John O'Gaunt Golf Club Seniors Section
Saturday 29 June 2024
Seniors v Northampton away Friday June 28 2024
Tuesday 25 June 2024
Seniors at home to Letchworth Tuesday June 25 2024
Good boy: Chris Sullivan collects the plates after lunch
Organiser Nigel Underwood reports
Saturday 22 June 2024
Longest Day Challenge Friday June 21 2024
Four captains: Richard Westergreen-Thorne, Justin Thomas, Chris Ellis and Ixie Akpan
Richard tees off on the first hole of the 54-hole challenge
Senior Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne reports on the Longest Day Challenge
On Friday 21st
June I set off, just before 8.00am, with the other three captains of Justin
Thomas (Club Captain), Chris Ellis (Ladies Captain) and Ixie Akpan (Junior Captain)
to complete the 54 hole challenge in aid of the Club Captains charity of
Macmillan Cancer Support.
It was a hot
day when we set off and got even hotter as the day progressed, but we were in
good spirits and well provided for with drink and sustenance. Gordon had laid
on Bucks Fizz on the first tee and some very loud stirring music to inspire us
– sorry if you were woken up in Potton! One of the tunes was the music from the
film ‘The Longest Day’ and I spent most of the first round trying to get it out
of my head.
First up was
4BBB on JOG with Justin and I taking on Ixie and Chris. Ixie has a handicap of three and hits the ball
a very long way so a pattern was soon established of us teeing off and then the
rest of us attempting to get past Ixie’s first ball with our second shots.
Impressive stuff. Aided by birdies on 5 and 6 by Ixie (yes 5 and 6) it was a
very tight match won by Ixie and Chris on the last green.
A quick
lunch and we were off on Carthagena for a Foursomes in the same teams. I
decided to give Justin some bunker practice on the first few holes but we held
on for a long time before Ixie and Chris pulled ahead to win.
It got very
hot on the second round so, after a short break, we decided we should keep
going rather than stopping and seizing up and so we quickly moved on to JOG for
Greensomes in the same pairings. Thankfully a breeze gradually sprung up and
some clouds appeared to offer some partial shade and Justin and I sprung to
life to win the game. As Justin and I thought we should play this round ‘double
or quits’ we tried to believe that the match ended all square.
It was a
good feeling walking up the 18th for the last time (yes I did walk
all the way round) and also to receive the well wishes of fellow golfers
throughout the day. A good experience for a very good cause.
Thanks to
the contributions of many seniors I have raised around £1,700 towards the Club
Captains Macmillan Cancer Support charity which is a very pleasing achievement
for such a worthwhile cause.
Thanks to
everyone who has supported the 54 Hole Challenge and over to you Tony for next
year – it’s a doddle!
Richard
Westergreen - Thorne
Thursday 20 June 2024
Past Senior Captains' Away Day Thursday June 20 2024
Winner Algy Grimes receives a bottle of wine from organiser Richard Coventry
Six past Senior Captains, our current Captain and guests took part in this year's Past Senior Captains' Away Day at Whipsnade Park Golf Club.
As we played the first hole we observed a tall wire fence running the length of the fairway and wondered what kind of danger lurked next door at Whipsnade Zoo. Lions? Tigers? To our relief we found it was the deer park. In fact the only wildlife we saw was a muntjack deer and a couple of hares.
The winner, with 38 points, was Algy Grimes. Nearest the pin winner was Richard Westergreen-Thorne and nearest the pin in three on a par 4 was Bill Walker. Richard and Bill were presented with bottles of win by Fred Williams.
Among the more impressive shots of the day was Jonathan Lean's chip in for 2 on the par 3 17th.
The prize-giving took place following an excellent meal in the club's impressive restaurant which looks more like a Spanish Hacienda than a golf club. Those lucky enough to have won a place on the away day at Whipsnade in September have a treat in store.
Richard W-T thanked Richard Coventry for organising this event and other away days over recent years.
Bill Walker, David Barlow, Rafe Bateson and Richard Coventry
Nigel Underwood, Jim Kerr, Fred Williams and Barry Donovan
Richard Westergreen-Thorne, Jonathan Lean, Tony Lloyd and Algy Grimes
Nearest the pin in 3 on a par 4: Bill Walker
Nearest the pin: Richard Westergreen-Thorne
Seniors at home to Luffenham Heath Monday June 17 2024
Organiser Ian Riches reports
After months of
rain, sometimes of near Biblical proportions, summer finally arrived at John
O’Gaunt this week as we welcomed 12 players from Luffenham Heath G.C. in
Rutland for an afternoon match in glorious sunshine. This is a new match in our
calendar and, consequently, as it was squeezed into an already crowded fixture
list it was only twelve-a-side compared to the usual sixteen. Next year we will
be running a full sixteen-a-side competition.
Our Captain
played extremely well and rarely missed a fairway with his drive. At the turn
we were 2 up and Richard then put his tee shot within about five feet of the 10th
hole, which was subsequently conceded due to too many shots having been taken
by our opponents. Richard was adamant he would have made the birdie putt. We
went on to win our match 5&3.
Despite John
O’Gaunt having a 67-shot advantage, the home team struggled to convert this
into a winning margin. Messrs Dennis and Domagala drew their match and there
was a 3&2 win for Brown and Page, but sadly Grimes and Walters lost by two
holes, Sweeney and Osman lost 5&4 and Lean and Tamsitt lost 3&2. This
all resulted in an overall win for Luffenham Heath and a final score of 3½ to
2½.
There was
generous praise from the Luffenham Heath players as to the condition of the
John O’Gaunt course. I understand that Luffenham Heath, which is a site of
Special Scientific Interest, has penal levels of rough which will only be cut
after we visit in late August, so those lucky enough to be chosen to play one
of Harry Colt’s best heathland creations will need to ensure they can hit it
straight if we are to obtain our revenge.
Footnote: David Tamsitt achieved a "Barnes Wallis" on the 4th, skimming his golf ball across the lake to safety.
Tuesday 18 June 2024
Seniors at home to St Neots June 18 2024
Seniors Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne and organiser Jed Isbell with St Neots opponents
Organiser Jed Isbell reports
The day started with everyone wondering if summer was here at long last, with a number of players left scurrying around looking to change from trousers to shorts before teeing off and participating in the latest JoG Seniors Inter-Club match against St Neots.
As to the Captain's game we soon found ourselves 1 down with St Neots striking an early lead, but rallied to bring it back to all square on the very next hole. It didn’t stop there with us then winning the next 4 holes to go 4 up. Things then took a dramatic turn with St Neots using their shots well, even throwing in a birdie to eventually bring the game to all square by the 17th and to then take the 18th with literally the last putt of the game. A really enjoyable game and one that could so easily have gone either way.
In the second match Jonathan Lean and Tony Lloyd got off to a flying start with Jonathan chipping in from off the green for par and Tony sinking his putt for four net three.
The home team won the 2nd with a nett birdie from Tony and the 3rd with a tap-in three from Jonathan.
They stretched their lead to four up before being pegged back to all square by the 11th. St Neots then gifted JoG three holes in a row to end with a 3 & 1 victory.
The overall match result was a loss of 5&3 with 4 games being lost on the 18th green. Pairings and results for the JoG team were as follows:
Richard Westergreen-Thorne & Jed Isbell - Lost 1Dn
Tony Lloyd & Jonathan Lean - WON 3&1
Peter Grimes & Nigel Underwood - Lost 1Dn
Gerry Degaute & Ken Brewer - Lost 1Dn
Steve Luckman & Tony Goodson - Lost 3&2
Mehmet Osman & David Trotter - Lost 6&5
Neil Pinnington & Paul Dobson - WON 1Up
Paul Jeeves & Graham Gadsden - WON 6&5
After the match we were well looked after by the JoG hospitality team who served up a delightful meal of chargrilled gammon followed by cherry & apple crumble with custard.
Wednesday 12 June 2024
Seniors at home to Leighton Buzzard Tuesday June 11 2024
Seniors Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne and organiser Trevor Darrington with their Leighton Buzzard opponents on the JOG first tee
Organiser Trevor Darrington reports
On a mild and sunny day interspersed with a little rain, JOG entertained a team from Leighton Buzzard. The Captain, Richard and I were matched with their Captain, John and his partner Richard L. With only 5 shots between us, the match was always going to be very close.
We went one up on the second, but were pulled back on the fourth. Having taken the lead again on the fifth, we remained one shot ahead until the 11th when two pars from the Organiser shot us three points ahead. John chipped in from well off the back of the 13th green for a par and it was left to Richard (I had lost my ball in the water with my second shot) to come up trumps with a remarkable five, with a shot, to halve the hole.
On the 15th both I and Richard L hit fine tee shots. Richard L hit his second to about 50 yards from the pin. I hit mine 5 yards from the green, but was impeded by the bank on the bunker, so couldn’t putt. Richard L promptly chipped to within 2 inches of the pin for a 4. Anybody who has seen me with a wedge in my hand would have been worried at this stage, but I managed to chip within 15 inches of the hole. I was made to putt out for a 4 with a shot to end the match winning 4 & 3.
The 15th green was also the scene of much celebration
and “Dad dancing” by Nick Schumann who managed to hole a 40 foot putt to “win”
the hole and take the lead in their very tight match. Unfortunately, Nick had
putted Steve Luckman’s ball which meant they had actually gone one down rather
than one up. Their final result was a 3&2 loss.
Well done to everybody, and especially those who stepped in
at the very last minute and those with some remarkable “dog licences”. *
The scores were:-
Richard Westergreen-Thorne and Trevor Darrington – won
4&3
Fred Williams and Paul Life – lost 2 down
Michael Bonwick and Graham Gadsden – half
Gavin Little and Jed Isbell – won 7&6
Ian Maddison and Rafe Bateson – won 7&6
Nick Schumann and Steve Luckman – lost 3&2
Bill Walker and David Tamsitt – won 2&1
Algy Grimes and Terry Sweeney – half
Overall, a 5&3 win for John O’Gaunt.
* Editor's note: For those of you, like me, who didn't get the "dog licences" reference, a dog licence used to cost seven and six! Thankyou to Trevor for the joke.
Sunday 9 June 2024
Match Secretary's dilemma
The image above illustrates perfectly how difficult Algy Grimes's job as Match Secretary can be for the more popular away matches. As you can see 32 people applied for the 12 places at Luffenham Heath away. Once the Captain and Organiser are selected that leaves only 10 places. To be fair to everyone Algy used a random number generator to select from the remaining 30 hopefuls. The lucky ones are marked S for Selected in the final column. Thanks to Algy for doing such a great job and apologies to those who were unsuccessful.
Tuesday 4 June 2024
Seniors Rex Cleaver Championship Trophy Tuesday June 4 2024
Congratulations to Chris Sullivan, winner of the Rex Cleaver Championship Trophy with a score of nett 65.
Chris was one of three players on nett 65, the others being David List in second place and Keith Hargreaves in third.
Winner of the Bessant East Scratch Trophy for best gross score was Peter Imray with 77.
Second place: David List receives his prize from Richard Westergreen-Thorne
Third place: Keith Hargreaves receives his prize from Richard Westergreen-Thorne
The result shook up the Golfer of the Year leaderboard, leaving Paul Jones in first place with 41 points, David List in second with 38 points, Graham Gadsden in third with 36 points, Cav Kendall in fourth with 35 points and Kevin Cocker in fifth with 30 points.
To see the full leaderboard go to the Club Website, then click "competitions", "ongoing", "order of merit competitions", "senior section golfer of the year".
Your best six results from the nine qualifying competitions in 2024 count towards the GOTY competition. Twenty points are awarded for winning a competition, 19 points for second etc down to one point for 20th place. All players are awarded one point for entering and completing the competition.
Raffle winners after the Rex Cleaver were Graham Gadsden, Dennis Ford, Rafe Bateson and John Hazelwood. They each receive £10 on their pro shop account.
Thursday 30 May 2024
Seniors away to St Neots May 30 2024
JOG Seniors Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne and organiser Jed Isbell on the 1st tee with their St Neots opponents
Organiser Jed Isbell reports
You can't park here sir! Rafe Bateson and Paul Hammond received windscreen "tickets" reminding them that "commercial vehicles" are not allowed to park in front of the clubhouse
Tuesday 28 May 2024
Seniors at home to Millbrook May 28th 2024
Organiser Jonathan Lean, Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne, Millbrook Vice Captain Ian Potter and Millbrook Captain Martin Howell on the Carthagena 1st Tee.
Organiser Jonathan Lean reports
Tuesday 21 May 2024
Seniors at home to South Beds Tuesday May 21 2024
Chris Dennis and Tony Lloyd with their South Beds opponents
Tony Lloyd reports on a welcome victory for JOG Seniors
Friday 17 May 2024
Seniors away to Saffron Walden May 15 2024
Tony Lloyd and Michael Newstead with Saffron Walden's Peter Warren and Gerrard Murphy
Organiser Michael Newstead reports
Saffron Walden's iconic par 3 5th hole with Audley End House in the background
Tuesday 14 May 2024
Seniors at home to Harpenden Common May 14 2024
Phil Armstrong and Tony Lloyd with Paul Bagnall and Steve Hewitt from Harpenden Common
Organiser Phil Armstrong reports
The false sense of security, which the weather gods
had lulled us into during the previous week, was soon dispelled by a decidedly
damp morning at John O’Gaunt. Nevertheless,
a convivial buzz filled the clubhouse as “Captain for the Day”, Tony Lloyd
greeted everyone and the pairs were introduced.
In the leading match Tony and I started well, were
pegged back and then took the lead again to be 1 up after nine. Tony was displaying an unusual combination of
skills by hitting the ball sweetly but also attempting to break the record for
most bunkers visited in nine holes. In the second half the Harpenden Common pair
came back strongly and an enjoyable match was brought to an end with our loss
at the 17th.
Waiting in the clubhouse as the results came in the
lead swung to and fro but sadly John O‘Gaunt ended up losing 5 to 3.
Positive comments were received from the visitors on
the condition of the course and fairways in particular.
Lunch was lasagne, salad and skin-on chips, which went
down very well, followed by a chocolate and orange tart.
As Seniors Captain, Richard Westergreen-Thorne, was on
holiday Tony experienced a taster of his role next year. Although apprehensive
at the prospect he performed well and was glad to get his first “Captain’s”
joke launched.
Harpenden Common’s Captain looked forward to receiving
us at the return match in September with the aim of renewing some of the
battles that that had taken place today.
Winners of the Nearest the Pin were David Rhodes (HC)
on 6th and Gavin Little (JOG) on 8th.
Detailed results are shown below.
Tony
Lloyd & Phil Armstrong lost
2 & 1
Len
Greaves & Fred Williams won
2&1
Nic
Seeley & Jed Isbell won
2& 1
Ken
Brewer & Graham Gadsden lost
7 & 6
Richard
Young & Gerry Degaute lost 3
& 2
Steve
Luckman & Gavin Little won
5 & 4
Oz
Osman & Paul Hammond lost 2 & 1
Trevor
Darrington & Rob Ebsworth lost 1
down
A
5 - 3 loss overall.
Tuesday 7 May 2024
Notes of the Seniors Committee Meeting May 3 2024
Seniors Committee meeting Friday May 3 2024
Present: Richard
Westergreen-Thorne (RWT), Jonathan Lean (JL), Algy Grimes (AG), Nigel Underwood
(NU), Dave Wood (DW), Tony Lloyd (TL), Peter Wade (PW)
1 Minutes previous: accepted
2 Peter Wade
A discussion was held with Peter on a range of topics
including:
·
Issues around thunder and lightning, the
Seniors’ response to the storm that interrupted the Jock Allan Prostate Cancer
Day and how to improve the club’s reaction to such extreme weather events
·
Progress on the new structure of governance at
the club
·
The Senior Section’s ambitions for a staggered
start for matches
3 Matters Arising not
elsewhere on agenda: None
4 Captain's Update (RWT)
The golfing season is now in full swing with matches and
competitions every week until the end of October.
At the time of writing, we have played five matches so far
this year and it has been really positive to see seven members new to inter
club matches taking part. There have been several constants in our matches so
far, they have been good fun, played in good spirits and we have given a lot of
shots to the other club. I look forward to the upcoming matches and hope to see
even more ‘newbies’ taking part.
It was a pleasure to be involved in the Prostate Project
Charity Day and it was its usual well organised success despite the weather on
the day. The concerns regarding the thunder and lightning soon after we set off
to play have been raised with the club for future reference for any other event
that encounters a similar issue. There will also be a review meeting of the
organising committee shortly to look over the arrangements with thoughts for
tweaks for next year. It feels right that it is now officially part of the
Senior Section annual calendar of events.
The new arrangements for the management of the club and the
role of the Club Captain mean that there will now be a Captains Committee that
is responsible for much of the arrangements that relate to our golf such as
charities, house and social, handicaps, etc. The first meeting of this
committee has been set for 13th May and, as I nor Tony are able to
attend on that date Jonathan has kindly agreed to represent us.
As I am going to be away a couple of times before the end of
May I am particularly keen to sort the arrangements and publicise the Longest
Day Challenge as it is not very long before we need to be letting people know
about it. I can update you on progress at the meeting. It would also be good to
set some of the planning arrangements in place for coordinating charities for
2025 before the end of the year given the lead time required for things like
fourball vouchers.
I have also liaised with the club regarding an event to
unveil the boards and Gordon and Paula are keen to help to make the
arrangements when we are in a position to fix a date. They are happy to support
whatever we set up.
All I now need to do is fix my golf and I am all set for the
rest of the year
Note: Further discussion was held on the section’s
representation on the club’s Captains’ Committee, Charities Committee, Handicap
Committee and House and Social Committee. JL to attend the next Captains’
Committee on behalf of RWT
RWT also reported verbally that he had responded to a recent
request for information from the club regarding the use of the Honorarium and
the costs associated with being the Seniors Captain. This was part of a survey
and review involving all those who receive an honorarium. He had also recently
attended the funeral of Richard Aubigne on behalf of the seniors.
5 Vice Captain's Update (TL)
(TL) had contacted
the family of a member who has not been seen for some time and our concerns
were allayed.
6 Immediate Past Captain's Update (JL): JL outlined a potential
issue concerning on course etiquette during a recent competition.
7 Treasurer's Update (BD)
All comps and Matches up to date ( to Camb Country Club).
Aspley Guise Home not yet processed .
New process with Clubhouse and Finance seems to be working
well.
Cash position - Bank Balance £1693.61. Debtors £768. Potential
debtor ( Camb Country Club non reciprocal arrangement) - awaiting confirmation.
Cash reserves depleted due to Home matches - but manageable.
Pleased to see 4BBB back in the schedule - helps with the
overall year position.
No other changes to budget expected at this stage
8 Honorary Secretary’s Update (TL)
The 2025 calendar is almost complete, with all the
competitions and all but two of the matches agreed with Nigel Tarn and entered
on the calendar. The two outstanding match dates – Cambridge Country Club and
Leighton Buzzard – are tacitly agreed but awaiting confirmation from them. I
don’t anticipate a problem.
I will be sitting down with Tom Simm in the next week or two
to discuss the Senior Captain’s Day and input from the Pro Shop.
The Rules Seminar with Joan Cocksedge was well attended and
went very well. It provided a good talking point for the newsletter and blog
and, once again, puts the senior section at the forefront of club activities.
I have had little feedback to speak of following our
decision to maintain the status quo with regards to the Tuesday/Thursday
roll-up. One suggestion put to me was to have a WhatsApp group for the roll-up
but I remain concerned that WhatsApp chats can become a vehicle for unsavoury
jokes and I think that, for the time being, the newsletter is the best vehicle
for spreading information.
I have signed up one new member into the senior section –
John Gibson – who seems to have been a member at John O’Gaunt for about 12
years.
9 Competition Secretary’s Update (JL)
Since the last meeting there has been just one competition –
the Ken Robinson Scramble. 84 entrants
which was perfect until we had one very late withdrawal the day before. Many thanks to George Burnham for stepping in
at the last moment.
Modesty forbids me from reporting the winners in full but I
had worthy partners who played to their full potential.
The draw for the Annual Medal and Jubilee Trophy has now
been done. There are 89 entries. Medals are not quite as popular as Stableford
competitions.
I have also done the draw for the Holmwood Plate now that
the first round of the Green Tilley has been completed. First round to be played by 25th
June.
The first Individual Stableford Roll-up had to be abandoned
because of the weather. The next one is
scheduled for 23rd May.
Entry for the Rex Cleaver is now open and at the time of
writing we have 70 entrants.
10 Match Secretary’s Update (AG)
Since the last meeting we have played four matches, two
home and two away. The first of these saw our first win of the season, at home
to Wellingborough by 5 – 3, well done to the team. However, we didn’t fair too
well in the other three, at home to Cambridge Country Club we lost 5½ - 2½,
followed by a very well fought draw away at Aspley Guise 4 – 4 and then our
worst result so far away at Brocket Hall, another 12 a side match, where we
lost 6 – 0. It does seem that we are always giving more shots than we receive,
for example the difference in the Cambridge match was 112 shots in their
favour. We have had some members playing in their first Interclub matches and
all so far report how they enjoyed the events.
Note: It was agreed to bring the menu and price
for our home match against Brocket Hall into line with our other matches.
AG said Tranche 4 matches would be opened soon when a
“Matches Special” newsletter would be sent out
11 Staggered Start Update
Discussion was held on the best way to advance the section’s
ambition for staggered start in matches against other clubs. It was agreed that
proper procedure should be followed in putting the proposals to the relevant club
committee.
12 Events
- Member and Guest Day – NU confirmed final plans for the
day which were agreed.
- Senior Captain’s Day – TL outlined progress on his
planning for the event
- Christmas Fayre – to be discussed at the next meeting
- Presentation Dinner - DW outlined his proposed menu and
costings which were agreed
- Swap day and Away Day: TL to publicise both events in the
newsletter
13 Honours Boards informal "unveiling". The new
boards were almost ready and further plans were laid for an informal opening
ceremony to which past winners would be invited
14 54-hole challenge - Jonathan to attend charity committee
meeting on our behalf
15 Joe Ogunremi's funeral: DW to attend on behalf of the
Seniors
Any Other Business: AG to seek a supplier for a new batch of
ties
Dates of future
Meetings
18th July /22nd August /3rd October /5th November /14th
January
Seniors Annual Medal & Jubilee Cup April 6 2024
Winner Kevin Cocker with Seniors Captain Richard Westergreen-Thorne
Congratulations to Kevin Cocker for first place in the Seniors Annual Medal played from the white tees on John O'Gaunt.
He came in with a nett 69 which included nine pars and a birdie on the 4th.
In second place on nett 70 was Geoff Scott and in third on nett 72 was Graham Gadsden.
Winner of the Jubilee Cup for the best player with a handicap of 21 or over was Geoff Scott.
The result changed the Golfer of the Year leaderboard as you can see below.
Player | Played | Wins | Highest Points | Best 6 Results Points | |
1st | Paul Jones | 2 | 20 | 36 | |
2nd | Graham Gadsden | 2 | 19 | 35 | |
3rd | Kevin Cocker | 2 | 1 | 21 | 22 |
4th | Keith Howlett | 1 | 1 | 21 | 21 |
5th | Geoff Scott | 2 | 20 | 21 | |
6th | Robert Anderson | 1 | 19 | 19 | |
7th | Cavan Kendall | 2 | 18 | 19 | |
8th | David List | 1 | 18 | 18 | |
9th = | Paul Clark | 2 | 17 | 18 | |
9th = | Leonard Greaves | 2 | 17 | 18 |
Geoff Scott: Second place and winner of the Jubilee Cup
Graham Gadsden: third place
Eighty-three players entered the competition.
The next GOTY qualifier is the Rex Cleaver Championship Trophy on June 4 when it could be all change yet again.
Your best 6 results from the 9 qualifying competitions in the year count towards the Order of Merit.
Twenty points are awarded for winning a competition, 19 points for second etc down to 1 point for 20th place.
All players are awarded 1 point for entering and completing the competition.
You can check your position on the GOTY leaderboard by going onto the club website and clicking on Competitions, then Ongoing, then Senior Section Golfer of the Year.
Tuesday 30 April 2024
Ken Robinson Scramble April 30 2024