As we move towards spring, we continue to face the challenges of unpredictable weather, and we are hoping for a sustained spell of dry and sunny days to help our courses dry out.

Regarding inter-club matches, our match against Stowmarket away was cancelled, but we had a home match against Newton Green which we won 4.5 v 3.5 in a close match. Unfortunately, we lost to Colchester 3.5 v 4.5 again in a close match. For April, we have home matches against The Warren and Ipswich and away matches against Brett Vale, Colchester and The Warren. In terms of monthly competitions, both our March monthly competitions were cancelled. The Mike Moore Memorial Scramble has been rescheduled and will now be held on May 1. The Past Captains match will be held on April 19. On April 10, we will be holding the monthly Stableford to help raise some money for World Parkinson's Day which is on April 11. Please wear something blue and help support a great cause.

Starting from April 1, there will be a big change. To provide additional consistency to the way Course Handicaps are calculated and to bring GB&I in line with the majority of the world, the decision has been taken by GB&I nations to adopt the 'Course Rating – Par' method when calculating a Course Handicap. The formula for calculating the Course Handicap is: Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (slope rating/113) + (CR-Par)

The clocks go forward from March 31, golfing days will be longer as we move out of winter into spring. Let's hope for some good weather!

Quote for this month: "Let the ball get in the way of the swing instead of making the ball the object." - Jack Burke snr.

John Parkinson SbN Seniors Captain

Disclaimer: The following is a light-hearted review of the previous month’s events. No offence is intended, I hope none is taken!

Full (formal) information can always be found on the senior’s website www.stokeseniors.com

All club information can be found at www.sbngolfmembers.co.uk

I would like to start with a heartfelt apology. One of our members had been looking forward to, not only winning a competition, but in doing so, he would be seeing his photo in the newsletter in full victorious splendour. Unfortunately for him, I changed the style of the newsletter and stopped using as many photos as previous months. I’m so sorry to have caused so much disappointment and would like to rectify my shortcomings. I hope the following is acceptable:

So still the rain fell, still competitions were cancelled, still the course was closed and we had to find something else to amuse ourselves with, or somewhere a little drier to play on the odd occasion, some even went to foreign climes. The cupboard for storing monthly stableford prizes must be overflowing, I don’t think we’ve played one this year! The first Interclub match v Stowmarket was cancelled, (another club with drainage issues-at least we had a bit more notice this year.) This match will now take place in July. Also cancelled was the Mike Moore Scramble (to be played May 1^st replacing American Greensomes) and the March Stableford.

It wasn’t all bad news as we did manage to get some golf in. We played our first two Interclub matches, firstly at home to Newton Green, winning 4 ½-3 ½ , then home to Colchester losing by the same scoreline.

The Newton game looked like a fair and close game, played in good spirits, however, the Colchester game, although played with the usual SbN camaraderie, left some questioning the playing handicaps of the opposition. Quote of the day in the match report from the Colchester game, re Malcolm’s participation, “Malcolm had a clean trolley!”

The matches are coming in thick and fast, so if you want to join in, make sure you update your availability on ClubV1. We have five games in April, so we need a full squad to choose from. In addition to Pete Hele and myself organising the matches, we have now welcomed Malcolm into the fold to assist us.

The monthly Stableford on April 10^th will have a twist this month as it will be played in support of Capt Parky’s charity, Parkinson’s UK, and will include an additional £4 donation to the charity and entry into a prize draw. There will also be nearest the pin on all par threes. You are encouraged to wear something blue in recognition of the charity’s official colours.

Despite the weather interruptions, we did manage three swindles in March, resulting in victories for some familiar names, R Davies (not the Welsh sheepy one but the nice one, Rob), Colin Dallas and Phil Hickley. The usual bandits had to be satisfied with only runner-up prizes, although it was nice to see Pete Robins return with a top 4 finish, welcome back. There are four swindles scheduled for April.

The first winter knockout final (doubles) was contested on the Constable course on March 26^th with Tony Denmead and Dick Lumsden claiming victory over Steve Tree and Colin Pottle by a 3 and 1 margin. What turned out to be a closely fought match, with the lead changing hands several times was closed out after Dick and Tony won 15, 16 and 17. Congratulations to the winners. The singles final is scheduled for April and will be contested after completion of the semi-finals, with everything being delayed by the weather. Booking has now closed for the summer knockouts.

We have two new members to the senior’s section, so a warm welcome to the other member of the Jardine clan, Ross Jardine, although no relation to John. We also welcome Paul Newbold who currently plays with the TMS. No doubt his TMS colleagues have told him what a great bunch we are!

Just as you were getting your head around the WHS changes from a few years ago, the powers that be decided that they needed to be changed again. Quite apt that all the changes take place from April 1^st. Whilst we could be forgiven for thinking that changes were meant to simplify things, the new handicap calculations seem a little more complicated. However, don’t despair, England Golf will always give your correct handicap, and for competition entry and general play rounds, the information on ClubV1 when signing in will always be correct. There is also a touch screen outside the Proshop where your individual handicap can be calculated. If anyone has any issues, please see a member of the Captain’s helpers who will try to assist. If you are one of the Captain’s helpers reading this and you have an issue, press the help button!

With more clement weather on the horizon, don’t forget to get plenty of cards in for your handicap. Remember you need at least 12 cards from the last 12 months (although presently 14) to be eligible for the winner’s podium.

I hope you all had a great Easter, don’t eat all of your eggs on the same day!

Finally, Many Happy Returns to all members who have their birthdays in April.

Details of April’s schedule and all fixtures in 2024 can be found on the website.

Club V1 is the place to go to enter your availability for all 2024 Interclub matches, you can also sign up for the team, if you’re not yet a member.

If anyone wishes to share any “amusing” stories with me for the next newsletter, this can be done anonymously, or otherwise, by emailing kevinprice@btinternet.com