MEMBER NEWS
Members Newsletter January 2023
First and foremost I would like to wish everyone the very best for the year ahead and hope that 2023 is full of low scores and good times both on and off the golf course!
December has been an incredibly busy month for the team here at the Club, planning, organising and delivering over 2,500 Christmas meals as our festive function business finally returned to pre-pandemic levels. I cannot thank the team enough for their hard work, not just through December, but a very busy year for the Club as a whole, they have been fantastic. It has also been a pleasure to join many of you for the Aldwicks and Ladies Christmas lunches, both of which were extremely enjoyable and the entertainment for both events was certainly great fun!
I am pleased to announce that our Sales Manager Holly Laird gave birth to a baby girl, Sienna Lorna Laird at 1:13pm on Wednesday 28th December. Holly and baby are doing well and Holly sends her regards.
Over the coming weeks will see a changing of the guard with Diana, Graham and David driving out for the final time as Captains of the Club. I would like to thank all three for their hard work and support over the past 12 months, I have enjoyed working with them all immensely and they should be extremely proud of everything they have for the members they represent and the Club Charity, a job well done!
I look forward to seeing you at the Club soon
Ian McDowell General ManagerA Message from the Captain
Happy New Year everyone and here’s to a fantastic 2023. I do hope you have enjoyed the newsletters that takes some pulling together from Ian and his team and your Captains. In this final one from me before Steve Pick takes over as Club Captain I will reflect on what has been a very enjoyable 2022. Before that though some key dates for your diaries:-
- Thursday 26th Jan 2023
Club Awards and Race Night (even if you haven’t won anything please do come along to race night and also the presentations including presentation of charity fund to Parkinson’s UK). For race night we are looking for Sponsors for races and Owners of horses on a great fun evening and we have agreed that this will be the first event for the new Captains Charity.
- Tuesday 31st Jan 2023
Club AGM. Your opportunity to have a say about the running of the club. This will be at the clubhouse this year. See notice board for details of both events.
- Sat 28th Jan 2023 Captains Drive Out Unfortunately, I am on holiday in Dubai and so won’t be able to play, Diana and David will though and I will be there to support Steve & Mike for their drive in.
- Sat 4th Feb 2023 Captains Drive In
Note the drive in and out are open to all membership categories without the addition of a green fee. Incoming Captain Steve Pick will soon be sharing details of the guess the Drive distances sweepstake
Also now open to entries is the Valentines Mixed Pairs on Sat 11th Feb and the Gents 3 Clubs and a Putter on 19th March.
Reflections on 2022
So lots of people ask me how Captains year has been and I can honestly say it has been very enjoyable. It is a times a lot more work but with the support of the other Diana and David, Vice Captain Steve Pick and then the committee members and organisers who do so much to make your golf more enjoyable. A huge thanks from me to all who support the club.
In terms of feedback it has been really pleasing to receive positive feedback on what we have been doing as well as good ideas and suggestions for improvements (slow play, bunkers, repairing divots and pitch marks have been a feature of many conversations)! Hopefully we managed to get more right than wrong for you, it wasn’t all error free – (printing the turkey trott labels on the wrong side was one of my fopar’s plus don’t mention forgetting the last Captains committee meeting!
Some of my fondest memories were:
- A great Captains drive in to kick off to our joint Captains charity followed by a Covid delayed awards/race night in April.
- Supporting Ukraine in the mixed yellow ball in March
- Lots of competitions in Spring and early summer. Valentine Day pairs was lots of fun, flowers and chocolates for the ladies of course! The Captains Cup was fun and a good reason to be Captain one day as it is for ex Club Captains. There was the Karl Morris workshop where I still use several pieces of his advice on the course.
- Great to see everyone supporting the Queen at the Platinum Jubilee competition. What wonderful Monarch.
- Then the midsummer marathon and Charity Day which made a huge amount for Parkinson UK expanding our cause outside of the club on top of the fantastic support you have all given throughout the year. Here’s some photo’s of the first half of the year to remember.
- The summer brings Club Championships and Captains Days. What fun David and I had with Craig and his team doing crazy golf for Diana’s day!
- After a summer lull Autumn has another run of competitions and then into winter and Turkey Trotts (well done Tony, Tony, Paul and John for winning)!
All in all a fantastic year with much more than just here.
So hopefully reading this makes some of you think ‘I would like to get more involved helping run the fantastic competitions or even be one of the Captains or even Club Captain’, if so, please do step up.
Finally
Big thanks to Ian and his team, the friendly helpful shop team, the bar catering and hospitality staff, the back office and of course Craig and the greenkeepers who keep our course and especially the greens up with best in the UK.
To Diana and David on working together collectively to raise currently over £38,000 for Parkinson’s UKwhich is truly amazing (to be finalised and presented on Awards night). This achieved with huge contributions and support from both outside the club and of course to you, our members, for your fantastic generosity. I am sure you will support Steve, Mike and the Ladies section in 2023. I wish you all a fun and enjoyable golfing year.
Many thanks, Graham Payne Club Captain gents.captain@apgcmembers.org
A Message from the Lady Captain
The time of year for winding up and celebrating. Congratulations to Julia Bashford, the winner of the WINTER SINGLES KNOCKOUT Trophy. The runner up was Naz Ball.
Linda Reeve was victorious in the Ladies’ WINTER ECLECTIC closely followed by Elaine Meagher. Well done.
The ladies played their CAPTAIN V PAST CAPTAIN match. The captain’s team won, thanks to the Pink Ladies. Some of us entered a lovely Winter Invitation day at Chesfield Downs
The CHRISTMAS LUNCH was fun, expertly organised by Ian and his team. The lack of golf, due to a snowcovered course, was made up for by the appearance of the fairies, brilliantly organised by Eleanor Trigell and assisted by a guest appearance. I wonder who that could have been?
The Club Captain was spotted at the Turkey Trot with Eric in rather natty suits
This is my valedictory message. The structure of the ladies’ section must change in the year ahead as there will be no captain or vice-captain of the Ladies Section. Instead, the Ladies’ committee will be in charge and lots of different volunteers will organise events. Please give them your full support and understanding. Fingers crossed!
Thanks to everyone for your help and friendship this year and good luck with your golf in 2023.
Finally, with your help we have raised a stunning amount for Parkinson’s UK. Let’s hope our contribution can make a little difference in the search for treatment.
Best wishes, Diana Godden Lady CaptainA Message from the Seniors Captain
This is my last Newsletter before I retire to the back benches. The year has nearly been and gone but there have been some late season events.
On 8th November we had the Team Yellow Ball competition organised by Mike Tozer. There were 13 teams of 3 and the results were:
1st. Sid Sinclair; Ray Crawley; Robert Gold (133 points)
2nd. Nick Boardman; Kate Bull; Bob Bright (127 points)
3rd. Gill Lee; Mike Tozer; Steve Mummery (125 points)
On 15th November the Winter Stableford organised by Alan Taylor was scheduled to be played and on 17th November, the re-arranged 2022 Captain vs 2023 Captain was scheduled to be played. Unfortunately, there was very heavy rain during the week and both events had to be cancelled.
On a cold 24th November, we had the 3 clubs and a putter competition organised by Jonathan Clapham. There were 27 players and the results were as follows:
1st. Nick Boardman (with 35 points, which included a birdie 3 on the 13th).
2nd. Norman Kershaw (34 points on c/b).
3rd. Mike Howells and Pete Laurence (equal on 34 points each).
On 1st December, there was the Winter Stableford (organised by Nick Boardman). There were 32 players in the 18-hole event, and 3 players in the 9-hole event.
18-hole:
Div 1. 1st John Harris (39pts) 2nd Darrell Martin (38pts) 3rd Robert Harper (37pts).
Div 2 1st John Russell (39) 2nd Alan Taylor (37) 3rd (Trevor Pyne (36).
9-hole: 1st. David Palmer (11 points); 2nd Malcolm Proudley (10 points) 3rd. Mike Swain (7 points).
8th December, on a cold, crisp day, there was the Turkey Trot, organised by Mike Childs.
There were 16 teams of three and the first 3 places were as follows:
1st. Mike Childs, Trevor Bull and Chris Woodcock with 59.27 points.
2nd. Carl Lawson, Alistair Holt-Thomas and Paul Bullock with 61.10 points.
3rd. 3 teams all sharing 63.00 points: Terry Lansdowne, Alex Hall & Kim Nguyan; Rajesh Panchal, Mike Hughes & Sue Phillips, and Andrew Walker, Jerry Perritt & Robert Gold.
In early December, I had the sad duty to inform you of the death of Paul Wright, a much liked and respected member of the Club for a number of years. Whilst he didn’t play in the Aldwicks events, he was a regular member of the Wednesday Swindle and also played on Mondays and Fridays. I have recently sent out a notice regarding his Funeral on 30th December.
On 11th December there was a heavy fall of snow on the course, creating some wonderful scenes.
On 14th December, the Ladies Section had their Christmas Lunch, which included a very entertaining sketch that had been prepared with great care by Eleanor Trigell. I was ‘invited’ to have a small dainty walk-on part. I don’t think that David Lodge should have any concerns about a take-over of his position!
The last Aldwicks event of the year was the traditional Aldwicks Christmas Lunch and Golf held on 20th December.
In the weeks leading-up to the event, our Treasurer, Keith Cox, was in charge of all the finances and keeping a record of all those playing and lunching. He was also in charge of collating all the prize money won throughout the year and arranging for the payments to be credited to the PSI or the Bar or Pro-shop. I announced that Keith is my ‘Captain’s Pick’ this year.
Eric Diment was in charge of preparing the Draw, ably assisted by Axel Flaig on the format and handicaps. Alan Taylor was responsible for locating all the Trophies won during the year and arranging for them to be engraved.
In addition, there was the assembled team of helpers, the unsung heroes who traditionally help out with the halfway house arrangements, purchasing the prizes and the ‘meet and greet, and markers. Sadly this year,
just 9 days after the snow fell, there was heavy rainfall over the 18th and 19th Dec, and it was reluctantly decided that we should cancel the golf competition and just go ahead with the Lunch. My thanks to all those who would have been involved with the meet and greet; marking the cards, and the halfway house (who included: Sue Phillips; Brian Hanks; Denys Penhale (who sadly couldn’t be with us on the day); John Cowie; Sue Tant; Dee Wyllie; Trevor Bull; Bob Bright; Dave Habershon and Robin Edwards).
In addition, I offer my sincere thanks to Ian and his team for all their collective help in the arrangements for the day (and indeed throughout the year). It is very much a collective team event.
At midday, the clubhouse started filling up and really for the first time since Covid struck there was a very happy atmosphere present. Quite like old times, with a smart dress code which included some jackets (which had hardly seen the light of day for a long time) and some festive embellishments.
At 1pm, 73 sat down to an excellent carvery lunch. We were joined by Ian, Miranda Emery, Brian Farr, Liz and Ross from APGC.
The lunch started at 1pm and the service from the ‘F and B’ throughout was first class. During the meal, Dave Habershon and Robin Edwards worked their way around the tables and the collection for the staff raised the fine amount of £664.80. Separately, the Aldwicks presented Craig and the greenkeeping staff with £250 from the Aldwicks funds. Also, a well done to Diana Godden and her Ladies for collecting £120 for the Club Charity from the sale of their delightful knitted stockings filled with chocolates.
A highlight of the Lunch was the unexpected entertainment provided by Seniors Past Captain, Mike Hughes, and his team of Mike Tozer, Pete Laurence, Tom Walters, Jim McGown and Alistair Holt-Thomas. Mike had chosen the musical ‘Les Miserable’ and had adapted the wording of ‘Master of the House’ to provide a somewhat flattering picture of ‘The Captain of the House’.
To end the Lunch, there was a lucky dip for the prizes that had been purchased for the golf competition and the presentation of the Trophies won during the year.
Senior Men’s Club Champion
Senior Singles Knockout (Norman Kershaw Trophy)
Senior Pairs Knockout (Terry Turner Trophy)
Carl Lawson
John Russell
Darrell Martin & John Russell
Anthony Hughes Harpenden Senior Championship
Medal Trophy
Eric Diment Harp. Sen. C’ship (team trophy)
Tony Fowler Shootout
Peter Ashe Pairs
Senior Memorial Trophy
Senior Autumn Pairs (Railes Trophy)
Senior Singles Autumn Cup (Ian Kerr Memorial Cup)
Banham Trophy – Lowest Gross score
Aldwickbury Park
Lee Edwards & Keith Sheffield
Terry Daly & Robert Gold
Sid Sinclair
Dave Habershon & Len Fellowes
Harry Bech
Rajesh Panchal
Whilst not an Aldwicks event, there were congratulations to Pete Laurence and Elaine Meagher for their winning the Herts Seniors Mixed Greensomes competition.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the health of four Aldwicks. Liz Robinson has been suffering ill health for a lengthy period but it’s encouraging that she is currently on a new course of treatment and feeling brighter. Helen Van Der Kraan is presently recovering from an operation, as is Pam Kershaw. Our best wishes to them.
There is also Dave Habershon who recently suffered a severe and unexpected case of shortness of breath and dizziness on the golf course. He was rushed off to hospital by his GP and was found to have blood clots on his lungs arising from a long-haul flight, though on the plus side he was told that fortunately he had the constitution of a 40 year old! He’s been told that there is to be no golf for at least 6 months and, more upsetting, little or no alcohol. We were delighted to have Dave amongst us at the lunch and we wish him and the Ladies better health in 2023.
The Gents Section has been sent seasonal greetings by Eleanor Trigell on behalf of the Ladies with her ‘Ten Golfing Commandments’ that she has specially prepared. It can be seen in the Gents Changing room pinned to the door.
Looking ahead to the New Year, we will hope to see you at the following events in January:
Tuesday 10th January. Winter 9 hole and 18 hole Winter Stableford. Organiser Mike Howells.
Thursday 19th January. Aldwicks Flag Competition. Organiser Dave Habershon, followed by the Aldwicks Annual Meeting (where, subject to the election procedure, I hand over the Seniors Captaincy to Mick Beaufoy).
Thursday 26th January. Club Awards Evening/Race Night.
Tuesday 31st January. Club AGM. A very happy New Year to you all.
David Phillips Seniors CaptainCourse Report
December was a very mixed bag weather conditions, the start of the month remained warm with outbreaks of rain which later turned into heavy white frosts and very cold freezing temperatures over a number of days causing the ground frost to go deeper and deeper into the ground. Then to top it off we had had hit of snow, very much the icing on the cake and forcing us to close.
The thaw also caused its own issues with fresh rain left with no way of penetrating the frozen ground and only a thin top layer thawing out on top of the hard frozen sub layer. This creates instability and can cause grass roots to sheer and snap, which can cause huge issues for plant health, particularly in the months ahead as we build towards a busy playing season.
Greens
Before the cold snap we had the chance to run our Procore over the greens which keeps the surfaces open to allow percolation and aid root development. Greens have come through this part of winter very well and remain firm. This had been down largely to the cultural work that we have undertaken throughout the year with 170 tons of sand applied, regular ninja tining and reducing the amount of nitrogen used.
Course
On the course the team have been busy with tree work and over the next few month we will be tackling areas on the course that have become over grown and are looking untidy.
Wear sand has been applied to high traffic areas, more post and rope will be added where required to help control the footfall that we have day to day and to minimise damage around the course.
Behind the scenes the greenstaff have still been busy, even with the course closure, as it gave us a chance to reorganise the sheds, start winter servicing of our machinery fleet and to make sure we were ready for the year ahead.
I would like to say a massive thank you to all the members that have supported the green staff this year. We are seeing a huge decrease in pitchmarks lets keep this going into 2023 and also for all the members that have opted to carry and not take a trolley or electric trolley this have been brilliant to see over these winter months.
See you all at the club very soon.
Craig Betts Course Manager