Welcome to the latest Newsletter from Southwell Golf Club.
This is the first newsletter we have produced since the Covid pandemic and we hope to reinstate the newsletter as a regular feature. We hope you enjoy the content which aims to inform you what has been happening at the club both on and off the course. If there are things you would like to see included, please let Roger Ruane know by sending an e-mail to roger.ruane@btinternet.com
Here is a brief update on my first few months as your Club Captain. It’s gone very quickly but not quickly enough if you ask my wife! I organised a working party to get the greens top dressed. Hopefully, the benefit is now beginning to show as the greens are improving each week and are rolling much better. Other projects have included improvements to the bunkers on the 11th and 12th holes. As always, many thanks to those members who supported these projects. I’ve managed to represent the club at all levels except the scratch league; my handicap has improved but not to that level! My Captain’s projects continue to be well supported by members’ donations, for which I am most grateful and will be an invaluable contribution to our main winter project. This will be the installation of new all-weather tees on 14 holes, details of which are posted in the Club House. Don’t forget, if you do go in the water on the 7th, please donate to either the Captain’s projects or the Lady Captain’s Dementia UK charity. Finally, thank you for your kind words of support. After over 60 rounds of golf already since my drive in, I need all the help I can get! Above all, enjoy your golf.
Paul Wilson Club Captain
The Ladies Section Where is the year going? We have said “goodbye” to the lovely month of June, the longest day has been and gone and we now start to see the nights slowly draw in but, before they do, we have lots to look forward to and lots to report. We have all been very well informed as to our ladies and gents’ remarkable achievements so far this year but, I would just like to highlight what the Ladies Section has been up to both at home and “away”. We are well into our knockouts and Silver and Bronze League matches, we have won a few and lost a few! However, we had an amazing win in the Taskers competition against Woodhall Spa but unfortunately, our run ended with a close loss against Ullesthorpe on 6 July. We are also still in the Mixed Interclub Competition after amazing wins against Newark and College Pines, both played at Norwood Park. We have a new Lady Club Champion, Liz Martin - many congratulations go to her for her splendid second round and to Gill Ruane, for winning the best nett trophy. The ladies have also had success away from Southwell, with Jan Charlesworth, Chris Gibson, Joyce Pollard and Maureen Todd winning the Newark AM-AM and Charlie Hall and Megan Allen coming third in the Nottinghamshire Ladies Pairs Open. A big thank you to all of the members who played in Lady Captain’s Day on Sunday 17 July. There had been some discussion of perhaps cancelling the day given the forecast of extreme heat. However, in the event, we went ahead and everyone seemed to enjoy the day – hopefully, the ice creams at Halfway House were welcome by all. I certainly had a lovely day and many congratulations to Jennifer Hubbard whose excellent score of 40 points saw her take the Nottingham Building Society Trophy. I thank you all for your continued support and for all the good wishes I have received over the last four months as well as your generosity towards my chosen Charity, Dementia UK.
Jayne Bingham, Lady Captain
Team Southwell Having a club with a relatively small membership compared to many others, Southwell has proved time and again that it is a force to be reckoned with. This season has been no exception with an excellent run of results in the various Interclub matches. The Ladies enjoyed success in the early rounds of the Taskers Club Trophy, defeating Melton Mowbray away from home and followed this up with a superb team victory against Woodall Spa. They have also had some great performances in the Bronze and Silver League fixtures including the recent 6.5 to 0.5 defeat of Newark in the Silver League. Charlie Hall won the Jubilee Bowl with the best overall nett score at Norwood Park in the Nottinghamshire Ladies’ Golf Association summer meeting. The team of Chris Gibson, Joyce Pollard, Maureen Todd and Jan Charlesworth won the Newark Am-Am whilst Liz Martin and Ann Watson were part of the winning team in Retford Golf Club’s Summer Am-Am. The Seniors have also enjoyed some highly competitive Interclub matches which are always played with great spirit. At the time of writing, Southwell has won 6 and drawn 3 of the 13 matches played. Our Men’s section continues to fight for honours in a range of competitions including the upcoming quarter-final fixture against Ashby Decoy in the Taskers Plate whilst in the Scratch League, we are currently joint top of Division 5. A victory in the final fixture of the season, a home match vs Nottingham City, would see us earn promotion to Division 4. In the Men’s Summer League, Southwell sit in 2nd place behind Norwood Park although we have a game in hand over the leaders. The season has included excellent away victories at Springwater and Mapperley and it has also been great to see a number of different players represent Southwell in these matches. Some of our greatest performances in 2022 have been in the County Foursomes. The Men’s team of Richard Drinkwater, Chris Wright, Sam Wright and Jack Taylor have had fantastic victories against Retford and Stanton on the Wolds. We now face Rushcliffe at Rufford Park for a chance to reach the final. Richard and Chris have also teamed up with Charlie Hall and Jayne Bingham for the mixed County Foursomes and have brought along their excellent form which has resulted in a 7-up victory against Newark and an outstanding 10-up win against Stanton on the Wolds. Again, we have progressed to the semi-finals which will be against Serlby Park at Rufford Golf Club in August. There have been some fantastic results - sincere thanks to everyone who gives their time to play in the representative matches – you are a credit to Southwell Golf Club.
Senior Captain's Review - Senior Captain’s first 4 months in post!! It does not seem that long ago that I was standing on the tee at hole 10 at Captains’ Drive In, with all the club members’ eyes watching my every move, whilst I was silently praying to the golfing gods that my drive would go reasonably straight. He did listen to me in that instance but then ignored the rest of my round! Back in 2021 I felt privileged when Graham Coulson asked me to be his Seniors Vice Captain. The year of learning the job has flown by quickly and I much appreciate the help I was given by club members who have lots of knowledge. I’m now in at the deep end! The Seniors’ Board competitions have commenced and we have already had some excellent scores and notable winners. The Seniors Club Championship was a closely contested affair. At the end of the first round, Richard Nevin was the clubhouse leader and held a 2-shot lead with a nett 68. However, there were 12 players within 5 shots of the lead. The second round became a shootout between last year’s Champion, Dave Williams and Doug Burton. Both of them shot nett 65s and Doug won by just one shot, the narrowest of margins. Many congratulations to Doug but also to Dave for putting up such a tremendous defence of his title. The Seniors Inter-club matches commenced on the 23rd March and run all the way through to the 23rd September. On writing this article we have played 13 matches and our record is won 6, drawn 3 and lost 4. One of the challenges I have found so far is trying to find enough Senior men willing to add their name to the sign-up sheet. When I started to play in the inter-club matches, I was always a bit hesitant to put my name down, not knowing what was involved. I can honestly say I always had an enjoyable time playing in these events. You play lots of different courses, everyone is very friendly and it’s always a great social occasion. Of course, an added bonus when we play at home is Bernie’s superb meal after the match. So please look on the notice board and add your name to the list and give it a try. This year of my captaincy we are going to do something different. After consultation with the Senior Committee, we have identified a date in the calendar of Monday 24th October to hold a fund-raising day in support of the Newark Children’s Bereavement Centre which supports local children and their families from Nottingham and Lincolnshire affected by the death or terminal illness of someone they love. This is a charity close to my heart, so please look out for more details nearer the time after further planning takes place. I would like to thank the Seniors Vice Captain, Paul Burton, Seniors Committee and Senior Members for their continued support. I look forward to the rest of my season as Senior Captain and hope all members continue to have a great golfing season.
Steve Perchal, Senior Captain
SGC Projects – A Brief History & Future Plans: Since our return to unrestricted play post COVID, there has been a great deal of change: new members, improvement plans and objectives for the future. As a result, interest in the project portfolio has increased i.e. What types of projects? How are they paid for? And how does revenue from the 100 Club help to fund improvements?
Project/Course Improvement plans started in 2013 when with a funds surplus, the Committee decided to invest in a new shoe cleaner which is now located on the patio. This was such a resounding success that the Committee was keen to identify other projects and fundraising campaigns to support facility and course improvements. This in turn led to some innovative and successful fundraising ideas which have enabled these changes and subsequently enhanced the SGC experience – for members and visitors. This year, your Club Captain chose to nominate ‘SGC Projects’ as his charity to help further the momentum throughout what has been a challenging time socially and economically. For the past six years, the primary fundraising source has been the “100 Club” Lottery. However, where does the money go? 75% of proceeds is paid out to the monthly draw winners with the remainder invested in future improvement plans. I would therefore encourage members who do not have a lottery number, to seriously consider joining as it not only supports the projects fund but provides 5 lucky monthly winners with the chance to take home £30 to £170 in prize money! Since 2013/14, along with our charitable donations the following projects were undertaken:
- The purchase and installation of the shoe cleaner
- Reed clearance on the front 9 and drainage improvement to holes 5 and 14
- Creation of two fairway bunkers on hole 9 and new sand in existing bunkers
- Installation of all-weather tees for the 1st, 7th, 12th and 18th holes
- Replacement of the picnic benches on the Club patio
- Purchase of the slope index boards
- Computer/BRS systems upgrade
- Hardstanding paths throughout the course and improvements to the bridge over the River Greet
However, this is just a selection of the completed improvements and over the past 7 years, it is estimated that your contributions have funded projects in excess of £30k. What’s next? The social and economic pressures on people and businesses have never been more intense but I’m pleased to confirm that SGC is set to embark on its most ambitious and costly project yet – As a result of key funding initiatives, generated primarily through the 100 Club, the Club Captain, his Vice Captain and Arena Leisure have decided to install 14 all-weather tees which will enable qualifying competitions to take place throughout the year. However, the success and speed of their introduction will be dependent upon your support – financially and, where possible, physically. Therefore, do please explore the many ways you can help to make a difference – the Committee are on hand to help and it will, as always, be appreciated. Details of the target tees are detailed on the information board in the Clubhouse. Please familiarise yourself with the display and pass on any feedback you may have. Finally, on behalf of your Committee and the Sub-Committees, I would like to thank you for past efforts and look forward to your continued and valued support in 2022.
Brian Watson Chairman of Committee SGC
Social Committee Snapshot The role of the Social Committee is to provide enjoyable and affordable social events for our members and guests whilst raising funds (not provided by our owners, Arena Leisure) to enhance our clubhouse. As an example, we organised a plants and produce stall on Steward’s Day and the proceeds generated from events such as this enable us to purchase items which we feel will be of benefit to the membership. Currently the Social Committee consists of Rosemary Hardcastle (Chair), Gill Ruane (Secretary), Pat Pickering (Treasurer), Elaine Nevin (Publicity), Graham Coulson and Bernie Forbes. We are always looking for new members and ideas so if you think you could help in any way, please get in touch with one of us. As you may have noticed the sofas in the clubhouse are now looking quite shabby (but not chic!) so our next goal is to raise sufficient funds to replace them (current funds might just about run to 2 new ones). We have also contributed to the recent purchase of 4 griddle pans for the kitchen which Bernie will be trying out at the Quiz Night on Friday 19th August so don’t miss it! The summer quiz nights have proved popular and don’t miss the next one this Friday 22nd July at 7.15 with Quizmaster Andy Duckmanton. The last one will be Friday 9th September, the last Friday night fiddle of the year. Bernie’s themed evenings with 2 course meals will resume in the Autumn on Saturday 8th October and Saturday 12th November so get those dates in your diaries and help us raise funds whilst enjoying good food, good company, good value and a good time. And just in case you are looking ahead, a date for your diary is Friday 3rd December (just over 20 weeks away!) for the Xmas dinner and dancing in the clubhouse!
Many thanks to all of you who support our events in any way – let’s get together and celebrate our great club and members in the clubhouse as well as on the course!
