Author: cookp

2010 10th Anniversary.

Our 10th Anniversary year started with a great golfing week on the Algarve. 15 SGL members and our official golfing official Brian, returned to Portugal seeking warmer climes and looking forward to 4 games of golf, good food and the odd beverage.
Keith and Andy immediately celebrated our safe arrival at Faro as they sampled a local optic. It was very local as we hadn’t actually left the Arrivals area.

The trip started well as we indulged in one of Portugal’s finest traditions. Apparently, having picked up your 3 rental vehicles, you lose each other, play hide and seek around the town of Albufeira, drive around aimlessly for a lifetime, visit a local building site or two and then realise that there is no way that there would ever be a golf course in the middle of a town. One of the vehicles is ever so slightly hampered by 2 passengers who continually switch on your lights, windscreen wipers and anything else that moves. Additionally, music is played at a decibel level akin to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. This just adds to the overall enjoyment. Eventually you arrive at Hotel Reception to find that they have never heard of you. Time for Keith and Andy to empty another optic and demolish a plate of chips. Long may these old traditions flourish.

Needless to say we did find a place of refuge and the apartments and facilities were first class. One of the rooms did however have a resident interior designer who made minor adjustments to the rooms. It must be great to return from a night on the tiles to find someone has stolen your bed.

And so the 4 days of competition commenced…
Playing the home course at Salgados, we very quickly realised that all 18 holes had been dropped in to a lake the size of Bedfordshire. Fairways had very conveniently been placed between the tee and the green but only just. As Tony put it, “this hole is fairly simple”. It had water running the full length of the fairway but only on one side. It sort of made a nice change from water running down both sides and across.

At the end of the round, Peter Jenkins had stormed in to the lead with a full 34 points in the bag. Not a particularly astute move by Peter as Mark cut his handicap by 5 on the next day.

On the Tuesday we set off in trepidation to find a course that some of us had played before. Would all 16 players reach the destination? Would all our beer money go on petrol? Thankfully we found the course at Morgado but unfortunately some cold wind and rain found us. The round was none-the-less enjoyable although starting on the 10th hole did start the old heart pumping a tad and recycled a little alcohol in to the bloodstream. This didn’t hold back Peter however and at the end of the day he was still leader with a cumulative 62 points.

The next day delivered the best course of the tournament. Alamos is the sister course to Morgado and fairly new. Peter continued his winning ways with another 31 points to his collection. On the Thursday we were back at Salgados but this time armed with flippers, snorkels and a life raft. To add to the competition we had to guess how many balls would be lost in total over the 18 holes. We lost 72. SGL’s finest at work.

At the end of the competition the points were duly counted and Peter Jenkins announced as the overall winner with a total of 115 points. In second place was Tony Smith with 112 points and JJ Hoadley came 3rd with 111 points. In the end it was a close run thing. Tony also won the prize for the loudest snorer of the week.
Quotes of the week:
“It certainly gave you distance”. Peter Jenkins following Paul Owens’ 1st tee shot on the 1st hole on the 1st day with his brand new driver. The ball trickled just a few feet.
“There is a man down there selling balls”. Tony Smith having spent good money on laser eye surgery. It was actually a tree stump.
“Apart from one wrong turn, the journey wasn’t that bad”. Mark Hewitson.
“Isn’t it Easter this week-end?”. John Malia. (only about 9 weeks out John).
“It wasn’t the beer it was a bad sausage”. Bill.

Just a small selection of photographs from the trip:

The 10th Anniversary Tournament and Awards Dinner was a great success. Over 30 SGL Members and guests played at The Bedford Golf Club and then later returned to Silsoe Village Hall for a celebration dinner. Guest speaker Geoff Swain gave an excellent speech with some great anecdotes about SGL members past and present.

Trophies and prizes were awarded by Chairman Tony Smith to the following:
End of Season Tournament – NP to Owen Flack. LD to Ned Lawton. Guest prize to Andy Bangs. 3rd Place to Tony Smith. Runner-up to Keith Addams and Winner to Simon Harley with 33 points (Simon top left).

Keith Addams won the Jigger Trophy for the most improved player and also the ‘3 Club’ Tournament (Keith top right).

The Chairman’s Honour went to Andrew Hammond for achieving the best net score of the season.

The League 3rd Place went to Chris Burrows and Phil Cook. Runners-Up were Tony Smith and Ned Lawton (bottom left) and the 10th Anniversary Winners were a very proud Phil Hammond and Pete Davies (bottom right).
   
   
10th Anniversary Season.
Our 10th Season started with a Texas Scramble. 5 fourballs entered the challenge and the winning team was Owen Flack, Ned Lawton, Keith Addams and Andy Wilson with a round of 1 under par and a net score of 28.8. Longest Drive went to Alan Janes and John Malia took Nearest the Pin. A great opening to our Season.

On Thursday 10th July we visited Chalgrave Golf Club for a 9 hole Stableford Competition. Matt Dibden won the match with Tony Smith coming 2nd and Geoff Banks 3rd. Geoff also took Longest Drive and Simeon Clipstone Nearest the Pin. A windy and wettish night but everyone enjoyed the course.

On the 13th and 14th June, 6 SGL Members went on a golfing break to the Wiltshire Golf Club just outside Wootton Bassett. Overall winner of the 2 day competition was Tony Smith.

In early October 8 members visited the Whitefields Golf Club near Coventry. A stableford match played over 2 days was eventually won by Tony Smith with Chris Burrows taking the runner-up slot. The views over Draycote Water were stunning and members had a great golfing break.

The Challenge Match against the Greyhound resulted in another win for our opponents. The final score was 5 – 1 with only Chris Burrows and Phil Cook winning their match. Then it was back to The Greyhound for great food and prize giving. Greyhound members won Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin so not the greatest of matches for SGL.

The Mashie Trophy was delayed due to terrible weather. With snow falling thick it was decided to run the competition in the New Year.

The start of the year brought our annual trip to warmer climes with a golfing break in Portugal. A 4 day tournament, played on Parque de Floresta, Palmares, Boavista and Vale de Pinta, was an excellent way to spend a few January days with friends. The food in the Algarve is always excellent, only surpassed by the stunning golf courses. `Happy Hours` at the local bar were well received by most and certainly taken advantage of by a few – no names. Even our slight disagreement with our favourite fish restaurant didn’t detract from a great holiday.

And so to the final positions after 4 games of delightful golf. In 1st position with 118 points for the tournament was Peter Jenkins. Runner-up with 99 points was Mark Hewitson and 3rd with 94 was Pete Davies.
Here we have a selection of photographs from the trip.

In May a number of SGL Members took a golfing break to the St. Pierre courses in Wales. We played both the Mathern and the Old Course. Here are some photographs.

At the close of our 2009 Season, we ran the ‘3 Club’ Competition and new member Nick Dobson took the tournament trophy home with him. The ‘End of Season’ Tournament and Awards Dinner was another great success. Back at the Star & Garter, Chairman Tony Smith presented the following trophies:
Tournament Winner – JJ Hoadley Runner Up – David Cham
3rd Place – John Malia
NP – Paul Owens LD – David Cham

This Season’s League Winners were Peter Jenkins and partner Bill. 2nd Places went to David Cham and Alan Janes with 3rd spot going to Peter Davies and Phil Hammond. A very close competition this year with the top 2 teams having 25 points each. In the case of a draw the number of holes won during the season of matches is taken in to consideration. Only 1 hole separated the teams so this has to be the closest yet.
The following photographs are : Bill – League Winner, David Cham – League Runner Up, Phil Hammond – 3rd Place,JJ Hoadley – End of Season Tournament Winner.

To kick the season off, SGL Members competed for the Chairman`s Plaque over 18 holes at Beadlow. In 1st place with 39 points was Matt Dibden. 2nd with 31 points was Jim Horn and 3rd was Tony Smith with 30 points. LD went to guest Steven Davies and Matt also took NP. A great start to the 2009 season of tournaments.

In July we ran another Texas Scramble Tournament with invited guests. 5 teams competed over 9 holes at Beadlow. Eventual winners were Owen Flack, Simeon Clipstone and guests Simon and Martin. Both Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin were taken by Matt Dibden.

In September 2009, we held our 7th Challenge Match against the Greyhound Pub in Haynes. Both sides fielded 7 teams over 18 holes at Beadlow. Unfortunately SGL lost 5 – 2 but Mark Hewitson did pick up the ‘Nearest the Pin’ prize and Mat Dibden took ‘Longest Drive’. The Competition now stands at 4 matches to the Greyhound and 3 to SGL.

In October, there was a golfing break to Hellidon Lakes Golf and Spa Hotel in Banbury.

The Mashie Trophy was played at Beadlow on Monday 28th December. There was still a little snow on the ground and a few bunkers were iced-up but the sun shone brightly as 19 players braved the day. The competition was a 9 hole Stableford on the Baroness. The overall winner for the Mashie was Owen Flack with Tony Smith taking 2nd and Peter Smith 3rd place. Longest Drive went to Matt Dibden and Nearest the Pin to guest Andy Day.

Then back to the Star for turkey curry and a warm. A lovely morning and a great turn-out.

And so the 2009 Season has finished and we look forward to our 10th Anniversary Season starting with the annual trip to foreign parts, playing for the Lauro Shield. Who would have thought when we first started the society that we would still be going strong ten years later. A big thank you to the SGL Committee Members, past and present, who have devoted their time and enthusiasm.

As is the tradition now in SGL, members look forward to the chance to play golf in warmer climes during the month of January. 9 members flew off from Luton to the Algarve in search of the sunshine, some old and some new courses to play and a chance to relax in the many bars and restaurants around Lagos. On the opening day of the 4 day tournament for the Lauro Trophy, we played the coastal course at Palmares. With excellent views at every turn, the players tackled this hilly course with stableford scores setting the handicaps for the following day.

Morning brought a trip to Boavista, another climb around some very picturesque holes with a good helping of water hazards. On the 3rd day we revisited Morgado, scene of last years final day’s play but compared with Palmares and Boavista, Morgado seemed a little lacking. Talk about leaving the best to last, the last day of competition took us to the magnificent course at Parque da Floresta. Buggies for all was definitely the order of the day as we set out to play through what felt like mountainous terrain at times. Spectacular holes and spectacular views left everyone wanting more but after a good rest please.

The following is a selection of photographs taken during the trip:

Overall Winner was Tony Smith with 103 points over 3 days. 2nd with 96 was Pete Davies with Peter Smith taking 3rd slot with 73 points. Peter S also took ‘Nearest the Pin’ being the only one able to actually land the ball on the green on the amazing 5th at Parq da Floresta (see large photo above). ‘Longest Drive’ was won by Ned Lawton.

Of course it wouldn’t be an SGL Trip without a few off-course antics. Mark and Gerry appear to now have a thing for pink underwear of the female variety and matching slippers. Don’t ask. Ned also appeared to subsidise the cost of the trip by promoting himself as the local Rent Boy, not forgetting his other job as the ‘Hit Man’ trying to take out some unsuspecting groundsman hiding behind a tree. You can’t hide from Ned so be warned. Mark took the prize for the most insect bites and JJ won the ‘3 Club’ Competition even though we didn’t have one. And Gerry, remember the heart tablets next year.

Pictured above – SGL Members and Guests at the End of Season Dinner.

The 2008 Mashie Trophy was played at Beadlow with 20 players competing. The SGL Winner was Peter Jenkins with 17 points over 9 holes. John Malia was runner-up with 15 and Matt Dibden took 3rd place with 14. Best guest was Rob Potts with 14 points. Paul Robertson won `Nearest the Pin` with `Longest Drive` captured by Peter Jenkins. A cold December outing but a great game of golf to end the year.

The 2008 season commenced with a new addition to the SGL family of tournaments – The Chairman’s Plaque. Played over 9 holes, each player selects 2 holes which will count as double Stableford points. This bonus however, can soon be lost as each shot into a bunker, on any hole, counts as 1 point lost.
20 players turned up to compete in this new competition. Overall winner with 20 points was David Cham and 2nd went to Nick Benjamin, also on 20 points but losing out on countback. John Malia took 3rd position. LD went to Alan Janes with Peter Smith landing the NP prize.

SGL and the Greyhound League managed to arrange another challenge match in 2008. Played over 18 holes on the Beadlow Baron Course, SGL took the title, bringing the Challenge Shield back to Silsoe.

In the 1st Free Week of the Season, we played a Texas Scramble Competition and invited a number of wives and partners along to join us. The winning fourball was Geoff Banks, Ned Lawton, Mick and Wendy Rouse.

As the season came to an end, we entered the ‘3 Club Challenge’ which has become a regular feature in SGL. The overall winner this year was Peter Jenkins with Peter Smith coming 2nd and Arthur Marsh taking 3rd slot.

Most Improved Player was Owen Flack who was awarded the ‘Jigger Trophy’ at the 2008 Awards Dinner.

The End of Season Tournament was held in September at Beadlow with the Awards Dinner at the Star and Garter in the evening. The following trophies were awarded by Chairman, Tony Smith:
League Winners – John Malia & Jim Horn.
Runners-Up – Matt Dibden & Jamie Holmes.
3rd Place – Tony Smith & Ned Lawton.
Tournament Prizes went to:
NP – Peter Jenkins.
LD – Peter Jenkins.
Tournament Winner – Peter Jenkins.
Runner-Up – David Cham.
3rd Place – Tony Smith.

Pictured: Tony presenting the League Winners Cup to John Malia. Tony presenting the 2nd Place Vase to Matt Dibden and Tony and Ned receiving 3rd Place prizes. Peter Jenkins accepts the End of Season Tournament Prize and finally Ned and Tony hold the SGL / Greyhound Challenge Shield.

The year started in great style with 8 members and 1 guest flying off to the Algarve to contest the Lauro Shield. The location was once again the fantastic Penina Golf Resort near Portimao where the Tournament would cover 3 rounds over 3 days, playing first the Penina course itself and on the last day the delightful Morgado course some 20 minutes drive inland.

Following a missed plane out of Luton (thank you Easyjet) and a hurried dash to Gatwick in overloaded black cabs, the players settled to enjoy the pleasures of good food, wine and the proficient and spell-binding language skills of Peter Smith – how that boy has improved in just one year. Even Gerry Bernstein seemed to relax instantly as he unpacked his satin dressing gown.

And so to the competition:
Overnight Leader was Peter Smith but Stableford points were hard to come by and with no player taking ‘Nearest the Pin’ and ‘Longest Drive’. After day 2, Mark Hewitson took the honours and Gerry took ‘Longest Drive’ and the ‘Best Night Attire’ award. Overall Tournament Winner, following 18 holes in bright sunshine at Morgano, was Tony Smith. Ned Lawton lifted the ‘Nearest the Pin’ Trophy and duly took the ‘Longest solo on an Irish drum in an Irish Bar’ prize that very evening with blisters to show for his endeavours. Gerry once again waltzed off with ‘Longest Drive’ and helped Ned celebrate ’til 4.30 in the morning.
On the last day, 5 members played the course at Palmares.

Other events which should be captured for prosperity are Pedro the Panda, now the proud owner of a Peter Davies club-head cover and of course our guest, Brian Thompson, who will never be the same again. John Malia even had to work part-time as a waiter to subsidise his golfing break.

Photographs –
The Hotel and grounds at Penina.
Pete Davies takes a swing at a par 3 at Penina. For the record Pete has no recollection of playing this hole so this one is to help his memory as he slips into senility.
1st, 2nd and 3rd place go head to head in the final round at Mogardo – Peter, Mark and Tony.

pre-match @ Penina

relaxing @ Morgado

Also at Morgardo, Bill manages to keep awake and Gerry and Brian approach the 468 metre 10th.
   
Eventually, on Sunday 1st April, SGL ran the ‘2006 End of Season Tournament’. Played over 18 holes at Beadlow, the outright Winner was Phil Cook. Nearest the Pin went to Tony Smith and Longest Drive to Alan Janes.

Pictured left to right are Peter Jenkins, Bill, Ned Lawton, Mick Rouse and new member Joe Dunne at the 1st.
Below, Chairman Tony Smith presents the Winners Trophy to Phil Cook.
   
In April 2007, 10 SGL Members and Guests visited Ufford Park Golf Club in Suffolk for a 2 day golfing break. The weather was excellent and the course very picturesque but demanding. A number of the par 3 holes were some of the best designed and challenging we have met so far. Winner of the Stableford competition was David Cham playing off scratch. Despite Alan Janes receiving a ball on the chin from Ned (hiding in the woods is no guarantee of safety) and Duncan Fraser narrowly avoiding a motoring projectile from Gerry Bernstein, a great time was had by all.
Shots of Duncan and Barrie Edwards enjoying the course.
   
As the 2007 Season drew to a close, SGL held a number of tournaments during August and September.
A popular format is the ‘3 Club’ which was won this year by Peter Jenkins. Peter Smith was 2nd with Jim Horn taking 3rd.

A ‘Texas Scramble Golden Ball’ team event was also well attended. Team Winners were Peter Jenkins, Mick Rouse and Ned Lawton. Our ‘End of Season’ Tournament was held at The Millbrook with an excellent field of 30 SGL Members and Guests. The course was in fine condition and everyone enjoyed the golf.

At the Awards Dinner, later that day, the following trophies were presented by Chairman, Tony Smith. 2007 League Winners were Phil Cook and Nick Benjamin. Runners-Up were Andrew Hammond and Nick Ecart with 3rd places going to David Cham and Alan Janes. Winner of the ‘End of Season’ Tournament with 28 points was Peter Jenkins, 2nd was Jim Horn with Geoff Banks clinchimg 3rd. Geoff also took ‘Nearest the Pin, with ‘Longest Drive’ taken by Pete Davies. The 2007 ‘Most Improved Player went to Andrew Hammond.

Pictured below:
Players ready for tee-off at Millbrook and awards to Peter Jenkins (3 Club), Phil and Nick (2007 League Winners) and Andrew and Nick (League Runners-Up).

In October, a number of members visited the Algarve for a golfing break. A competition was held over 3 days and playing 3 different courses at the Vilamoura complex. On the opening day we played the Laguna course with its challenging water hazards, moving to the picturesque Pinhal course on the second. The Millennium hosted the final day’s play. The weather could not have been better and all 3 courses were in immaculate condition.

Apart from the memorable courses and impressive Clubhouses, the week will also be remembered for the burning car outside the Chinese Resteraunt in Albufeira, Tony Smith flooding his hotel room, Jim’s croissants and the karaoke from hell. You had to be there!

Overall winner of the competition was Mark Hewitson with Ned Lawton and JJ Hoadley taking 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

2007 concluded with the Mashie Trophy played at South Beds Golf Club on the 27th December. Winner of the 9 hole competition was Barrie Edwards, 2nd was Phil Cook with Ned Lawton taking 3rd place.

In January of 2006, the Penina Golf Course in the Algarve, played host to the Lauro Shield. The shield is played for on an annual basis when members travel abroad in search of warmer climes. The challenge was first contested in 2004 on the Lauro Course in Malaga, then won by Ned Lawton. Paul Glenister subsequently took the honours in 2005 and now the players assembled in Portugal to find a 2006 winner. The par 73, 5827 metre Championship course, was designed by Sir Henry Cotton and has hosted the Portuguese Open some nine times.

After the first day’s practice round, Peter Smith had posted the top score in this Stableford Competition. The overnight leader after the first day’s play however, was Guest, John Malia with 32 points. The weather had been sunny and warm, the course had been in good condition and everyone had commented about the excellent greens. The final round was won by Chris Burrows on 35 points and Chris also carried away the ‘Nearest the Pin’ prize for good measure. Mark Hewitson made sure ‘Longest Drive’ had his name on it.

Overall Winner of the Lauro Shield was Mark Hewitson with a cumulative score over the two days of 63 points. Chris Burrows was Runner-up with 60 points (count back) and Third Place, with 60 points was Geoff Olney.

Members thanked Tony Smith for arranging the trip and Peter Smith for his natural skill for languages, especially Portuguese.
The photographs below depict the ‘Algarve 11’ about to commence the first tee-off of the Tournament. Also Chris Burrows, Alan Janes and Ned Lawton, enjoying the Driving Range and challenging Penina Course.

In May the Society once again visited Whiston Hall for a Sunday / Monday golfing break. Unfortunately the weather was against us and the competition was cancelled. Some of the players managed a few holes in the pouring rain which created a number of incidents – some good, some not so good. Most notable was a hole in one (the 1st for the Society in its history) for Chris Burrows on the short 4th hole par 3. An excellent shot by all accounts although most SGL members were in the bar and missed it.

On the down side, Gerry Bernstein tore muscles in both legs and spent most of the Sunday in Derby Hospital. Gerry thought he had been hit by a ball. As he limped back to the Club House he tore another muscle in his good leg. Unfortunately most SGL members missed it as thy were in the bar – sorry Gerry!

We did manage to take a few shots be it mainly of the photographic type so from left to right, teeing off from thr 1st – Alan Janes, David Cham, Chris Burrows and Nigel Bedall.

The 2006 End of Season Awards Dinner was held on Sunday 1st October at the Star and Garter. Unfortunately the End of Season Tournament was cancelled mid-round as players were surrounded by thunder and lightening and a torrential downpour. Duncan Fraser gave the after-dinner speech with the traditional mickey-take levelled at fellow members. Chairman, Ned Lawton, presented the awards and thanked everyone for making the event a successful one, despite the weather.

From from left to right, trophies were awarded as follows:
2006 League Winners – Ned Lawton & Tony Smith.
League Runner-up – Paul Glenister. League Rinner-up – Duncan Fraser.
League 3rd place – Mark Hewitson (Gerry Bernstein was unable to attend).
Most improved Player – Phil Cook. Paul Glenister also presented Ned with the ‘3 club’ Tournament Trophy.

The Mashie Trophy Winner (2005) was PAT FORDER

At the end of the Season, SGL ran another ‘3 club’ Tournament over 9 holes. Winner with 16 points (on count back) was Ned Lawton. In 2nd place on 16 points was Jim Horn, in his first year with SGL, and Tony Smith took 3rd place also on 16.

During September a number of members spent 3 days in Scotland staying at the Crieff Hydro. They enjoyed courses at Cromrie, Crieff Golf Club and Muthill. Overall Winner was Pete Davies. David Cham was Runner-up with Mark Hewitson taking 3rd position.

Our annual match against the Greyhound Golf League did not go Silsoe’s way with a 4 – 2 defeat. Honours for Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin also went to the Greyhound, who have now won 3 matches in a row. SGL hosted the Awards Dinner back at the Star.

Geoff Olney
Founder Member
Retired from the League.

SGL Members and their Guests relaxing at the End of Season Awards Dinner. Additional Prizes awarded on the night were ‘Wooden Spoons’ given to John Malia and Jim Horn. Ned Lawton also received a giant calculator to work out his massive handicap cut.

Joint Winners of the 2006 Mashie Trophy were Len Martin and Peter Jenkins. The draw was decided after a count back over 3 holes and then 6 holes showed no clear winner.