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Senior Men’s Golf Chairman’s Blog

I was quite encouraged last week to be told that my regular comments were missed from the last edition of the recorder. That was largely because there was very little to report – both Wednesdays in the period covered being affected by the bad weather. Fortunately, In the last fortnight we have been able to get back on the course in good numbers with a team Stableford competition last week attracting 29 starters and our monthly grail yesterday having a field of some 54 competitors.

Last week we played a regular team competition with each player having a joker to double their individual score on a chosen hole. Regular players would normally choose the same hole every time but last week, players’ choices were made using the new scorecard incorporating revised stroke indexes. In my case, I switched from my customary choice of hole 17, where previously I benefitted from two strokes to the 6th. Obviously, my choice paid off, as I was part of a winning team of three made up of John Gilbert, Peter Rogan and Douglas Millar which carded 91 points. The runners up in a team of four with an adjusted total of 90 points were Stephen Jones, Bill Phelan, Andrew Hine and Martin Flint.

Yesterday the Grail was played in not very spring-like conditions but the field managed to post some very creditable scores. Appropriately, our prize winners were the five players in a field of 50 who bettered their handicaps.

 

The winners were

 

1st  Ian Taylor-Restell 42 Points
2nd  Roy Martin 41 Points
3rd  John Randel 39 Points
4th  Neil Symons 39 Points
5th  Nicholas Brown 38 Points

 

Congratulations to them all. But I was particularly pleased for Ian who had his previous opportunity to win the Grail as an early starter before Christmas taken away by someone playing in the last group in a field of more than fifty. Ian is pictured celebrating his win!

Before the next edition of the Recorder, we open our programme of matches playing an away match at Surbiton. A couple of weeks later, we play at the RAC and a week further on we visit Richmond. Home matches start on 28th April with the first visiting opponents being Wimbledon Common.

Any seniors who wish to play for the team should sign up via Intelligent Golf. I am keen to give as many Members a game as possible. Full handicaps are generally played and even those with a modest handicap like me are able to play and record the occasional win! Nigel Brown who captains the Roehampton over 55 team in the John Ling trophy has also asked for volunteers to play in his team against Royal Mid Surrey on 2nd May but in this case, preference is given to the lower handicappers. Finally, may I draw attention to the fact that our winter eclectic competition will close, like the tax year on 5th April, when the seniors play on a course specially prepared for the Gold Cup. Ian Taylor-Restell is currently leading but all can change in that final round.

Douglas Millar

Senior Men’s Golf Chairman