Hello once again
When I accepted the nomination to become Captain of Pryors Hayes, one of my objectives was to be seen by all sections within the Club. I was fairly well known within the Men’s section, but not as recognisable within the Ladies and the Seniors section within the Club. That is why I have tried to make myself available to all sections during my Captaincy year and play with anyone who fancied playing with me. I have certainly made a lot of new friends throughout the year which has been really pleasing. It has been great to see how you have all welcomed me.
Roger Schutt was really interested in setting up something with the Junior section to promote what the youngsters were doing within the club. In conjunction with Roger and the Lady Captain, Sue Dunne, we set up a 4BBB competition over 9 holes, pairing Men and Lady members with someone from the Junior section, mainly designed to promote good etiquette on the course.
The Juniors came in all shapes and sizes of differing skills level. I played with the Junior Captain and gave him an insight into shot selection when confronted by various hazards. Sue’s partner was so small that a club measured longer than him. What a great day this turned out to be. We tried to play as seriously as we could, but it proved very difficult at times because we were all laughing so much. The Juniors had a great day and totally appreciated the members turning out to play with them. There were certainly a few stars born that day within the Juniors. However, the grown-ups possibly enjoyed the day more because it was totally different to what they were used to.
It is important to encourage the young talent within the Club. Since I have been at Pryors Hayes, we have always encouraged juniors to play in the Saturday competitions and it has been great to see juniors like Alex Pritchard, Jon Shorrocks, Matt and Mike Robinson, Will Nelson, Tim Jackson, Jack Craven and many others come through the junior section and win major competitions. Hopefully, we can continue working with the juniors, in conjunction with Roger and see some of the current crop playing with us on a Saturday. Note, Roger needs a lot of credit for the work that he does with the juniors, teaching them not only how to play golf, but how to behave when playing golf. He is a credit to have at the club.
As we get to the end of the season, we held our finals day on 19th September where we saw Jon Briggs successful in the Men’s Singles and Sue and Alan Dunne victorious in the Mixed Knockout. We had hoped to stage the Men’s pairs Knockout Final in the same day, but Jon Briggs had qualified for that final as well, so could not play 2 finals at the same time. That final was played on 26th September, where Adam Page and Andrew Brookes took the honours over Jon and Stu Whibberley.
The finals on the 19th were preceded by the annual Men’s v Women’s challenge match. This year, the women came out on top, 4-3. From what I have heard, they were all under instructions to wear short skirts to put the men off. Once again, this proved to be a great social event and was well supported from both the Men’s and Ladies sections.
September has been full of Away Days. I was lucky to have been invited to the Seniors Away Day at Wrexham, the Men’s Committee Away Day at Market Drayton and the 9 and Dine Exchange Day at Denbigh. All 3 courses proved to be a challenge but were in immaculate condition. I played some great golf over the 3 days, winning the Committee Away Day, being part of the team that finished second in the 9 and Dine Exchange Day and not letting myself down at Wrexham. One thing I was impressed with on these days was how welcome the clubs and their members made us. Hopefully, we are reciprocating with visitors to our own club.
I am grateful to Phill Alley, Steve Wynne, Dave Hughes and Norma Hughes for organising these days and inviting me to present trophies. I know from experience that it takes a bit of work, but I know everyone enjoyed themselves on the day. It was also great to see Norma Hughes back playing after a summer off due to injury. I look forward to seeing her playing on a Thursday and a Saturday with the Ladies section.
As I said in the introduction, I wanted to be seen by all Sections within the Club. I would like to say thanks for the way the sections have supported my events. Every time I have asked for support, you have volunteered en masse. It has been great to see the camaraderie throughout the year, especially with the Ladies section. All our fun events have been played in the manner intended and we have all had a lot of fun in the process.
Until next time, PLAY WELL, STAY SAFE, SUPPORT THE CLUB AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER