at Ipswich and he is greatly excited by thedevelopment of the magnificent short game areawhich is due to come on stream on 30th September.

The rain god has arrived

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Company car drivers can now order the speciallydesigned Volvo Business Edition models in theS60, V60 and V70 line-ups with features aimedspecifically at the business driver from local Volvodealership M.R. King & Sons in Halesworth.The new models make searching for the idealcompany car as straightforward as possible withall the features business users demand such asintegrated satellite navigation system, highperformance multimedia audio system, Bluetoothconnectivity and rear park assist. The newBusiness Edition models also boast a reducedprice tag of as much as £3,000 compared to the ES,which they replace, thereby automatically reducinga driver's annual Benefit-in-Kind tax liability.The Business Editions were developed followingextensive feedback from the Volvo dealer network,corporate sales clients and residual value setters.Designed to appeal directly to business drivers bycombining the right features and equipment withthe Benefit in Kind (BIK) advantages of low CO2emissions and fuel consumption, a higherspecification compared to competitors was alsovery much a key objective in creating the BusinessEditions.All three Business Edition models are availablefrom M.R. King & Sons, located at Quay Street,Halesworth. The S60 Business Edition on-the-roadprice starts from £19,995 for the T3 version andfrom £21,195 for the comparative model in the V60line-up; both represent a significant £3,000reduction compared to the outgoing ES versions.The V70 D2 Powershift Business Edition startsfrom £24,995 on-the-road, representing a £2,925 reduction on theES model.M.R. King & Sons dealer principal Mike Kingcomments: "The business community is vitallyimportant to us particularly as the brand has seenan increase of nearly a third (32 per cent) ofbusiness users funding a Volvo through ourcontract hire and leasing facilities in the first sixmonths of this year. The new Business Editions inthe S60, V60 and V70 line-up have been designedto make it easier for company car drivers toidentify the right model for them. The BusinessEditions replace the ES and ES Nav versions butadd more equipment for a lower price tag whichwill be even more appealing to motorists who arecontinually looking at ways to reduce costs withoutcompromising luxury and comfort."Residual value setters CAP and KeeResourceshave received the new models positively and Volvoexpects to see a higher residual value compared tothe outgoing ES model which will be reflectedstrongly in the monthly rentals.Volvo's newly launched comparison tool, availableat www.volvocars.co.uk/compare, will be updatedshortly to allow users to compare these increasedvalue-for-money specification levels.

Thorpeness set to beatrain drainOne of the worst kept secrets in UK golf was confirmed lastmonth when this summer was officially ranked the wettest onrecord in England and Wales for 100-years.New figures released by MeteoGroup, the weather division ofthe Press Association, showed that 14.25in (362mm) of rainhas fallen in June, July and August so far, making it thewettest summer since 1912.With UK golfers frustrated by the wet weather, one Suffolkgolf club and hotel is hoping that its location in one of thedriest parts of Britain will mean an influx of visiting golfers thisWinter.Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club is situated on Suffolk’sHeritage Coast and enjoys one of the lowest rates of rainfallin the British Isles.The club’s James Braid designed seaside course has onlyclosed for an average of three days per year over the pastfour years, despite winters blighted by ice and snow andunusually mild wet summers. Christopher Oldrey, golf operations manager and PGAProfessional at Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club, said: “Weknow that there are a lot of fed up golfers in the UK right nowwho have had golfing trips and club competitions cancelleddue to this summer’s never ending downpours.Thorpeness is often described as the “best-kept secret” inSuffolk Golf, because we have very low rainfall and hardlyever close our course, plus we are built on sandy soil thatdrains quickly when it does rain.”The 18-hole par 69 course is situated on a low lying flatcoastal plain in an area of outstanding natural beauty thatenjoys a warm, mild and dry micro climate.Suffolk was the driest part of the UK in 2009 with only a mere22.5mm of rain in August.Suffolk’s annual rainfall is generally as little as one fifth of thatin the West Country and only half that of the South Coast. For £150 per person, a golfer can stay on the Suffolk Ale andGolf Trail break and combine 36-holes at Thorpeness withbrewery tours at 100-year-old Suffolk brewer Adnam’s, untilthe 25th of October.“Winter is one of our busiest seasons and it’s because ourcourse stays so playable year round and when courses startclosing in England’s Southern Counties, it’s not far to travel toSuffolk for a day’s golf and great hospitality,” added Mr.Oldrey.The Braid designed course winds its way through an area ofpine firs, gorse and heather and is overlooked by Suffolk’sfamous “House in the Clouds.” For more about Thorpeness: www.thorpeness.co.uk

ALICE NOW ON SIXAs a result of carding the best score of her career in the

England Girls Under 15s championship, 13-year-old Newton Green golfer Alice Barlow has had

her handicap reduced from nine to six. She shot a one over par 73 in the third of the four round

competition, in which she finished 15th.

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Threepeat for RobertsonJoshua Robertson retained the JuniorChampionships for the third year in a row at UffordPark on a day when scoring was made difficult by aswirling wind. He was forced into a sudden deathplay-off by Harry Fricker after both tied on 79. Aregulation par was sufficient on the first extra holeafter Harry was a little positive with his first putt andsaw his second putt horseshoe away from the hole.The best start of the day was made by Joshua’syounger brother Oliver who birdied the first 2 holeson his way to a runners up position on the nett prizewith a 69.Leading ScoresGrossJoshua Robertson 79Harry Fricker 79Charlie Monk 82Oliver Robertson 83NettHarry Fricker 68Oliver Robertson 69Jonathan Law 73Alex Tripp 73William Smith 73Charlie Monk 73Pic: Joshua Robertson(left) with Trophy andHarry Fricker

News from St AudrysThe winner of the ladiesCaptains day was SallyStaines seen in the photowith ladies CaptainMargaret Ramsey.

The Seniors sectioncontinues to grow innumbers averaging 36 onthe Monday mornings,and has had goodresults at homethis season withvictories againstWoodbridge,Halesworth,Bramford andRoyal Hospital.Away matcheshave not been sogood, suffering from handicap deficiency coming froma nine hole course.A new Greensomes competition was played, this is theWeaver-Saunders Trophy played in memory of MikeWeaver, a well loved member of the Seniors who diedlate in 2010. The Trophy was presented by the donorIan Saunders, seen below (centre) with the winnersDavid Leech (left)and Tony Dobrashian (right) whowon with a remarkable 53 net score.

The SSGA three areacompetitions have takenplace in recent months andthey showed the wealth oftalent that exists and thenumbers of young golferswithin the county. A total of127 players representing 35different schools took part.The Southern Areacompetition was held at FynnValley GC where 44 boys and3 girls from 12 schools tookpart. The winners were :Team competition: 1st Woodbridge ‘B’ 75 pts; 2nd Woodbridge ‘A’ 72pts; 3rd Kesgrave 68 pts;Boys’ Scratch 1st Paul Waring (2) 68 Northgate; 2ndKyle Proctor (5) 73 Suffolk New; 3rd John Logan(4) 73 WoodbridgeBoys’ Nett 1st Thomas King 80 – 10 = 70 Claydon ;2nd Luke Middleton 88 – 18 = 70 Kesgrave; 3rdHarry Burman 80- 10 = 70 East Bergholt.Girls’ Scratch 1st Abbie Symonds 85 OrmistonEndeavour; 2nd Melissa Schoeder 87 Kesgrave.Stableford (1-18 handicap) 1st David Huggins 34 ptsCopleston; 2nd Charlie Monk 34 pts Woodbridge;3rd Tom Miller 34 pts RHS.Stableford (19-28) 1st Edward Veale 41 ptsWoodbridge; 2nd Jamie McGrath 36 pts EastBergholt; 3rd Peter Mansfield 35 pts Woodbridge.A special mention for Charlie Monk (pictured above)who holed his tee shot on the Par 3 6th.The Northern Area competition was held at HarlestonGC where 28 boys and 5 girls from 11 schools tookpart. The winners were: Team competition 1st HartismereBoys’ Scratch 1st Jack Levermore; 2nd MichaelManser.Boys’ Nett 1st Nathan Doe; 2nd Alfie Mulumba Girls’ Nett 1st Amy Bray Stableford (1-25 handicap) 1st George Allen 35 pts;2nd Liam Canham 35 pts Stableford (26-36) 1st Guy Maynard 35 pts; 2ndOliver Cooper 30 pts The Western Area competition was held at Haverhill GCwhere 40 boys and 7 girls from 12 schools took part. The winners were :Team competition 1st King Edward Upper 79 pts; 2ndMildenhall 73 pts; 3rd Gt Cornard Upper 72 ptsBoys’ Scratch 1st Jack Nicholson (4) 70; 2nd DanSmailes (5) 72 both King EdwardBoys’ Nett 1st Will Farley 74-5 = 69 Thurston; 2ndMatt O’Doherty 80 – 10 = 70; 3rd Jake Girkin 86 –16 = 70 both King Edward

Girls’ Nett 1st Alice Barlow 78 –9 = 69 Gt Cornard Middle; 2ndShannon Masters 97 – 28 = 69Mildenhall.Stableford (1-12 handicap) 1stTom Hatton 36 pts Gt CornardUpper; 2nd Michael Parrett 36ptsSamuel Ward; 3rd Oliver Smith 33pts King EdwardStableford (13-28) 1st Sam Brown36 pts King Edward; 2nd AlexWilkens 36 pts Mildenhall; 3rdMax Hanson 36 pts Gt Cornard.Stableford (over 28 handicap) 10holes 1st Andrew Gee 24 pts; 2nd

Fiona Stokes 23 pts both Hardwick Middle.The finals, entry to which is by invitation of thecommittee, take place at Purdis Heath G.C. on October10th with the first tee-off due at 11.30.Mark Fosker and Jack Nicholson, who had bothqualified through local, regional and nationalcompetitions, were in the winning English Schools teamagainst the Welsh Schools.Many thanks must go to our sponsors RansomesJacobsen and E-Z-Go for all their support.

Suffolk Schools’ Golf Association by Adrian Pitts

Royal Worlington & NewmarketGolf ClubFounded 1893

Regularly featuring in Golf Monthly's top 100 course rankings for Britain and Ireland

“The finest nine-hole course in this Country”.“A classic nine-hole course”. “One of the

finest nine-hole courses in existence”are just some of the many tributes that have

been paid to Royal Worlington Golf Club. For a unique Clubhouse atmosphere, a relaxed

round of golf, on a course with large, firm,contoured greens, excellent fairways that drain

well all year round contact the Secretary at secretary@royalworlington.co.uk

or by telephoning him on 01638 717787

County Card visitors are accepted as are 3 and 4 balls (at certain times), all visits must be arranged in advance.www.royalworlington.co.uk

26

Ufford Park Hotel Golf & Spa, Woodbridge IP2 1QW

Doctor Golf is here to answer any minor or major questionsor queries, if you have something to ask, please send to

Stuart Robertson Head PGA Golf Professionalmail@doctorgolf.co.uk or ring 01394 383480

How to hit it 10 yards further!When I talk to any golfer at any level there really are 2 parts of thegame that golfers continually need help with or feel that they need toimprove; “Hitting it further” and “Becoming more consistent”.In this issue we will give some ideas on how to hit the ball further.Forgive me for stating the fairly obvious but “in order for the ball totravel further the clubhead needs to be travelling faster as it makescontact with the ball”This can be achieved in various different ways;a) Use a club with a longer shaft – if you have seen Kevin

Carpenters trick shot show you will have seen him play with a 6foot long club that can hit the ball considerably longer than astandard club. Golf club manufacturers have developed clubs withlonger than standard shafts which help to achieve more speed andlonger shots, but this is often at the expense of consistency.

b) Use a shaft that is more suited to your actual swing speed – if theshaft is too stiff it will not allow the clubhead to release through theshot and can often give a very high, weak shot to the right oftarget. If this is your typical shot would recommend seeking thehelp form your local club fitting specialist who will very quickly beable to advise you on what would be best for your particular swing.

c) Check the size of the grips on your club – If your grips are toothick for the size of your hands it will stiffen the wrists as you beginto swing, this can lead to the next point below!

d) Check your grip pressure – Any tension in your hands, wrists,arms or upper body will have an adverse effect on the amount ofspeed your body is able to produce and therefore impact into theball. This could be down to an incorrect positioning of the handson the club in the first instance. I would recommend you seek outthe help of your local PGA Professional who can help you createYOUR best grip on the club.

e) Create more flexibility in your upper body as this can facilitate afuller shoulder turn. This will in turn move the club further awayfrom the ball in the backswing, allowing the club more time tospeed up on the downswing. It is important that the lower body iskept fairly quiet while the upper body is turning, as there will bemore control over the swing and balance if these two ideas areblended together.

Players can feel tremendous pressure to hit the ball further or to bethe longest hitter in their fourball without understanding that the verybest golfers know that it is the ability to have a consistent length ONTHE FAIRWAY that will really affect the score. It is far better to be200 yard ON the fairway with a chance to be on the green in tworather than being 300 yard from the tee in an unplayable position. Iam reminded of a quote I was given as a youngster starting the gamefrom an experienced golfer who at the time I didn’t realise how wisethey were –“Distance is only a good thing if it is in the right direction”!

Halesworth Golf Clubraise over £90,000.00over ten years for EastAnglian Air AmbulanceAnother hugely successful event enabledHalesworth Golf Club to hand over a chequefor £12,500 to the East Anglian AirAmbulance, an organisation for whom theyhave been raising funds for 10 years, with anaccumulated total of £90,000 to date.The major fundraising once again came in theform of a golf day, with 55 teams of 4 takingto the immaculately presented course atHalesworth, enjoying bacon rolls before andconcluding with a BBQ and prizepresentation.Gary Slaymaker, a Member at Halesworth GolfClub is the man who has organised this eventfrom its beginning in 2002.Gary has decided to step down as organiserafter ten very successful years. Everyoneinvolved in the golf day would like to thankGary for doing such an amazing job and forcreating one of the biggest contributors tothe East Anglian Air Ambulance in this area. With 45 Golf Clubs donating courtesy rounds,and local business supporting through Teeand Green Sponsorship, a huge prize tablebeckoned enabling 24 teams to take awayprizes, the overall winners enjoying anovernight stay and golf at the Manor ofGroves Hotel, Hertfordshire.Support once again came from MitchellsRenault, who have repeatedly given theirsupport to this event for the Hole in One prizeon the 11th hole. Imperial Wines of Bungaywere proud sponsors of the Nearest the pinprizes with their donation of crystal glass.Although Gary has stepped down asorganiser, this fantastic Charity Golf Day willbe back next year as a volunteer has steppedforward to take it on. Gary added ‘I would liketo say a big thank you to all the sponsors andhelpers who have made this golf day such ahuge success over the past ten years and Iwish the new organiser as much success aswe have had over the years”.

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SUFFOLK PGA by Tony Garnett

Kevin Earp, ended a run of losing finals in SuffolkPGA match play events when he won the EnvirocarsCup against Jon Markham of Stowmarket by a 3 and2 margin at Rushmere.Earp, attached to Bury Golf Range, was three underpar when he closed out a match which he haddominated from the early stages.Earp was four up early on. Markham battled back buthad left himself with too much of a mountain to climb.Earp has lost Suffolk PGA Winter Cup finals againstAlex Lucas, Danny Barton and Richard Davies inrecent years and also lost a SPGA match play finalagainst Andrew Collison at Thorpeness. Now he hasachieved a break through to collect the first prize of£500 with Markham collecting £350.The semi-finals were played in the morning. Earp,three up against Andrew Robinson after 11 holes,was taken to the last green before clinching a narrowvictory in a match of good quality. Robinson, nowattached to the Lowestoft Driving Range, was a junior

member at Rushmere before turning professional.He will seldom have seen the Rushmere fairways sogreen. The wet summer has worked wonders for thecourse.In the other semi-final the holder, Richard Davies ofHalesworth, appeared short of match practice asMarkham built up a substantial lead and went on towin 7 and 6 just before a heavy downpour.The competition started in December with 30players. Earp beat Harry Mills (now at TheBerkshire), Ben Kerr of West Suffolk Golf Centre andRobert Pritchard of Cretingham at the first extra holeon his way to the semi-final. Markham had claimedthe scalps of Simon Jay (Seckford), Frank Hill(Thorpeness) and Keith Preston (Aldeburgh).The event was sponsored for the first time by formerSuffolk county golfer Lee Dinmore who hasintroduced Envirocars, a taxi service in the regionusing hybrid engines which are cheaper to run andenvironmentally friendly.

ENVIROCARS CUP:Kevin Earp (right)receives the trophyfrom Lee Dinmorewatched by losingfinalist Jon Markhamof Stowmarket andSuffolk PGApresident Dell Bower

NEWTON GREEN'S NEW FORMAT GUEST DAYRun in a new format, Newton Green Golf Club's annual invitation day broke all records with 84 players takingpart in an 18-hole Stableford pairs competition.The event had been revamped from from its traditional all-day format, with a shorter, half-day experiencefollowed by lunch, proving a hit with both members and their guests.An impressive 80 points wasnotched up by Robert Watts andhis guest Mr Mortimer, leavingthem six points clear of secondplace pair Chris Williams and ChrisRout on 74, and third place TreverByham and Dennis Watts 70.Robert Watts was also the leadingNewton individual with 42 pointsand the unrelated Dennis Wattsthe most successful guest with 40points.Picture, left to right: Captain Dave Levellepresents prizes to, from left to right, Mr Mortimer, Robert Watts, Chris Williams, Chris Rout, Trevor Byham and Dennis Watts

HAVERHILL’SROUND-UP RESULTSThe Men’s Midweek MedalThe overall winner by 4 shots was John Ward with asuperb nett 64, reducing his handicap by 2 shots. Thefull results were: Division One: 1st place David Simpkin80-12-68, 2nd place James Higham 81-12-69, 3rd placeDean Cornelius 81-12-69. Division Two: 1st placeAndrew Softley 81-13-68, 2nd place John Carr 87-16-71, 3rd place Stuart King 85-13-72. Division Three: 1stplace John Ward 87-23-64, 2nd place Barry Shuter 89-21-68, 3rd place Lawrence Drysdale 95-27-68.Ladies OpenIn all there were 70 entrants representing 16 clubs fromacross the East Region, and the competition was playedas a pairs better ball format. The pairs competition waswon by S Coote and P Atwood from Girton with 45pts,in 2nd place was Sonya Baterip and G Lawless fromManor of Groves with 43pts on count back and in 3rdplace Josie Tutton and Lynda Minton from Braintreewith 43pts, also on count back. The best front nine scoreof 23pts on count back went to Rosemary Borland andAnne Anslow of Ely City Golf Club and the best backnine score with 23pts were Jackie Casburn fromNewmarket and Diane Parr from Ely City Golf Club.

Winning the longest drive was Sonya Baterip from Manorof Groves. Nearest the Pin on 8th Hole was Bev Allenfrom Bury Golf Club. The prize presentation was givenby Lady Captain Doreen Darbey, who went onto thankLady Vice Captain Sheila Price, who organised the eventtogether with volunteers from Haverhill Golf Club whoall contributed to make the day a big success.Haverhill’s Tolly Team played in the final againstThorpeness at Felixstowe. The course and weatherpresented perfect conditions for the matches andThorpeness took full advantage of this to have acommanding lead by lunchtime, 13 holes up. Haverhillbattled bravely during the afternoon matches, however itwas not enough to claw back the deficit. Thorpeness, whowon the event back in 2003, went onto claim victory andthe Tolly Trophy by 14 holes overall. The prize givingwas made by SGU’s Charlie Wilderspin and SGU’sPresident, Ron Kent. The Team Captains went onto thanktheir respective teams, caddies and supporters. TheHaverhill team on the daywere: Andy Gage, Dan Wilkins,Daniel Bentley, GrahamAshcroft, Andy Craig, JamesHigham, Mark Barrett, TerryLyons and Scott Turner. MattFarlie and Mike Elsworth werealso thanked for their valuablecontribution when they playedin the semis to enable the teamto reach the final.Haverhill Junior, Fiona Stokes,won the Junior Girls Handicapcompetition at the BungayJunior Open on SundaySeptember 9th. The eventattracted a field of over 70juniors from all over the EastRegion to take part in variouscategories. Fiona (right) had anexcellent round of 98-34-64and as a result has reduced herhandicap by 4 shots to 30.

Prize winners of the Haverhill Ladies Open

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Bungay &Waveney ValleyGolf Club hostedtheir Junior Openwith a recordentry of 73Junior Golfersrepresenting 29Clubs fromNorfolk, Suffolk,CambridgeshireandBedfordshire.The boyscompeted for theGeoffrey WattsTrophy, whichwas first playedfor back in 1969and the girls, forthe Yolie DyeTrophy.With the large field, therewere 12 teams ( 3 playersfrom the same Club) vying forthe Schwer Team Trophy, alsothere was an opportunity forthe Suffolk players to enhancetheir Order of Merit Points.The Prize Table was the envyof the competitors, which waspartly due to several generousSponsors of the event.Results: Geoffrey Watts Trophy(Gross):1. T. Gomer (2) 70 - Royal Cromer;2. B. Smith (5) 71 ocb - Fakenham;3. G. Copsey (4) 71ocb -Felixstowe; 4. J. Driver (5) 73ocb -Diss.Handicap 0-14: (Nett) 1. T. Lane(14) 64,- Barnham Broom; 2. R.Fitt (6) 65 - Beadlow Manor,Beds;3. W. Bates (12) 66 ocb - HeachamManor; 4. L. Charalambous (9) 66-Beadlow Manor.Handicap 15-28 (Nett) 1.S.Williams (17) 61 - SprowstonManor; 2. T. Carding (18) 67 - Gt.Yarmouth & Caister;3. T. Hamilton-Boyle (23) 69 ocb -Beadlow Manor; 4. J. Cook (21) 69- Thorpeness.Yolie Dye Trophy (Gross) 1. A. Bray(14) 80 -Purdis Heath; 2. A.Williamson (9) 81 - Royal Cromer.Handicap (Nett) 1. F. Stokes (34) -64 Haverhill; 2. L. Wood (36) - 66B&WVGC.Best Bungay Player; Laura WoodSchwer Team Trophy; 1. BeadlowManor, 2. Fynn Valley.

Yolie Dye Trophy - winner Amy Bray receiving her trophy fromJackie Moore Junior Committee B&WVGC.

2012 Junior Open Competition

Geoffrey Watts Trophy - Winner TomGomer receiving histrophy fromBungayProfessional,AndrewCollison.

NOV-DEC ISSUE • GOLF GIFT VOUCHERS?

30

NORFOLK COUNTYGOLF UNION

NCGU CONTACTSPresident

Frank Myers, Thetford Golf ClubVice President

Alan Winstanley, Sheringham Golf ClubImm. Past President

W. G. ( Bill ) Neill, Swaffham Golf ClubHon. County Secretary

Mike Devlin, Acacia House, The Street,Tibenham. Norfolk. NR16 1QA

Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf clubniblick@btinternet.com 01379 674516

Hon. County TreasurerPeter Clarke, Royal Norwich Golf Club.

01603 452340 peter.clarke470@ntlworld.comCounty Captain

Iain Yule, ings Lynn Golf Club iain.yule@btinternet.com

2nd Team CaptainSteve Tidy, Costessey Park Golf Club

tidygolf6@yahoo.co.ukSeniors Captain

Tony Lount of Sheringham Golf Club Seniors Administrator

Malcolm Carr of Sheringham Golf ClubEmail: malcolm.carr@tiscali.co.uk

Junior Secretary - Norman Blanch, 10, Hillside Crescent, Wicklewood, Norwich.

NR18 9QD Tel; 01953 604394 Email: suenormski@yahoo.co.uk

Junior DelegateChris Pearson, Gt Yarmouth & Caister Golf ClubUnder 12 Manager - Mark Spooner, Bawburgh

Under 14 Manager - Andrew Cullington01603 898311 ajcully@btinternet.com

Under 16 Manager - Gary Davis 01603 610006Email: davis393609@aol.com

Under 18 Manager - Mike Green 01362860041 Email: mikejuniors@btinternet.com

PGA Secretary - John Paling‘Squirrels Reach’, Folgate Lane,

Old Costessey, Norwich NR8 5EF Tel: 01603741301 Email: jandjpaling@uwclub.net

Norfolk Schools - Margo Horsburgh5 Bishops Croft, Barningham, Bury St Edmunds,

Suffolk IP31 1BZ 01359 221281Email: dandmhorsburgh@talktalk.net

Girls Organiser - Carol Delf Gt Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club

Norfolk Seniors by Bernie PeetA home fixture for Norfolk Seniors was at Hunstanton againstNottinghamshire, the format being 18 holes 4-ball betterballmatchplay. The match was played on a superb day for golf, andthere was about a 2 club wind blowing, making it very interesting.Hunstanton was in lovely condition and is now back to its formerglory. The match finished in a tie with each side winning 3 games.Team Dave Pattrick, John Doe Royal Cromer

Simon Fuller, Bernie Peet Royal CromerMark Ramsey, David Hudson HunstantonTony Lount (capt), Roger Pointen SheringhamRoger Marson, Tony Richards SheringhamRichard Blakey EatonTerry Norman Gt Yarm & Caister

Results Pattrick / Peet won 3-2Ramsey / Hudson won 4-3Norman / Lount lost 1 downRichards / Blakey lost 3 -2Fuller / Doe won 7-5Pointen / Marson lost 4-3

Captain Tony Lount worked hard to get a team together, havingreceived several late call offs and players must realise how hard itis to get these matches and teams arranged and give this somethought before calling off. Thanks go to the players that stepped inat very short notice. Norfolk Seniors played their last inter county match of the seasonagainst Lincolnshire at Kings Lynn, the format for this match was 9hole greensomes in the morning followed by 4 ball better ball in theafternoon.Team:Tony Lount (capt), Malcolm Carr, Geoff Jennings SheringhamMark Ramsey, David Hudson HunstantonHarvey Scott Kings LynnGraham Turner MundesleyMike Easton Weston ParkJohn Chapman, John Doe, Simon Fuller, Bernie Peet Royal CromerLincolnshire are normally one of the strongest counties that Norfolkplay and the morning’s greensomes went well for Norfolk who foundthemselves 1 point ahead at lunchtime with the score 31/2 to 21/2 .The winning pairs were Ramsey/Hudson 3 and 2, Scott/Peet 3 and2, Carr/Chapman 4 and 2 with a half for Turner/Easton. However the afternoon was a different story with the only pointscoming from Scott/Peet who won 7 and 5 with a half forTurner/Easton and with 2 points awarded for a fourball win the finalscore was Lincolnshire 111/2 - Norfolk 61/2. Scott/Peet played wellfor their 2 wins and Turner/Easton did well to come back from 2down with 2 to play in the fourballs to gain a 1/2 and remainunbeaten on the day. Kings Lynn was in excellent condition andwas a great venue for this match. The County Seniors would like tothank Smith and Pinching for their sponsorship this season.If you will be 55 or over next season with a handicap of 6 or belowand would like to play County Senior Golf then please contactMalcolm Carr on 01263 822623.

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NORFOLK PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS' ASSOCIATIONPGA website: www.club-noticeboard.co.uk

by Secretary, John Paling‘Squirrels Reach’, Folgate Lane, Old Costessey, Norwich NR8 5EFTel: 01603 741301 Email: jandjpaling@uwclub.netCOMMITTEE MEMBERS Chairman: Mike Jubb Norfolk PGA Representative: Michael Few Captain: Ryan Pudney Vice Captain: Neil Lythgoe Committee: Alan Hemsley, Lee Patterson

The four semi-finalist for this year’s Matchplay Knock-Out are defending champion Ian Ellis (Costessey Park),last year’s beaten finalist Michael Few (Weston Park),Mike Jubb (Sheringham) and Tony Varney (Bawburgh). Finals day will be Wednesday 10th October with thedraw beforehand. However, before that there is theNorfolk Open being played at Royal West Norfolk GolfClub and the professionals will be attempting to win thechampionship for the first time for a few years havingseen the county’s top amateurs taking the trophy recently.The Pro Am season recommences on Friday 12thOctober at Weston Park, followed a fortnight later atMarriott Sprowston Park and this one will be sponsoredby Insight Financial Services.Currently the Order of Merit table, right, shows thefollowing positions.

RIGHT: Captain’s Prize won by R B Martin 37pts, RAllen 36 pts, K Appleton, D.Roofe, R.Good, A.Davies, JS Rice, J Barrett, S Harvey and M brown all 35pts. Theladies played 9 holes afterwards which was won by Mrs JRice. Pictured is Ryston Park Captain Trevor Nursepresented prizes to the Men’s Winner Mr R B Martin(left) and Ladies Winner Mrs J Rice.

Mixed -Eva New BowlWinners: R Sloper & Mrs J Rice (below)Runners-up: A Holford & Mrs D Kittisak

RESULTS FROM RYSTON PARKRIGHT: GlennMarsters whoplays off a 9handicap achievedhis first Hole InOne at RystonPark on the 4thusing a 23 degreeRescue Wood forthe 170 yard hole.

33

HeachamManor Ladymembersalsocompetedin theirchampionship. Played over 18 holes with thechampion being the best net score. Searles ladycaptain Rachel Hodgkinson was the winner with a netscore of 74 ahead of Tina Cribb with 76 and Joan Gillon 79.Earlier in the week Anne Wells had also shot a net 74to win the first ever Senior Ladies ClubChampionship.Heacham Manor holds regular qualifyingcompetitions for all members as well as social mixedcompetitions on a monthly basis. Membership iscurrently available at just £360 from 1st Sept to 30thApril 2012. For more information please callHeacham Manor on 01485 536 030.

Heacham ManorClub ChampionshipHeacham Manor held its Club Championships forMen and Ladies on the first weekend in September.A gross competition for men played over 36 holes forthe first time started on Saturday with players teeingoff in calm but drizzly conditions. The course playingwell but long as the 16th and 11th tees were off thecompetition blue positions.Junior Warren Bates was keen to defend his title andafter winning the Searles Club Championships earlierin the year he was one of the favourites. Howeverwith some of the Heacham Manor’s lowerhandicappers not entered the competition was wideopen.After the first round results it was tight at the top withthe first seven players all scoring 90 or better withJunior Jordan Cribb 2nd on 87 and Steve Hipkinleading with 84.The final round on Sunday started with calmconditions but light rain. Only the top 21 playersmade the cut for the final with leaders going out last.As players came off the course the lead changed anumber of times but the final groups were where it allmattered.Warren Bates and Graham Reeves both put goodfinal round scores to be early leaders on 176.However Tony Thacker achieved the best round ofthe weekend scoring gross 81 for a two round total of170 to put him in the lead with one group still toreturn scores to the clubhouse.First round leader Steve Hipkin needed a score of 85or better to win outright. A couple of mistakes byJordan Cribb saw him come in with a 175 total to puthim into third place. Steve Hipkin shot a gross 86which put him in joint place with a two round total of170. However it was Tony Thacker who won oncountback and secured the 2012 Heacham ManorClub Champion title.

RYSTON PARKGOLF CLUB

WINTER OFFEROCTOBER 15th to MARCH 29th, 2013

inclusive - Monday to Friday

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JOIN US ON ONE OF EAST ANGLIA’SPREMIER 9 HOLE COURSES

LadiesChampions,left to right:

RachelHodgkinson,Anne Wells.

Mens top 3, left to Right:Steve Hipkin, Tony Thacker, Jordan Cribb.

34

Around& A b o u twith Hacker

experience. It seems that players entering a 36 hole eventare not prepared to make the commitment to play 36holes if they scored badly in the first round.Both of us had noted certain players suddenly becomingill after a particularly bad hole or two and walking in,declaring to the organisers that they were unwell andcould not continue. In some cases this had proven to betrue but it appeared in many that the only illness was ablow to their pride because of poor play.Whilst leaving the course and reporting they were unwellon some made up pretext was bad enough but bothcounties had experienced other cases of players justleaving their partners on the course and going homewithout a word to the organisers.In both counties, as a result of this rudeness anddiscourtesy to put it mildly, some players have beendisciplined by barring those so involved from a number ofChampionships, or all of those in the following year.Where have all the good manners and behaviour ofyester-year gone to?

Around the ClubsCostessey ParkMore good news for Costessey Park! Club Captain IanThompson and teaching Professional Ian Ellis took part inthe 2012 Lombard Pro Captain Challenge Championshipheld at the John O'Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire.The event takes the form of a better ball competition.The two Ian’s managed to score 8 pars, 9 birdies and only1 bogie to win the competition from 54 other club teamswith a fantastic score of 8 under par.They now progress to the finals which will be played inTurkey at Antalya Golf Club in Nov/Dec this year.At this time of writing I learn that Dawn Attfield whohelps to run the office at the Club, and Club Captain IanThompson are both taking part in the Great North Half-marathon in Newcastle for charity causes.I am hoping to catch sight of them at the forefront of therunners. Since Ian is a giant of at least 6 feet 3 inchesand Dawn a statuesque five foot 10 inch blonde, theyshould stand out. They were due to run as a three leggedpair but Dawn runs too fast for Ian so they are going torun independently now.Royal NorwichThe Club staged a Charity Day at the end of August withthe organisation being led by Club Captain GordonCartwright and the proceeds going to the East Anglian AirAmbulance.The day previous had seen torrential rain and the samehad been forecast for the Charity Day, but the club wereextremely lucky in that the actual day was dry and fine.In his speech at the prize giving, Gordon expressed hissincere thanks to all his helpers, all the clubs, businessesand members who had donated raffle prizes and teamprizes.At the end of the day the total raised was £ 4,539.

Smith & Pinching, InsuranceBrokers and Financial AdvisersSmith and Pinching have again this year supported theCounty Teams through their various campaigns on thegolf course in the Anglian League Competitions andvarious national competitions. County Captain Ian Yulehas high hopes of an improved team performance nextyear based on the individual successes away from thecounty shown by team players Luke Johnson, MatthewBacon, George Morris, Matthew Alden, Jack Yule, AaronBullock and the others whose name I regret I cannotremember whilst second Team Captain Steve Tidy willbe seeking to build on this year’s results and is confidenthis team will do even better in 2013.The Company also sponsor the Smith & Pinching /Norfolk CGU Order of Merit Table which is still ongoingwith, I believe, only the Roger Trower Memorial Trophyremaining to complete the results for the season. Thishigh profile event is taking place at Royal Norwich.TheCounty Union are grateful and appreciative for all thehelp provided by Smith & Pinching over recent years.

On the County SceneCompetition EntriesI was talking with Ron Kent, the Suffolk President, aboutthe decreasing number of entrants for each of thenumerous County Championships and he confirmed thatSuffolk was encountering the same situation. To beliethat statement it turned out that the Norfolk SeniorsChampionship which followed shortly after thisdiscussion, had a record entry of 95 competitors.Previously the highest number of Senior Championshipentries had been in the low fifties.A similar pattern had been reported by England Golf attheir Championships, which range from those for juniorsthrough to those for seniors. Only the Brabazon and ReidTrophy competitions show a small increase of less thanone dozen each. The Seniors, McGregor, Logan, Carrisand EAC competitions were all well down on their entrynumbers. In 2012 the over total was more than 200m lessthan in 2011. A consideration may be that the venuelocation was a significant factor in these lower numbersDuring our talk he mentioned another problem they werehaving, which again was similar to our own recent

35

SMILER’S CORNERHere are some new rules being suggested by agroup of Seniors to the R & A to help withtheir weekday games and competitions...Rule 1.a.5A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted andplaced on the fairway at a point equal to the distance itcarried or rolled into the rough with no penalty. Thesenior should not be penalised for tall grass whichground keepers failed to mow.Rule 2. d .6 (B)A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit thetree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in ascientific game. The senior player must estimate thedistance the ball would have travelled if it had not hitthe tree, drop it on the fairway and play the ball fromthere.

Rule 3.B.3(G)There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missingball is on or near the course and will eventually be foundand pocketed by someone else, making it a stolen ball.The player is not to compound the felony by penalisinghimself or herself but may drop another ball in playRule 4. c .7( h )If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it isdeemed to have dropped. The law of gravity supersedesthe Rules of Golf.Rule 5.Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could beblown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to ballsmore than three inches from the hole. No one wants tomake a travesty of the game.Rule 6.a.9( k )There is no penalty for so-called "out of bounds." If

penny-pinching golf courseowners bought sufficient land,this would not occur. The seniorgolfer deserves an apology, not apenalty.Rule 7..G.15( z )There is no penalty for a ball in awater hazard, as golf balls shouldfloat. Senior golfers should notbe penalised for manufacturers'shortcomings.Rule 8. k .9( S)Advertisements claim that golfscores can be improved bypurchasing new golf equipment.Since this is financiallyimpractical for many seniorgolfers, one-half stroke per holemay be subtracted for using oldequipment.Please encourage all your seniorfriends to read and enjoy thesesuggested rule changes.

If you were around in 1919 and cameupon the following poster

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36

July 16th Entertained the Leicestershire Vice PresidentKen Tripp to a game of golf at Thetford.

July 18th Another match for Norfolk Captains againstSuffolk Captains at Rookery Park, Lowestoft.Norfolk came out victorious but there was a heavydownpour as the games were finishing. Got wet!

July 25th Went for a check on my pacemaker. It appearsto be holding up well despite all my travelling, golfgames, stresses and strains. I must be enjoyingmyself.

July 26th Match against Lincolnshire Captains atBlankney. Arrived late as my chauffeur did notappreciate that the A17 was a slow moving route.Was excused this misdemeanor as Norfolk won thematch as did I and my partner.

July 30th Played Glen Gorse with Mike Collinson andtwo colleagues from Cambridge. In the prizes withnearest to the pin so miracles do happen sometimes.

July 31st At Bawburgh watching the Juniors in the BassTrophy. They played 9 holes in the morning in rainyweather and only two players scored higher than theirhandicaps. The afternoon got out fine and dry to theenjoyment of all.

August 1st At Gt. Yarmouth and Caister for the JuniorChampionships. There was some excellent golf ondisplay. Jack Yule’s two par rounds totalling 140unfortunately only managed to give him 2nd place, thewinner being Tom Gomer with 72 + 67 total 139.

August 2nd Travelled to Sheffield to visit some elderlyrelatives then back to Sleaford for the County Matchagainst Lincolnshire. Played a practice round with theCounty Captain and team.

August 5th Supported the team against Lincolnshirealthough my presence did nothing to inspire them asthe County lost the Foursomes heavily althoughimproving a bit in the singles. Still lost the match.Renewed my acquaintance with the LincolnshirePresident whom I knew from schooldays 50 years ago.

August 8th County Executive Meeting at Eaton GolfClub. Straightforward Meeting with no majorproblems.

August 13th Golf at Kings Lynn with Geoff Higginsagain at their invitation day. Won a prize somehow.

August 19th Attended the K.K.Smith Final betweenMundesley and Bawburgh at Royal Norwich. Theoutcome was settled in the last match when a veryyoung lady, 11 years old Amy Taylor sealed her matchto give Bawburgh the trophy.

August 20th Played with the Norfolk Captains at GreatYarmouth & Caister against the County juniors. Asusual the Juniors came out triumphant.

County President’s DiaryThe continuing journey of theCounty President through hisyear of officeJune 18th Played in the Thetford Centenary Pro-Am

with three county colleagues but we were unable tofinish in the prizes.

June 21st More golf in the Thetford CentenaryInvitation Day Competition. My guest for the daywas Geoff Higgins of Kings Lynn, a former CountyPresident.

June 22nd Travelled to Lutterworth with the Society ofNorfolk Club Captains for a match againstLeicestershire & Rutland.

June 23rdWas a guest with my wife Gloria at theThetford Centenary Dinner.

June 29th Another match with the Society of NorfolkGolf Captains at Kings Lynn against Cambridgeshirepartnered by Mike Collison of Kings Lynn.

June 30th No golf today but attended my grandsons’school fete from 9.00am to 4.30 pm where theyraised £ 1,430 for school funds.Left home again at 5.30 pm to join County 1st teamfor their Anglian League match at Scraptoft.

July 1st Supported team against Leicestershire. Norain for a change but very breezy. Couldn’t manageto cheer the side on to a win but we managed a draw6 points each. Still leaves us in with a chance towin the League.

July 3rd No County business today but travelled toGog Magog near Cambridge for a game with an oldfriend.

July 5th Golf again, this time with the Society ofNorfolk Captains at Ramsey.

July 9th Attended a charity day at Bawburgh GolfClub. Won two prizes, sadly though only in theraffle, not for my golfing ability.

July 10th At Gog Magog again, this time to support theCounty Seniors side. Didn’t do much of a job asthey finished joint 3rd out of 4 teams taking part.Enjoyed the day in fine weather although rathercool.

July 11th Attended a re-arranged County ExecutiveCommittee Meeting at Royal Norwich.No problems!

July 13th Friday 13th turned out to be unlucky. NorfolkCaptains match against the Norfolk Secretaries wascalled off at Ryston Park which was closed due tothe weather.

37

August 29th Visited Weston Park for a triangularmatch between Norfolk Juniors and Cambridge andEssex. The Match was won by Essex with Norfolk2nd and Cambridge obviously 3rd.

Sept. 1st Enjoyed a special birthday present todayarranged by my long suffering wife Gloria, a tour ofthe state rooms at Buckingham Palace. A lovely daywith no golf.

Sept. 2nd.An early rise and off to see the Norfolk 2ndteam at Saffron Walden against Cambridgeshire.Both sides needed to win to stand a chance ofwinning the Anglian League Division 2 title.The outcome of this very competitive match was adraw 6 points each. After the earlier results it was atrifle disappointing but the 2nd team have had theirbest finish in this League for some years and arelooking forward confidently to 2013.

More to come in the December Issue.

MORE SUCCESS FOR RISING GOLFSTAR LUKEKings Lynn Golf Club’s top amateur golferLuke Johnson continued his fine 2012 form bywinning the prestigious Hertfordshire Stagtournament and in so doing saw further progresstowards the top of the World Amateur rankingslist, and a possible successful career as aProfessional.Buoyed by this, Luke went on to become KingsLynn Golf Club’s Champion Golfer beatinganother local star, Kit Holmes, in an exciting 36hole tournament that needed two extra holes todetermine the winner!Worthy of mention is the fact that Luke playsoff a handicap of plus 3 – and Kit, untilrecently, off plus 2.It is with some pride that King’s Lynn GolfClub can boost such a formidable pairingcontesting the final stages of their ClubChampionship.

Captain presenting Luke with theClub Championship Trophy

Autumn Open The AM AM Stableford event with competitorstravelling from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.On arrival the visitors were greeted and welcomedby members and were served coffee and biscuits.The weather was perfect for golf with a cool breezeand bright sunshine. At the halfway point fruitdrinks, homemade cakes and savouries wereserved.After play and a buffet meal, Lady Captain JanetColes said that it was a great pleasure to welcomeso many ladies to the club and hoped thateveryone had enjoyed the day. She went on to thankmembers, green-keepers and catering staff who hadhelped make the day such a success.The Lady Captain then invited Lady President Ruth Mountain to present the prizes to the winners.Winners: Beverley Filby, Eve Mair, Barbara Woods and Binnie Bridgeman(Ely City GC) 87 points. Runners-up: Elaine Aberdeen, Chris Bailey, Maureen Flack and Rosie Sutterby(Richmond Park GC) 83 points. Third: Helen Howe, Maria Fox, Sheila Brightwell and Catherine Newey(Dereham GC) 81 points (on count back) Drive Nearest the line: Margaret Law (Ely City GC)Nearest the pin on the 4th/13th: Two ladies tied, Barbara Teal (King’s Lynn GC) and Jan Kirman (SwaffhamGC). Nearest the pin on the 7th/16th: Pat Atkin (Girton GC)First prize winner Eve Mair complimented the Ryston ladies for their warm hospitality and delicious halfwayhouse refreshments and said that she and her playing partners had enjoyed their day on a beautiful course.

Winning team (left to right) Beverley Filby, BinnieBridgeman, Eve Mair, Ryston Park Lady President

Ruth Mountain, Barbara Wood

Doris Ball Rose BowlWinner: Dang Kittisak 92-20=72 (below)

Runner-up:Anne Emmerson 96-22=74;

Third: Tiffany Mills 78-4=74

Autumn FoursomesWinners: Janet Coles and Caroline Cotterell 35 points Runners-up: Anne Emmerson and Liz Tyler 34 pointsCaroline Cotterell, Lady President Ruth Mountain, Janet Coles

King’s Lynn claim the NCGU Scratch League for 2012 by Mike Devlin - Hon Sec NCGUThe Finals held at Eaton Golf Club saw six clubs, drawn into two groups, with the club scoring the most points in eachgroup going through to the afternoon Final. The morning matches between Royal Norwich, Costessey Park andMundesley, in Group 1 and King’s Lynn, Sprowston Manor and Barnham Broom in Group 2, were populated by somereally fine golf in very challenging conditions. Royal Norwich in Group 1 and King’s Lynn in Group 2, proved verytough opposition for their fellow competitors, eventually emerging as the finalists.The final was played in wonderful spirit in spite of the very heavy rain. With four of the five man matches done anddusted, the score was 2 to 1 in favour of King’s Lynn, with everything hanging on the last match. County Captain IanYule, for King’s Lynn, took a one hole leadagainst Craig Spurr of Royal Norwich into thefinal hole. Craig needing a win to level thematch, put everything into his play but wilyIain hung on ensuring the last hole was halvedmaking King’s Lynn the victors 3 to 2.(picture- back row) L to R - Jack Yule, LukeJohnson, Paul Reade, Paul Holland - Front row:Past NCGU President Geoffrey Higgins pre-senting the Scratch League Trophy to Iain Yule.

The Ryston Park Golf Club Ladies Results

39

Peter Ballingall@LETTER FROM SPAIN

I am washed out, exhausted, completely spent! Ihave no more tears to shed. I am worn out!!I know that the older I get the more emotional Ihave become but I seem to have had tears in myeyes since the early summer beginning with HerMajesty's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. I justdidn't realise that so many people cared so muchthat they turned up in their hundreds of thousandsto demonstrate their devotion to an amazing lady.Politics and politicians stood back as people of allfaiths and leanings united together to make such apowerful statement; the love for our Queen.How great the British Public is. Just when we werethinking that the "dis-united Kingdom" was sinkingfast beneath the scandals of the banks andfeckless politicians, immigration,Brussels/Strasbourg and everything else wewrapped ourselves in our Union Flag, painted ourfaces and sang our anthem linking arms with totalstrangers who were also British. Wonderful!"On your bike" took on a new meaning for me as Ibecame engrossed in The Tour de France, theBradley Wiggins factor and Team Sky GB.The more I watched the more I understood aboutthe team effort; how the key sprinter was protected,how he was shepherded up the climbs at acomfortable pace, how everyone took their turn atpace-making and how, in the final stages, they setup the sprinter's attack - job done. Awesome!The genuine respect for other riders was evidentand, when some hooligan thought it amusing tothrow tacks on the road at one point so thatdozens of riders, camera motor bikes and supportvehicles also suffered punctures, Wiggins andTeam Sky GB who were well positioned at the frontgave instructions to the whole field to slow thingsdown until everyone else had caught up. I believeeveryone finished that day at a canter beingawarded the same time.

I shed a tear for thesportsmanship shown, as Iremember. I shed a few morefor the entire GB Team at theend of it all. Another displayof unity, team spirit and an "all for one" mentality.Then came The Olympics and Paralympics!The winners won medals but there were many whoachieved best personal performances even whencoming last that made them "winners" too. Butwhat I found so moving was the level of supportfrom the public who applauded all the athletes ofevery nation where the cheers were as loud forthose finished at all as for those who won medals,the flag-waving, the hundreds of volunteers [thegames-makers] and the genuine spirit of bonhomieeverywhere.These people, not just our wonderful athletes, putthe word GREAT back in to BRITAIN. We trulycan, and should, walk tall again for never havethere been Games like these. Am I dreaming? Can it be true? Dare we believethat a nation, multi-cultured though it is, can jointogether to form such a force that inspired so manyto achieve great things?Let us hope that this "torch" will be forever lit.Although I live a long way away by golly I amPROUD TO BE BRITISH. Oh gawd! I'm about tocry again!!!!!

Contact me, Peter Ballingallat: Apartado de Correos 101

21450 Cartaya (Huelva) ESPAÑAPHONE: (0034) 959 02 42 42 or

E-mail: pballingall@golfelrompido.esWebsite: www.peterballingall.com

NEXT ISSUE - NNNNOOOOVVVVEEEEMMMMBBBBEEEERRRR////DDDDEEEECCCCEEEEMMMMBBBBEEEERRRRXmas gift ideas? Golf Vouchers? Golf Equipment?

Deadline 5th Novembersuffolkgolfer@aspects.net • www.suffolkandnorfolkgolfer.com

40

Norfolk hosted the Under 14Keith Bass Championshipand Team EventThe match was played at Bawburgh GolfClub over 27 holes and teams representingBedfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolktook part. The weather conditions on theday were difficult, but the golf wasexcellent. Playing with a wonderful spirit, agood day was had by all. The winners of the Team eventwere Bedfordshire with acombined total of 688 withsuffolk taking the runner up spotwith 691. The handicap winnerwas Finlay Heywood of Norfolkwith a score of 102.5 nett.The overall winner (scratch) wasWill Bond representingBedfordshire with a gross scoreover 27 holes of 111 and therunner up was Dylan Manmut ofEssex with a score of 115.

by Mike Devlin NCGU Hon Secretary

Bedfordshire team

Finlay HeywoodDylan ManmutWill Bond

A bright and breezy day welcomed the competitors toThe Norfolk Open and Professional Championships heldat Royal West Norfolk Golf Club. A healthy mix ofprofessional and amateur golfers enjoyed a wonderfullyprepared links with some spectacular golf on display.In the morning round professional Ian Ellis produced anew course record taking only 64 strokes to completethe round. A second round of sub par 70 giving Ian atotal of 134 was enough to secure the "Norfolk Open"title and the "Professional Champion" title by a marginof 5 shots over his closest rivals, Michael Few ofWeston Park and Lee Patterson of Royal Cromer both

recording 139.The amateurs also showed some high quality play, with

Luke Johnson of King's Lynn coming out on top with ascore of 141 with Matthew Alden of Eaton returning a142 for second place with Dan Henderson of RoyalNorwich shooting 144 finishing 3rd. Luke also won theHenry Craske Memorial Salver for the lowest aggregatescore when combining the results from the 4 rounds ofthe Norfolk Amateur held earlier this year at Thetfordand today's' score, totalling a very fine 436. The NCGU Vice-President, Mr Alan Winstanleypresented the Trophies, as seen below.

Norfolk Open & Professional Championships

LukeJohnson

Ian Ellis

41

Royal Cromer’s Tom Gomer is the new Norfolk Boys' ChampionThe tournament was hosted at Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club on a breezy day withintermittent rain showers. A strong field of 54 players from all over the county ensured athrilling championship.King’s Lynn’s Jack Yule gave Tom Gomer a run for his money, carding two rounds of 70,but Tom was not to be denied and followed up his first round score of 72 with animpressive 67 in the afternoon, for a total of 139 to win by just one shot. Tom collectedthe Frank Brett Cup and will now go forward to represent Norfolk in the Champion ofChampions Tournament at Woodhall Spa hosted by England Golf.William Cross of Dereham was third on 142 and Harry Cribb of Gt Yarmouth & Caister

was fourth on 151.In the Norfolk Boys’ handicap section, Giles Evans, ofBarnham Broom, returned a 133 nett score to win theRoper Cup from runner-up Nic Cains of Dereham who shota 137 nett. Martin Barnes of Gt Yarmouth & Caister came in third with 141.Oliver Cribb of Gt Yarmouth & Caister won the Under-16 Boys’ Championship(Scratch) and with it the Cracknell Shield having scored a 154 gross.Toby Briggs of Mundesley was close on his heels finishing second with a 155 andthird-placed William Farley of Barnham Broom came in with a score of 157.The Under-16 Boys’ Handicap Championship wassecured by Jack Cullington of Bawburgh with a 137 nett.

Runner-up Harry Brister ofEaton, with a 144 nett, justpipped Warren Bates ofHeacham Manor, who carded a145, for third. The Junior TeamChallenge Shields (Scratch) &(Nett) were both won by theteam from Great Yarmouth &Caister.The team of Harry Cribb, OliverCribb and Jack Reeve also enjoyas part of their success, a trip toWoodhall Spa in September to compete in the Champion ofChampions Tournament hosted by England Golf.

The Links Golf Club, West Runton, after years of seeking success in a Major County event were crowned the 2012Barnard Trophy winners at King's Lynn Golf Club. King's Lynn was in superb condition, worthy of such an eventand the sunshine only added to the enjoyment of the day.The Barnard Trophy is an inter-club seniors knockout competition for golfers over 55 years but the golf today beliedthe competitors ages and reflected golf at its' freshest. The match was contested by Barnham Broom versus TheLinks, with Barnham Broom taking an early lead which looked unassailable until the last match at the last greenwhich saw victory snatched from their grasp. The match was played in the best of good spirits and all enjoyed ahearty dinner prior to the Trophy presentation. The Trophy was presented, fittingly, by Alan Barnard of BawburghGolf Club who originallydonated the Trophy to theCounty Union in 1994.Alan gave a brief historyof the Cup and its' heritagewhich was received withgreat enthusiasm by all.Final result was a victoryfor The Links, by 2 holes.

by Mike Devlin NCGU Hon Secretary

Tom Gomer

Jack Cullington

Giles Evans

Oliver Cribb, JackReeve and Harry Cribb

www.kingslynngc.co.uk

43

Dereham Golf Club has been awardedGolfMark with High Achiever accreditationby England Golf. This award recognisesthe golf club as an outstanding supporterand venue for both beginners and juniorgolfers and is one of only three in thecounty of Norfolk. What is more remarkable is the fact thatthe High Achiever award was obtained atthe first attempt following the rigorousassessment process undertaken by theNorfolk Golf Partnership. Karen Young,Golf Development Officer for the Partner-ship said ‘this is a fantastic achievementby Dereham Golf Club and I applaud all the hard workput in by the Club obtaining High Achiever’Club President, Dudley Mayers, said ‘we are delightedto have received national recognition for our Club fromthe games governing body England Golf and arelooking forward to working with our members, our PGAProfessional, Duncan Abbott and the local communityto continue to bring more players into the game. TheClub has always been known for its friendlyatmosphere and has a junior section the envy of manymuch larger and more prestigious clubs and it is greatthat the GolfMark award will help us build upon thatreputation.’The Club’s professional Duncan Abbott said ‘GolfMarkwill help me and the Club continue to reach out intothe wider community to bring players into the game

Duncan Abbott (Club Professional), Dudley Mayers(Club President), Karen Young (Regional DevelopmentOfficer) and Jane Bizley (junior organiser)safe in the knowledge that they will be joining a clubrecognised for its support for beginners and juniors bothin terms of coaching and the organisation of the club.GolfMark enables me, through Active Norfolk, to offergreat value coaching sessions for beginners, with awomen’s beginners course starting on Saturday 22ndSeptember, running for 7 weeks at a cost of £25 perperson, please visit www.norfolkgolfpartnership.co.uk toregister. After that there is an 8 week, Get Into Golf,course starting Sunday 21st October for all adults, cost£35, please visit www.activenorfolk.org to register.These sessions are a great introduction to the gameand I would encourage anyone to give it a try’.

Dereham Golf Club Receives National Award

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Below: 9 hole Greensomes winner, Rebekka VansittartRichmond Park.Both prizes were presented byNickie Clarke County President

44

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Norfolk Ladies County Golf Association by RaymondWatson

With the end of the school holidays, Norfolk’s juniorgolfers came together at Weston Park, for the lastcompetition before school beckons once again. Itwas fitting that the prestigious Centenary Platecompetition completed a very busy golfing seasonfor the girls, and once again the race to be thewinner was keenly fought. The Birdie Trophy,donated by past County President Ann McHarg, andplayed for by girls with handicaps of 25-36 was wonby Ellie Howard from Sheringham with 33 points.A 9 hole greensomes competition was also held forthose girls still working hard to obtain their officialhandicap and some creditable performances were inevidence.Centenary Plate Winner Amy Taylor (Bawburgh) 40 pointsRunner Up Sian Fenn Green (Dereham) 37 points3rd Place Jasmine Campbell (Royal Norwich) 36 points9 Hole Greensomes Winner Rebekka Vansittart

(Richmond Park) 21pts ocbRunner Up Emma Bambridge (Richmond Park) 21pts

Norfolk Junior Girls Centenary Plate Competition

Centenary Plate winner, Amy Taylor, Bawburgh Golf Club

45

Par 3 ChampionOver the school holidays a group of10 aspiring young golfers has beenworking hard to earn the title of theNorfolk Ladies County GolfAssociation Junior girl, Par 3Champion. Events have been held at FakenhamDriving Range since April, and havebeen well supported. The Par 3events are the first tier in the trainingprogramme for young girl golfers inNorfolk and have proven to be anexcellent springboard for moving intothe ranks of junior county teams. Thesessions are organised for the county by PatSimpson, from Kings Lynn Golf Club and Carol Delf,County Junior Organiser. This year has seen, LiliaCopeman, the youngest girl ever to take part - agedjust 4 !!Results: Overall winner - Rebekka Vansittart 75Runner Up Hannah Whinnett 843rd Masie Farrelly 87Other players: Ellora Howard; Ellie Bower; LilyFarrelly; Hope Neild; Jessica Key; Eve Neild.

Olympic victory at Eaton Golf ClubEaton ladies are determined to be prepared for theintroduction of golf into the Olympic games in 2016,

so their Lady Captain, Veronica Christie, organised aspecial competition to get them ready. Twenty teamsof four ladies played a shotgun fun event in glorioussunshine, representing countries from all over theworld. For the occasion the ladies carried theiradopted country’s flag, and dressed in their colours.Andrew Coe, a member at Eaton Golf Club, hadbeen privileged to carry the real Olympic torch atGreat Yarmouth, and he kindly loaned the torch toeach team to carry it on the day. In true tradition,Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were presented, ona victory podium, to each winning team. The Goldmedal team was Malaysia, the Silver Medal waswon by China, with Germany taking the Bronze.

46

Middleton’s Ladies’ Captain hasachieved the highest accolade!In a very hotly contested battle, the ladies from MiddletonHall Golf Club embarked on the arduous task of playing36 holes of golf in one day to win the much sought afterClub Championship Trophy. They played off scratch andby half time Elaine Calvert (Lady Captain) was leadingwith a gross 83 but by the end of the afternoon she haddropped to a gross 90 just one stroke behind HelenBensley’s 89. However, at the end of the day Elaine’saccumulated grosswas 173 which meantthat she came awaywith the trophy. Thehandicap trophy waswon by Pat Hobanwho scored a nett 68in the morning and anet 70 in theafternoon.Right: The Captain ElaineCalvert who is the newLadies’ Club Championfor Middleton Hall GolfClub with the handicapwinner Pat Hoban.

Playle ShieldThe ladies at Middleton Hall Golf Club turned out to playfor the Playle Shield. It is a putting competition played inconjunction with a medal, with the person who completesthe round in the fewest putts receiving the shield and theperson with the best net score winning the medal prize.The conditions this year could not have been better, withthe greens playing true, the temperatures very moderateand the winds almost negligible. The overall results weregood but the best shield score was achieved by AlisonCroose (ocb) with 30 putts and the medal prize was wonby Sue Smith with a fantastic nett 66. The ladies’ captain Elaine Calvert is seen her congratulatingthe winners, Alison Croose and Sue Smith.

King’s Lynn Olympic Team CompetitionThe Club held a team competition for all members of theClub. The format was the best two scores to count onall holes with the exception of holes 5 and 12 when allthree scores were to count. The prize winners wereCharles, Judy and Charles Jnr. Curtis 96pts (below)

Brad Smith was presented with theDuffield Cup when winning theJunior Open at Sheringham with agross score of 69 net 64. In 2011Brad was the Cub’s most improvedplayer reducing his handicap from12.8 to 7.7. His achievement thisyear has been extended by winning the 2012 ClubChampionship gross prize withscores of 82 and 77 a total of 159.His handicap has now been cut to4.4 exact and now playing 4.

Fakenham Golf Club Junior Wins‘Junior Open at Sheringham’

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