alresford golf club · captain’s trip to france in may will be based in granville with golf at...

ALRESFORD GOLF CLUB

Founded 1890

March 2013

REFERENCE

TheLinks

The LINKS March 2013 Page 1

As usual it’s been a busy few months since the last issue ofthe LINKS. The sheep have been working hard, newcourse features have appeared and much background

work is going on. And even Wi-Fi is on its way!

But it’s also a time for goodbyes. After many years at the clubwe have to say a fond farewell to Robbie and Sheena on theirretirement from a very demanding job. A farewell is included inthe Bar and Catering report but I add my thanks for their sterlingwork over many years at the club. We will also be saying anequally fond farewell to Mary Panter, our Assistant Secretary formany years who will be departing to spend more time at homewith husband Ray. We will all miss her cheery and efficientapproach to life and her technical ability with the accounts. Butshe will remain a member of the club!

INTRODUCTION Keith Monkhouse, Editor

CONTENTS

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE 2LADIES’ CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE 6TROPHY CORNER 8100 CLUB NEWS 9THE SOCIAL SCEN E 11TEAM GOLF 12THE JUNIORS REPORT 13GREEN COMMITTEE REPORT 15PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT 18BAR AND CATERING REPORT 19NEW CATERERS 20VETS SECTION 21THE PROFESSIONAL’S PAGE 24HOUSE COMMITTEE REPORT 26MATCH AND HANDICAP REPORT 28DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 31


I like to think thatat Alresford GolfClub we enjoy

golf not only as asport but also as asocial occasionwhen we can meetold friends andmake many newones. I want to takethis opportunity tohighlight some of the thingswhich will be happening in thecoming months which I hopeyou will find interesting and/ortake part in.

At Alresfordcompetitive

golf starts very early in the year.Already we have hosted theHampshire County 1st team andthen 2 weeks later the Under-18team. These matches are a longstanding tradition in the Countycalendar and reflect the statusand respect that is accorded toAlresford Golf Club. The matchagainst the 1st team was playedoff scratch and ended in a win tothe County 9-1, a score whichdidn’t reflect how close most ofthe games were. The matchagainst the Under-18’s, playedwith handicaps, went down to

the final putts of thelast game on the 18th

to end in a draw 3-3.Both matches wereplayed in the bestspirit of golf and I’dlike to thank everyonewho played for theirefforts, and also StevePrivett and his teamfor presenting the

course in such good conditionfor the time of year.

The Clubentersteams in

the national competitionsorganised by the Mail onSunday and Daily Mail. So farin the Mail on SundayClassic, the Men’s team havewon their 1st round matchagainst East Horton and aredue to play Stoneham in thenext round; the Ladies teamhad a bye in the 1st round andwill play Alton in the 2nd. Inthe Daily Mail Foursomes weare being represented by theholders of the Cooper Trophy,Stuart Binfield and KevinLane, and by Claire Gouldand Lyn Travers who won lastyear’s Ladies Daily MailFoursomes qualifier. These

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE George Clelland

County Match

National Competitions


are all very toughcompetitions, so we wish allof them the very best of luck.The first rounds of thesummer knock-outcompetitions will be startingthis month, and althoughthere are a couple ofcompetitions in March, the 36hole Linnets Trophy over theEaster Week-end is thetraditional flag raiser for thestart of our golfing season.

As well as the Trophy, MedalandStable

ford competitions there arealso the social golf eventssuch as the Spring TexasScramble and Bank HolidayMixed competitions to lookforward to.

Team Golf, whichstarts in May, is

being organised by RogerCorkhill. I know the teamcaptains are already startingto put their teams together forthis hotly contested eventand I’m sure the players willbe hoping that it will not rainas regularly on Thursdayafternoons as it did last year.

I’m lookingforward to

playing in most of the Men’sand Mixed inter-club friendlymatches this season. Theseare really enjoyable to play inand I’d like to encourage youto participate. If you enjoy yourregular social game but you’dlike to try playing with andagainst other people and atdifferent courses, then putyour name on the lists whichare on the board in theentrance to the Men’schanging room and on theMixed notice board.It’s makesthings mucheasier forthe teamorganisers ifthere are morepeople wanting to play thanthere are places, and they willdo their best to ensure thateveryone gets a game. Thesocial aspect of these matchesis as important as the golf andit’s a very good way to meetother members and broadenyour experience andenjoyment of the game.By playing in the matches andin the competitions and rollupsI hope to be able to meet withas many members as I can.

Social golf and more

Make things easy -

put your names

down to play!

Team golf

Friendly Matches


Formembers

who have joined the club in thelast twelve to eighteen monthswe will be having a Meet &Greet Evening on Friday 19th

April. This is an opportunity tomeet with and chat to many ofthe people whosenames you see ascontributors to thevarious articles inthis magazine andthe monthly ebulletin;find out who does what in theClub, and establish contact witheach other.

The followingweek, both

new and old membersshould find the

HistoryEveninginteresting and

fascinating. Ourbest raconteurs will

tell the story of how theclub has evolved fromits early beginnings in1890 and how the

game of golf haschanged over time.There may even bethe chance to try yourhand with some old

style putters!

TheCaptain’s

Trip to France in May will bebased in Granville with golf atCaen, Granville and Presqu’ilede Contentin. This extremelypopular event has only a limitednumber of places mainly due tothe logistics of ensuring

accommodation and teetimes for such a largegroup. Other than theCaptain’s and the

Organiser’s teams, places areallocated on a strictly first-come-first-served basis. Asusual this year’s trip is full, solook out for the advance noticefor next year’s trip which willappear during the summermonths.

The everpopular

Cross Country Scramble is inthe diary for the end of May. Asusual Steve Privett and JackMoody will be in charge ofcourse design and I hear thatthere will be some newchallenges this year.

Themajor

fund raising event for the yearis the Captains’ Charity Day onSunday 9th June and will be

Meet and Greet Captain’s trip to France

History evening

Cross country scramble

Captain’s Charity Day


September the SeniorLadies play againstBerkshire. This is inaddition to the annualHampshire CountyLadies GolfAssociation (HCLGA)Alresford Cup which isan excellent example

of how the club supportsJunior golf. The Cup waspresented by the Ladies ofAlresford Golf Club in 2005for an Inter-County JuniorGirls Team Event which nowinvolves nine counties. Thereare now a number ofcounties wanting to sendteams to this event.

You will see from the backcover of this publication, fromyour diary and from thewebsite, that there is a lotgoing on in the club. Manypeople in the Club, bothmembers and employees,take a great deal of time andeffort to organise and runthese events for which theydeserve our thanks.I hope you will all enjoy yourgolf, whether it be social orcompetitive, and I lookforward to meeting many ofyou either on the course or atour social functions.

open to all playingmembers including5-day and Academymembers. Jane,Pete and I havealready started todevise a format thateveryone will enjoy,playing golf andparting with some cash tosupport this year’s charity, theHampshire and IOW AirAmbulance.

At theend of

June we will have a ClubChampionship weekend withthe Ladies’ Club Championshiptaking place on the Saturdayand the Club Championship onthe Sunday. For the gallerygathered round the 18th greenthe final few holes are as tenseas any Major as rumours comein from the course on theprogress of the leaders ... it’swell worth coming for theexperience.

This year the Club is hostingtwo County fixtures. On 17th

July the County Seniors playagainst Surrey, and on 3rd

COUNTY FIXTURES

Club Championships


When firstwriting myarticle for

this Links, I washoping to be able toreport on the resultof our ladies WinterTriple matcheswhich should havebeen completed inthe middle of February whenwe were due to play at Lee onthe Solent. Unfortunately, thefixture has had to bepostponed by a month as Leecouldn’t guarantee that theywould have 18 holes open dueto the wet conditions that theyhave experienced over the lastfew weeks. It just makes merealise how very lucky we are atAlresford that we seldom havethe course closed and can enjoygood golfing conditionsthroughout the year.

However, our current position inthe Winter Triple, which we playagainst Lee on the Solent andCorhampton is that we are infirst place with this onematch remaining. Let’shope we can retain thistrophy which Fiona and herteam won for the first time lastyear. Will keep you posted!!

Our ladies Mail onSunday campaign hasalso yet to begin. Wewere fortunate toreceive a bye into the2nd round and nowhave an away fixtureagainst the ladiesfrom Alton. I am

grateful to Mary Rook who hasagreed to look after thiscompetition for us.

The seasonis just

beginning with the start of ourFriendly matches which arekindly being organised byCharlotte Bass. Our firstmatch is against one of ourlocal teams, Hockley, on 15th

March. If you would like to beconsidered for future matchesplease contact Charlotte.

This gives me anopportunity toremind our ladies

that Royal WinchesterGolf Club are hosting the

Hampshire Ladies CountyChampionships during the

week 3 – 7 June with manydifferent categories of

LADIES’ CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE Jane Scott

Mail on Sunday

Friendly Matches

COUNTY

CHAMPIO

NSHIPS


competition available. Detailscan be found on theHampshire Ladies website(www.hampshireladiesgolf.co.uk) or copies of entry formscan be found in the HLCGAgolf folder in the ladieschanging room. Please doenter as it would be great tosee Alresford represented atthis local event.

Our StonehamCup campaign

begins in April and this yearwe have been drawn againstBasingstoke, Blacknest, CamsHall and North Hants. I wishLynne, Angela and their squadthe very best of luck. As apre-match get together we arehaving a skittles evening in

March which I am sure will beboth fun and no doubt a littlecompetitive - at least withBecky still in France it gives the

rest of us achance!

There will be the usual BankHoliday Mixed golf competitionsrunning during the year whichwill be organised by both theLadies Section and SocialCommittee. Details of these“fun” competitions will beavailable on the noticeboards inthe Club foyer in due course.

Finally, whether you are playingyour golf for fun or in acompetitive format, I wish youall a good and hopefully, a drygolfing season.

Stoneham Cup

Bank Holiday Mixed


Mr Percy Laming was captain1911-1923 over the war yearsand it is likely that he presentedthis cup. He was a Londonstockbroker who lived with his wife,Mrs Evelyn Laming OBE inAlresford Place. Evelyn Laminghad previously presented a cup in1925 named on the trophy as"The Alresford Ladies Golf ClubChallenge Bowl" now played for asThe Evelyn Laming Bowl. EvelynLaming's sister, Mrs AliceChetwode, had presented theChetwode Trophy in 1924.

TROPHY CORNER

The Laming


For members new to the GolfClub, the 100 Club waslaunched in 1987 to augmentthe funds for the Centenarycelebrations of the Golf Clubin 1990. At the request of themembers, the 100 Club hascontinued to raise funds forprojects and items requiringcapital expenditure that willenhance the Golf Courseand/or the Clubhouse. Theseprojects would be consideredas ‘extras’ and not within theClub budget. Requests forfunds usually come from thevarious Committees in theClub, and these are thenconsidered by the 100Club Trustees,Robin Goodand DavidFarr, whodecide thesize of any 100Club contribution.Membership of the 100 Clubis open to all adult membersof the Golf Club and the oper-ation of the club is very sim-ple. Members purchase oneor more shares at a cost of£1 per share, per month.

The membership of the 100Club has remained fairlyconstant since the last

edition of Links. However, nowthe golfing season is beginning,

I’d like to ask all the currentmembers to spread the

word about the 100Club amongyour friendsand

especially withnew members

of the Golf Club.Since the last issue of LINKS the100 Club hasn’t funded any newprojects, but there are one or twowhich are under consideration buthave not yet been finalised. Moredetails on these will be publicisedin the ebulletin as they becomeavailable.

A date for 100 Club members tomark in their diaryis Friday 16th

August when the100 Club

Stableford competitionwill be held followed by supper inthe evening and the presentationof prizes. All the details will be onthe noticeboard nearer the time.

George ClellandNEWS

Membershipopen to all adultmemberes ofthe club

100 Club annual

competition


Payment can be made by standing order or cheque on a monthly,quarterly or annual basis. Each share is allocated a permanentnumber which is entered in the monthly draw.There are 6 prizes in total: £100, £50, and four of £32. The namesof the winners are posted on the Secretary’s notice board in theentrance hall, and published in the e-Bulletin. If you fancy a flut-ter, the odds are better than the Lottery!For an application form, speak to George Clelland or call in to theSecretary’s office.


THE SOCIAL SCEN E James Stewart

I am pleased to report thatthe golf club has ahealthy amount of social

events that are wellsupported. In recent monthswe have seen a “sell-out”crowd for Burns Night and wewere near full capacity forNew Year’s Eve. By the timeyou read this the RobbieWilliams / Rat Pack musicnight will have taken place.Recent similar functions haveproved to be extremelypopular and have shownsignificant profits for the bar.

Due tothe

success of the music eventswe have recently bookedanother act for Saturday 19th

October. If you attendedGeorge Clelland’s Drive In,you might re-call that he is afan of The Beatles. ToGeorge’s delight we havesecured a group called TheTwo Beatles. They haveappeared on the BBC andlook like a fantastic act. Soplease make of note of thisdate in your diary.

Plans arenow in place for the “History

Night” on Saturday 27th April.There have been someexcellent suggestions and I amsure it will be a super eveningwith many interesting stories.

We are extremely fortunateto have members and

staff who have suchin-depth knowledgeof the golf club andcourse. Highlights ofthe eveningincludepresentations byDavid Harrison,Brian Young andMalcolm Scott.

There will also be adisplay of variousAlresford Golf Club

memorabilia and a quiz.Please look out for furtherdetails.

During the springand summer there

will be several “Social Golf”events. These will beorganised by differentmembers of the SocialCommittee. Once again pleasewatch the notice boards formore details. These friendlygames are great fun and Iwould encourage people of allabilities to take part.

History Night

Beatles Music Night

Social Golf


Team Golf was introduced in Hampshire over 18 yearsago and enthusiastically brought to Alresford and runwith great success by John White. From this year John

has asked me to run the fun competition at our club, but he willcontinue to organise the County Finals competition which is to beheld at South Winchester on Thursday 25th July. PLEASE ADDTHIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY (It was sorted out too late to bepublished). Our sincere thanks to John for lengthy commitment toa popular event.

All bar new members will be familiar with the event. There are afew changes which John and I have discussed which are:- Theteam entry fee will increase from £30 to £35. This increase isnecessary to maintain the level of prizes. The maximum age for aJunior/ Young team member will remain as 21 years of age forthis year, but Simon assures us that he will have sufficient Juniormembers in 2014 for us to revert to each team having a Juniormember up to 18 years of age.Each year we aim to have 12 teams of 6 players who enter a pairto play a Stableford better ball match against another team's pairover 12 Thursdays beginning on 2nd May. Each individual teammember MUST play at least 3 times ( if 12 teams). Thecomposition of a team should ideally include at least one lady, aSenior (over 50), a Junior (max 21 for this year) and preferablyan adult member who joined within the last 4 years.Action schedule:- ' Format of Rules for 2013' to be posted on theSocial noticeboard on Monday 25th Feb. The 'Entry Form' will beposted on Monday 4th March for completion by Tuesday 2ndApril.

I know of a least one team from 2012 will not be entering thisyear. If you are a new or existing member who would like to bepart of a team do get in touch with me.

Roger Corkhill


With such acold winter,activity in the

junior section hasbeen limited. 2introductory groupstook place during HalfTerm with a number ofparticipants signing upto our Sunday morningprogram.

One junior who startedhis golf this way has recentlybeen selected to take part inHampshire under 12'sTraining. Harvey Riches, whoonly started playing golf 3years ago has now achievedhis first handicap. Heimpressed the countyorganisers winning theassessment day stablefordheld at Alresford earlier thisyear.

The fixtures for the 2013season are now in place.Funding from the English GolfUnion issued for use withdeveloping the junior section isexpected to be released on the1st April. Details of coaching

schemes will beposted on the juniornoticeboard nextmonth.

THE JUNIORS REPORT Simon Tillson, Juniors’ Organiser andAssistant Professional

Ben BroadbentJunior Captain

Juniors play in all weathers!


Date Fixture Time

April 4 TJ Evans Trophy OOM 13:00April 10 Easter Stableford 13:30May 1 Junior Matchplay Draw OOMMay 2 Team Golf StartsMay 27 Peter Gregory Salver OOM 13:00May 29 Club Coaching 09:00 – 12:00May 31 Cross Country Scramble TBAJune 2 Junior Roll up 15:00July 14 Junior Roll Up 15:00July 25 Stableford 09:00July 26 Hampshire Under 14's Stableford TBAJuly 30 John Phipps Memorial Trophy OOM 13:00July 31 Club Coaching 09:00 – 12:00August 18 Junior Roll Up 15:00August 30 Junior Championships 09:00 – 14:00 John Holmes Trophy OOMSeptember 8 Junior Roll Up 15:00October 13 Junior Roll Up 15:00October 28 Lillian Rogerson Trophy OOM 13:00October 31 Vets, Ladies and Juniors 09:30December 22 Christmas Texas Scramble 11:00

OOM = Order of Merit Events

Fixtures And coaching 2013


The Club Rules onlyallow a total of sixyears chairing a

committee after which thechairman has to step downand relinquish the job tosomeone else and LaurieClark’s term of office endedat the A.G.M. He asked me if Iwould be prepared to take overand I agreed, not realising theenormity of the job, especiallyfollowing his tremendouscontribution over those years.

Therehave

been a number ofreplacements on thecommittee: the matchsecretary replaced me,Amanda Caldwell replaced PatGray representing the ladiescommittee, and NormanSheen replaced RogerCorkhill, representing theVeteran’s section. In additionafter 11 years of service TonyParker has resigned due to illhealth. He was an invaluablemember of the committee andhis knowledge of ecology wasboth informative and apractical help. Thank you Tonyfor all your assistance over theyears. I have two other new

members on the committee:Paul Wager and Harry Dhandhas been co-opted to help withecology side of things.

The job of the Green Staff isnever easy, particularly, for theCourse Manager and we arevery fortunate to have StevePrivett at the helm with histeam consisting of DeputyAdam Brimston, Dave Rustell,Ben Goodyear, Phil Newensand our new trainee, DanielJeffries.

After a dry spring last year inthe late summer and autumnwe were deluged withrain which causedrapid growth of thegrassnecessitatedincreasedmowing with itsaccompanying costin manpower anddiesel fuel; tocounter this we did not need tospend so much for water as inprevious years. The rain didreduce the amount of workwhich we were able tocomplete in the winterprogramme. However, the new

GREEN COMMITTEE REPORT Peter Spreadbury

New Committee Members


munching on the oak saplings.The root balls of these are solarge that we will have to findanother way completely toeradicate them.. The fullbeneficial effect of the sheepwill take 2 to 3 years to becomeapparent.

Bunkermaintenance was a problemparticularly last autumn with allthe rain that we had. The drainin the 10th greenside bunkerwas drilled out whichimmediately allowed drainageof the accumulated water. It hasbeen suggested that if thisbunker was enlarged therewould be more room to playfrom it in the event of itbecoming partially flooded.However, I shall be looking intothe problem of bunkermaintenance at greater depthduring the coming months.

There used to be a holly treeshort of and to the left of the

larger 4th medal tee is almostcomplete and will be ready intime for the season. The trial5th tee is not far behind andwill add 20 yards to the holefrom the medal tee and I thinkproduce a better driving linethan before. We were goingto change the two fairwaybunkers but it is felt that itmay be sensible to wait andsee the effect of the trial tee ifindeed it is adopted.

There have been safetyissues on the 14th withsome of the longhitters driving thegreen before it hasbeen cleared. To

overcome this, a moundonly about two feet

high will beconstructed a littleforward of the tee

for the big boys to check thegreen!

The trial ofusing sheep, 17

of them, to manage the roughhas been successful. Theywill leave us for the summerand we feel it would be anadvantage to increase thenumber of them to 24 for nextwinter. As well as eating thegrass they have been good at

Sheep trrial

Bunker Maintenance


17th green but it died andbecame an eyesore so inJanuary, with the financialassistance of the Vets, a newholly tree was planted. We hada tree spade in to move it andat the same time we

replaced some deadtrees by 8th green and2nd tee. It was alsoused to re-enforcethe left hand side of

the 1st fairway and tore-enforce some of the

ash trees which are threatenedby the “Ash die-back” disease.Unfortunately, because of thevery soft ground while we onlyhad the tree spade in for one

day the ground was churnedup badly. This damage isrecovering and will shortlyhave healed.

The teeing areafor the wedge

practice area has beenlevelled and an artificialsurface has been constructedso that, in time, the “dome”which is at present on themain range can be moveddown to cover these tees. Anextension to the wooden baysis being considered whichwould replace the “dome” andallow more space for membersto use full swings with drivers.

Practice Area

THE HISTORY SPOT

The 6th Green Bunker 2003 The 6th Green Bunker 2004


PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Jim Bulloch

In 2015 Alresford Golf Clubwill be 125 years old. Tomake sure that such an

occasion does not passunnoticed, John McIlree hasbeen co-opted onto P&D tolead a sub-committee to planhow best to celebrate thisevent.

The Car Parkproject continues

under the guidance of theProject Manager, Dave Farr.We are currently awaiting thefinal report andrecommendations of theengineering consultant andhave started negotiations withthe local planners at WinchesterCity Council.

Keith Monkhousehas been editor of

the LINKS for 10 years and nowthinks it is time to pass on thebaton. He considers itnecessary to have fresh ideasfor the 125th year celebrations.Soft ware is provided ifnecessary and advice, ifrequested. Please contactKeith if you wish to learn more.

TheDevelop-

ment Plan is being extensively

updated and will be used forplanning this year’s budget. It willbe available to view on line whenapproved by the ManagementCommittee.

The Club website hasbeen the subject of

many discussions within P&Dover the last 2 years and it hasnow been decided to replace thecurrent site with a new version inthe last quarter of the year. Thereasoning behind the change isto improve our ability to supportand maintain the site withaccurate and up to dateinformation for the benefit of bothmembers and visitors. The testversion of the new site isavailable for members to view atwww.alresfordgolftest.co.uk. Ifyou have any suggestions forinclusion in the new site pleasemake contact with the websiteteam of Ken Coburn and RonBeal.

Finally we have beengiven approval to

introduce, on a 1 year trial, freeWi-Fi to the clubhouse for nonverbal communications. It ishoped to complete the installationby June.

Car Park

LINKS

Development Plan

Web Site

Wi-Fi


I hope I speak for all Alresfordmembers and visitors inthanking Robbie and Sheena

for the past 12 years. They havebuilt a reputation for good foodand welcoming attitude. Manyvisitors come back year after yearand know they will be well lookedafter. Thank you Robbie andSheena and good wishes for yourretirement.

New caterers have verballyaccepted the position. A moredetailed notice is on the club noticeboard and is replicated on the nextpage. I am sure that club memberswill make them feel welcome whenthey arrive.

I wish to thank Alan Hansford whoresigned in November and alsoJohn Adams who resigned earlierthis month for health reasons..Thank you both for your valuedcontributions. Trevor Nice joinedus in November and MarkBroadbent this month. Welcome toyou both. The committee consistsof Lesley Martin (Chair), EricPlace, Trevor Nice, MarkBroadbent, James Stewart (Chairof Social Committee) and DavidMaskery.

Bar and coffee machine profits areboth just above budget but down

on last year. Unfortunately theweather conditions have not beenfavourable, let's hope it improvessoon. There are no problems withsuppliers and hopefully this willstay settled for sometime.The fun quizzes were successfulagain this winter thanks toSheena's organisation. JamesStewart and his social committeework hard putting on variousevents during the year. TheRobbie Williams/Rat Pack nightwas a great successenjoyed by all so don't hesitate tolook on the notice board for allforthcoming events.

Thank you and enjoy yourGolf this summer !!!

Finally, if you have any commentsor suggestions please don't beafraid to contact me or any of thecommittee.

BAR AND CATERING Lesley Martin


Following the recent advertisement, selection and intensiveinterview process, we are pleased to inform members thatDean Burns and Merryl Allwright (M&D Catering) have been

offered the position of Franchise Caterers at Alresford Golf Club.They have verbally accepted this position and we await writtenconfirmation of this along with their proposed start dates. We areexcited about the prospect of working with them to further developthe reputation of Alresford Golf Club and continue the provision ofexcellent catering services for both members and visitors.

Dean and Merryl both received the National HigherCertificate in Commercial Catering from the Johannesburg HotelSchool in 1986.

After employment in various hotels and restaurants they took ontheir first catering franchise at Algoa Bay Yacht Club in PortElizabeth, South Africa from 1990-1996. They then moved to WalmerPark Golf & Country Club and then to the prestigious Port ElizabethGolf Club where the catering franchise was held from 1997 to 2003which was when they decided to move to England.

On arrival in England they had various agency jobs before securingemployment at Richings Park Golf Club in Buckinghamshire wherethey stayed running the catering and bar until 2006 when they left totake up the franchise position at Burnham Beeches Golf Club,Buckinghamshire. This franchise was held until October 2012.

NEW CATERERS

Background


With a little bitof luck, bythe time this

is published, theweather will be onour side for enjoyinganother actionpacked season forthe Veterans ofAlresford Golf Club.

The WednesdayRoll-ups have got

off to a cracking start, despitethe conditions that nature hasthrown at us. Nearly forty turnedout last week for an individualStableford competition. A greatshowing. The Roll-up starts at0745 each Wednesday, closingaround 0845 to 0900. We meetin the hallway, threeball groupsare organised by the bagmanwho also takes your £1 to enter.Come along and join us, youonly have to be 60+ to enjoy theday.

Our summer eventsstarted with the teamduel between TheCaptain versus TheVice Captain. Thereare over 60 players on the startsheet this year. The result willappear later this month.

The Inter-Club summerleague starts withhome matches againstRowlands Castle onthe 20th March, andCorhampton on the22nd .Teams have beenchosen for these twomatches, but there aresheets up on the notice

board requestingplayers versus thefollowing clubs:-Hockley,Waterlooville,Tylney Park, Romsey,Stoneham. If you do putyour name down to be selectedfor a match can I ask that anote is made in your diaries sothat it does not conflict withother events.

The Vets and Ladies”BreezeUp”takes place on Thursday18th of April. The sign up sheetis already on the notice board.

The first Captains“Away Day” atHamptworth is onTuesday 23rd of April.Again, the sign up

sheet is on the notice board.There are a few spaces left.This day is in the middle of ourGreens Maintenance Week, so

VETS SECTION Peter Dowse, Vets Captain

Roll Ups Sign up formatches

come and have a round and beout of the way.

Inter-Clubmatches

continue through May, averagingtwo per week. But June bringsus some very important events.On Friday 7th June round 1 ofthe Vets Championship takesplace. This is a medalcompetition. Round 2, alsomedal, takes place on Friday21st June.

Betweenthose two

dates is the most importantevent of all, The Captains'Charity Day. This is AirAmbulance Charity Day, and is

supported by all Captains.So my message is more aimedtowards the Vets and other over60's. The event is open to all, asI'm sure Jane and George havealready stated. That’s all Vets,five or seven day members, no

green fee to pay. Just this oneday, give up going down thepub, don't go off for a Sundaylunch, and resist sliding offsomewhere else to play golf.So the date for marking in yourdiaries now is SUNDAY 9th

JUNE. Bring plenty of jinglingchange on the day, you know,the gold coloured variety, andyour Captains' will deploydevious and devilish means torelieve you of the need to carryit home again.

OurSeniors

Open takes place on Friday14th June. Yet another greatday that is always wellattended. July is another busymonth. Notable dates being:-Monday 1st for the W FieldsTrophy, Thursday 18th is VetsPast Captains' Day. And onMonday 29th of July is animportant match against theJuniors; guess who usuallywins.

Our matches versus otherclubs continues right throughthe summer months, with awayvisits to The Army, WeybrookPark, Bramshaw, SandfordSprings to name but a fewdesirable outings. Requests forplayers are always posted six

Vets Championship

Other competitionsCaptains’ Charity Day


to eight weeks before eachmatch.

There is no let-up for August.Thursday the 15th is VetsInvitation Day. Yet anotherwonderful event so wellattended. Moving on to thefollowing week, on Wednesday21st August is Vet'sCaptains'Flag Day. A new eventstarted last year and not to bemissed. August comes to aclimax with the new “Bagman'sTrophy” on Wednesday 28th. Allthose on the bagman list for theWednesday Roll-up will play for

this special trophy,with lunch tofollow.

Septembercontinues thematch battlesversus:- TestValley, RoyalWinchester,Hart

ley Wintney, andLee on the Solentamongst others.

On October 4th, a Friday, TheVets Secretary's Stableford(round 1) takes place. This israpidly followed on the Monday

7th by round 2, also a toughcompetition to do well in.Thursday 10th of Octoberbring us to the mostcontested match of all year.The Vets versus TheAlresford Ladies. It's the Vetsturn this year to choose theformat of play, we will not bebeaten again. The ladies canexpect a “uniqueexperience”.Our final match of thesummer season is onOctober 14th againstBasingstoke away.

We must remember to notein our diaries, Thursday 24th

October. This is when wetake our Partners to dinner.

My year as Vets Captainends on Wednesday 13th

November. A very sad dayas I lead you out onto ourbrilliant course for the lasttime. The AGM follows thegolf on that day.

It only costs £5 a year to be aVet, a very small amount forsuch a busy involvment andorganised golf throughout theseasons, and in the companyof some great guys.

My best wishes to everyone.

OTHER EVENTS


Autumn 2012 saw achange in theSecretarial position

at the HampshireProfessional GolfersAssociation (HampshirePGA) when AlresfordProfessional member, PaulBrown, took up the reins asHPGA Secretary whoseheadquarters and office isat South Winchester GolfClub.

The Hampshire PGA runsover 30 Pro-Amevents at variousgolf clubs in theCounty includingAlresford’s whichwill take place onWednesday 11th

September. Should you wishto enter a sponsored team forour “home” Pro-Am, pleasecontact me. The start sheetfor members’ teams will bepublished on the Club’s mainnoticeboard on 1st July.

The Hampshire PGA’s seasonstarts with an Overseas Pro-Am usually in February andthis year 8 Professionals tooktheir team of 4 to Hammametin Tunisia playing the 72 hole

event over theCitrus Oliviaand Floretcourses.Next year theoverseasPro/Am heads forOrlando – anyoneinterested inobtaining detailsthese will beavailableshortly.Also in February, theHampshire PGA held their

Annual Dinner which thisyear was at BasingstokeGolf Club when I wasgrateful for the support of22 members representingAlresford. The guestspeakers this year were

Steve Richardson, ex 1991Ryder Cup player (who alsoplayed in our 2010 AlresfordCharity Skins Match) andDavid Wright, Heritage andMember Support Executivewith the PGA.

David, an experiencedspeaker, reminisced aboutthe 1991 Ryder Cup atKiawah Island. After settingthe scene, he then invitedSteve to speak in a “Q and A”

THE PROFESSIONAL’S PAGE Malcolm Scott

Sign up forour Pro AM


session to which Steveresponded mostentertainingly.

The Hampshire PGAsecretarial position becamevacant when after 12 years,David Wheeler retired totake the position of theHampshire Golf UnionSecretary. It was somewhatstrange to see David actingas starter to the recentannual match against theCounty on Sunday 17February which resulted inthe County team winningquite convincingly.It was great to see 2 of myformer pupils Mark Sawfordand Jordan Ainley who wereboth under my wing inHampshire junior training,playing for the full Men’sCounty Team.

The County Golf Unionheadquarters have beenbased at Liphook GC since1999 but will soon bemoving to a more centralposition in the County atHockley GC. By chance,another Alresford member,Mark Dryden, in 2012 tookup the post of GeneralManager at Hockley GC.

Mark was not a member forlong but often played atAlresford with his wife, Susiewho had been a member for anumber of years butwho has now joinedMark at Hockley.

Interestingly ourrelationship withHockley extends further as,after 12 years as the HampshirePGA Chairman, I passed thisposition over to theirProfessional, Gary Stubbingtonwho many of you will know wellwithin the HPGA andHampshire Alliance tournamentscene.

Philip Bryden is keen toparticipate in manyof this year’sHampshire Pro-Am events andwould like to playwith a variety of

members. So if you areinterested in playing in anythese Pro-Ams this season thenplease make contact with any ofthe team in the Pro Shop.

HockleyLinks

Play in aProAm

withPhilip


HOUSE COMMITTEE John Dillon

First of all I would like topublicly welcomeHelen Marchant onto

the House Committee. I wasconscious of the fact thatSarah Thorne wasoutnumbered by men, so I wasvery pleased when Helenagreed to join us, soincreasing the feminineinfluence on House Committeedeliberations, for the benefit ofall.

Secondly, I have my fingerscrossed that this year will bethe first for some time duringwhich the P.A systemfunctions without fault, nowthat a few teething problemswith the new system havebeen ironed out

As I pen this Spring LinksHouse report with snow still onthe ground, the thoughts of theHouse Committee are alreadyfocusing on the new seasonahead and what can be doneto improve the Clubhouse andsurrounds beyond our usualbread and butter routine ofmaintenance and fire fighting(not literally!) problems. Thefirst item that should shortly bevisible, will be additional teakpatio furniture to replace the

old green plastic table andchairs (or at least what is leftof them!) Although we madean allowance for this newfurniture in this year’sbudget, the 100 club havekindly offered to helpfinancially, toensure thequality of thereplacements.We will alsoendeavour to cleanup the top surfaces ofthe existing circular teaktables to improve theirappearance.

The possibility of employinga handyman / gardener on apart time basis is also on thisyear’s agenda. The personconcerned would be requiredto undertake the exteriorClub house plannedmaintenance programme,keep the flower beds andpatio areas in good order andundertake minor DIY itemsunder the directions of theSecretary. As it would bepreferable to employ a clubmember in this role, beforewe go in search of someoneon the open market, if anymember reading this article

New Patiofurniture


would be interested in fillingsuch a position should it cometo fruition, please let DavidMaskery know as soon aspossible.

With the future of the clubgenerally in mind, the P&DCommittee has recently beentasked to update the Club’sGeneral Development Planover the next 2 and 5 yearperiods, together with otherideas that may at present justbe a “gleam in the eye”. TheHouse Committee areconsidering whatimprovements to put onto theirwish list, such as new carpetsand curtains in the lounge anddining room, to larger projectssuch as replacement orrefurbishment of the Ladies’and Men’s locker areas andtoilets or even a conservatoryarea. Our gleam in theeye for the Plan (wellmine anyway,) maywell be to add asecond story to theclubhouse, moving thebar and loungeup to thesecond floor,where memberscould sip theirrefreshments on

the balcony overlooking the 9th

and 18th greens. As with allsuch matters, the more headsthe better so, if you have anyideas for improving theclubhouse, however large,small or fanciful forconsideration, please let anymember of the HouseCommittee know as soon aspossible, because we need toformalise ourrequirementsand ideas by thestart of theseason.

Apart from theabove we willcontinue withroutinemaintenanceand, as usual,if any memberspots something that needs

attention,redecoration or

repair, pleasetell David

Maskery or amember of the

Housecommittee, sothat it can bedealt withsooner ratherthan later.


MATCH AND HANDICAP REPORT David Robertson

The annual handicapreview has taken placeand this highlighted

several players whosehandicaps requiredadjustment based on theirplaying record in 2012.Members affected by thisreview have been notified andthe adjustments were madeon the 1st March.

The annual review is aCONGU requirement and hasto be undertaken incompliance with the relevantrules.

The purpose of the review isto identify those playerswhose general playingperformance and scoringpattern over the year is betterthan that expected for theirhandicap category and whoshould be considered for ahandicap reduction and alsothose players whose playingperformance and scoringpattern over the year isinferior to that expected fortheir handicap category andwho should be considered fora handicap increase.

Another task that has to beundertaken at the beginning ofthe year is to highlight thoseplayers whose handicap hasbecome inactive and it wassomewhat surprising to findthat 40% of the playingmembership is in this category.

An inactive handicap iscreated when a player has notsubmitted three qualifyingcards in the previous year. Inorder to regain an activehandicap three qualifyingcards need to be submitted inthe current year and this canbe achieved by enteringqualifying competitions,submitting supplementarycards or a combination of both.An active handicap is requiredto enter competitions but sixqualifying rounds are requiredto enter Club knockouts orboard competitions. An activehandicap is also required toplay in club matches.

If a member is planning toenter a supplementary card hemust first sign thesupplementary card sheet inthe Pros shop to indicate his

ANNUAL HANDICAP REVIEW INACTIVE HANDICAP

SUPPLEMENTARY CARDS


intention. It is also necessaryto indicate which tee hasbeen used. A maximum often supplementary cards isallowed in the year with nomore than one per week.

March sees the beginning ofthe 2013 competitions withtwo men’s stablefords, theFamous Grouse memorial,the Mackershaw Trophy andthe 36 hole LinnetsCompetition.

In April, as well as a medaland a bogey competition,there is the Spring Texasscramble which has ashotgun start.

May has two 36 holecompetitions namely Curly’scup and the Jubilee cup.

In June there is an EGUmedal, the MillenniumQuaiche, a midweekstableford, an over 60’smedals rounds one and two,the Laming Cup medal andthe Pailthorpe Platter.

However the main event inJune is the ClubChampionship on the 30th.

The entry sheet will beavailable from the 3rd May.

All these competitions andthose in later months areshown in the club diary.

The qualifications required forentry into competitions andmatches are detailed onpages 7 to 11 of the clubdiary.

In addition to the abovecompetitions there are severalclub matches and anyoneinterested in playing shouldenter their names on therelevant notice board lists.

The draws for the summerknockout competitions havenow taken place and the listshave been posted on thenotice boards. Please ensureyou complete your matches ingood time as extensions to thedeadlines will not be given.

There are several relaxedcompetitions during the yearsuch as the Husbands andWives, the Cock and HenTrophy, the two generations

COMPETITIONS

CLUB MATCHES

KNOCKOUT COMPETITIONS

RELAXED COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS


Harry May cup, social golf on Sundays and Texas Scrambles.

In August the men’s invitation takes place on the 4th and the entrysheet will be available from the 3rd June.

There is also the Wednesday Club roll up which takes place at 10.30in the winter and 11.00 in the summer but these times may vary ifthere is a society booking. The Sunday Men’s roll up takes place oncea month from May to December at 9.30. The dates are in the clubdiary.

I would like to wish everyone a successful and enjoyable golfingseason.


DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

APRILEaster Monday Bank Holiday Mixed Golf Apr 1st 12.30

Fun Pub Quiz Night 3 Friday 12th AprilBridge Club Tues 16th April 7pm

Captain’s “Meet ‘n Greet” Friday 19th , 7pmSt George’s Day Dinner Saturday 20th April 7.30

Spring Texas Scramble Sunday 21st (8.30 & 1.30)History Night Sat 27th April from 6pm

MAYBank Holiday Mixed Golf Monday 6th May 12.30

Men’s Roll up Sunday 12th May 9.30Bridge Club Tuesday 21st May 7pmSocial Golf Monday 27th May 1.30pm

Cross Country Texas Scramble Friday 31st May 1 pmJUNE

Captain’s Charity Day Sunday 9th JuneDawn Patrol Saturday 22nd JuneMen’s Roll up Sunday 23rd June 19.30Bridge Club Tuesday 25th June 7pmLadies Club Championship Saturday 29th June

Club Championships Day Sunday 30th JuneJULY

Social Golf Sunday 14th July 1.30pmLadies Captain’s Day Tues 16th JulyBridge Club Tuesday 16th July 7pmPro’s Clubhouse Knockout Friday 19th JulyClub BBQ Saturday 20th July 7pmMen’s Roll Up Sunday 21st July

AUGUSTMen’s Roll Up Sunday 11th August 9.30

Bridge Club Tuesday 20th AugustBank Holiday Mixed Monday 26th August 12.30

Juniors Club Championship Friday 30th AugSEPTEMBER

Captain’s Day Sunday 15th SepBridge Club Tues 17th Sep

Editor’s Corner. After 10 yearsediting the LINKS I feel that the time hascome to hand the task to a new Editor. Afresh approach is perhaps due.Software is provided and assistance isalways available. Contact me or theSecretary if you would like to discuss thisfascinating role.Keith Monkhouse

alresford golf club · captain’s trip to france in may will be based in granville with golf at...

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