It’s a privilege to write a Chairman’s Christmasmessage to you, so I must first thank thecommittee for electing me. John Southern was

rightly and suitably thanked at the AGM for hismany years of service and he is a hard act tofollow. He is now looking much more relaxed andhis golf is benefitting from his increased fitnessresulting from the longer walk to the clubhouse.I was very pleased that Ian Brown, with hisdecades of business experience, joined thecommittee and agreed to become treasurer. Hispractical approach is already evident and he writesabout our financial situation in his report. I’venoted before that our profitability is largely drivenby visitor income and the extent of one-off items.2012 will not be a profitable year for us, primarilybecause of poor weather in July which gave us thelowest visitor fees for that month for many years,and the cost of painting the clubhouse andsurrounding areas.We decided to do this although we will be workingon the clubhouse in the next year or so: it wasobvious that the woodwork needed attention andrepair. We were advised the windows would notneed replacing in the refurbishment provided thatwe acted quickly to protect them from furtherdamage.I’d also like to welcome Fiona Hall, the LadiesCaptain, to the committee. She has an even harderact to follow: the highlight of the golfing year wasthe performance of the Ladies’ teams in winningthe County Shield and the other two leagues weentered. We should all be proud of theirachievement: congratulations to all the people whoplayed in those teams. Alison Lambertsummarises this most successful of years in herLady Captain’s report.The men’s league team continues to be one of thebest in North Northumberland and finished in themiddle of the top league. Past captain KeithWhitfield comments on the season elsewhere inthis newsletter. He has also been leading ourefforts on an updating of our rules and we will beconsulting members on this, probably through a

special forum and by soliciting comments, beforepresenting them formally. His successor TrevorThompson has been a massive improvement overthe two previous captains in terms of weather bothfor captain’s day and for most of the autumn andhopefully he can continue that trend next season.The club owes all the league teams a big thank youfor giving up their time and representing us soprofessionally each week. We generally have themost spectators supporting our teams and I’drecommend coming along to watch the good golfthat’s played. I’d also like to congratulate JohnMoffet, Nicky Rose and Sam Aldred on being,respectively the 2012 men’s, ladies and juniorclub champions. Garrick Porteous should also becongratulated on achieving a new course record –62 – and further afield for being selected to playfor England on a number of occasions. Toparaphrase Keith Whitfield, Garrick has ensuredBamburgh Castle Golf Club is known in placeswhere it would not normally appear and we’vesummarised his season and plans on page 7.Away from the course, the major highlight was the90th birthday of our president and senior pastcaptain, Lord Walton. He deserves our thanks forhis support over the years: we celebrated with alunch for him in September and he hosted a lunchfor club members at the House of Lords in Spring.I’m pleased he’s contributed a brief summary ofhis time with the club in this edition and this showsthat the cry of “Marbles” is a long way off.Again off the course, the most important long termissue for us is the clubhouse development.We’ve made progress with planning permissionand will shortly go out for tender so we can getfirm costings before putting the detailed proposalto a forum and an extraordinary general meeting. Ihave received positive feedback from membersregarding loans, donations, tee sponsorships anda limited number of life memberships but as notedearlier we will only start when we are confidentabout the financial position. We expect to askpeople to provide any loans or donations nextsummer, assuming the project is approved. The

work should be done over winter to minimisedisruption so will probably start in October 2013or 2014. Malcolm Cresswell leads thedevelopment committee and provides a fullerupdate within his report.Having said all of the above, the only real point ofa golf club is the course: as always it has beenkept in good condition, despite the weather, and onpage 6 John Cairns provides an update on thework on the course and the input from STRI.We are fortunate to have such a desirable courseand this makes the club one which people want tojoin. We still have a waiting list, rare for clubsnowadays, but only for male playing members andit is slowly shrinking. I’d encourage you toencourage people to apply for membership tomake sure that we keep up our membership levels;applicants generally have to wait for between oneto two years.There are a few other features in the newsletterwhich I hope you find interesting. In particular,overrecent years we’ve probably had an over -representation on the R&A Rules of Golfcommittee and we are fortunate to have thecurrent chairman as one of our members.Chris Hilton discusses this role on page 4.Finally:- on behalf of you all I’d like to thank Mike,George, Chris, Gareth, Richard, Paul, Karen, Julie,Ruth, Wendy andSheila for their workduring the year andto wish them andtheir families aHappy Christmasand a verysuccessful 2013,and on behalf ofTrevor, Fiona andthe rest of thecommittee I’d like towish the same to allof you,Happy Christmas.

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The DECEMBER 2012

Bamburgh Centurion

IN THIS ISSUE: Page 2: The Captain’s Season; Handicaps & Competitions; Page 3: Bamburgh Ladies Amazing Year; Page 4: What

BCGC Means to Me by Lord Walton; What’s the Ruling; Page 5: Trophy Winners; Ryder Cup Quiz; Page 6: News from the Course;

Clubhouse Development; Page 7: Top Honours for Garrick; BCGC Workmen’s Club; Page 8: View from the Treasurer’s Desk.

John WoodmanChairman

Chairman’s Message - Christmas 2012

Captain’sSeasonMy rain as captain was exactly that. Captain’s

Day almost met the same fate as that of theprevious incumbent, during the year the coursewas closed due to flooding for more days than inliving memory and Flag Day was spoiled by, yesyou’ve guessed – rain. The very next day Trevorenjoyed sunshine!Amazingly all competitions and matches werecompleted including one that was postponed notbecause of rain – this time it was fog.The two Ronnies (Temple and Reid) won the twoSeniors trophies and it was one of these (Temple)who produced the result of the season a score of71 – 22 = 59 to thwart Garrick Porteous who hada gross 62 + 2 = 64 on his only competitive –and course record setting - round at the club thisyear.His father also lost out, this time in a play-off forthe Club Championship. John Moffet and he hadtied on 144 over two rounds but it was JohnMoffet who prevailed to win the coveted trophy forthe seventh time.Both Trevor and I have reputations, albeit in othersports, as doughty competitors so it came as asurprise when we lost 7 & 6 in our first friendlymatch together to a pairing who had alreadycompleted in a club competition earlier in the dayand had been hauled from the bar to make uptheir team. However we did make positive contri-butions in the wins over Alnmouth, Brancepethand most pleasingly Royal Burgess. The lastnamed were so confident of victory they had leftthe trophy for the match in Edinburgh.I chose Kilspindie for my outing. Twenty four of usenjoyed the breezy conditions, mostly StuartArcher who amassed 39 points. Watch out if everyou play with Stuart as you may be inflicted by

snakes, camels andhadrians!The highlight of my year wasthe visit to the Houses ofParliament enjoyed by fiftyBCGC members at theinvitation of our PresidentLord Walton of Detchant.Lunch in the CholmondeleyRoom was followed by atour of both Houses. Thedepth of knowledgemanifested by our host andhis amusing anecdotesadded to the privilege felt byus all.Moving onto competitivegolf, the season began on acold blustery Saturdaymorning in March at Seahouses with PeterSanderson and Mark Dawson in the Inter-CountyFoursomes against Goswick.With neither producing of their best we exited inthe first round. Two good wins in the Mail onSunday competition raised hopes but defeat by astrong Foxton team ended hopes of fur therprogress.With several of our regulars not performing to theirusual high level and others not available the earlymatches in the North Northumberland League sawus struggling. However by mid season followingsome good results, it appeared that we couldchallenge for the title. But then heavy losses toAlnwick (on one of the few warm evenings) and toFoxton A and B saw the team finish in mid-table.Peter, who had the best record over the season,captained the team and had usually finished hissupper before some of the team had returned tothe clubhouse. Mark after a slow start was back tobattering his opponents into early submission inmost matches. Alex Mackay established himself inthe team at position 4 through his solidperformances.While another of our younger

players Michael Thompson struggled to produceconsistent form and to close out matches in whichhe led, but shows promise of better to come.Trevor Thompson by virtue of two good results inclub competitions reduced his handicap to forcehimself into consideration for selection, struggledmanfully but usually to no avail. Bob Lumsden,who prefers the company of his dog to that of thethen Club Captain, playing at 4 or 5 was awelcome newcomer to the team.Things looked good for a trophy when the teamreached the semi final of the Knock-out cup, but aclose loss to Foxton B ended that aspiration.The hardy, (and by goodness they do have to behardy) group of members who regularly turn out toact as caddies and generally support the team arethe envy of all other clubs whose supporters theyoutnumber even at our away matches.At the AGM of the League we made proposals. (i)to deal with the situation created when a team failsto appear for a match and (ii) to discontinue thepresence of B teams in the League. The first wasaccepted but unfortunately there was not sufficientsupport for the latter.

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Handicap &CompetitionsIn 2012/3 the Handicap and Competitioncommittee will include two ladies in a move torationalise as far as possible the operation ofcompetitions of both men and ladies members,and bring it line with the other sub committees ofthe club.We continue to apply England Golf’s CentralDatabase of Handicaps. As in the past a number ofBamburgh home club members were struggling atthe end of 2012 to satisfy the requirement ofsubmitting three qualifying cards to maintain theactive status of their handicap. If you do notcompete in three singles competitions do youreally want a handicap? Such a handicap is ameasure of your present ability in individual play,not in fourballs or in social play, but in the absenceof any other measure it can be used in such. It isour opinion that should you require a newhandicap or to reactivate a previous one, youshould join with other members playing in a clubcompetition. Not all clubs operate in the same waybut I see it as my overriding duty to be as fair aspossible to the Bamburgh members who playweek in week out in our club competitions.During the year two members became subject to anew section of the system: they produced twoexceptional (4 or more below their handicap)scores within 6 rounds.Their handicaps were

reduced by a further shot in addition to the normalreduction. Things can work the other way: forthose who are struggling to play to their handicap,the Annual Review which we undertake canrecommend that, if you have submitted aminimum of 7 qualifying scores, your handicap isincreased by 1 or 2 shots in addition to all the 0.1’increases during the year. Mike Robinson and Ihave acted as officers for all the competitions thisyear which has ensured a consistency in thechecking of cards and resolving ofresults. I wouldask all those entering competitions to enter theirscores into the computer at the end of their round.It is the computer which gives the first indicationof the result and if all scores are not entered wemust do so later.Identifying such cards can sometimes be verytime consuming. If, as sometimes does happen,the computer is not working when you come toenter your score, please leave a note on the EntrySheet.Competitors will have noted that this year scoresof those playing earlier in the day no longer appearon the monitor. Having canvassed members ’opinion in the past few years this appears to meetwith the approval of the majority.I hope that although our five open competitionsmay be at times an inconvenience, members willappreciate that they are a significant source ofincome to the club. Because the Three Castlesevent which was an addition in June 2012 wassuch a success it will be expanded this year totake tee times over one and a half days.

While other aspects of the club are flourishing thesituation of the Juniors is not at all satisfactory.Since the heady days when it was under thestewardship of John Porteous there has been asteady decline in the number of young membersparticipating in the activities arranged for them. In2011 the average entry for competitions was threeand last season no juniors appeared for anycompetition except the Junior Club Championshipwhich had two legitimate entries. Add to this theextremely low numbers attending the first twoadvertised coaching sessions led to the thirdbeing cancelled, and the team entered in the NorthNorthumberland league had to be withdrawnbecause of the unavailability of players and itbecomes clear that there exists a serious problem.Although we have seventy junior members veryfew live locally, and most only appear duringholiday periods when they play with family andfriends.We await advice and help from the county golfbody, and have considered liaisons with localschools which is difficult without possible conflictwith other golf clubs closer to them.What is required is a member who will take on theresponsibility, or lead a team to regenerate thejuniors. So any member, or group of memberswho feel the urge please contact Mike Robinson atthe Club.In the meantime the only junior competition for2013 to be listed in the Handbook is the JuniorClub Championship.

The sun shines on Trevor’s drive in

Bamburgh LadiesAmazing YearThe ladies section has had a fantastic year and for me it was an

honour and pleasure to be captain through an amazinglysuccessful one! Over the winter months we had our usual

competitions, Chicken run and Easter Bunny, and with an extraordinarymild winter produced record entries of players. April saw our annualmatch against the County juniors being played in torrential rain,although we managed a few holes in perishing conditions weeventually succumbed to the weather. Ladies Open day in May had afull field, fielding ladies from as far as Whitehaven. Invitation day inJune was well attended even though the weather was nothing less thanawful! Ladies Captains day surprisingly brought the sun shine well;only long enough for the ladies to complete their rounds. A big thankyou to everyone who supported my charity Parkinson’s UK raising atotal of £545.At the end of July came the Philips Trophy which this year saw 8 ladiesfighting it out for the ultimate prize, the Final between Lynne and Nickywas watched by a number of spectators who saw some wonderful golffrom both players. Nicky held the slight edge on Lynne winning 4/3.Congratulations to Nicky and well done to all the other players.Congratulations to Anne Herbert who has been honoured by beingmade President of the Northern Counties Veterans Ladies golfAssociation, along with President of NLCGA, to Alison Laidler who isnext year’s Captain of the NLCGA, to Fiona Southern, Lynne Johnson,Hilary Hulley & Jill Hodge who won the Nancy Walton Salver atGoswick, to Hilary Hulley winner of Save the Children, to FionaSouthern, Fiona Hall, Claire Whitfield & Jill Hodge who came 2nd in thesummer scramble at Longhirst, to Fiona Southern, Fiona Hall, ClaireWhitfield & Lorraine Bewley who were runners up in the Durnell Trophyat Bellingham. Many congratulations to Di Johnson who won theCallers Journal final against Durham at Close house and congratu-lations to Fiona Southern for her Hole in One on the 8th.The ladies teams came out on top throughout the County this year,firstly, after many years – 26 to be precise - the North Northumberlandteam won their league led by newly appointed Wendy Martin.Congratulations to Wendy and all the players. Secondly, theNorthumberland Ladies County Shield 2nd team playing in division 6were promoted to division 5 after winning back to back titles. Lastly butby no means least, leaving the most prestigious award to the end – theLadies County Shield 1st team won division one, this an amazingachievement after only 3 years in the division! The teams have aspecial selection of dedicated players none more than those of AlisonLongstaff and Amanda Ford who moved to Birmingham earlier in theyear travelling more than 450 miles there and back in one day to playfor the league helping to ensure the title! Well done to Fiona Southernand Alison Longstaff who won alltheir matches. Many congratulationsto all the ladies for a most amazingyear!I have to add that it’s not only thecamaraderie and dedication from allthe ladies that make us the best clubin the County but I believe it’s theteam earrings that helped us comeout on top!!!A big thank you to everyone whosupported me this year especiallyFiona Hall as Vice-Captain.A year never to be forgotten!

Alison LambertLady Captain 2012

A year of celebration in pictures

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Page 4

What BamburghCastle Golf ClubMeans to Meby Lord Walton of Detchant, President

The many celebrations arranged for my 90thbirthday, including a superb lunch withofficers and committee members past and

present in the Clubhouse led me to reflect upon thewonderful experiences I have enjoyed over so manyyears.My first attempt at golf was with my father’shickory-shafted clubs at Spennymoor when I wasabout ten years of age (Spennymoor Golf Clubclosed during the War and never reopened). I thenplayed occasionally as a medical student but, insuch little time as I had available for sport, cricketdominated my life and I did not begin to golf moreregularly until the 1950s when my cricketingcommitments declined.After a few family outings to Seahouses, I wasthrilled in 1960 when Bamburgh allowed golf onSundays, and I hastened to join, as did my wife.Thus, I have enjoyed more than half a century ofgolfing at this wonderful course, once described bya notable commentator as arguably the scenicallymost beautiful golf course in the United Kingdom.As my professional commitments escalated I wasonly ever able as a rule to play at weekends, andthen only intermittently, but invariably found theexperience exciting, challenging and yet deeplyfrustrating, since whenever it looked as though Iwas going to complete a really excellent medalround, one or two holes invariably ruined the card. Idid, however, win Captain’s Day (for which therewas no trophy) when Hary Birkett was Captain. Iwas pleased to be elected to the Committee and toChair the House Committee when the firstsignificant extension to the Clubhouse and Bar was

completed. To my surprise, because of my idiosyn-cratic performances, I was elected Captain in 1978,and will never forget the lead story in the BerwickAdvertiser, which said,on 3 January 1979, “MrGeorge Crawford, a Tweedmouth Trawler Skipper,has received the OBE, and the Captain of BamburghGolf Club has been knighted”; much less was saidabout what I had done in medicine.It was on 13 January 1978, just before assumingthe Captaincy, that I had my first hole in one on avery misty morning at the first hole playing in a fourball (none of us saw it go in). Later, I becameChairman, though for only two years as I moved tobecome Warden of Green College, Oxford, andplayed at Frilford Heath. I was briefly a member atFrilford of the EGGS (being Oxford this was the‘Elderly Gentlemen’s Golfing Society’). It was thereI had my second ace in 1987.When I returned to Bamburgh I was thrilled to joinDad’s Army Golfing Society, a title which I much

prefer, of an organisation which has given meenormous pleasure despite the money I have lost,whether on the course or at dominoes. When I hada fall in London a few years ago and fractured mywrist, and was unable to play for much of theSummer, I said at the AGM that sadly this meant noDad’s Army outings for several months and I had tofind an alternative source of income (the usualarrangement is 25p on the first nine, 25p on thesecond, 50p on the match and 10p birdies).Never having held personally a golfing trophy, I havenow donated one to be held by the oldest playingmember of Dad’s Army; when I give up, I’ll pass iton.Perhaps above all, the honour and privilege of beingPresident of this Club, now for many years, is anexperience which I treasure greatly. Alongside themany professional presidencies I have held, this isthe one that really matters.

What’s the Ruling?Most golf clubs will have amongst their ranks a self-confessed ‘RulesExpert’ who will offer their verdict on any given rules situation. Here atBamburgh we have a number of qualified and not so qualified experts!However, where we differ from other clubs is that amongst our midst wehave the Chairman of the R &A Rules of Golf Committee, Chris Hilton, whohas kindly given us the following insight into his role of law maker: “Well.Where do I start? I have to be one of the luckiest people in golf to havebeen asked to do this job. If I ever suggest to you that it is a hardship, youhave my permission to beat me over the head with a long-handled putter!Given that Des Duffy and Richard Souter are also ex members of theCommittee, I can assume that you know what it does! In short, it sets theRules for the world of golf outside the USA and (dont ask me why) Mexico.That's over 130 countries and organisations (the most recent beingAfghanistan). However, the Rules are identical for the USA (and Mexico)too, owing to a continuous cycle of meetings and exchanges that takeplace. Cooperation between the R&A and the USGA has never (I am told)been better. Back to my role. There are broadly the following areas of workfor which I am responsible:1. Organising the four yearly revision of the Rules (and two yearly revisionof the Decisions book - a riveting read if you are an insomniac!)2. Fronting the R&A's Rules education programme. Tough one, this. Itmeans flogging off to various places around the world to spread thegospel.3. Refereeing. An even tougher one. This year has seen me officiate atthree of the four Majors, and also last year's Walker Cup. Not the PGA, and,

sadly, not the Ryder Cup - that's the PGA Tours' affair. Refereeing has itsmoments, as some of you may have noticed on the 7th green of theScott/McDowell game on Sunday at the Open. Everything goes smoothly,until it doesn't - and then, with the cameras of the world on you, you haveto (try to) do the right thing. (In case you didn't watch, alternatively didn'tthink that "my bit" was remotely interesting, I shall spare you the detailshere - suffice to say "did Adam Scott cause his ball to move (1 strokepenalty) or not?") There is a bit more to it than that, but mostly committeestuff, time consuming, but interesting if you are into that sort of thing, andof course, actually drafting Rules. That's OK if you are a lawyer (I was),like crosswords or Sudoku (I don't), or are the type of sad person that likesmind-bending hypothetical situations full of "but what ifs" (I'm afraid I am).So what are the "hot topics" of the moment? Here are two tasters:As you will know, the R&A and USGA have been considering the positionof long and belly putters. At the time this goes to press, work is continuingon the evaluation of the subject, and I cannot yet give you a preview of theoutcome - no ban? ban? if so, of what? (as you read this you will knowthe reaction).Pace of play. This is a perennial problem and one about which we shouldall be concerned. The good news is that the professional tours are indeedconcerned, and the tide is moving in the right direction. But my plea toplayers of all standards is to read the Etiquette section in the Rulebookabout pace of play. In particular, read, learn and inwardly digest the pieceabout letting faster players through. It is bad etiquette not to do so. Andthat does NOT mean only if you have lost ground on the group in front - ifthe group behind you are playing faster (eg it has fewer players), let themthrough. So that fills the hole created when I stopped practising law!”

BCGC members at the Palace of Westminster

Trophy WinnersGENTLEMENGordon Graham Greensomes ...................... John Wardle/Max MillerBritten Cup.................................................. Robert LumsdenBuckley Tankards ........................................ Freddie Bolton & Michael HopperMillennium Putter ........................................ Will RoseBrewis Memorial Salver............................... Nick WhittonDrybrough Cup ........................................... Trevor ThompsonStopford Cup .............................................. Ronnie TempleJeffcock Silver Jubilee Bowl ........................ Peter ClarkDalgleish Cup.............................................. Peter SandersonBlackheath Trophy....................................... Trevor ThompsonLake Trophies ............................................. Peter Sanderson & Alan PattersonRunciman Cup ............................................ Nick WhittonEG Hill (Club Championship) ....................... John MoffetVictory Cup (Club Champ. Net) ................... John PorteousTom Brown Trophy...................................... John NixonChallenge Cup............................................. Giles SmallwoodCentenary Salver......................................... Robert LumsdenStanley Armstrong Trophy........................... Eric WealleansCarter Cup .................................................. Ian Miller & James MillerWilliam Robson Cup ................................... Ian MillerArmstrong Trophy (KO) ............................... Michael ThompsonMcAdams Foursomes (KO) ......................... Jonathan Shinton................................................................... & Simon MallinsonWilson Spoon ............................................. Garrick Porteous

MIXEDCouves Goblets........................................... Geoff & Hillary HulleyMcKeag Mixed Foursomes .......................... Will & Nicky Rose

VETERANSDouglas Souter Trophy................................ Ronnie ReidVeterans Trophy .......................................... Ronnie Temple

JUNIORRutter Trophy .............................................. Sam AldredMyers Trophy.............................................. Joe Nicholson

LADIESJoan Phillips Trophy (Club Champ’ship) ...... Nicky RoseLindisfarne Trophy ...................................... Judy RobsonDrybrough Cup ........................................... Nicky RoseKathleen Storey Rose Bowl ......................... Lyn JohnstonSmeddle Brooch ......................................... Lyn JohnstonChallenge Cup............................................. Lyn JohnstonSouter Trophy ............................................. Nicky RoseCentenary Salver......................................... Fiona HallCecil Leitch Vase (KO) ................................ Di JohnsonRuth Watson Trophy (KO)............................ Fiona SouthernMary Brown Trophy .................................... Di JohnsonDaphne Little Trophy ................................... Nicky RoseNicholson Trophy (KO) ................................ Nicky RoseStopford Cup .............................................. Nicky RoseRothbury Salver ......................................... Judith McLaneRhodes Quaiche ........................................ Jill ArcherRunciman Cup ............................................ Julie DawsonWilson Spoons............................................ Fiona Southern................................................................... & Nicky StanleyLadies Flag Trophy...................................... Claire Whitfield

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Keith Wright at Kilspindie

How much do you knowabout the Ryder Cup?The golfing highlight of the year had to be the last dayturnaround and eventual victory of the European Ryder Cupteam in Chicago. It was reported as the greatest victoryever in the event’s history, so how much do you know ofthat history? Below are 10 questions to test that knowledgethe answers will be posted on the website early in the NewYear.1. Where was the first Ryder Cup played and what was

the result?2. Who is represented by the figure on top of the cup?3. The 1981 USA team had won 36 majors between them

when they arrived at Walton Heath. Only one memberof this team failed to win one of the four majors duringhis career, who was he?

4. In what year did the USA last win the Ryder Cup outsideof America and who was their Captain?

5. How many Ryder Cup teams did Tony Jacklin play onand how many did he Captain?

6. Who selected the first Great Britain Ryder Cup team?7. Who captained the last winning GB & I side and where

and when was the match played?8. In what year and where did Seve make his Ryder Cup

debut?9. Nick Faldo played 46 Ryder Cup matches, how many of

these did he win?10. And finally how many Ryder Cup teams did Seve play

on and how many of these were victorious?

For the answers - see Mike Robinson!

News from the CourseRain and more rain seems has been

the theme this season. This hascreated challenging times for the greenstaff, who have nonetheless workedtirelessly and kept the course in excellentcondition.The wet summer led to rapid growth ofthe rough which did not 'die back' asseen in summers of old (in fact very oldif recent summers have been anything togo by!); so apologies to those of youhave lost more balls than you budgetedfor this year. If it is any consolation, weare not alone, most courses haveexperienced similar problems.The main priorities of members andvisitors is course presentation and, inparticular, the condition of the greens.With that in mind, we have recentlypurchased a 'Turf Iron', which createsmore consistent roll and speed, withoutthe need to shave the greens to Augustalevels. We have purchased a newgrinding machine; this will enable us tomaintain the cutting units in optimumcondition (without the cost and downtimeassociated with sending them to external

companies).We took advice from STRI who gave ustheir advice on how to progressivelyimprove the condition of the course. Theyare supportive of our current practiceand have made some recommendationsto ensure improvement continues. Weare fortunate to play on a great course ina fantastic location, though there'salways scope for improvement, whichwe will continually strive to achieve. Wehave posted STRI reports on the club'swebsite which outlines their recommen-dations. We have already begun to followtheir advice on many aspects andrecently we seeded the area to the left ofthe ninth fairway with heather; we areconfident this will promote its resurgencein the forthcoming years. Natural Englandwere also consulted who providedsupport and advice; they provided uswith a detailed course plan, particularly inrelation to the SSSI sites.The committee looked at alternative teeboxes on several holes, mainly for thepurpose of reducing the number of 'blindshots'. We have decided to usealternative tee boxes on a trial basis, priorto making any of them permanent (whichwill only happen if positive feedback isreceived). With this in mind, the gentssixth hole will be played off the current

yellow tee for next year's competitionsand the fourteenth will share the ninth teebox. We feel that the playability andsafety of these two holes will beimproved as a result; the course standardscratch will not be affected. As acommittee, we are ultimately responsiblefor work under taken on the coursethough we value members input andwelcome any ideas you may wish to putforward.The plans for winter work, include thefollowing; the path on the eighth will belifted and replaced, the rough will be cutback across the course generally and thedrainage problems at the 'far side' of thecourse will be addressed. The walls onthe seventeenth and fourteenth holes willbe repaired and a permanent surface willbe laid on the thir teenth path. Theconcrete path at the bottom of the hill onthe fourteenth will be extended beyondthe gap in the wall. We will replace theway route markers to more clearlydistinguish rights of way on the courseand will incorporate course signage,mainly for health and safety purposes.Fur ther gorse management will beunder taken but this will not be asextensive as last winter. The practice netswill also be repaired.

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ClubhouseDevelopmentOver the last couple of years the

development committee hasappointed architects (Howarth LitchfieldPartnership) and worked with them,taking account of members viewsexpressed at the first developmentforum, to prepare a plan to sort out theproblems and to improve the facilities ina way which could be phased and wouldgive us the maximum value within anaffordable budget. The plan was:A two storey extension to the rear of theclubhouse,in the same design as themain facade of the front elevation withand removal of the flat roofed renderedextensions so demolishing the existingMen’s toilets, showers and thesecretary’s office.The new rear extension would beconstructed using attic trusses to thefirst floor to reduce costs and toaccommodate the Steward’s livingfacilities including a separate kitchen.The ground floor would provide:-• Men’s changing room, lockers, toilets

and showers• Secretary and Committee room

• Renewed and extended Kitchenfacilities

The extension would provide the mainfacilities that are needed to give bothmembers and visitors up to date facilitiesfor the future and would be phase 1 of theproject. New heating and wiring would beinstalled and activated with the phasingof the work and double glazing would beinstalled.As phase 2, the men’s Locker roomwould be converted to an additional barspace, serviced by and accessible to theexisting bar. This area will have views ofthe 1st and 18th holes with an externalpartly covered terrace.Phase 3 of the proposal would includeupdating the Ladies facilities and furtherinternal refurbishment of the Dining area.The proposals for Phase 3 are as yet notfinalised and will need further discussion:we do not intend to start work on thisuntil the other phases are complete andwe have made progress on repaying anyborrowings.The plan was presented to members at asecond forum in April and was endorsedby everyone present. Following themembers forum we agreed the final briefwith the architects prepared the planningapplication. The clubhouse is in a verysensitive conservation area and in the

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty andfoll owing the submission the County’sconservation officer and AONB both hadcomments. The architects and I met withthe planning, conservation and AONBofficers and provided more detailedinformation especially about theproposed materials and external featuresof the extensions. This reduced theirconcerns and we are pleased to reportthat the application has been approved.The development committee will nowassess the next stage and obtain thepreparation of working drawings andbuilding control approval so we canobtain tenders for the work. It is ourintention to ask local firms to tender.We then intend to hold another forum(probably in May) to present the costs ofPhases 1 and 2 and how they will befinanced, to answer questions and toseek agreement; we’d then have an EGMto get final approval for the project.Subject to there being no surprises in thefinances and subject to members’approval. We plan to start in October2013 or October 2014 expecting it to becompleted for the following season.

Malcolm Cresswell, Chairman -Clubhouse Development Sub-Committee

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Garrick Porteous enjoyed a highlysuccessful 2012 season.

Although a major tournament victoryeluded him, he did secure second placeat the San Diego Intercollegiate alongwith third place whilst representingEngland in the European Challenge in

Iceland. His impressive and consistentform throughout the season saw himreduce his handicap to plus four and on arare visit to Bamburgh this summer hebroke the course record with a 62.As a result of his excellent play he waspicked for England for both the Home

Internationals in Scotland and the WorldAmateur Team Champion-ships inTurkey. He also had another first this yearwhen he was picked for Great Britain andIreland against Europe. Despite thenarrow team lossGarrick played superbly, winning threegames out of four.Garrick is already looking forward to the2013 season. His degree in Studio Artfrom the University of Tennessee is nowcomplete and he will embark on the nextstage of his career. As a full-time amateurgolfer and member of the England EliteSquad he will be competing nationallyand internationally throughout the year.England are sending Garrick to Australiain January for two months to play inseveral tournaments including theAustralian Amateur Championship andthe Masters of the Amateurs. This will befollowed closely by the Portuguese andSpanish Amateur Championships and hehopes it will all lead to New York inSeptember for the Walker Cup. Theprofessional ranks await after that andwe at Bamburgh Castle golf club wishhim well in for his future.

Top International Honours for Garrick

Bamburgh CastleWorkmen’s Club –Still Going Strong

This year’s Workmen’s sectionouting finally took place atKilspindle Golf Club a fter a

number of postponements because ofbad weather. It was an ideal venue; thecourse was in excellent condition for thetime of year. However, the weather wasnot quite so kind. The first 9 holes playedin shir t sleeves and light sweaterscontrasted sharply with the inward 9where full waterproofs and umbrellas(often blown inside out) were the order ofthe day.The winner of the Salver (donated by IanArmstrong) was Bill Robinson with acreditable score of 37 points. SteveTaylor was second with 33 points oncount back from third placed IanArmstrong. An excellent day out wascompleted with a lovely meal and one ortwo drinks in the club house.The workmen’s section would like toincrease its membership. Manymembers of Bamburgh - particularly newmembers - may not be aware of it. Over

a century ago Lord Armstrong grantedthe right to his estate workers to play golfat Bamburgh. Separate from the mainmembership, they became the core ofthe “workmen’s section” and wereallowed to elect their own committee andcaptain and had their own AGM, rulesand competitions.In the early years of the workmen’ssection their membership numbers madeup a large percentage of the club andtheir annual subscriptions wereinvaluable in maintaining the financialviability of the club.Although since the 1950s the“workmen’s section” no longer exists asa “club within a club” it has been kept

going in its present form by enthusiasticmembers both to celebrate its historicsignificance and also as an excuse toplay more golf.The workmen’s section golf season fallsbetween late spring until mid-summerand we play most Thursday evenings.There are a small number of friendlymatches against local clubs played homeand away. We also play competitions forthe old workmen’s trophies (some of theoldest in the club) and as noted abovehave a golf outing at the end of theseason. If any male member would like tojoin the workmen’s section for thecoming season please contact ColinToothill, Phil Holmes or Phil McDonnell.

Workmen on parade at Kilspindie

Garrick (back row, 2nd left) with the GB&I Team

View from theTreasurer’s Desk

I’m sure that you all turn to this bit of theNewsletter every December expecting

some enlightenment and I may as well get thedisappointment over straight away with thestandard “Accountant” joke - “When does aperson decide to become an Accountant? -when he realises he doesn’t have thecharisma to succeed as an Undertaker!”I have had the pleasure of sitting on theFinance Committee for a number of yearswhen one day John Southern asked me if Iwould consider becoming Treasurer if JohnWoodman was elected as the new Chairmanof the Club. He clearly caught medaydreaming as I said “yes”- the rest ishistory and here I am!By way of introduction for those who do notknow my background I retired in May 2011after 22 years as a Partner in Deloitte LLP,specialising in turnaround and recovery work- in fact now I come to think about it 2012means its 30 years since I qualified which isfrightening.I was fortunate to join Bamburgh Golf Clubseveral years ago and like many membersthis is technically my “second club”. Thesubscription at my first club is roughly 4times my Bamburgh subscription however Iplay golf at Bamburgh 4 times more than thatclub which has a certain irony to it! This is atheme I will return to below when I talk aboutsubscription levels generally. I do believehowever that Bamburgh is an outstandingplace to play golf and that our aim should beto continue to have a wide cross section ofmembers and also to be a destination thatvisitors feel attracted to by both the quality ofthe course itself and the warm welcome theyreceive when they get here.First a brief mention of the results for the yearso far. As I write this we have just posted theresults for the first 9 months of the year toSeptember on the website. 2012 is being achallenging year financially and we arebehind both plan and budget after 9 monthsand I suspect that we will struggle to doanything other than break even for the year to31 December. The weather has played itspart in reducing green fee income and wehave had a comprehensive painting exercisecarried out on our Clubhouse structure thisyear. In cash terms we should have a fairlyneutral year as the funds generated from ouroperations will be absorbed by moniesexpended on fixed assets during the year as

well as monies utilised in driving forward theexciting plans that we have to Develop theClubhouse.I am currently in the throes of putting togetherthe financial plan for 2013 for considerationby both the Finance Committee and GeneralCommittees. The main drivers of the incomeof the Club are member’s subscriptions andvisitor and Member’s guests green fees.During my research on the level of green feesfor visitors for 2013, I also looked at thesubscription levels of what I would call our“competitor clubs”.The conclusion I reached is that themembership subscription at Bamburgh isvery low in comparison to other Clubs in thearea, and whilst I understand the fundamentalhistorical reasons behind this, it may beunsustainable at this level in the medium tolong term. The Club needs to make areasonable surplus not only to generate fundsso that it can meet the demands ofmachinery and equipment replacement butalso to repay any monies we will have toborrow to complete our proposedDevelopment. For the avoidance of doubt thisis not advance notice that we will seek toinflate subscriptions in the short term, moreof a flavour of what I think needs to beaccepted by the membership in the longerterm. We should however not lose sight ofthe fact that as a Club we still have a veryhealthy waiting list for membership and thislist appears to be added to at most generalCommittee Meetings which is encouraging.An analysis of our income stream over thepast few years shows that the Club derivesover 30% of its income stream from visitors,this is both a strength and a weakness for theClub, however it is a figure we should seek tomaintain. After considering the levels andlikely behaviour patterns of our competitorcourses locally, we have concluded that for2013 we will not increase visitors green fees.I mentioned above the new Development andI think that a few words about this would beuseful as it puts into context where the Clubis with its Banking arrangements goingforward. As I write the Planning Applicationhas just been approved so we can now startto put the works out to tender. Whilst we havea broad indication of the likely cost of theworks it is only when we complete thisexercise that we have a reasonably preciseidea. We have looked at the funding of theproposed Development on a “macro” leveland whilst we will need to borrow aproportion of the funds needed from ourBankers, we hope that a substantial amountof the funds required can be funded internallyby way of:-Cash already put to one side for this purpose,generated from operations;Donations from Members;Loans from Members;and the creation of a limited number of LifeMemberships.

A number of these ideas were canvassed in acircular earlier this year from the previousChairman, John Southern, which met with anenthusiastic response from some membersand we will be seeking to crystalise thesenext summer as we move forward to theDevelopment.The proposed new Development will maintainthe Club’s attractiveness for members andvisitors alike which should hopefully protectand develop our income stream. As you mayknow a number of Clubs have fundedimprovements like this by imposing a levy onmembers generally and because of thecomposition of the Bamburgh membership,this is something we decided against at anearly stage. The one thing that I would like tobe unequivocal about is that whereas theproposed Development has built up a “headof steam” we will only press the button onthis when we are certain that the Club canafford to bear the costs associated with it andmeet the demands of the funding cash flows,without detracting from expenditure neededto keep our course in the excellent conditionwe have become used to. Apologies if Isound like Gordon Brown and his famousexpression of “prudence!”- I have the samesurname anyway!This leads me on to our Bankingarrangements. We have over the past fewmonths held meetings with a number ofBanks, including our current Bankers, todiscuss the proposed Development and ourlikely funding requirements going forward. Asa result of this exercise the Committee hasconcluded that the Club will change itsBankers to HSBC and as part of this processthe Bank has already agreed to provide a loantowards the development as well as anoverdraft facility going forward and we hopeto effect the change early by December inreadiness for the new Financial Year.In addition to the above we are also looking atnew initiatives to generate funds for the Cluband this will include tee sponsorship whichwas last carried out (very successfully) inour Centenary Year. It is important that weexamine a number of avenues to generateincome which will limit any rises insubscription rates going forwards. In additionI and both the Finance and GeneralCommittees will be examining other areas ofincremental income as well as reviewing thecost base to make sure that we are operatingas efficiently as possible.Merry Christmas to you all!

Ian Brown, Treasurer

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