| Date: | 1st October 2008 |
| Venue: | Hankley Common G.C. |
OTGS Autumn Meeting at Hankley Common on 1st October 2008
Report from Tony Monteuuis
In a dreadfully wet Autumn we were very fortunate once again and enjoyed Hankley Common’s lovely course on a nice but breezy day. The heather, as ever, was thick and unforgiving and the greens were decidedly quick. Only those who played well scored well and it was a good test for all of us!
Our day started with the cheering sight of past-president Peter Bathurst beaming happily to greet us on arrival and despatch us to our starting points with words of encouragement. Colin Jones played very nicely to shoot a gross 73 to win the scratch event from the Hon. Secretary who pipped Adrian Cooper on countback for the second prize.
Stephen Stowell returned to form with a bang to win the handicap event with a net 72 (84-12). The Hon. Secretary and David Golding-Wood were in second and third place respectively, with the countback once more in the Hon. Secretary’s favour! Stephen’s win was a fine achievement since he had just returned from captaining the victorious British Over 60s team in the World Veterans’ Hockey Championships in Hong Kong.
I can illustrate just how difficult the course was if the ball went anywhere but straight. It is unkind to record this but he’s a good man and won’t mind I’m sure. We had a remarkable return on one hole by a new member Keith Chapman. Playing perfectly well until that moment, Keith struggled on one hole where his drive went awry. He played a provisional ball from the tee, not well, and after six shots with it he reached the point where his drive had gone into the deep heather. Rejoicing at finding it he then played another thirteen shots with the ball now in play and put a disappointing 14 on his card. This meant that he had actually struck his ball twenty times on one hole. His was the most severe example of some of the trouble found by our golfers on a very demanding golf course!
The afternoon foursomes for the Gonda Salvers was won with 34 points by Adrian Cooper and Michael Young, two of Tonbridge’s great post-war squash players! They were three points clear of Richard Proctor and David Hawkins who took second place from the Hon. Secretary and David Golding-Wood on countback.
The Bathurst Trophy for the best net medal scores from the Spring and Autumn Meetings was won by Colin Jones.