Men’s Golf Captain’s Blog

This month’s blog is a little lighter—but what a summer of sport we’re having! Sinner triumphs at SW19, Rory narrowly misses out in Portrush, Charley comes close at Porthcawl, the Lionesses smash it in the Euros, and there are simply not enough superlatives to do the cricket justice.

Divot Party

As mentioned in previous blogs, it’s important that we all help look after our glorious course. Our Grounds Team do an excellent job, but we all have a role to play in keeping the course in top condition.

With that in mind, I’d like to highlight the Divot Party on 28th August at 5pm. It would be fantastic to see as many of you as possible take part, then join us back at the bar (the new terrace will be open too!) for a drink or two and pizza.

Click here for the poster

Competitions and events

First up, all summer knockout competitions are now entering the ‘business end’, so the very best of luck to all those who are still ‘in it, to win it’.

Friday Club Stableford 25th July

Congratulations to former captain (2024) Peter McGovern for taking top spot with 35 points from Lou Savage on 34 points and Brian O’Boyle on 33 points. These events are great ways to get qualifying cards, in a more relaxed manner. The next one is on 8th August.

Mixed Individual Stableford PM 27th July

A great turnout with 23 golfers on show for this one. An outstanding round by Shaun Feldon (handicap of +1) to win with 38 points! James Daw, fresh from winning this Stableford on 13th July, came second place with 37 points on countback from former captain (2019) Marin Abbott and Oliver Aikens came fourth with 35 points.

Men’s Stableford 2nd August

Golfing conditions were nearly perfect — firm fairways, receptive greens, a gentle breeze, and comfortable temperatures. Thirty contenders teed off, and they didn’t disappoint, with over half the field playing to their handicap (36 points) or better. Standout performance was from Iain Walsh, who claimed victory on countback with 42 points, edging out Joshua Hughes. Zac Kershaw followed closely in third with 41 points, while Russell Gooding secured fourth with 39 points. Excellent conditions made for a great day of golf — congratulations to all the winners!

9-Hole Mixed Greensomes 6th August

What a great way to spend a Wednesday evening; very friendly / sociable but competitive golf followed by food and drink. Many congratulations to Peter Bateman and Caroline Leslie for taking the top spot on countback with a very impressive 26 points from Clodagh and Paul Taylor (former Captain 2022). Kasandra and Richard Spalding came in third with a very respectable 23 points. I look forward to the 9 hole scramble on 20th August and hope to see a full field again on the course and then back in the bar.

Captain and Pro

My 13th match on 4th August, partnered with Ricky, was against two former captains; Derek Mason (2012) and Paul Taylor (2022).

We started strong with a birdie on 10, but the challengers soon came storming back. It turned out to be an unlucky 13th match for the Captain and Pro, as some sublime golf from the challengers left us unable to keep up.

Congratulations to the former captains and thank you to Derek and Paul for the generous contribution to my charity https://www.fishhelp.org.uk/

Scratch section

Alex Tonge is back representing us in the EAGG Scratch knockout. Delighted to report he won his first round against Harry Hall away at Effingham 3 and 2. Harry is their current Club Champion, so a great win for Alex. On to round two and wishing Alex the best of luck to go deep into this competition.

Junior section

Congratulations to the Juniors who went out to play an 18 hole Stableford on 25th July. A fine performance and well done to Casper Cooper for winning on countback with 37 points from Freddie Threshie. Thomas Feldon came in third with 35 points and Huw Stradling finished fourth with 34 points.

Surrey and other knockout competitions

• Surrey 5s – Roehampton Club team, captained by ‘VVC’ Jonny Perkins are playing in the final against Walton Heath Artisans away on 30th August. Huge congratulations to the whole team for getting us into this position; James Bushell, Rob Cutler, Giles O’Flynn, Paul Igo, Christian Blinkenberg (played all matches and who is unbeaten so far!) and Ralph Evers.
• Kelso-Hamilton – Jack Collins and Henry John are playing in the final on 16th August against Wimbledon Common. A fabulous achievement! Wishing them the very best of luck.

Upcoming competitions and events

• Mixed Individual Stableford – 17th August
• 9-hole mixed Pairs Scramble – 20th August
• Junior 18 hole Stableford – 23rd August
• Salute the Services – 4th September
• George Gadd Challenge Cup – 6th September
• Junior Club Champs – 7th September
• Mixed Individual Stableford – 7th September

Thank you for reading. Please don’t hesitate to share any suggestions for future blogs. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on our glorious course.