FOREWORD

The Newsletter of Whickham Golf ClubFounded 1911 Winter 2014

A GGrreeaatt Deal for GGrreeaatt Golf in a GGrreeaatt Place

As 2013ends I wouldlike to takethis oppor-tunity tomentionsome of thehighlights at

the Club last year.In October the Club was awarded

the prestigious GolfMark® Award. Wewere advised by England Golf thatour submission was one of the bestthey had ever received. Once a GolfClub is awarded GolfMark®, they willbe recognised by Sport England as a‘‘best in class’’ Club and 85% of Clubsachieving GolfMark® status go on toaccess funding/grants.

The team behind our award arenow preparing an application toapply for a substantial grant to

enable the Club to providesome coachingbays andimprovedpractice facilities.Many thanks toJJoohhnn WWaarrnneeffoorrdd,RRooyy BBaabbeerr, JJoohhnnGGrreeeennwwoooodd, LLeennaaNNeewwttoonn, MMiicchhaaeellFFaarrrreeyy and ourProfessional GGaarryySShhiipplleeyy for a terrificachievement.

The Club was alsohonoured by

Durham County Golf Union asproviding the best Get into Golf®

project in 2013. This was a project ledby LLeennaa NNeewwttoonn in conjunction withGGaarryy SShhiipplleeyy to provide coaching for32 Ladies interested in Getting intoGolf. The coaching sessions were heldover a period of weeks during theSummer. Lena attended the AnnualDurham County Awards Ceremony atthe Riverside on December 9th whereshe was presented with her award.

The above achievements have putour Club in pole position to becomeone of the eight Clubs in CountyDurham to be nominated in 2014 asan official ‘‘Get into Golf® Elite Club’’.Well done to Lena and manycongratulations to everyone.

The 2013 season has enjoyedmuch better weather than prior yearsand our Course has been in excellentcondition. We have received manycompliments from our members andvisitors advising that the course was asgood as any in the region. The dryweather and robust finances allowedus do some remedial work on the twonew holes. Some 900 metres ofadditional drainage was installedfollowed by some sand banding. Thisproject was led by AAllaann DD.. JJoohhnnssoonn inconjunction with our Greenstaff. Thetwo new holes were opened latesummer and many thanks to Alan forhis voluntary contribution and hardwork alongside the Greenstaff. I alsowant to once again congratulate

BBrriiaann HHuugghheess on his well deservedpromotion to Head Greenkeeper. Heand his team of JJoohhnn HHuuttttoonn, CChhrriissRRoobbiinnssoonn and GGrraahhaamm BBrriinnttoonn havedone, and continue to do, a fantasticjob.

Back in March 2013 the Clubfaced a serious challenge when itbecame clear that 159 members didnot renew membership in 2013. Themarketing team developed a “MoreAffordable Golf” strategy andpromoted the initiative from Aprilonwards. I am delighted to report thatwe have gained over 130 newmembers. We hope the strategy willimprove our retention numbers andattract a lot more new members in2014.

The Club had another solidfinancial year in that we made aprofit, maintained a healthy cash flowand invested circa £50,000 in Capitalprojects including a new GreensMower and Utility Vehicle. We enter2014 with a breakeven budget basedon our current membership numbersand reduced subscription rates.Hence our continued marketing pushto attract more new members andvisitors to our Club. Many thanks toKKeenn GGrreeaattbbaattcchh and the MarketingTeam.

Finally I want to thank the manyvolunteers at the Club who freely giveup their time and contribute massivelyto the ongoing success story of ourClub.

II hhooppee yyoouu aallll hhaadd aa rreellaaxxiinnggCChhrriissttmmaass bbrreeaakk aanndd hhooppee yyoouuhhaavvee aa ggrreeaatt 22001144 ggoollffiinngg yyeeaarr..

ContentsPresident’s UpdateGolf DevelopmentCaptain’s ReportCompetitions NewsOn The HouseNorth-East Golf Masterkey®

Senior MomentsMarketing UpdateJuniors ReportGolfMark®

Presentation NightGary on GolfIreland v. EnglandLadies ChatterAround the GreensPictures and much

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‘‘Dear Member’’... from Les Britton, President

CAPTAIN’S LOGWELL eleven months into my

Captain’s year -- doesn’t timefly, only three months to go,

(never much good at maths). Sincechanging the Golf Club year to the 1stof April I will be the only fourteenmonth Men’s Captain on record.

A brief reflection on the last elevenmonths ... the year started with a verycold end to the winter and a very coldspring, in fact we lost five Saturdaysout of the first ten to bad weather andthe course being closed and it wastouch and go if the course would beopen for the Captains Drive In, but itwas -- just. The Bagpiper must havebeen perished standing there playing inhis kilt, it was so cold. Not the best ofstarts but then the sun came out andwhat a summer we had.

Captain’s Day 6th of July must godown as one of the hottest ever; it gaveus a big headache trying to keep thedrinks cold, but a good tip from RonnieSimpson who said to use plastic tubsfilled with water and frozen, proved tobe very successful, the food just ranout before the last three ball camethrough my apologies to StevenChirnside, Colin Teasdale and PhilUrwin who had to make do with extrabeer (see photo). We had a great night

being entertained by Steve Warwickwith his rendering of Neil Diamond, oneof my favourite singers.Congratulations to all the winners andmany thanks to all the members whomade it such a memorable day. Specialthanks to all who gave me prizes forcompetition and raffle it was muchappreciated. The day started at5.30 am for me and my wife andfinished at 12.30 am, not a bad shift.We concluded the day by sitting in the

garden at 1.00 am consuming a bottleof wine, it was still very warm night.

It was great to be involved withMen’s Team. Special thanks to MartinRankin as Team Manager who did atremendous job and all the teamplayers who supported the Club. Alsospecial thanks to team sponsors AlanLennie (Kandi Mortgages & Lettings)Alan Robinson (QMF MetalFabricators) and Martin Rankin(Whickham Funeral Services).Unfortunately we let too many goals in,in injury time and games we looked likewinning slipped away. As John saidlast year after we were relegated,‘‘Steve has the opportunity to get theteam promoted next year’’, I am afraidthings didn’t quite work out that waybut one thing is certain, Malcolm canonly go upwards now and I wish himand the team for next season all thevery best, Good Luck.

After drainage work was carried outon the new holes it was great beingable to play them during August andinto September they certainly turn thecourse into a very testing par 72, manythanks to Alan Johnson, BrianHughes and his Greenkeeping staffwho carried out all the new drainagework very successfully. The Greenstaffshould be commended for the highquality of both courses during thesummer particularly as the cold springdid them no favours with the growingseason being slow to get under way.

The golfing season was over before itbegun or so it seems, things havemoved so fast this year with somefantastic scoring in all competitions.Congratulations to all the winners, Ihope your handicaps have come downappropriately. The season wasconcluded with Presentation Night inthe Clubhouse and all the sections ofthe Club represented. The night was agreat success. The Clubhouse wasjumping, entertainment from Russ T

with cameo roles by his brother WayneGriggs (one of the prize winners, seephoto) and Club Secretary JohnGreenwood (Elvis). Many thanks to allwho helped make this such a great endof season night. Thanks to Paul for hishot beef sandwiches and chips, theywent down a treat.

I played at Wearside Golf Club on the29th of November for the start of theNorth East Masterkey® programme,Whickham were well represented withmany members playing. The greenswere very quick which seemed to suitWhickham players as we finished First,Second and Fourth. Congratulations toJohn Greenwood and Gary Wilsonwho were first.

I would like to finish with aphotograph of a little fir tree growing onthe wall between first and secondfairways, I think we could all get someinspiration from it.

I have called it Determination andPerseverance.

Enjoy your Golf in 2014!

STEVE WALLACE, Men’s Captain

GUESSWHO?

COMPETITIONSSSOO FFAARR SSOO GGOOOODDSo far this winter, at the time of writing,we have not lost a single Saturday orSunday competition to the weather. Wehaven’t lost a Saturday since 18th May. Ihope saying this is not tempting fate.

Entries on Saturdays and particularly tothe Jock Sharp on Sundays have beengood. As usual, we have mostly had amixture of pairs and team competitions,which seems to keep most people happy.In 2014, it is hoped there will be aChristmas Competition on nine Saturdaysrunning up to Christmas.

FFIIXXTTUURREE CCHHAANNGGEESSNext years fixtures will show some changes.The Men’s Open and Invitation Days havebeen moved from Sundays to Saturdays,on 8th June and 19th July respectively. It ishoped that Whickham members will givegood support to these competitions.� The Club Championship will be held as

36-holes on one Sunday, 13th July. � The Campbell Cup and the Second

Division Championship will be heldalongside two rounds of the OrmanShield in August.

� The England Golf Gold Medal Qualifieron 17th May will be stroke rather thanstableford, to conform to the rules!

� The JC Sharp Final will be held on the

second Sunday in April, rather than thethird, so as to avoid Easter.

� We will be looking at the MidweekMedal overall winner prize, as currentlythis is determined on a Wednesday inSeptember, when many memberscannot play. Alternative suggestionsare most welcome.

IINNAACCTTIIVVEE DDEESSIIGGNNAATTIIOONNSSCurrently, members with inactivehandicaps are identified by an ‘‘i’’alongside their handicaps. Next year,those with active handicaps will see a‘‘c’’ -- for ‘‘competition’’ -- alongside,while nothing will appear alongsideinactive handicaps. This is the positioncurrently in Scotland and Wales.

England Golf say that the ‘‘i’’ hasbeen unpopular, which is why they areimplementing this change from 1stMarch.

Once again, some members will findthat they have gone inactive in 2014. AsI always stress, all it needs to keep anactive – or competition -- handicap isthree qualifying rounds during theseason.

TTOOUUCCHHSSCCRREEEENN WWOORRKKIINNGG WWEELLLLOn the whole, the TouchscreenComputer System has become second

nature tomost. It hasgone down acouple oftimesrecently, butthe booking-in cards nowprovidedhave filledthe gap.

Most members are now being carefulto put the same order of players on theircards as on the touchscreen, whichmakes life easier for them, as well as forme!

I was delighted to find that Mike Smithcould produce a Winter 16-hole courseon the system, which has also made lifeeasier and enabled us to play the fourthas a par five.

One small hitch was when the winningcard disappeared within thecompetitions box one Saturday. It wasteased out at last the next evening.

AANNDD FFIINNAALLLLYY ......Let us hope the weather allows 2014 tobe just as good as 2013!

Enjoy your golf at Whickham Golf Clubin 2014!

KIDS STUFF MICHAEL FARREY, JLO

THERE is not muchhappening during the

winter but here are a fewitems I would like tocommunicate:

Durham County arelooking for young talentedGolfers for their academy,please see attached Poster

which explains criteria.If any member would

like further informationplease contact MichaelFarrey.

The Durham CountyJunior League met inDecember at Birtley GolfClub.

The Junior League willhave the same oppositionteams and format as 2013.

The Junior section arelooking to appoint a JuniorCaptain for next year tofollow on from JohnnyRutherford, this will beannounced in the New Year.

Paul Tinnion, Competitions Secretary

Membership and VisitorAdvertising+ Second phase of our recruitment

campaign is in progress. Adsappeared in the AAddvveerrttiisseerr andNNoorrtthheerrnn GGoollffeerr in December.

+ The AAddvveerrttiisseerr features ourMembership Offers and carries aneditorial discussing our continuedsuccess with GGoollff MMaarrkk®® and GGeettiinnttoo GGoollff®® initiatives.

+ The latest edition of TThhee GGoollff GGuuiiddeealso carries a Whickham GC editorial

+ An Advert in NNoorrtthheerrnn GGoollffeerrpromotes the Club’s Open Datesand In addition, the December issuefeatures Whickham with a fullprofile. They have also given someeditorial space to the MasterKey®

Initiative.+ January 24th, 25th and 26th will

see the peak of our campaign withfull page ads in the JJoouurrnnaall,,

CChhrroonniiccllee,, && SSuunnddaayy SSuunn. There willbe further Ad in the AAddvveerrttiisseerr.

+ Promotion of our Club Opens canalso be found on our website andwith our online partners.

+ Visitor Ads will appear in the springin Publications such as EEnngglliisshh CClluubbGGoollffeerr, TThhee GGoollff GGuuiiddee, NNoorrtthheerrnnGGoollffeerr and consideration forNNaattiioonnaall CClluubb GGoollffeerr.

NE GolfMasterKey®®

+ The first eventwent well with Tee times fullybooked between 8.10 am and12.20 pm, the maximum amount oftime available due to the daylightconstraints.

+ A donation was made toSSuunnddeerrllaanndd LLoorrdd MMaayyoorr’’ss CChhaarriittyyand the balance retained to investin advertising and promoting theMasterKey® to visiting parties andsocieties.

+ Future events were discussed andprovisional dates put forward ...Brancepeth Castle – January 31st,Beamish – March, Durham City –

Wednesday April 16th, Whickham–Friday May 16th Chester le Street –Tuesday 3rd June. Clubs willconfirm the final dates.

+ The MasterKey® Twitter Account isactive; I have posted some Tweetsand hope that as many people signup as followers to increase ournetwork exposure. Re-tweeting themessages will expand the network.

Grand Draw+ Two books (20 Tickets) have been

sent to every full memberhousehold with a request tosupport the Club by selling tofriends and family. The Draw will bemade at the Club’s VVaalleennttiinnee’’ssNNiigghhtt SSoocciiaall on Saturday 15thFebruary.

+ The raffle proceeds are destined forprojects to further improve theClubhouse facilities.

+ This is an opportunityfor members to addtheir support to thevolunteer efforts andget behind the Club’sdevelopment plans.

MARKETING REPORT‘Once again it is nice to deliver another positivereport about the Club’s progress. Of course this is

only possible with the support and dedication of ourSTAFF, SPONSORS and VOLUNTEERSTThhaannkk yyoouu ffoorr yyoouurr ccoommmmiittmmeenntt’

KEN GREATBATCH, (Marketing Director) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

AROUND THE GREENS!Wellanotheryearcoming toan endwhere westill played

on all greens until January 2014 and no snowas yet! We must say the course has been ingreat condition. We have improved drainage

on the two new holes and played them for afew weeks. By next year they will be ready toopen for the start of the season.

We added a new greens machine whichnow gives a better cut on the greens. We ironthe greens twice a week now and you can seethe benefit of this each week. Repair of theground behind the First Green has beenturfed and looks much better.

Work around the Tenth Green to stop

water running down the Eleventh and ontothis green has started.

Some work has begun trimming treesaround the course to remove overhangingbranches around paths and thoroughfares.

A big thank you to ALAN JOHNSON for histime, commitment, help and advice. Also ourappreciation to BRIAN HUGHES and hisGreenstaff for all their hard work anddedication this year.

ON COURSE with RONNIE SIMPSON CHAIR OF GREENS

Members Inter-ClubGolf, Terms &Conditions

1st January – 31st December 2014

� The scheme will run for the calendar year, January 1st to December 31st.

� All full 5, 6 and 7 Day Members (21 years and over) are eligible.

� Each member will be eligible for one free round of Golf at each of the participating Clubs.

� Each Club will have only ONE TEE TIME PER DAY AVAILABLE, the time of which will be atthe Clubs discretion. (first come first served basis).

� Members can pre book up to four days in advance.

� This cannot be used in conjunction with any visiting Societies etc.

� All members will be issued with a card listing the Clubs in the scheme.

� ALL PLAYERS must register with Professional or Club Staff to have their cards signed andauthorised before playing.

� WARNING Anyone failing to present their MasterKey® Card may be refused access to thecourse.

� To obtain your MasterKey® Membership Card, apply via email or in writing (on a note) to theClub Office.

� Allow seven days from application before collecting from the Bar.

SSAAMMPPLLEE

SENIORMOMENTS

RAY DENNIS (2014 Seniors Captain)

For my sins I took over from my good friend DDAAVVEE MMCCLLAAUUGGHHLLIINN as Senior SectionCaptain in November 2013. Thanks Dave, we are all grateful for your efforts last yearand thank you sincerely. JJEEFFFF LLAANNEE has agreed to be my Vice Captain.

Now for the commercial! ... CCOOMMEE AANNDD JJOOIINN UUSS Any member of the Club who is 60 years of age, or over, is welcome to participate inour events. We have a small participation fee which is currently £10.00 p.a. and wehave 92 members to date.

CCOOMMPPEETTIITTIIOONNSSThe section holds regular competitions every TUESDAY with the tee reserved from 8.30-

10.30am. Entry cost is currently £2.00 and includes a 2’s. A start sheet is displayed onour notice board every week. A random draw selects partners which is posted on thenotice board and via the BRS system. On most THURSDAYS we arrange a ‘‘TTuurrnn uupp aannddPPllaayy’’ £1.00 sweep starting at 8.30 a.m. No start sheet for this one.

MMAATTCCHHEESSWe also play ‘‘friendly’’ matches against nine local teams on a home and away basisthroughout the year and any participating member can apply to play. Every playersubscribes £7.50 to cover the cost of meals at each match and usually buy the drinks forthe opposition at home matches. Dress code in the past has been ‘‘formal’’ (Jacket andTie) but some Clubs have recently modified this code to ‘‘smart casual’’. We also playcompetitions with and against our Ladies Section.

SSEENNIIOORRSS OOPPEENNSSWe hold two Seniors Open events in the year and both are normally well attended.

AAWWAAYY DDAAYYAnd finally we have a very popular ‘‘Away Day’’ which this year will be at Bedale.

DDaatteess ffoorr aallll SSEENNIIOORR eevveennttss aarree oonn tthhee BBRRSS ssyysstteemm oorr ffrroomm tthhee OOffffiiccee..

The Summer period in the Club got offto a great start on July 6th withSStteepphheenn WWaallllaaccee’’ss CCaappttaaiinn’’ss NNiigghhtt. Wewere entertained by SStteevvee WWaarrwwiicckkgiving his take on the hits of NeilDiamond. Stephen had great supportfrom members with another full house.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The Seniors’ Captain’s night on 2nd ofNovember was another full house. Theever popular WWaayynnee GGrriiggggss kept usentertained all night and seems to getbetter and better.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The CClluubb PPrreesseennttaattiioonn NNiigghhtt this yearwas a great success and seems to begrowing in popularity. The introductionof an entertainer this year, RRuussss TT,proved popular with many peoplestaying the whole evening. This willremain a landmark feature on the clubcalendar.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The CChhrriissttmmaass PPaarrttyy NNiigghhtt onDecember 14th hadeveryone in the party spirit.Entertainment was providedby JJaassoonn KKiinngg who keptgoing until 11.45pm.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - On Sunday December 15thwe had the noisiest party ofthe year, the CChhiillddrreenn’’ssCChhrriissttmmaass PPaarrttyy. At least 80children danced their heartsout so thanks once again toNNiicckk && CCoo.. for keeping thembusy and under control, wellalmost. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The highlight, as always, isthe arrival of SSaannttaa CCllaauuss.The children’s faces were apicture. Thanks to Santa(SStteepphheenn WWaallllaaccee) and ofcourse his little Elf (JJuuddyySSnneellll) for making thechildren’s day.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I must apologise to the mentaking part in the Jock Sharpbut I did see some dancingon the 18th Green. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TheCChhrriissttmmaassHHaammppeerr was won by RRaayy TThhoommppssoonn.The raffle proceeds together with verygenerous donations to contribute tofunding the Children’s Party. Thanks toall who bought tickets.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We already have some great actsbooked for this year ...

JJAANNUUAARRYY 2255tthhBBuurrnnss NNiigghhtt

with GGAARRYY JJAAMMEESS plus DDAARRRREENN TTEENNCCHH with his

bagpipes

FFEEBBRRUUAARRYY 1155tthhVVaalleennttiinneess NNiigghhtt

with SSHHEERRIIDDAANNAAnn uupp--aanndd--ccoommiinnggFFeemmaallee EEnntteerrttaaiinneerr

MMAARRCCHH 1155tthhCCoommeeddyy NNiigghhtt

with JJOOSSHH DDAANNIIEELLSSAA ggrreeaatt NNoorrtthh EEaasstt

CCoommeeddiiaann

AAPPRRIILL 1199tthhTTaammllaa MMoottoowwnn

NNiigghhttwith SSOOUULLVVIILLLLEE

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I must thank PPaauullFFaawwccuuss for his supportby providing the food andSStteepphheenn FFaawwccuuss aannddSSttaaffff behind the bar, KKeennGGrreeaattbbaattcchh for all of hisartwork and, of course,my EEnntteerrttaaiinnmmeennttCCoommmmiitttteeee for making allof the events in theClubhouse so successful.

STEVE CHAPMAN HOUSE AND ENTERTAINMENTS CHAIR

ON THE HOUSE...ON THE HOUSE...ON THE HOUSE

SPIKE BARThe ‘‘SPIKE’’ BAR is being well used now fromeverything from booking a round of golf usingthe competition computer screen to buggy hire

and green fees, all handled by STEPHENFAWCUS and his staff.

Bar hours have been extended, opening at7.30am every day of the week except Saturday

when it is 6.30am. The staff will providemembers and visitors with Score Cards, Golf

Balls, Golf Gloves, Tees, Sweets, together witha large selection of Soft Drinks.

Then enjoy a refreshing pint after a successfulround of golf.

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

SATELLITE TVHaving modified our TV arrangement we arepleased to tell you that we are now able to

offer all NNEEWWCCAASSTTLLEE and SSUUNNDDEERRLLAANNDDfootball games for the coming season and lookforward to seeing you all in the Clubhouse to

see the action. KKeeeepp aann eeyyee oouutt ffoorr ssppeecciiaallddrriinnkkss pprroommoottiioonnss oonn mmaattcchh ddaayyss..

The Club’s premier event was supported byall sections of the Club. prize winners, familyand friends celebrated a successful season.Juniors, Ladies, Seniors and Men’sCompetition Winners received their trophiesand applause in a combined presentationled by Captains SStteevvee WWaallllaaccee && EEmmmmaaMMaarrttiinn, PPaauull TTiinnnniioonn (Competition Secretary)and MMiicchhaaeell FFaarrrreeyy (JLO) with support fromVice Captain’s MMaallccoollmm HHeessssiiaann, LLeennaaNNeewwttoonn plus SStteevvee CChhaappmmaann and JJuuddyySSnneellll who worked hard behind the scenes.

Club President LLeess BBrriittttoonn acknowledgedthe Golf Development Team of JJoohhnnGGrreeeennwwoooodd (Hon. Sec), JJoohhnn WWaarrnneeffoorrdd,RRooyy BBaabbeerr, MMiicchhaaeell FFaarrrreeyy, LLeennaa NNeewwttoonnand Professional GGaarryy SShhiipplleeyy. They hadachieved a fine result for their team effort insecuring GGoollffMMaarrkk®® and CClluubbMMaarrkk®®

accreditation for Whickham Golf Club. ThePresident then presented the official plaque.

Paul’s hot buffet was next, followed byentertainment from RussT with a selection

of mixed genre songs some supported byspecial guest (brother) WWaayynnee. We even hada unique Elvis rendition from JJoohhnnnnyy (Cool)GGrreeeennwwoooodd dressed in a yellow drape andguitar framed shades. Among the manydancers were some outstanding rock androllers. LLeenn PPrreessttoonn and mystery partner’sversion of “Dirty Dancing” was a showstopper and at times it became like “StrictlyCome Dancing out-takes” KeeeeeeeeeeepDancin!

Thanks also to the bar staff’s efficientservice, they were able to ensure that therefreshment levels were maintained tosatisfy the high demand.

The audience response certainly provedto make it a memorable Club PresentationNight and a format to follow in future years.

A selection of photographs can be seenon the Club’s Website Anyone wanting adigital copy should email the office quotingthe photo ref no and we will attach a copyto a return email.

2013 Presentation NightKEN GREATBATCH, Chair of Marketing and New Membership

GolfMark® Team, MichaelFarrey, John Greenwood,John Warneford andLena Newton withPresident Les Britton

Senior Champion,Ken Harvey

Honorary Entertainer,Jonny (Cool) Greenwood

Matchplay Champion,Paul Sykes

Ladies Champion,Julie Cornish

Juniors Champion, Jonny Rutherford

THE LADIES SECTION runcompetitions throughoutthe winter on their regular

days – Thursdays and Sundays,these competitions are verypopular and well supported andare a way of keeping in touch withfriends as well as staying activeduring the winter. All of thecompetitions are bookable throughthe BRS system or by contactingthe Bar.

Our Social Evenings, which raisefunds to help support the section,are organised by the LadiesCommittee and are held monthly. InDecember we held a ChristmasLunch in the Clubhouse when thewinners of the Winter Competitionswere announced. It was a lovelyparty atmosphere and two of ourmembers, Wendy Robison andJulie Cornish dressed up asRudolph and Santa and helpedpresent the prizes.

The following evening we held ourChristmas Social which was verywell supported and raised muchneeded funds. Thanks to the wholeof the Ladies Committee for theirhard work and organisation withoutwhich the event could not happen.

Our future social events are plannedas follows:

Friday 17th January – AuctionEvening (donations of itemswelcome – no clothes please);

Friday 21st February – Quiz(General Knowledge/not tooserious);

Thursday 13th March – CoffeeMorning (fundraising get-together);

Thursday 20th March – SpringSupper (heralding the start of thenew season).

Please feel free to join us at any

of the above events.

Lena Newton is our Captain Electfor 2014. Lenahas been Captainonce before soshe comes withpreviousexperience – sheis also a very pro-active andenthusiasticmember of oursection. Lenaplayed a majorrole in the ‘‘GetInto Golf®’’initiative in 2013

helping to recruit anumber of new LadyGolfers. On behalf ofWhickham Golf Club,she accepted an award

for these efforts which waspresented at a prestigious event heldat Durham County Cricket Ground.Lena has agreed to head-up anotherdrive for new members in 2014 aswell! Lena was also involved withthe committee who helped the Clubattain Golf Mark® in 2013. We allwish Lena a very successful yearahead as Ladies Captain.

If there are any wives or girlfriendsof current members who would liketo ‘‘have a go’’ at golf, contact theoffice with your details and you willbe given a warm welcome by ourfriendly section and everyencouragement to take up the greatgame.

LLAADDIIEESSCCHHAATTTTEERR

‘‘On The Course’’ with EMMA MARTIN

Santa and RudolphA Couple of Crackers at theChristmas Party

EMMA MARTIN, Ladies’ Captain

GGaarryy oonn GGoollffWinter golf is not easy. Thegreens are either temporarygreens or the actual greensbobble. The course is wetand the ball doesn’t go asfar. However...

FIRSTLY --The course is shorter andmany players end up only using adriver and a short iron. You canmake winter golf more interesting.Why not take different clubs outeach week -- say only six clubs.Suggest to your playing partners thatthey do the same and have a matchbetween you with only those clubs. Itwill retain the interest and also getyou to think about your shots andperhaps even play some differentshots. You may feel that it would bebetter to play one hole with a seven

iron off the tee and a fiveiron to follow. Why not playwhere you have to useyour clubs in sequencethroughout the round oreven nominate which clubyour opponent should use.

GREENS -- If you hit yourput on the line you thinkand it jumps that is notyour fault and certainly does notmean that you have to change yourputting method, so keep with yourmethod. When the greens are slowin winter or on temporary greens agood idea is to put some lead tapeon the back of your putter to up theweight. Heavier putters performbetter in the winter.

The best practice for your putting isindoors on the carpet.

GGoollff CCooaacchhiinngg vvoouucchheerrssnnooww aavvaaiillaabbllee

QUESTION CORNERIIff aannyy LLaaddiieess wwaanntt ttoo ssttaarrtt ppllaayyiinngg

ggoollff,, LLaaddiieess ggrroouupp ccooaacchhiinngg wwiillll bbeessttaarrttiinngg iinn tthhee NNeeww YYeeaarr.. BBee qquuiicckk ttoobbooookk yyoouurr ppllaaccee.. PPlleeaassee eemmaaiill iiff yyoouu

aarree iinntteerreesstteedd oorr pphhoonnee GGaarryy oonn0077771199883388339900..

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Welcome to

PGA Professional GARY SHIPLEY

TTHHEE CCLLUUBBHHOOUUSSEEOur EEnneerrggyy SSuupppplliieerr has been changed and weare now on a two years fixed price contract.Fortunately we have just avoided the latest roundof price increases. The TTeelleeccoommss CCoonnttrraaccttnegotiations are almost complete and a newimproved contract will be signed in December.The existing LLiigghhtt BBuullbbss in the Lounge and SpikeBar have now been changed to LED lamps andwe will continue though the premises as theexisting bulbs fail. The NNeeww CCooffffeeee MMaacchhiinnee andsupplier proved to be less than successful, soafter comments from members and staff it wasdecided to review this supply contract. A newlocal supplier has been found and early reportsseem to indicate a vast improvement inperformance of the equipment and quality of theproduct. This goes to show that we don’t alwaysget it right but we do listen to your comments! Anew CCoommppeettiittiioonnss CCoommppuutteerr WWoorrkkssttaattiioonn hasbeen provided in the spike bar. New IInntteerrnnaallSSiiggnnaaggee is in progress. Work started in Novemberon first phase of the work on the EElleeccttrriiccaallSSyysstteemm. which entails the provision of newdistribution boards ready to serve various areasof the club house and the replacement of the

electrical equipment, circuits and lighting in thecellars. Once funds are available further phaseswill proceed.

TTHHEE CCOOUURRSSEEA new FFaaiirrwwaayy MMoowweerr and CCoouurrssee UUttiilliittyy VVeehhiicclleehave been purchased and the old mower andutility vehicle disposed of. Course machineryservicing has been outsourced releasing thegreen staff to concentrate on course care as hasbeen evident in the condition of our course thisseason. Unfortunately considerable expense hasbeen, and still is being, incurred in repairing andmaintaining very old course equipment whichwas allowed to degenerated beyond economicalrepair under previous regimes. Whilst regularservicing will make this equipment more reliable,a complete review of this equipment is now beingundertaken and a strategy will be agreed torepair, scrap or replace equipment as fundspermit.

CCLLUUBB SSUURRRROOUUNNDDSS AANNDD GGAARRDDEENNThe contractor employed to do the donkey workin clearing and reseeding the bank beside the

First Tee Box had been unable to complete thework to our satisfaction. Despite his assurancethat the weed treatment would work in time anda low maintenance area would be achieved, itwas decided to bite the bullet and form a gardenworking party under the direction of AAllaann PPeerrrryy.The working party have rescued as many of thenew shrubs as possible and these shrubs arebeing stored to be planted around the club housein the Spring. The whole bank area is now to beturfed and the grass, once established, will bemaintained by our greens staff. The club housesurrounds will then be maintained by the gardenworking group, so if you are willing to help in thisarea please contact Alan Perry. The renewal ofcourse and car park signage is almost completeand the hedges around the car park have beentrimmed back.

FFUUTTUURREE PPLLAANNSS�� BBaarr rreeffuurrbbiisshhmmeenntt�� NNeeww hhiigghh eeffffiicciieennccyy hheeaattiinngg bbooiilleerr wwiitthh tthhee

ppoossssiibbiilliittyy ooff uussiinngg BBiioommaassss FFuueell�� OOvveerrffllooww ccaarr ppaarrkk eexxtteennssiioonn�� NNeeww wwaasshhrroooomm sseerrvviicceess pprroovviiddeerr ttoo bbee

aappppooiinntteedd�� NNeeww LLaaddiieess oonn ccoouurrssee ““LLoooo””�� NNeeww oonn ccoouurrssee ““OOuutt OOff BBoouunnddss”” ppoossttss�� RReeffuurrbbiisshhmmeenntt ooff tthhee ““PPrroo SShhoopp””�� RReevviieeww ooff tthhee FFoouurr WWhheeeell BBuuggggiieess

A BUSY TIME FOR THE BENEFITOF ALL OUR MEMBERS!

FFAACCIILLIITTIIEESSEEVVEENN MMOORREE CCHHAANNGGEESS!!

FRIENDS ACROSS THE SEA

IIAANN WWAATTSSOONNIIAANN WWAATTSSOONN Chairman of HadrianHealthcare Group along with Whickham GolfClub members LLeess FFrriizzzzeellllLLeess FFrriizzzzeellll (a Past Captain),MMiicchhaaeell FFaarrrreeyyMMiicchhaaeell FFaarrrreeyy, and PPeetteerr MMuurrpphhyyPPeetteerr MMuurrpphhyy, flew byhelicopter directly from the course atWhickham to the iconic K-Club in Dublin.

Ian had accepted the challenge laid downto them by his Irish friend Paddy Doran,member of the ‘‘K-Club’’, Dublin. ‘‘Come overhere and take on the best of the Irish – onthe best of the Irish courses’’.

Ian is Chairman of Hadrian HealthcareGroup who sponsor Whickham Golf Club. Hemet his friend in Spain some years ago andhas been trying to organise the event for thelast three years.

So, on Friday 11th of October, it happened… and in style!!

They took off from the first fairway ofWhickham Golf Club with their wives in a 10-seater Dauphan helicopter, at 8.00 am onFriday morning, waving as they flew into theclouds to the gathering staff and rathersurprised members enjoying their earlymorning round.

1 hour and 20 minutes later, they werelanding at the famous K-Club, host of theRyder Cup in 2006, to be met by Paddy andhis three co-members – who consisted of astrategically picked group handicaps rangingfrom scratch to 18.

The ladies were also met by the Irish WAGsand were immediately whisked off in achauffeur driven limousine to do a hard day’sshopping and champagne lunch in Dublin citycentre.

After a hearty fireside breakfast at the K-Club, the eight golfers boarded the waitinghelicopter and flew off to the famous ‘‘OldHead’’ Golf Club at the head of Kinsale, Cork.

By 11:30am the golfers were landing nextto the first tee-box at the Old Head to begreeted by staff who assisted prior to theirtee-off at 11.45am.

The two four-balls were off and bags ofspare balls were at the ready as the golfershit drives across the most breathtaking cliffedges and the most spectacular golf holes ofany links course in the world!

After a five-hour round followed by closescorecard analysis, over chilled Guinness, theWhickham boys were up 1-0 in the match.

A quick return flight to the K-Club followed– as did more Guinness – in good

preparation for the Saturday morning tee-offat the K-Club.

The five-hour round at the beautiful andimpressive K-Club culminated in two wins forthe Irish boys – resulting in a 2-1 victory forthe weekend.

The Irish boys continued their theme ofamazing hospitality, treating their guests,including wives, to a meal in the PrivateDining Suite at the K-Club with an overnightstay in their finest luxury suites.

Sunday saw the defeated (and hung over)team return by helicopter to their homecourse in Whickham – once again surprisingtheir fellow club golfers with a dramaticlanding on the first fairway.

They may not have returned winningsilverware to the Club House but they broughtin lots of stories and hold many happymemories of this unique event.

Ian is determined to gain revenge howeverand will be looking to arrange a return fixtureat Whickham and Close House in the nearfuture.

Whickham Members and wives leave for K-Club

Whickham and Irish Golfers land at ‘Old Head’

Paddy Doran entertaining Whiickhamguests, private dining at the K-Club

IRELAND v ENGLAND

Iwas tasked in April to puttogether a team to developgolf in Whickham Golf Club.

Our initial aim was to see if wecould achieve GolfMark®

before they changed theparameters in October.

We believed this would be anonerous task as we had had aprevious attempt had not quitegot off the ground.

John Warneford, Roy Baberand myself set about the task,and we soon found that it wasless of a chore and more of arevelation. We were nowputting systems in place toensure the Safety and Welfareof the juniors at our Golf Club.

Any prospective parents offuture junior members can nowlook on our website and seethe Child Welfare Policy andProcedures adopted byWhickham Golf Club.

Our application forGolfMark® was made easierbecause of the totalcooperation of Michael Farrey,Lena Newton and GaryShipley.

Some rather nice commentswere made by Jonathan Wardof Durham Golf Partnershipwhen it was announced thatwe had achieved GolfMark®.He said “it was probably thebest application he had seen,and he was astounded that wehad achieved it in such a shortspace of time”.

This success has repercus-sions throughout the Club, asdoors have now been openedfor us to apply for variousgrants to develop our facilities.

We can now look to developour practice ground, adjacentto the chipping green, andhopefully install a covereddriving range for the use ofour Professional, and ourmembers.

This is not the end, GolfMark®

is a continuous process, to bedevelopedover theyears, withtheopportunityto apply forothergrants inthe future.

GGoollff DDeevveellooppmmeennttJOHN GREENWOOD writes

Lena with Jason Budd

Lena acknowledges the ‘Team Effort’

Whickham Four Win at Close House!

WWhhiicckkhhaamm GGoollff CClluubbHollinside Park, Fellside Road, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne. NE16 5BATel: Club: 0191 488 1576 Pro Shop: 0191 488 8591Email: enquiries@whickhamgolfclub.co.uk Web: www.whickhamgolfclub.co.uk

Tel: Office: 0191 4881576 Email: enquiries@whickhamgolfclub.co.ukWebsite: www.whickhamgolfclub.co.uk Twitter: @WhickhamGC

MMIINNDD®® CChhaarriittyy DDaayy WWiinnnneerrss,, 2288tthhSSeepptteemmbbeerr 22001133 aatt CCLLOOSSEE HHOOUUSSEEwwiitthh aa ffaannttaassttiicc ssccoorree ooff 5533..11

II aamm ssuurree yyoouu wwiillll aaggrreeee iitt wwaass aavveerryy ggoooodd rreessuulltt..

‘‘Whickham Lads’’ STEPHEN PRESTON,GRAEME S. PRESTON, PETE ADNITTand IAN ELLIOTT. Well done lads!

GolfBuddyCCHHRRIISS NNUUNNNN wwaass aawwaarrddeedd DDiivviissiioonnaallLLeeaaddeerr ooff tthhee TTiittlleeiisstt OOrrddeerr ooff MMeerriitt aatt tthheeeenndd ooff MMaayy 22001133

CChhrriiss’’ss rreewwaarrdd ffoorr hhiiss ggrreeaatt rreessuullttss iiss aabbrraanndd nneeww GGoollffBBuuddddyy VVooiiccee++,, tthheeffaannttaassttiicc nneeww AAuuddiioo DDiissttaannccee DDeevviiccee,, ttooaacckknnoowwlleeddggee hhiimm aass aa mmoonntthhllyy wwiinnnneerr..

‘‘Whickham Member’’ CHRIS NUNN beingpresented by Captain STEPHEN WALLACE

with his prizes