SENIORS NEWSLETTER 3 OCTOBER 2026

The dry spell continues, with only the occasional splash of rain, but the course is “greening up” well.
There are definite signs Summer is finally coming to an end – preferred lies are in operation and the
clocks go back in just three weeks, although it’s still unseasonably warm.

Seniors’ Guest Day
This was a great success, although we could have done with a few more participants. Congratulations to
Malcolm Norton and his guest Robin Collins (who flew in from Italy at 3am that morning) who
triumphed with 45 points). Almost as noteworthy was that the top three spots were decided on
countback and a score of 44 didn’t even make the podium! Many thanks to John Williams for organising
this very enjoyable day.

Group Coaching
These sessions have now started, under the tutelage of Nick Arter and all are welcome. These run every
Thursday at 11:00am – meet at the Driving Range. Cost is £15 for a 90 minute session. No need to
commit to every session – just turn up whenever you can.

Competitions
In addition to the Guest Day, September has been a busy month for competitions. We kicked off with
the monthly Stableford and Veterans Cup, won this year by Norman Davidson with a remarkable 45
points, resulting in a swingeing handicap cut! David Drew won Division 1, with a “mere” 41.
The following week saw the annual Essex v Suffolk contest. Unfortunately for Suffolk, this is decided on
Hambro scoring, which resulted in a thumping Essex win (under traditional scoring methods, the result
would have been a tie). This very much captured the imagination and special thanks to Matt Glover for
his colourful posters.
Away from Stoke, the Past Captains away leg was contested at Colne Valley and the evergreen Sir Bob
Filer was the class of the field, winning on the day and overall (the fourth time his name has appeared
on the PVC Trophy). Many thanks to Terry Mitchell for organising this year’s event.
Back at Stoke, the month concluded with the St Andrews Greensomes. I always enjoy the greensome
format, but we had a slightly disappointing turnout. The scores, however, were anything but, with John
Williams and Matt Glover winning with a fine 43 points, beating Roger Davies and Dick Lumsden by a
point. Worthy of mention is Roger and Dick’s three twos and three blobs – stunning consistency!
We also saw the finals of the Summer knockouts, both of which saw exciting finishes. Peter Garnett
edged home against Ray Ludlam on the final hole in the singles, while Tony Denmead and Dick Lumsden
won on the second extra hole against Tony Carman and John Crane – the only time in the match they
were ahead! Congratulations all.

Interclub Matches
The season ended a little earlier than planned with the unfortunate cancellation of our match v Gosfield
Lake, however we played three matches, with wins against Braintree and Rookery Park either side of a
defeat away at Clacton. This gives us a record for the season of Won 16, Drawn 1 and Lost 12, a very
creditable performance.

October Competitions
On Monday (5th ), we have our monthly Stableford competition and Millennium Trophy, followed by the
Bogey Competition and the Three Captains comp. For the Stableford comp, we are still having issues
with Howdidido as far as registering the preferred tee. Therefore, please see Jack at the Pro Shop when
signing in. If for whatever reason you are unable to do so, then check to make sure your score is correct
(probably a 2-3 points difference between green and white tees) and if the recorded tee is wrong,
please get the Pro Shop to amend this before submitting the score.
The bogey comp is an interesting format – essentially matchplay against the course. Opinion varies as to
whether it should be a qualifying competition, but whatever your view, it is, so please remember to putt
out if it means that you would have scored a point in a stableford competition, even if you have “lost”
the hole.
Then on the 26th , we have the Three Captains match, followed by the annual meeting and prizegiving. I
hope to see as many of you as possible for both the golf and the meeting, as this will be the final event
of my year as captain.

We have had some new members recently: welcome to Jim Bull, John Blundell, Rich Smith and Mark
Gardner. I hope you enjoy your golf with the Seniors.

Enjoy your golf and I hope to see you in the clubhouse soon.
Graham Cork
Seniors Captain
Tel: 07773 395620
Email: grahamcork@outlook.com