Our Formation

2016: Our Golden Jubilee Year

Our Society was founded by John Griffin, a Knebworth Captain, who applied to join the London Captains on 21st January 1966. The application was turned down on a constitution matter; Knebworth was located beyond a 20 mile radius of Charing Cross. John Griffin had a chance meeting with Leslie Noble, the Captain of Chadwell Springs GC (then known as East Herts) and the driving force behind the purchase of Brickendon Grange, where it was discussed and agreed they should go ahead with the Hertfordshire society. All affiliated clubs were written to, and an initial meeting of 26 county captains took place in January 1966. Our first golf meeting was held on 18th May 1966 at Knebworth. Sixty-four members signed up in our first year, which has grown to over 600 today. Three events were held in our first year with the first Dinner taking place in 1967, which consisted of six courses!

Plans are well advanced to mark our Golden Jubilee celebrating 50 years of golf and friendship amongst the Hertfordshire Captains as well as those Captains of other counties. The Committee's objective is threefold. To emphasise what we do for golf in our county. Lay down a marker for the future development of our society. Encourage participation by all during the coming year in both golfing and social events. This will include getting as many active members playing at least 9 holes of golf. The committee wish to maintain the normal twenty events scheduled in our calendar year albeit there will be a constant theme linking to our Golden Jubilee. Planning continues to ensure 2016 will be a memorable year for our membership combining the enjoyment of our great game, renewed friendships and, most important of all, a lot of fun.

Your Golden Jubilee committee is made up of your Captain, Ray Johnson, Past Captain Andy Nemes of Knebworth (where it all started), Secretary John Saunders and Captain-elect Bob Howell. They have been planning events and if members have suggestions or ideas relating to our Golden Jubilee please let the committee know. It's never too late!

Leslie Noble (East Herts in 1965) John Griffin Knebworth

Where it all began: Knebworth

The Golden Jubilee Committee

President 2016 Our Golden Jubilee nominated President will be Don Craik (left) of Brickendon Grange, who wi l l a lso be c e l e b ra t i n g t h e i r Jubilee. It is also where the or ig inal jo int founder of our Society, Leslie Noble, was a key player in the purchase of the club.

Left to right: Andy Nemes, Ray Johnson, Bob Howell and John Saunders

Preview of the

Golden Jubilee Year 2016

Society of Hertfordshire Golf CaptainsSociety of Hertfordshire Golf Captains1966 2016

A Message from our Secretary,John Saunders

April 2016:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

December:

March 2017:

April:

Tues 5th County Boys U14's Essendon Mon 11th London Captains Mill Hill Fri 29th Captain's Day & AGM Aldenham

Tues 3rd Liaison Officers Inter-Club Moor Park Sat 7th Herts Salver Brookmans Park Wed 18th Jubilee Cup Summer Meeting Knebworth Mon 23rd Triangular v Essex & Cambridge Hadley Wood

Wed 15th Suffolk Captains Fynn Valley Thurs 23rd Golden Jubilee Golf Day Arkley/Brookmans Park Golden Jubilee Dinner Sun 26th to Tues 28th Mixed Meeting Barnham Broom

Tues 5th President's Day Brickendon Grange Mon 18th Vice Captain's Day East Herts Wed 27th Match v Captain's Club Arkley

Thurs 18th Four Counties Kings Lynn, Norfolk Tues 23rd County Boys U15's Chesfield Downs

Fri 9th Mixed Invitation Mid Herts Tues 13th Bedfordshire Captains Knebworth Wed 21st Northamptonshire Captains Harpenden Mon 26th Herts Lady Captains Brickendon Grange

Mon 17th Autumn Meeting and Final of Crameri Cup Berkhamsted

Fri 2nd Christmas Fayre

Thurs 2nd 51st Annual Dinner Holiday Inn, Borehamwood

Tues 4th County Boys U14's Essendon Mon 10th London Captains match HartsbourneFri 28th Captain's Day and AGM Brookmans Park

Holiday Inn, Borehamwood

2 0 1 6 w i l l b e a y e a r consistent with the Society's traditions. I am now in my sixth year since taking over from the late Bill Pearson, and am looking forward to serving the committee and t h e m e m b e r s h i p i n arranging the forthcoming events.

Please make the most of what's on offer and enjoy some very pleasant golf.

The Golden Jubilee Golf Day and Annual Dinner

This year the Annual Dinner has been moved from early March to Thursday 23rd June with the added attraction of playing golf.

The golf will be played at two locations. One competition will be at Brookmans Park with the field divided between a morning and afternoon start. It will be run on the lines of the Xmas Fayre (128 players in all). Lunch will be served for both groups.

For those members who wish to only play 9 holes there will be golf at Arkley and then after golf it will be time for all golfers to move on to the Holiday Inn, Elstree for our Golden Jubilee Dinner.

14th green at Brookmans Park

2nd green at Arkley

And so to Dinner

Dinner is at our regular venue. Gavin Caldwell the Captain of the R&A Golf Club of St Andrews will be our principal guest. Prize giving will held for the competitions held earlier in the day.

With a maximum capacity of 250 diners it will be a good fun evening

Golfing events and venues to be held in the Golden Jubilee

The Hertfordshire Captains and the County

The pictures above show 2015 winners Aldwickbury Park withLee Edwards and Pat Hayward with competition organiser, Bob Howell

Matches

During the year we play matches against nine other counties plus the Herts Lady Captains and the Captains' club. Bedfordshire – The Pearson Plate - Played for since 1987 Buckinghamshire – The Harleyford Trophy - Played for since 2006 Cambridge and Essex – The Herve Trophy - Played for since 1967 Northamptonshire – The Hollingsworth Salver Played for since 1967 Worcestershire, Norfolk and Bucks – The J.E.S Brookes Cup 1993 There are also matches against Suffolk and the London Captains. The London Captains were the very first Society we played in 1967. A match on 10th April 2017 is being held at Hartsbourne, who hosted the first match 50 years ago. A fitting climax to the Golden Jubilee.

A happy group of Society members with a group of the County under 15 squad at Chesfield Downs.

Society Golden Jubilee shirt

To mark our Golden Jubilee we are going to make one-off purchase of Glenmuir men's mercerized cotton shirts with a soft collar. The shirt logo will be printed Golden Jubilee 1966-2016.

The cost will be £35 and the secretary will send order forms to you via your Liaison Officer. The closing date will be 28th February when a single order will be placed on our supplier and distribution will commence in April. It is not our intention to stock these special shirts.

Eric looks after our website and this year there will be much to peruse, so follow his news. www.sohgc.co.uk

Eric Wyllie the Webmaster

The Committee 2015

46, Elm Drive, St. Albans, Herts, AL4 0EQ T. 01727 568 664

President John Welch Captain Ray Johnson Vice - Captain Bob Howell I. P. Captain Malcolm Plumbley Treasurer Mike Nash

Robert Browning Richard Blanchflower Jan Cembala

Hon. Secretary John Saunders

Hon. Auditor Melvyn Rose

We are very proud of links to the county, covering all age levels. The Crameri Cup was first played in 1983 as a four-ball better-ball competition for senior golfers over the age of 55. The cup was donated by the then President of the Society, R T Crameri who had been the Honorary Secretary between 1970 and 1983. Although not an HGU competition, each affiliated club is invited to enter two teams and in 2015 we had 91 teams entered, a record for the competition. South Herts and Harpenden share the honour of having each won the competition on five occasions.

The Herts Salver was introduced in 1972 to encourage category one Handicap players who fall just short of automatic qualification for entry into the County Championship. Sixty-six players compete for the final 12 places. Finally the Society is very supportive of Junior Golf in the County. There are two matches; playing with the under 14 squad early in the season, as well as the County under 15's in late summer. These competitions were introduced in 1993 under the captaincy of Alan Sallis with Tony Bailey managing the youngsters. The first match was played at Ashridge. The emphasis is now on playing with the juniors, not against them, as the youngsters had proved to dominate earlier events!

Minutes of the Meeting January 21st 1966

Letter from John Griffin to Malcolm Robinson Captain 1991

Letter from John Fisher London Captains

Inaugural Dinner Menu 1967

Knebworth Golf Club

In Time Gone By