Seniors at home to Wellingborough April 14 2026

 

Seniors Captain David Barlow and organiser Paul Jones with their Wellingborough opponents

Organiser Paul Jones reports on our match against Wellingborough

It was a lovely sunny morning when I set off from Northampton and I was grateful that I was organising a match that meant I had an hour extra in bed. The later tee time is due to the distance our opponents from Wellingborough have to travel, and the same arrangement will be afforded to us when we visit Wellingborough later in the year.

On paper, the two teams appeared to be extremely unevenly matched, as the JOG team were receiving 70 shots more than our opponents. The average Handicap Index for Wellingborough’s players was 13.9 and ours was 17.7

Fortunately, I had the luxury of having a draft version of their team, but it was a challenge to achieve matches that were closely matched.

The balance further tipped in our favour when a player from the Wellingborough team failed to make the journey.

Our team welcomed Paul Conibear for his first JOG Seniors match, and I paired him with the experienced Tony Lloyd.

As the organiser I was paired with David Barlow our Seniors Captain and unsurprisingly he was the “scratch” player in our group, so our opponents were getting 3 and 5 shots and I received 11.  Rather embarrassingly my handicap has crept up to 20 mainly due to playing several rounds at Collingtree Park (CPGC) whose Slope Index of 118 off the yellow tees means that it is perceived to be easier than both JOG courses. The fact that I hardly ever finish with the same ball at CPGC and very rarely score more than 30 points suggests that the slope system is not flawless.

We started well, winning 3 of the first 4 holes with David playing holes 2 to 4 in one under par. We both messed up the 5^th hole, but David found the green on the 6^th hole and, after our opponents had both extracted themselves from the same right-hand bunker (the Wellingborough nearest the pin hole,) he sank his putt for a two.

At the JOG nearest the pin hole (8^th) both David and I found the right-hand bunker and we lost that hole. So, we had played both nearest the pin holes and none of us recorded our names on the marker boards.

 David parred the ninth and we finished the front nine 3 up.

 On the 10th hole our opponents demonstrated that they hadn’t quite mastered the art of “ham and egging” as they both secured birdies whilst David and I decided if we were going to lose the hole, we might as well do it in style as we both messed up.

The 11^th was also won by our opponents who were now only one down.

The 12th was won by JOG to get us back to 2 up.

Wellingborough’s Senior Captain Neil, birdied the par 3 13^th so the margin was reduced to 1 again.

The turning point was the shortish par four 14^th when, with the honour off the tee, both the Wellingborough players went too far right and the JOG pair both pared that hole.

I parred the 15^th and with my shot that could not be matched, we were dormie 3 up.

We halved the 16^th in 5 shots with three of the four ball receiving a shot thus closing out our match 3&2.

On the 18^th tee we waited for match 2 to tee off on the 15^th tee and last year’s captain came up to us and apologised for falling three holes behind. I’m sure it must not have been Tony’s fault as once he is over the ball he plays quicker than you can say double bogey.

I suppose when you are behind a group when three of the four players were getting birdies and my contribution to the pace of play was picking up when my partner carried me, it cannot be easy keeping up.

After our golf and a long wait in the clubhouse for the results to come in, we enjoyed an excellent meal of pork loin steak, potatoes and veg followed by pavlova.

It then fell to our Captain to toast our guests and present the nearest the pin prizes. The JOG nearest the pin (NTP) was won by Martyn Graham (a tip here for future blog writers just copy and paste “the nearest the pin winner for JOG was Martyn” as, if I am not mistaken, we have played three matches and very admirably Martyn has won NTP each time.

Do not be surprised if at the “bring and win” event later in the year, Martyn donates a bottle of wine from the comprehensive collection in his wine cellar.

David then handed over to Captain Neil to announce the result which was a 4-4 draw.

Our Vice Captain shared with me that in the final match the teams stood tied on the 18^th tee. He was aware that sometimes teams have agreed a half on the tee in this scenario, but he wanted to play the 18th and try to get the win.  It was a good move as that win meant our unbeaten start lives on for another day.

This is an encouraging start for our Captain especially after his struggles last year. He has played three matches and won his game each time so long may his and the team's unbeaten run continue.

I have also won all three of my matches, but I am far too modest to mention that, other than to say that I have been blessed with good partners.

The individual match results were:

1	David Barlow	Won 3&2
	Paul Jones
2	Paul Conibear	Lost 3&2
	Tony Lloyd
3	Geoff Elcome	Lost 5&4
	Mehmet Osman
4	Graham Gadsden	Won 4&2
	Paul Dobson
5	Richard Westergreen - Thorne	Lost 3&1
	Ian Maddison
6	Martyn Graham	Lost 3&2
	Michael Newstead
7	Gavin Little	Won 2&1
	Chris  Roy
8	Terry  Domagala	Won 1 up
	Gerry Degaute

 

Minutes of seniors committee meeting April 9 2026

 

Present: David Barlow (DB), Terry Domagala (TD), Algy Grimes (AG), Jonathan Lean (JL), Tony Lloyd (TL), Nigel Underwood (NU), Warren Churms (WC)

Apologies:  Dave Wood (DW) Steve Mathers (SM) Barry Donovan

 

Minutes of the last meeting were accepted with no matters arising not on the agenda

 

2 Captain’s Report (DB)

House and Social

Only one meeting.

·       Plans for update of the entrance lobby are progressing. Likely new doors and some kind of reception desk where Jess Sporle (Caitlin’s replacement) will sit to welcome members and guests.

·       Some negativity towards the look of the halfway house, but it’s there as “proof of concept” before we rush into spending lots of money on something that people don’t use. The look will be softened up with planting and branding decals.

·       They are looking at a new coffee machine when the lease expires in July.

·       Various ‘socials’ are planned
27^th June. Soul Night with The Soul Man / Captains Day.
26^th September. Stacy Wood / Singer
10^th October. Race night.

Golf

No meeting since the last one

·       Matches. Off to a winning start:
Beds & County (away). W 6 & 2
Aspley Guise (home) W 5 ½ - 2 ½

·       Surprisingly, I’ve won both my matches …..

·       Both well organised and teams set up well

Charity.

·       A successful handing over to the new Captains at the Putt Out and Drive.
I managed to get my drive away, left side of the fairway about 180 – 190 yards

 

 

·       The senior team didn’t disgrace themselves with a very creditable 5^th place / Nett 57. An outrageous putt (?) from off the front apron on 9^th from Tony dented the flagstick. A nice moment.

·       A combined £21k raised last year for Alzheimer’s Society. All activities covered in the Club Round Up issued by RWT 1/04/26. No need to repeat.

·       This update also covers the Club AGM and everything that happened there including the bag tag presentation from Mark Ives

·       Prostate Project Update will form part of the meeting agenda.

Board

DB gave a short verbal update on what is happening with various issues and projects including the bag  tags and a successor to Gordon etc.

Treasurer’s report (BD)

1 Cash position at end of March is £6440.52, down from £17,168 in Feb

Major spend this month has been the Tour Final payment and the JOG Charity payment

The Club CFO has advised that the accruals held from 2024 are not balances held by the Club. We can therefore release these for future use by the section (TBD)

 Book keeping is transferred to Spreadsheets from Manual ledgers . This provides more flexibility in providing ongoing analysis of Income and expenditure- particularly when Matches and Competitions start. The learning process will hopefully help the ultimate transition to an online accounting package - probably in 2027

The first 2 Matches seem to be processed well. Organisers are however advising Wendy very early of Team selections. This does not need to be made until the day of the Match

 Bank Account investigations held over

 We now own 2 Card reader machines and a charger

 

 

 Secretary’s Report (TL)

I have contacted all 15 clubs we play offering dates for 2027. Six have so far agreed and confirmed.

I had a constructive conversation with Nigel Tarn exploring the possibilities for our 50^th anniversary event in 2027. The best outcome for the club – which may be for us too – would be a Friday afternoon in the summer. Golf after 12.30pm followed by barbecue/tapas on the terrace and some form of entertainment – maybe Stacy Wood

Subsequently I had a chat with Chair of Golf Paul Hitchcock who was very keen to help us include the club as a whole in our celebrations.

I have signed up two new members since our last meeting – One is an established club member and friend of Algy  (- so he must be OK!) and the other is a  recent joiner.

Competition Secretary’s report (NU)

Two competitions have taken place since the last meeting :

4 ball better ball, 10/03/26, won by Graham Berry and Rob Bage with 44 on countback from Nick Seeley and Peter Imray. Len Greaves and David Hooper were 3^rd with 43. 44 pairs took part.

Rex Bullock Trophy ( st/ford) and Peter Imray (medal) Jug,07/04/26. The stableford element, part of GOTY, saw Len Greaves win with 39 points, followed by Jim Kerr,36, Cav Kendall, Dave Gabbitas, Michael Greenstein and Martyn Graham all with 35. Under the one prize, best prize rule, Jim Kerr won the inaugural Peter Imray competition with Michael Greenstein second and Michael Graham 3^rd.

Next up are;

Jock Allan Prostate Cancer Day, 13/04/26, 92 entered.

Ken Robinson Scramble, 28/04/26, 80/92 entered at time of writing

Issues that have arisen are largely on the agenda. In addition I will circulate a very good tool from Mr Newstead using IG to fix dates for knockouts and we need to decide how to publish Peter Imray Jug results, bearing in mind that IG does not recognise two competitions running at the same time !

Knockouts: NU to produce a guide for members on their responsibilities in organising and completing knockout matches in a timely manner.

Joint stableford/medal lessons: It was acknowledged that the Rex Bullock day was long and play slow. Almost inevitable running a medal and stableford together.  Worth sticking with the concept but perhaps advising players out of contention in the medal to pick up if they can’t score stableford points.

Imray Medal results: Some had asked how they did in the Peter Imray Medal. IG cannot express medal and stableford results together. NU to manually work out the Top 12 for the newsletter.

New member engagement: Further efforts required to involve new members in the section’s activities. Difficulty in identifying existing club members reaching senior age and contacting them.

Action point: TL to seek advice from Richard Westergreen-Thorne on how to identify potential seniors. Perhaps a role for existing senior “ambassadors”?

Match Secretary’s Report (AG)

What a start to the season Played 2 Won 2 couldn’t be better well done to all players.

We now have 53 entrants signed up for the first two Tranches.

We continue to have an issue with the match at home to Cambridge Country Club on 21^st April, we did manage to get a team and one reserve, but a series of withdrawals has left us with only 15 again, I await a response from the ‘back pocket’ team!

 

Most matches have healthy numbers for Tranche 2. Saffron Walden away is again very popular with 5 Jokers already signed up.

 

Still quite a lot have contacted me because they cannot locate their original link!

 

There has been a bit of an issue with entering the matches on the club system, I have never been involved in doing that in the past, R W-T did it last year.

Action point: TL to seek advice from Nigel Tarn on how to do this

 

As for match fees, one of our players has suggested we should charge more for away games given that is a cheap day out. He suggested £30.00 for which you get the game of golf lunch and drinks plus sometimes a halfway house!  Is it worth consideration for next year?

 

Action point: Might be a good idea for next year. Agenda item next month

Action point: TL to ask Nigel Tarn

 

Trophy Custodian’s report (DW)

Insurance Audit Process

All seniors’ trophies are now safely returned to the club and have been placed in the new trophy room in readiness for the insurance audit process which is due to take place on Monday and Tuesday 13^th & 14^th April 2026.

Peter Imray Medal Jug

The trophy is now ready for presentation on 7^th April 2026. Jim Kerr has kindly fashioned a wooden plinth which will prolong addition of winners engravings when the cup area is full.  Peter has paid for the trophy and also the engraving of the title plate.

 

Bailiff (Spring Stableford Trophy)

Gordon Goodchild has paid for the Trophy, which is now engraved ‘Gordon Goodchild Stableford’. It is now ready for presentation following the competition on 20^th October 2026.

I have offered Gordon the possibility of presenting the trophy following the competition. He informed me that he would be ‘chuffed and honoured to do so’

Baz Backhouse trophy

Trevor Darrington returned the trophy to the club on his return from holiday. Mrs Darrington has kindly repaired it, making it safe for presentation for at least another year. Jim has examined it and agrees that it seems to be a good repair. I have agreed with Jim to re-examine the state of the trophy nest year.

Swap Days

Swap day 2026 – Stoke Rochford Golf Club 5^th October 2026

Confirmed at both clubs and in respective diaries.

Awaiting suitable dates from Darrell Knight for meeting at JOG to kick off arrangements.

Swap day 2027 – Essendon Golf Club 11^th October 2027

I have established contact with Simon Harden their organiser, confirming the date and inviting meetings at both clubs to kick off the arrangements.

Pending clubs for Swap Day

The Bedfordshire

This club would welcome a swap day in 2028. They are suggesting a split swap with them visiting JOG on a Monday whilst we visit their club on a Wednesday. I will welcome the committee’s views on this as it presents a move away from previous swap days.

Brickenden Grange

Awaiting reply from this club with regards to 2028 and beyond

Spalding

Interested in a swap day 2028 and beyond

Wellingborough

Interested in a swap day 2028 and beyond

Full Historical record of Seniors Competition and Honours Board winners.

I am now in possession of three spreadsheet lists of winners dating back to the start of the recognised Seniors’ Section in 1977. My thanks go to Wendy, and Algy for sending me their lists. I now have commenced with the task of marrying the lists into one spreadsheet.

Some of the lists are incomplete, and listed in differing order which means that I will have to take care to ensure accuracy. The task is therefore “work in progress”

Away Days (WC)

WC gave an update on the Past Captains’ Away Day at Rutland Water on June 4. Cost £50 to include bacon roll, golf and two-course meal.

 Senior Section Away Day (same venue) on September 3. Entrance fee needs to be around £45 to cover green fee, breakfast and prizes.

Action point:  Agenda item at next meeting to discuss with BD best way of collecting fees and setting up on IG.

Away Days 2027

WC presented a list of possible venues and prices

Action point: WC and SM to fine tune ideas in May/June

Senior Section’s 50^th anniversary

A discussion was held on how best to organise a golf competition starting after 12.30pm on a Friday which would allow the maximum number of entrants to attend a social event afterwards. Nine hole competition? What format?

Action point: TL to speak to Nigel Tarn re possible summer dates avoiding a clash with other club events.

Roll up - preferred lies

Following a request to extend preferred lies to the rough in the roll-up it was decided that this was not unreasonable, that the ball should be dropped in the rough, not placed, but with the better weather approaching this was an issue for next winter.

 

Dates of future meetings

Thurs May 7

Thurs June 4

Thurs June 11

Thurs July 2

Thurs Aug 6

Thurs Sep 10

Thurs Oct 8

Thurs Nov 5

Thurs Dec 3

Thurs Jan 7 tbc

Tues Feb 2 AGM tbc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jock Allan Prostate Cancer Charity Day April 13 2026

 

The late Jock Allan and Colin Stokes: RIP

We are walking in the footsteps of giants. That's how Prostate Project Chairman Martin Davies described the late Jock Allan and Colin Stokes as he thanked John O'Gaunt for hosting its annual charity day.

Ninety-two entrants took part in this year's event, raising a staggering £6,850. 

The charity day, launched by the late Jock Allan, is now woven into the fabric of the John O'Gaunt calendar. 

This year's event was especially poignant as it followed the recent sad death of Prostate Project Ambassador Colin Stokes under whose watch £11million has been raised for the charity.

The day began with a 9am shotgun start on the John O'Gaunt course, beginning to look its beautiful Spring best.

But conditions were testing, not least because the greens had been recently ironed.

Winners of the 4BBB format were Club Captain Paul Fletcher and his partner Nicola Hunter who won the Jock Allan Shield with 44 points.

In second place, on 42, points were Jed Isbell and Stephen Richardson and in third, on 41 points, were Ian Riches and Andy Brown.

Commiserations to Peter Imray and David Holme, who also scored 41 points but were pipped on countback.

Nearest the pin prizes were won by David Barlow (4th), Matt Hays (10th), Chris Pearson (16th) Jack Walker (12th in 2) and Steve McLaughlin (1st in 2).

The Man Van was once again present on site for the occasion. The team of phlebotomists carried out 64 tests consisting of 42 booked tests and 22 "walk-ins".

After a meal of Cumberland sausage and mash followed by apple tart and custard, Martin Davies thanked John O'Gaunt for its continued support. And, reinforcing the importance of prostate cancer testing, he revealed that one player who was tested positive at last year's event had since received life-saving treatment and had now been given the all clear.

During the meal, the Galabid auction came to a close, raising £4,265. In total. the day raised £6,850 which included £650 from the raffle and a generous £150 donation from club member Alan Eglen.

Enormous thanks go to Nigel Underwood for organising the competition,  Jean Peacock, Pat Lloyd and Barbara Stokes for running the raffle, Sam Barlow for relieving players of their money and Dave Gauge for operating the drinks buggy.

Seniors Captain David Barlow presents Club Captain Paul Fletcher and Nicola Hunter
with the Jock Allan Shield

Runners-up Stephen Richardson and Jed Isbell

Third place: Ian Riches and Andy Brown

The plaque in memory of Jock Allan behind the JOG 4th green 

The 10th green being ironed just before the shotgun start

Prostate Project Chairman Martin Davies with Jean Peacock and Barbara Stokes

Rex Bullock Trophy and Peter Imray Medal April 7 2026

 

Seniors Captain David Barlow presents Len Greaves with the Rex Bullock Trophy

Peter Imray and Captain David with the Peter Imray Medal Jug won by Jim Kerr

In a first for the Senior Section, 104 entrants played not only for the Rex Bullock Stableford Trophy but also the Peter Imray Medal Jug, donated to the section by Peter.

Many seniors searched their wardrobes for shorts after hearing the weather forecast of sunshine, a light breeze and temperatures of up to 20 Deg C.

The large field made for a long day with tee times between 7.30am and 1pm and a later than usual presentation. 

The winner of the Rex Bullock - Len Greaves - had teed off in one of the early groups but was able to return for the presentation.

On 39 points, Len was the only entrant to score over 36. He scored an amazing 25 points on the front nine made up of seven pars and two bogeys. Len also wins £40 in pro-shop credit.

In second place was Cav Kendall on 35 points, winning £30,  and in third, again on 35, was Dave Gabbitas winning £20

Because of the one-prize rule, the first winner of the new Peter Imray Medal Jug was Jim Kerr with a score of nett 71. Jim also wins £40 in pro-shop credit, In second place was Michael Greenstein with 72, winning £30, and in third was Martyn Graham also with 72 winning £20.

Captain David thanked Peter Imray for his generous donation of the new trophy and for his work in further promoting medal play within the section.

He also extended enormous thanks to Competition Secretary Nigel Underwood for organising such a complicated event and staying all day to process the results.

Raffle prize winners, who each receive £10 pro-shop credit, were Dave Wood, Martin Rowe, Trevor Darrington and Graham Lewis.

Jog Seniors v Aspley Guise at home March 31 2026

 Seniors' Captain David Barlow, Organiser Warren Churms and opponents John Morley and Martin Taylor

Organiser Warren Churms reports on JOG Seniors' home match against Aspley Guise

On a cold, dull but still morning, 16 intrepid Senior golfers from John O'Gaunt faced a Herculean task against Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands GC, conceding 119 shots to 40, once the "scratch golfers" had been selected in each game.

As Organiser, my theory was that we should try to keep our pairs as close in handicap as possible to put the opposition under some pressure and hope that the challenging JOG course would intimidate the away side. I think this worked pretty well and there were some magnificent performances.

Captain David Barlow and yours truly started the morning's matches against a strong pairing and we had a very tight game, halving the first six holes with some "clutch" putts before things started to turn in our direction. With some excellent dovetailing and helped by two successive birdies on the front nine and another on the 12th, we managed to pull away and reach the 15th 4-up before settling the match 5&3 with a rather fortunate birdie when my approach from the woods dropped in off the flagstick - they all count! This was met with a big man-hug from our captain - I won't wash for a week!

This great start was followed by a superb 2&1 win for Chris Saunders and Nigel Underwood, who won the 17th, following a long downhill putt from their opponents on 16th which pegged them back to 1-up. A great effort - Chris conceding 14 and 20 shots to the opposition.

As a late replacement for Algy Grimes, Paul Jones made hay with an approximate 85 gross, 63 nett and combining well with David Tamsitt, who chipped in on the 8th for a birdie, they enjoyed a comfortable 5&4 victory. Things were looking good! 

A quick note of congratulations for Algy here, too, as he became a grandad for the first time overnight!

Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands fought back against some wonderful golf from David McNair and Jack Shepherd, grabbing a nett birdie on the last to tie the match. At one stage David and Jack were 4-up but they were conceding a lot of shots and this was a critical result.

After his bad fall before Christmas, I was concerned for Neil Pinnington's well-being in the pressure-cooker environment of match play on "The Gaunt". Particularly when he told me recently that he was managing to play well for 14 or 15 holes before flaking out! There was only one solution, which was to win before the 15th - which Neil and his partner, Steve Mathers, duly did by 5&4. What a performance! This gave me the comforting knowledge that we were going to win the game, with three matches still to finish.

Paul Life and Martyn Graham were pipped 2&1 - but not before Martyn won the Nearest the Pin competition on the 16th with a magnificent shot. All four players held their breath as the ball landed on the green, trickled up to the hole.....and stopped a few inches short. Phew!

Dave Wood and Terry Domagala proved an excellent partnership to give us our fifth outright win by 2&1 in a tight contest before Trevor Darrington and debutant Daniel Emkes gave Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands a reason to smile with a 4&3 defeat in the last match. A valiant effort against steady opposition. Daniel - welcome to the Senior representative matches, hopefully you enjoyed your outing and are ready to try and turn the tables in the return match!

After the game, everyone settled into the bar after freshening up and enjoyed the hospitality of JOG's superb F&B team. Many tales of woe and fortune could be heard but the home team were in particularly good spirits after all their plans had come together against formidable opponents. At the sound of the dinner bell we made our way to the Burgoyne Suite where we were served with half a pig each, Yorkshire pud, roast potatoes and veg - or so it seemed. A magnificent spread, including the biggest pork loin ever! This was followed by a delicious chocolate brownie with fudge ice cream and caramel sauce.

Captains David Barlow and John Morley from Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands then paid tribute to the teams and everyone involved in ensuring the match and meal went smoothly. It was then left to John Morley to announce the result - a resounding 5½ - 2½ victory for John O'Gaunt. 

They will be "after us" in the return on 23rd April!

Full results:

David Barlow and Warren Churms WON 5&3

Chris Saunders and Nigel Underwood WON 2&1

David McNair and Jack Shepherd TIED

Dave Wood and Terry Domagala WON 2&1

Steve Mathers and Neil Pinnington WON 5&4

Paul Jones and David Tamsitt WON 4&3

Paul Life and Martyn Graham LOST 2&1

Trevor Darrington and Daniel Emkes LOST 4&3

Captains' putt out and drive off March 28 2026

 A year of charitable work at John O'Gaunt - and the prospect of another great year to come - was celebrated with a Texas Scramble in sunny, if breezy, conditions on the JOG course followed by friendly banter in the clubhouse over drinks and pulled pork baps and the now traditional putt out and drive off by the captains.

After the putt out by retiring captains Peter Wade, Jackie Lansdown, Lucy Edwards and Tony Lloyd, a cheque for £21,000 was presented to a representative of their chosen charity, Alzheimer's Society.

Then came the spectacle of the new captains - Paul Fletcher, Jean Cobb, David Barlow and William Gilbert - driving off down the JOG 1st to applause and good natured comments from the assembled crowd.

Their chosen charities are Garden House Hospice, Letchworth and St John's Hospice, Sue Ryder, Moggerhangar.

Earlier, in testing conditions, the winners with an impressive score of nett 53 were Nigel Gray, Gerald Keegan, Kevin Kiernan and Douglas Lawson.

In second place, on 54, were James de Caux, Dean Kane, Mark Washtell and Carl Williams.

And in third place, with 56, were George Burnham, Cav Kendall, Karl Kendall and Eric McIntire.

New Seniors Captain David Barlow, his Vice Captain Terry Domagala, Past Captain Tony Lloyd and Matches Secretary Algy Grimes came in with 57 shots to take 5th place.

Thanks to Algy for the photos below.

Four past Captains Tony Lloyd, Peter Wade, Jackie Lansdown and Lucy Edwards prepare to putt out to mark the end of their year

Immediate Past Club Captain Peter Wade putts out on the JOG 18th

Past Ladies Captain Jackie Lansdown takes her turn

Retiring Junior Captain Lucy Edwards prepares to putt out

Immediate Past Seniors Captain Tony Lloyd

Peter, Jackie, Lucy and Tony present a cheque for £21,000 to Alzheimer's Society

New Seniors Captain David Barlow drives off down the JOG 1st

2026 Ladies Captain Jean Cobb drives off

Junior Captain William Gilbert on the 1st tee

New Club Captain Paul Fletcher drives off

New Captains Paul, Jean, David and William are supporting Garden House Hospice, Letchworth and Sue Ryder, Moggerhangar

Seniors v Bedford & County March 24 2026

 

Captain David Barlow and organiser Paul Jones with their opponents

Paul Jones reports on JOG Seniors' first match of the year

So, another season of JOG Seniors Matches commences and 16 hardy souls from JOG found their way to Bedford and County Golf Club on time.

On paper, the two teams appeared to be equally matched, and I tried to make sure that most matches had at least a player from either side that was closely matched. However, a late change to our opponent’s team just tipped the shots received slightly in the favour of the JOG team. However, golf isn’t played on paper so read on!

Our team welcomed Jeff Thompson for his first JOG Seniors match and after tea or coffee and the obligatory introductions we were ready to try and play golf.

As the organiser I was paired with our new Captain David Barlow, and we had the honour on the tee for our first match of 2026. David unsurprisingly was the “scratch” player in our group, so our opponents were getting 7 and 11 shots and I had 10.

After four holes every player had won a hole and forgive the old language, we were “all square”.

We lost the fifth, a par 3 (stroke Index 18) as for the second successive par 3, neither David nor I could hit the green off the tee. In my mind I had us down as favourites on those 2 holes, but golf isn’t played in my mind and we were 1 down.

Both our opposing Captain and I birdied the shortened par 5 fifth hole but I was fortunate enough to have a shot so all square again.

We then had a purple patch winning 3 holes in a row thanks to a birdie on the 8^th from David and 2 pars from me.

The body blow was struck on the next hole as I had gone missing, and David was in the greenside bunker in three and our opponents both had shots. David managed an excellent sand save or scruffy bogey (work out who called it what) which stopped Bedford & County pulling a hole back.

We then turned the screw winning 12 & 13, (despite Dave and I again failing to hit the green on the nearest the pin 12th)  

We then found ourselves dormie 5 up, but our opponents rallied and won the next 2 holes.

We stood on the 16^th tee and realised that only Mike had a shot, was this going to be a collapse of Medinah magnitude? Mike could only manage a bogey and Dave and I both made par to get us over the line 3&2.

A special mention goes to Richard Cobb who earlier had expressed his appreciation to me (not) of making sure he was the scratch player in his fourball. He rose to the challenge and ably assisted by Oz came from 2 down after four holes to win 2&1.

After our golf we enjoyed a meal of steak pie, mashed potatoes and veg followed by trifle. I have to say that some Golf Clubs are notorious for serving substandard pies, but the pie served up by the catering team at B&C was excellent and the trifle was also very good.

 The JOG nearest the pin was won by Martyn Graham after the Bedford & County Captain got the hopes of Geoff Elcome up by reading out his name as the first JOG player to have hit that green.

It then fell to our Captain to announce the result which was a 6 – 2 win for JOG.

The individual match results were:

David Barlow	Won 3&2
Paul Jones
Jed Isbell	Won 3&2
Geoff Elcome
Paul R Hammond	Won 4&3
Graham Gadsden
Gerry Degaute	Tied
Algy Grimes
Mehmet Osman	Won 2&1
Richard Cobb
Jeff Thompson	Tied
Michael Newstead
Richard Westergreen - Thorne	Won 4&2
Martyn Graham
Gavin Little	Lost 4&3
Tony Walters