Seniors at home to Millbrook, May 30 2023

Special report by Seniors’ Captain Jonathan Lean

Whatever happened to summer?!!  It was on a decidedly cool and cloudy morning that the teams met up to do battle on the Carthagena course.  The notoriously cold 1st tee did not encourage hanging around!

The match was played in excellent spirits but with determination on both sides, particularly from your Captain Jonathan who was trying to preserve his unbeaten record in matches so far this year.  Jonathan was ably assisted by Ken Brewer who stood in to play at the last minute for Peter Wade the organiser.  Peter still managed to complete the organisation by turning up early in the morning to complete the cards and make sure everything was running smoothly.  

The course was in beautiful condition and the fast greens had some of the opponents fooled until they got used to them.  Jonathan and Ken were first out against the Millbrook captain and his partner.  The match was closely fought with JOG going 2 up by the 9th but were pulled back to level by the 13th.  Millbrook then got their noses in front and eventually stayed there, winning 2 up on the last.  

There will now be an official period of mourning for the demise of the captain’s unbeaten record!

As the other results came in, we could see that we were in for a struggle as the first 3 results all went to Millbrook.  David McNair and Jack Shepherd gave 15 shots to their opponents who played far better than their handicaps with Millbrook winning 8 and 6.  Oz Osman and Nick Schumann were just pipped at the post losing by 1 up.  Keith Howlett and Tony Goodson stopped the rot with a hard-earned win 1 up.  Keith reported that they were never up in the match until the last putt on the last hole!

This win was followed by good wins by Nick Seeley and Andy Shilton 1 up and by Colin Newbury and Jed Isbell 2 and 1.  The match was poised at 

3 all and the tension was mounting!

Michael Newstead and Terry Domagala succumbed to a 3 and 2 loss, so it was all down to the last match.  Steve Luckman and Trevor Darrington held their nerve to win 2 and 1 so the match overall was halved 4 all.  With JOG giving away a total of 42 shots to Millbrook this was a creditable result.

An excellent meal of pork chop and vegetables followed by sticky toffee pudding and custard rounded off an excellent day.  Even the captain’s joke raised a laugh!

Captain Jonathan had some compensation for the end of his unbeaten run by winning the Nearest the Pin on the fiendishly difficult 8th!

As a footnote, one of the Millbrook team, Fred Anstey, sported long white hair and a white bushy beard.  A few good-natured comments about Father Christmas resulted in his confirming that he performs this function every year and earns enough over the Christmas period to tide him for the rest of the year. (See pictures below)  A jolly character in more ways than one.

We look forward to travelling to Millbrook in September.  Fit players only as it is very hilly!

Seniors at home to South Beds May 23, 2023

Nigel Underwood and Seniors Captain Jonathan Lean with their South Beds opponents

Organiser Nigel underwood reports

On Tuesday we welcomed our friends from South Beds for the first of this year’s matches against them. After a chilly start (shorts wearers having second thoughts!!) the Sun eventually broke through and a series of competitive matches ensued. The JoG course was in wonderful condition (following Monday’s Pro-Am) and elicited great praise from our visitors. All of the matches were close, some extremely so; results were as follows;

Jonathan Lean and Nigel Underwood won 4&2

Paul Hammond and Michael Newstead won 3&1

Barry Donovan and Trevor Darrington lost 2&1

Colin Newbury and Andrew Lawrence won 3&2

Andy Brown and Rafe Bateson lost 3&2

Richard Westergreen Thorne and Nick Schumann won 3&2 

Nick Seeley and Tony Goodson lost one down

And in the pivotal final match..........

Jed Isbell and Tony Lloyd.......won 2&1

Final score; John O’Gaunt 5 South Beds 3

Thanks to all who took part, especially reserves who stepped up at fairly short notice.

An excellent day’s sport and companionship, enjoyed by all.

Notes of the Senior Section Committee Meeting May 4, 2023

 

Attendance:

Algy Grimes (AG), Jonathan Lean (JL), Richard Westergreen – Thorne (RWT), Tony Lloyd (TL)  Andy Shilton (AS)

 

Apologies

Barry Donovan (BD),

 

Justin Thomas (JT)

JT attended the meeting for this item. There was a discussion of the arrangements for the club's 75^th Anniversary in June and various other matters including progress with the new club governance arrangements and the timetable for roll out.

Minutes previous and matters arising

Two Action Points from last time were confirmed as completed:

 It was agreed that JL should communicate with the club our desire to maintain a £5 competition entry fee for 2023 and to explain the reasons why. JL has this in hand.

There was a discussion about clubs to approach regarding future Swap Days and afternoon matches. A list was completed and RWT will contact these clubs and report back on the response at the next meeting. Covered in an agenda item.

Captain (JL)

There has been an unofficial meeting of the Golf Committee to allow members to meet each other and in particular to meet with Rob Earls the new Chair of Golf. The meeting was also intended to advise members of the new way that the meetings would be run using RE’s business methods, spreadsheets and projectors.

There was some discussion about general matters. It seems likely that the Handicap Committee will be re-formed with the intention of encouraging members to submit more general play cards for handicap assessment.

The Seniors can assist with the annual review of handicaps by continuing to record winners of the roll-ups. It has also been suggested by one of the seniors that once a month the roll-up could be configured as an individual Stableford rather than 4BBB. This would allow participants to put in cards if they want to.  All roll-up organisers should be asked to carry out a straw poll to see if this would be popular.

It was agreed that JL would seek further clarification at the Golf Committee before we ask the roll up organisers to record results each roll up.

I have discussed with Gordon the implications of increasing Honours Board competition entry fees to £5 from the current £4. Gordon stated that, in his view, we can do what we like with entry fees but it is better to run this past the Golf Committee first to ensure that it does not contravene the agreement made when the Seniors became an official section and the honorarium came into force.

The 75th Anniversary event diary is now finalised and Seniors should be encouraged to participate as much as possible in these events.

Vice-Captain (RWT)

RWT has had a number of communications with seniors and he updated the meeting. He also informed those present that Rod Evans had recently passed away and that he would notify members in the next Newsletter.

Immediate Past Captain (AG)

 AG reported back on the Swap Day at St Ives and that he had compiled the full list of results. It was agreed that TL would publish the full list on the blog.

Treasurer's Report (BD)

BD was unable to attend the meeting but sent in the following report which was discussed by those present.

 

Cash position has increased from £3037.21 to £4082.71.

In addition, invoices have been raised for all events prior to the Annual Medal. Invoices

outstanding amount to

- JOG Finance £1932

- Camb Country Club £384

I’m still awaiting invoice details for the Away Day at St Ives

 

Quick summary of financials as end of April

 

Income

Comp Entry 460

Matches 1872

Other 40

Total 2372

Expenditure

 Prizes 296

Raffle 36

Other 140.65

Total 472.65

 Increase in Surplus 1899.35

 Too early to draw any big conclusions – but things going to plan.

 I have raised the issue with the Club that to date I have had no food costs for Matches

played.

Hon. Secretary (RWT)

Not a great deal to report since the last meeting.

My focus has continued to be on the calendar for 2024 and I will provide an update under this agenda item as to the current position. I have sent a ‘latest draft’ to Nigel Tarn outlining the areas where I would welcome his input and agreement and I met with him prior to the meeting.

Membership enquiries had slowed but we have enlisted 3 new members in the past week.  The three seniors who are following up enquiries about membership with a call are doing a good job. Everyone who joins is different with different interests and needs but the feedback from their engagement with new members has been very positive.

Jonathan has suggested that we ask the roll up organisers to keep a tally each session of the winners due to forthcoming handicap changes and it would be helpful if we discussed this briefly at the session before I send out a note.

The Annual Dinner questionnaire closes soon, and we seem to have a sufficient response already to get a decent picture of people’s interests. Keith Howlett has done a good job setting it up for us and Jonathan has suggested that we cover the outcomes of the questionnaire at our next meeting.

TL reported that there had been 746 hits on the blog in April.

Action Point:

The survey results to be an agenda item at the next meeting.

Competition Secretary (TL)

Swap Day at St Ives

Forty seniors took part in a very enjoyable swap day at St Ives Golf Club organised by Algy. We were met by their president who gave us a few tips about playing the course and joined us later for lunch.

Winners, on 40 points, were Richard Herbert and Trevor Darrington. John O’Gaunt Captain Mike Tipper and Vice Captain Justin Thomas in turn welcomed the St Ives players who, it is reported, had a splendid day on our course.

Annual Medal Trophy and Jubilee Cup

The first of our medals, played from the Carthagena white tees, was won by Dave Wrench with a score of nett 62. The Jubilee Cup, for the best stableford score for those with handicaps of 21 or over, was won by Richard Herbert with 40 points. Eighty-eight seniors took part after a few late withdrawals due mostly to health reasons. It was a shame that the kitchen was closed for this prestigious event and concerning that our competition was not taken into account when deciding on a date to carry out essential work. It was hoped that this would not happen again in future.

Action Point:

JL to raise the lack of catering at the Annual Medal at the Golf Committee.

Ken Robinson Scramble

The numbers for this fluctuated quite a lot as the date of the competition approached. Some withdrew because it clashed with an important funeral but thanks to emails from Richard we were able to keep the numbers up. At the time of writing we have a field of 80 – perfect for the scramble format – with two reserves.

Order of Merit

Following our second qualifier of the year, the Annual Medal Trophy, the Golfer of the Year leader board reads: Dave Wrench 21 points, Andy Brown, 21 points, Paul Hammond and Malcolm Roberts, 20 points.

Match Secretary's Report (AS)

Since the last report we have played three home matches, Wellingborough (won 5-3), Cambridge Country Club (drawn 4-4), St Neots won (4.5 – 3.5) and one away to Aspley Guise (Lost 4.5-3.5).  Overall performance to date Played 7, Won 4, Drawn 1 Lost 2.  The season is going well.

 We have had a few withdrawals (some at late notice), that could have been avoided.  The other issue to report is late changes to handicaps due to previous day competitions.  This has caused some scrambling around on match day mornings.  I think its going to be wise for the organiser or the captain to have a laptop with them to make it easy to deal with any adjustments by using the team spreadsheet.

 We have seven matches before the next Committee meeting on 20 July so it will be interesting to see if our good form continues.

Calendar 2024 

RWT shared the latest draft of the calendar for 2024 and invited comments. We are looking for a club for the Swap Day as Newmarket have had to withdraw and possibilities for further afternoon matches. The list of clubs to approach was confirmed.

There are a few loose ends to tie up and there will be some further tweaks but otherwise the calendar for 2024 is nearing completion.

Action Point:

RWT to contact the identified clubs to seek to arrange a Swap Day for 2024 and also explore the possibilities of further afternoon matches.

Member and Guest Day

 Nigel Underwood (NU) has kindly offered to arrange the day for us this year. A discussion took place about the arrangements and costings as the event will need to be publicised to members shortly and catering arrangements confirmed with the club.

 It was agreed that we would like to keep the cost down to £40 a pair if possible but also try to get a balance between cost and a good day for those taking part.

We would like:

- tea/coffee and a bacon roll on arrival

- a simple half way house of tea/coffee and soft drinks - we had sale or return last year. The half way houses to be on the 10th and the 1st (stud bar if wet or just by the tee if dry)

- a simple meal of something like ham and chips at the end with people seated when they come in so start serving soon after the first groups turn up (say 30 mins) and then it means that there is less of a wait for the results, etc.

 Prizes to be £50 shared by the first pair, £40 for the second pair and £30 for the third pair – TL will get the pro shop vouchers for this.

 Three nearest the pins, one nearest the pin in 2 on the 11th and longest drive on the 17th.

 Once NU has discussed prices with the club then we will look at the costings for the day. It was agreed that there is the option of putting some of the captains' honorarium towards the halfway house and also subsidising the meal from seniors funds.

 In the meantime we will advertise the day without saying a price except to say it will be around £40.

 Action Point:

 RWT to communicate the draft arrangements to NU and NU to report back on costings when he has spoken with the club.

 

Honours Board

 Paul Marshall (PM) had previously been in contact regarding the possibility of increasing the number of senior section honours boards around the clubhouse. AG had responded to PM and the topic was discussed with a view to progressing the subject. It was agreed that we should take this further.

 

Action Point:

 AG to raise the possibility with the Club Manager and contact PM with a view to enlist his help if we are able to take this forward.

Charity Weekend

 This had been discussed when JT was present at the meeting and there was a brief follow up discussion about the Senior Captains Charity.

Date and time of next meeting  

Thursday 20^th July

Tuesday 29^th August

Thursday 5^th October

Tuesday 7^th November

Tuesday 16^th January 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seniors away to Saffron Walden, May 17, 2023

Seniors Captain Jonathan Lean with organiser Michael Newstead. Audley End is in the distance

Match report by Michael Newstead

Crossing the M11 on my own uneventful journey to Saffron Walden, (I used the A505), I saw that traffic coming from the north was backed up as far as the eye could see and thought to myself, this could cause trouble.    Almost on cue the phone rang and, being of the generation when the only phones in cars were in American cop tv shows, (who remembers Starsky and Hutch?), I am always slightly surprised when that happens!   Sure enough, Chris Roy was calling to tell me he was stuck, not moving about ½ mile from the A505 junction!

 A little while later, as I was working out what we could do if Chris (and others), were going to be late for the muster and teeing off, the phone rang again and Chris told me a police car had just sped down the hard shoulder and traffic was now moving as if by magic and that he was back on time.

 However, I digress as this epistle is all about the match.

 We were at Saffron Walden, a wonderfully manicured course with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside, the town of Saffron Walden and of course, overlooking Audley End House, which is just visible in the background of the picture taken of your Captain and yours truly on the par three 5^th hole.

 First out, we had a great game and were 4 up after the front nine.   Our opponents came back at us, but we held on to win 3 and 2.

 The next task was to wait in the clubhouse as the other groups finished and the scores came in, and the John O’Gaunt boys did their Captain proud as can be seen from the following scoreline.

 

Games Results:

Jonathan Lean/Michael Newstead – Win 3/2

David Price/Neil Pinnington – Win 2 up

Jim Kerr/Paul Jones – Win 3/2

Paul Hammond/Chris Roy – Lose 5/4

Chris Dennis/Derek Young – Half

Nigel Underwood/Richard Westergreen-Thorne – Lose 3/1

Andy Shilton/Colin Newbury – Win 1 up

Richard Herbert/Trevor Darrington – Lose 3/2

 

Result – Win for John O’Gaunt 4.5/3.5

 

It would be remiss of me not to mention a special commendation for Andy Shilton and Colin Newbury who really were playing against the odds, giving away 14 and 10 shots respectively.   Starting on the 17^th  they were soon under the cosh.  Their 14 shot Saffron Walden opponent parred the 18^th, almost birdying it (with a shot).  He then proceeded to par the fourth knocking in a 40+ footer and the 5^th with an even longer putt,  all with a shot!   Consequently our pair were 3 down after seven holes.  However, lady luck was definitely shining on Andy and Colin, as the battery on this gentleman’s buggy went flat and (sadly) he couldn’t play on, so despite giving away 10 shots to the other player who used his shots well, they eventually clawed the lead back, with wins on the fifteen and sixteen holes giving them a final score of 1 up.

 The clubhouse at Saffron Walden is a delightful place to eat and we enjoyed a well cooked and well presented two-course meal, followed by the two Captains announcing the results, telling the obligatory jokes and the teams toasting each other

 This year then John O’Gaunt has beaten Saffron both at home and on their turf, congratulation to all who took part in the matches.

Seniors at home to Harpenden Common May 16, 2023

Organiser Jed Isbell reports

On what turned out to be a warm sunny day and with the courses looking in near perfect condition JoG Seniors took on Harpenden Common in its annual inter-club match.

Being a ‘Newbie’ I thought it would be good to put my name down as a Seniors match organisor and it was with some trepidation that I approached the match that I had chosen to organise. I should not however have worried, with the committee and section members helping me out with advice when ever it was required.

One of the playing issues that had been brought to my attention was the number of shots that we seemed to always give to our opponents. It was with this in mind that I played around with the pairings, eventually ending up with a situation where there were only 10 shots between the teams and hoping that it would bode well as to the matches being played. Especially as the only match that I could not change was that of the Captains, where the home team had to give a total of 18 shots to their opposition. 

The Captains’ match started off well with our Captain parring the first to put the home team into an early lead. This soon changed with the visitors taking the 2nd and making it all square again. The match stayed this way until the Captains’ team managed to take a 2 hole lead but were then promptly turned over on holes 15, 16 & 17 where the visitors using their shots managed to win all 3 holes putting them 1 up for the first time in the match going into the last hole. Both teams managed to make the green in 4 with the Captain’s team having a 10’ par putt and the visitors with a putt that on previous holes would probably would have been given. The Captain’s team went first managing to sink their putt for a par consequently placing the pressure back onto the visitors who promptly then missed their putt resulting in a halved match. Who says there is no pressure in match-play!! Although 4 of the matches were decided on the 18th green, disappointingly the overall match was a win to Harpenden Common with a final match result of 6&2. 

Pairings and results for the home team were as follows: 

Jonathan Lean & Jed Isbell - Halved

Nick Schumann & Trevor Darrington - Lost 4&3

David Streatfield & Ken Brewer - Lost 2&1

Rob Ebsworth & Keith Howlett - Halved

Rafe Bateson & Gerry Degaute - Lost 1 Down

Nick Seeley & Richard Westergreen-Thorne - Lost 1 Down

Nigel Underwood & Andrew Lawrence - WON 4&3

Terry Domagala & Barry Donovan - Lost 1 Down

Andrew Lawrence also won a bottle of wine for nearest the pin on the 8th for the home team.

As always Amy and the kitchen staff did us proud serving up Pork Loin Chops followed by Apple Crumble, finishing off what had been a perfect day of golf. 

Seniors away to Brocket Hall May 15, 2023

Organiser Richard Westergreen-Thorne reports

 The day started with a very impressive drive. Unfortunately, this was in the car as we arrived at Brocket Hall and made our way past the lake to the clubhouse and not on the first tee where many of those on show were a little less impressive.

This was our first ever visit to Brocket Hall for a fixture and most of the team had not played at the club before so there was great interest in exploring the facilities and surroundings. We were very well looked after when we arrived and, after a bacon roll, we set out on the Palmerston Course to play our 12 a side match.

The course was an excellent one to play and in great condition. If you do not know it then the Palmerstone is a long course at over 6,500 yards and with the longer grass at this time of the year and some hilly holes it proved challenging to all but the best struck shots. All the games proved very enjoyable with good green play needed to match the distance and accuracy of the tee and on the fairway.

Two JOG pairs won their matches but the other four succumbed to their rivals so that the final score was 4 – 2 to Brocket Hall which was identical to the result at JOG earlier in the year - so we could not really blame local knowledge for the result.

After an excellent meal and convivial company, we made our way home with good memories and eager anticipation for the matches next year.

Ken Robinson Scramble May 9 2023

 

Seniors Captain Jonathan Lean presents the winners, Alban Macdonald, Graham Berry, Gordon Goodchild and Barry Donovan, with the Ken Robinson Trophy

If ever there was a textbook formula for playing Texas scramble then the winners of the Ken Robinson Scramble had it down to a tee.

Graham Berry, Barry Donovan, Gordon Goodchild and Alban Macdonald entered a scorecard with 17 pars and just one bogey, coming in with nett 59. 

And well done to Gordon, on the eve of his 82nd birthday, who took the last drive.

In second place, also on nett 59, but beaten on countback, were Keith Howlett, Jim McIlwaine, Ian Simpson and Dave Wood.

And in third, also on nett 59, were Paul Beasley, George Burnham, David Tamsitt and Paul Hammond. Many thanks to George who stepped up at the last minute to replace an injured player.

The top three teams won pro shop vouchers of £30, £20 and £10 per player.

Heavy overnight rain left the John O'Gaunt course playing extremely long with the lake overflowing and the 13th fairway waterlogged. But despite the forecast thundery showers, all 80 players remained dry. And the recent rainfall combined with slowly rising temperatures and hard work by the greens staff resulted in the course looking spectacular.

Individual stories of what-ifs were traded in the clubhouse afterwards: putts left short or shaving the hole a firm favourite.

Or take the team of Grimes, Streatfield, Wrench and Scott. With 200-plus yards to the hole on the 2nd, David Streatfield made the green. "You are a long way from the pin", said one member of the team, only for Dave Wrench to sink the putt for a birdie. 

Raffle prizes of £10 each were won by Chris Saunders, Paul Jones, David Tamsitt and Jonathan  Lean.

Second place team members Keith Howlett and Jim McIlwaine with Captain Jonathan