Royal Hospital School Golfing Society

Archived news articles
2023
Sunday 31/12/23	Monthly Competition An end of month stableford was held with 22 members taking part. 1st T Roberts 37pts (overall first) 2nd T Sheern also 37pts (runnerup) and 3rd D Barwick 37pts. Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 24/12/23	Texas Scramble Competition On Christmas eve morning a friendly Texas Scramble was held, which proved a success. There were bottles of wine beer and chocolates as prizes which seemed an appropriate lead in to the festive season. Doug Barwick Captain
Wednesday 20/12/23	Monthly mid-week Competition The Monthly mid-week competition was held with 12 members taking part. In first place was P Gosling 37pts 2nd S Butcher 36pts 3rd D Stuart Thompson 35pts. Doug Barwick Captain
Friday 10/11/23	Annual Presentation evening 43 members and guests attended the Annual Presentation evening at the King's Head on 10th November 2023. The evening consisted of a meal followed by presentations to our competition winners throughout the year. Thank yous are extended to our captain Doug, secretary Rosie and David Stuart Thompson for making it an enjoyable and successful evening along with The King's Head for supporting the evening and also throughout the year. Congratulations are extended to all our winners and participants. Notable winners were John Keeble who was crowned champion golfer for the year. Keith Chittock, "clubman of the Year " for his contribution to the society over many years and is given with the Society's thanks and appreciation. This year we had a new competition and trophy kindly donated by Maggie Good. The Bob (RPG) Good memorial trophy played for by golfers with under 15 handicaps. Bob was an ex RHS school teacher, big supporter of the society, ex captain, handicap secretary and for many years chairman. He is warmly remembered and deserving of an annual competition to honour him each year A list of all winners can be seen on the honours board page. To see the honours board page please click here. Gordon Smith Chairman
Sunday 8/10/23	RHS Golfing Society Chamionships The Society Championships were held on Sunday 8th October. Over all there were 28 members who took advantage of either playing in the championship or seniors, and a number of over 65yrs entered both competitions. The weather turned out to be kind to all, as we had originally scheduled this competition towards the end of September, but owing to some confusion with sporting fixtures at the school, we were asked to re-schedule. John Keeble triumphed with a gross score of 70 with runner up Ian Whitty 76 and in the nett scoring Jamie Rice had 59 with runner up John Keeble 61. In the seniors, once again John Keeble prevailed with a nett score of 61 followed by runner up John Mellis nett score 63. In spite of some members being away or unwell, it was judged to be a fairly good turnout. The trophies will be presented later in the season. Doug Barwick Captain
2nd to 4th October 2023	Thorpeness golf tour 16 golf society members took advantage of spending three days at Thorpeness Golf Club. Keith Chittock took charge of all the arrangements and did a splendid job. Team and individual events were held over the three days and members were changed around with different formats. The weather was excellent for the time of year with one brief 5 minute shower on the first day. The hotel and food was excellent and very popular with other golfers. Doug Barwick Captain Thorpeness tour group 2023
Sunday 27/8/23	Under and over 15 handicap competitions These competitions were held with 25 members taking part overall. There were 7 members in low handicap competition, which was won by Tony Wright with a score of 37pts 2nd Richard Lawson 35pts 3rd Anthony hurst 33pts. In the over 15's Doug Barwick 1st 36pts 2nd Sarah Fordham 31pts on countback 3rd Laurie Justice 31pts. The competition was luckily held in good weather in the morning. Doug Barwick Captain
Wednesday 16/8/23	Wednesday Warrior Competition The Wednesday Warriors trophy was played for today. Ten members entered the competition in very warm weather. 1st Dave Wood 36pts, 2nd Sarah Fordham 35pts on countback, 3rd John Mellis 35pts. The trophy will be presented later in the season. Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 13/8/23	3 Clubs and a Putter Competition It was decided to hold the 3 clubs and a putter competition. This proved to be quite popular with eventually 19 members taking part. Excellent weather prevailed and the competition was won by Jamie Rice with 41pts, 2nd Tom Roberts 37pts on countback and 3rd Richard Lawson also 37pts. The trophy will be presented later in the season. Doug Barwick Captain
Wednesday 26/7/23	Awayday at Brett Vale Golf Club An away day was held at Brett Vale GC, 24 members took advantage of a glorious day. Everyone arrived at approximately 09.30 for tea or coffee and bacon roll. We had 6x4 balls which got underway at 10.30. John Keeble was the worthy winner with 45pts, 2nd Roger Goodchild 38pts and 3rd Bob Stone 37pts. There were x4 nearest of pins, Gordon Smith, Nick Corder, Dave Stuart-Thompson and Roger Goodchild. Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 23/7/23	Monthly competition A monthly medal was brought forward a week due to The Minor Counties Cricket Festival. Only 12 members took part which was slightly disappointing. Gordon Smith 1st nett 59, Tony Wright 2nd nett 62 and Mike Suckling 3rd nett 64. Doug Barwick Captain
Wednesday 12/7/23	Midweek competition - July 2023 A mid-monthly stableford was held with 15 members participating. Colin Harvey 1st 36pts, Chris Herbert 2nd 35pts on countback and Dave Stuart-Thompson 3rd also 35pts. Only one Nearest of Pin achieved by Pete Gosling. Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 9/7/23	Tony Cairns Memorial Trophy On Sunday 9th July the RHS Golfing Society celebrated our founding member Tony Cairns by playing for a trophy in his name, between two teams; one led by the captain versus another led by the chairman. We managed to field 32 members, 8 teams of four. The format was a 4 ball better ball match play competition with no handicaps considered. The chairman's team were triumphant by one point, and the trophy was presented by Tony Cairn's son Kevan, which was a nice gesture. Following the presentation, the members sat down to an excellent BBQ lunch at the King's Head. As with all these events I like to pay tribute to people who helped organise the day for the majority. Thanks to Keith and Glen Last for formatting the golf, thanks to Rosie Stuart Thompson for providing some excellent sausage rolls and also to Gordon Smith for the cool refreshments at the half way stage. The weather overall was kind to everyone, despite a few infrequent showers. Doug Barwick Captain
Friday 30/6/23	Awayday at Seckford Golf Club On Friday 30th June an away day was organised at Seckford GC, with 10 members attending. Everyone arrived on time to partake of tea/coffee and bacon roll. The format for the day was a stableford plus two 'nearest of pins'. Within the group there were a hardcore band of cricketing enthusiasts who were deliberating throughout the round at England's performance in the 2nd Ashes test. In the winners enclosure Dave Stuart-Thompson secured victory with 27pts on countback, 2nd Clive Rennison 27pts, 3rd Graham Smith 26pts. The nearest of pins were Graham Smith 4th and Doug Barwick 14th. I am hoping to arrange another away day at Brett Vale towards the end of July. Looking forward, we are scheduled to have the Tony Cairns trophy Competition on Sunday 9th July, and the summer pairs and singles knockout matches are in continuance. Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 30/4/23	Monthly competition Moving on to the monthly qualifier on Sunday 30th April, a medal round was held and 26 participants took part. Again the weather was good but the grass had grown just a bit too long in the rough, and unfortunately this encountered lost balls resulting in 4 no returns. Tom Sheern was the eventual winner with a net score of 59. Thanks to everyone for their continued support Doug Barwick Captain
Sunday 16/4/23	Captain's drive in and hidden pairs competition I would like to thank everyone, thirty in all who supported me at my "captain's drive in" on Sunday 16th April. We had excellent weather and it took me two attempts to place a ball on the fairway. Catriona Herbert had placed her marker nearest to the ball and the winnings were donated to charity. The idea for the day was a fun event, and hidden pairs was selected where everyone submits a card and pairs are drawn out at random. The winners were John Keeble and Matt Herbert-Jones with a combined score of 73pts. Doug Barwick Captain
27 March 23	AGM Report 2023 The 35th AGM of the society was held on 27th March 2023, thank you all those whop attended. Doug Barwick was elected captain and Tom Roberts vice and we wish them a successful and enjoyable year. There will be a charity Captain's Drive in to launch the year so hopefully as many as possible will support the charity event Annual subscriptions and green fees remain the same with annuals payable 1st August. There remains a waiting list for new applicants Audited accounts were approved and committee re elected.
2022
Sunday 30/10/22	RHS Golfing Society Chamionships A rather wet Sunday saw 32 members turn out for the Annual Championship and Over 65's Championship. The results were as follows: Championship: Gross winner on 70 Ian Whitty Net winner on 60 Clive Rennison Over 65s: Gross winner on 80 Dave Wood ( On count back from Roger Goodchild - Doody) Net winner on 64 Graham Smith ( On count back from Steve Butcher) Congratulations to the winners and well done to everyone who participated in not the best of conditions. Thanks to the RHS Ground Staff for preparing the course so well for the Championships. Dave Wood
Sunday 25/9/22	Stapleford competition Congratulations to the winners in the September Sunday Stapleford competition. 1st Place Tom Sheern 40 points 2nd Place Terry Whiting 38 points (on count back) 3rd Place Anthony Hurst 38 points £18 will be donated to Charity. Paul Unsworth Captain
Sunday 26/6/22	June Greensomes Competition It was decided to have a Greensomes format on Competition Day in June due to the adverse rough situation. 16 players took part in 8 teams of 2. The First, Second and Third Place teams received a choice of a Jubilee beer or jam or sleeve of balls. Paul Unsworth Captain
Thursday 2/6/22	Jubilee Texas Scramble There was a great turn out for the Jubilee Texas Scramble, all participants received a Jubilee memorabilia gift of a Sandringham Estate Jubilee Beer or Jam according to their preference. The winning team of Doug Barwick, Roger Goodchild, Steve Butcher and John Scoines received a beer and jam each. Paul Unsworth Captain
Sunday 15/5/22	Texas Scramble Competition A really good turn out for today's Texas Scramble with seven teams turning up. Congratulations to Gordon Smith and Tom Roberts for both winning nearest the pin. Competition runners up were David Springate, Dave Wood, Clive Rennison and Catriona Herbert. Winners by a narrow margin were Glen Last, David Stuart-Thompson, Graham Smith and myself. The good news is that we raised £24 for the Ukraine Charity - a big thanks to everyone! Roger Goodchild(Doody) Vice Captain
Sunday 24/4/22	Captain's drive in and medal competition A big thank you to all those who attended the Captain's Drive In and competition, we had a great turn out with 35 members competing. I must confess it took me 4 attempts to hit the fairway from the 18th Tee, but the golfing gods were then kind to me, and I had one of my best rounds for a while. Winners of the medal competition: 1st Place Steve Hart net 59 2nd Clive Rennison net 60 3rd. Myself net 61 4th Keith Last net 62 Wooden Spoon prize to Mark Rice Nearest the pin on 6th John Keeble Nearest pin in 2 on 11th Ray Head Prizes were drawn from my cellar to maximise charitable contributions on this occasion. Doug Barwick won the guess of where the Captain's drive on the fairway would finish and kindly donated the winnings to charity. The combined amount raised from this event and last week's Texas Scramble is £208.75 which goes to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Many thanks to all who attended and your generosity, I look forward to playing with many of you in the coming year. Best wishes to all Paul Unsworth Captain
Sunday 17/4/22	Easter Texas Scramble Competition 15 members entered the Texas Scramble. Winning Team; Gordon Smith, John Scoines, Tony Wright, Paul Unsworth. Net score 53.1 prizes were a sleeve of RHS logo balls and Cream Egg each. Slightly embarrassing that the Chairman and Captain were in the winning team but I doubt it will happen again! £25 was raised for charity which will again go to support Ukraine refugees. Happy Golfing Paul Unsworth Captain
15 April 22	Captain's Opening Message I am delighted to be given the privilege of being your Captain for the coming year and look forward to playing with many of you during my tenure. Roger Goodchild who many of you know as Doody has kindly agreed to support me as Vice-Captain so, please feel free to communicate with either of us with any suggestions or ideas you may have. A big thank you to David Wood who I think all will agree did a great job as Captain last year and has agreed to help me by leading the Wednesday games and competitions. He has asked me to remind everyone that the next Wednesday mid-week competition will be 20/4/22. Other Wednesday Competitions will be 2nd Wednesday of the month as usual, apart from August when it will be a week later due to course closure. Future competitions and other notable dates are included in the events section above. Please make a note of these fixtures in your Calendar and remember that to be eligible to enter competitions, handicaps should be up to date and active by ensuring you have played in at least 3 monthly qualifying competitions in the last 12 months. Competitions for later in the year will be circulated in due course. Wishing you all a healthy and happy year's golfing Paul Unsworth Captain of RHS Golfing Society
27 and 30 March 22	Monthly competition and Halesworth awayday - March 2022 This is my last report as Captain and I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement throughout the year, I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and wish our new Captain and Vice-Captain Paul Unsworth and Doody (R Goodchild) all the very best for their year. I finished my year with a Texas Scramble on Sunday 27th with 24 members taking part, unfortunately Covid robbed us of a few, but once again we were blessed with Captain's weather! The winning teams were, Steve Hart, Glen Last, Graham Smith and Roger Tyler, 2nd Dave Springate, John Scoines and Laurie Justice, 3rd Richard Lawson, Gordon Smith, Patsy Grimsey and Ray Head all of the winning teams received an Easter egg of varying sizes and everyone else who took part received an Easter Bunny. I am also pleased to say £50 was raised for charity which has been matched by the Society to enable £100 to be sent to the Disaster Relief Committee in aid of all those suffering in the Ukraine. The final event of my Captaincy was the away day at Halesworth Golf Club on Wednesday 30th March. I am pleased to say 28 members took part and I would like to say we were blessed with Captain's weather once again, however my team didn't get wet but I'm afraid a few others did, hope it did not spoil the day for them and over the course of the year my record of fine weather wasn't too bad. Once again numerous Easter eggs were up for grabs for the winning teams, the final result was, 1st Tom Roberts, Doody, Chris Herbert and Tom Sheern, 2nd Andy Smith, Gordon Smith, Richard Watson and Nick Corder, 3rd Dave Springate, Anthony Hurst, Graham Smith and Jamie Rice all others taking part also received some Easter goodies. A great day was had by all, and I would like to thank Halesworth Golf Club for their hospitality and friendship. Once again thanks to you all, happy golfing. Dave Wood Captain
22 March 22	AGM Report Thank you to all those who attended the AGM on 22nd March. The evening was a great success and thanks go out to all who facilitated it. There are a few announcements and notices that are required as we embark on our golfing year: - Paul Unsworth is our new Captain and will be ably supported by his vice-captain Roger Goodchild aka Doody. Paul is well known to the membership having played at the RHS for a number of years and we all wish him an enjoyable and successful tenure. Please give your support to what promises to be a full year. - Steve Butcher is the new Treasurer and will bring new reporting systems into the Society and is a very welcomed addition to the committee. Our finances are in a strong position, and we are looking to see where we can target expenditure to the benefit of the membership and pupils alike. Membership fees are unchanged and will be due as normal by 1st August 2022. - Membership numbers have been capped and we currently have a waiting list. - The tee booking system is to remain which with the web site will identify competitions, events and course restrictions. - Major renovations to 4th, 5th and 6th greens are planned to coincide with the August closure along with work on other holes. To enable that temporary greens will be in place for holes 4,5 & 6. During the season some grass tees are to be renovated so if required winter mat use will be resumed for that time. - Can all golfers please ensure divots are replaced and pitch marks are repaired. If you see players not doing will you politely remind. - Changes are being considered to the 7th hole and OOB in response to "blind" approach shots into the green. Regardless of any changes, will all players be extra vigilant as pupils or ground staff may be present. Finally, I remind that the school premises, including the golf course and carpark, are a non-smoking area. It just leaves to say hoping this year is a full and uninterrupted one and all have safe and happy golfing. Gordon Smith Chairman and on behalf of the Committee
Wednesday 9/3/22	Midweek competition - March 2022 Once again those taking part in this month's midweek competition were blessed with fine weather. The winner with 36 points was Simon Wood, runner up with 35 points Bill Hewlett, nearest the pin on hole 6 Colin Scott and on the 10th Dave Wood. This was my last midweek competition as Captain and I would like to thank all of those who have joined in over the last year and made it very successful. Happy Golfing Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 27/2/22	Monthly Competition - February 2022 Last Sunday's monthly competition saw 29 competitors take part in rather blustery conditions. The overall winner on count back with 36 points was Doody (R Goodchild), in 2nd place and Division 1 winner also with 36 points was myself Dave Wood, Div 1 runner up with 35 points was Steve Hart, Div 2 winner with 33 points on count back was Clive Rennison and runner up also on 33 points was Catrina Herbert. Nearest the pin on hole 6 was Doody and on hole 10 was Doug Barwick. We now know that the final of the Winter Pairs Competition will be decided this month between my Vice Captain Paul Unsworth and his partner Doody ( R Goodchild) who will be taking on Bob Stone and Rob Collett, best of luck to both pairs. Happy Golfing Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 20/2/22	Tony Cairns Memorial Trophy A massive thanks to all of you who turned out to support the Chairman v Captain for the "Tony Cairns Memorial Trophy". A total of 36 players took part and were paired together according to handicaps, the playing format was widely appreciated by all of those taking part. The eventual score was 5 - 3 with one match halved so all of those representing the Captain were victorious on this occasion. Although I must admit the Captain did not contribute towards the victory having lost very narrowly to the Chairman (I thought that was the diplomatic thing to do!!). At the end of the match all players were joined by Tony's son Kevan and other guests at the memorial bench on the 8th tee to unveil a plaque and raise a glass with a wee dram in memory of our founder Tony. Our Chairman paid tribute to Tony giving a brief outline of all he had done to get our Society up and running to become what it is today. Afterwards a majority of us gathered in the King's Head to share in memories and celebrate the life of Tony and to partake in a superb spread kindly provided by Tony and his partner Tracy. During the course of this lunchtime sojourn Kevan presented the victorious captain with the trophy. Happy Golfing Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 9/2/22	Midweek competition - February 2022 A Covid depleted field took part in this month's midweek competition, with 16 competing for this month's honours. The final result being 1st with 40 points Bob Stone, 2nd on count back with 35 points John Mellis and 3rd, also with 35 points, Colin Scott. Nearest the pin on the 6th Tony Futardo and on the 13th David Stuart Thompson. There were three 2's recorded, David Stuart Thompson on holes 10 & 13 and Bob Stone on hole 17. Happy Golfing Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 30/1/22	Monthly Competition - January 2022 We had a great turn out for the monthly competition on Sunday and once again we were blessed with glorious sunshine. This month's competition was a medal format and the winners were, overall gross winner Tony Wright with 70, overall net winner with a net 58 Glen Last, Div 1 net winner with 60 Anthony Hurst, Div 2 net winner with 64 Ray Head. Nearest the pin hole 6 Anthony Hurst, hole 17 Staszek Stuart-Thompson. Once again thanks to the ground staff for preparing a great surface for us. Happy Golfing Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 12/1/22	Midweek competition - January 2022 18 members turned out on a frosty but gloriously sunny day on Wednesday 12th for the first midweek competition of the new year and it was great to see some new names on the winner's rostrum, 1st with 38 points Richard Watson, 2nd Graham Smith 34 points, 3rd Bill Hewlett 34 points (on count back), nearest pin 4th Richard Watson 10th Rob Collett. Well done Richard glad to see that handicap starting to come down! Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 2/1/22	New Year's Stableford competition Last Sunday we held a New Year's Stableford competition. A good turnout saw a very close finish with first place going to Andy Smith 38 points, 2nd on count back Paul Unsworth 37 points and 3rd also with 37 points Ian Whitty. Dave Wood Captain
2021
Sunday 19/12/21	Sunday Turkey Trot Texas Scramble 35 brave souls brought some Christmas cheer to a misty damp golf course and took part in our Christmas Texas Scramble. The teams were sorted out by myself prior to the game thereby providing a good mixture of young and old, many thanks to my Vice Captain Paul Unsworth for sorting out the cards and naming the teams accordingly. It was great to see everyone return to the King's Head afterwards and carry on the Christmas spirit. Prizes were awarded to the winners, runners up and losers in fact everyone received something including the bar staff. It was great to see Banjo was part of the outright winning team, well done. However, the best part of the whole proceedings personally was the fact that over the course of the two Christmas Competitions in excess of a £100 has been donated to my chosen charity The Multi Systems Atrophy Trust, many thanks to all. Also on the day we were finally, after many attempts, able to make a presentation to our previous Chairman Roger Tyler. Our present Chairman Gordon Smith reflected on the service Roger has given both as Chairman and a Committee Member and duly presented him with an engraved wine glass as well as 12 bottles of fine red wine. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS and ALL THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR. Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 8/12/21	Midweek Christmas Competition - December 2021 21 Festive souls took part in the midweek competition suitably turned out in Christmas jumpers, and in some cases hats, and I am glad to say the sun decided to shine on us once again. The winner with a very impressive 42 points was Steve Butcher, 2nd Clive Rennison 38 points and 3rd Laurie Justice 37 points, nearest the pin on the 6th Roger Holmes. No one managed it on the 17th so the prize was presented to our host Caroline. As a departure from the normal prizes, winners received items of Christmas Fayre with all of those taking part also receiving a little gift from Santa. £50 will be on its way to the Captain's Charity The Multiple Systems Atrophy Trust care of entry fees and a few fines for no jumper, many thanks to all. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 28/11/21	Monthly Competition - November 2021 Sunday saw 28 brave souls battle against Artic conditions to take part in November's monthly competition. The overall winner on count back with 37 points was (Dusty) David Stuart Thompson , Div 1 winner (Doody) Roger Goodchild RU Keith Last, Div 2 winner Catriona Herbert RU Chris Herbert. Nearest the pin 8th Ian Whitty 13th Chris Herbert. Within this competition we also had a Par 3 competition kindly sponsored by Terry Whiting who provided a magnificent trophy, this was won by Keith Last who beat his son Glen by one shot. Congratulations to the winners and well done to everyone who took part. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 7/11/21	Medal Competition Last Sunday saw the postponed Medal Competition take place in far better conditions than the previous Sunday. A field of 28 players took part and the eventual winners were: Gross Tony Wright, RU Dave Springate Nett John Keeble RU John Scoines Nearest the pins hole 4 David Stuart Thompson 17 Tony Wright. Well done to the winners and thanks to everyone for taking part. Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 13/10/21	Wednesday Warrior Competition This was competed for, for the very first time on Wednesday 13th with most of the Wednesday Warriors taking part. The winner with 43 stapleford points was Bob Stone, 2nd Dave Wood (39) 3rd Tony Wright (38). This was the last formal competition to be played for this year and happily once again the sun shone on us and thanks to the ground staff for preparing the course for us. Dave Wood Captain
Summer 2021	Summer competitions The final of the Summer Pairs competition proved to be a very close match with the winners not decided until the final hole so congratulations to Roger Holmes and Ian Whitty and commiserations to Richard Lawson and Mick Suckling. The John Symes singles trophy was won by Rob Collett, congratulations Rob and commiserations to Chris Herbert. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 26/9/21	3 Clubs and a Putter Competition Yet another fine day saw 28 competitors take the field for the 3 Clubs and a Putter Competition. This proved to be a very tight and eagerly contested competition with 11 players scoring 36 points and above. The eventual winner with 39 points was Paul Unsworth and the runner up on count back with 38 points was Clive Rennison, congratulations to both. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 12/9/21	RHS Golfing Society Championships Our annual championships took place on Sunday 12 September with 30 members taking part. Once again the weather gods looked kindly upon us and we were blessed with a fine sunny day. Thanks also to the ground staff for having the course in great condition for the day's events. Winners were:- Championship Gross Winner Ian Whitty, runner up Dave Springate Net Winner Ian Roberts, runner up Patsy Grimsey Over 65's Winner Patsy, runner up John Scoines Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part, also thanks to Terry Powell for collating all of the results. Dave Wood Captain
Sundays 22/8/21 and 29/8/21	Over 15 Handicap and Monthly Competitions - August 2021 Congratulations to John Scoines for winning the Over 15 Handicap Competition with 39 points closely followed by Ian Roberts with 38 points. The trophy will be presented at out presentation evening in October. We had 23 golfers turn out for the August Monthly Competition, the overall winner with 40 points was Richard Lawson, Div 1 David Springate 39 points, Div 2 Peter George 38 points and Tony Wright won the nearest the pin on both the 8th and 13th, congratulations to all. Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 11/8/21	Midweek Competition - August 2021 The monthly midweek competition, on Wednesday 11th August, saw 18 members take part on a fine sunny morning with the course in excellent condition. Headlines for the day and congratulations must go to Tony Wright who set a new course record of 60, needless to say Tony also amassed 43 stableford points and won the competition. I wonder how long this score will stand before it is beaten, quite sometime I expect. Full result:- 1st Tony Wright 43 points 2nd Colin Scott 41 appoints 3rd Roger Holmes 40 points Nearest the pin 8th Bill Hewlett, a few inches more and this could have been quite expensive , 13th Roger Holmes. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 25/7/21	Captain's drive in and team competition Despite the forecast the weather kept fine and we even experienced some sunshine which came out just in time for a most enjoyable BBQ at the King's Head. I am pleased to say that in the drive in I managed to find the fairway with my first attempt and surprised everyone by going beyond all of the members markers! Eight teams of four took part in the golf, each team consisting of 2 Div 1 and 2 Div 2 players, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and thanks to the ground staff for a great playing surface. The eventual winners were the team comprising of T Wright, P George, T Futardo and S Butcher, 2nd D Springate, I Whitty, J Rice And C Scott, 3rd Doody , D Wood, C Herbert & R Head. Nearest the pin hole 6 T Futardo, hole 10 J Mellis and nearest the pin in 2 on hole 2 T Wright. A special thanks to the Ladies who provided a halfway house on the 10th tee, the sausage rolls were delicious as was the quiche, mind you the beer didn't help as all of my team put their balls out of play on the 11th!! The real winner on the day however was my chosen charity The Multiple System Atrophy Trust who will be receiving a cheque in excess of £200, grateful thanks to all of those who took part and donated it is most appreciated. Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 9/6/21	Midweek Competition - June 2021 Twenty members entered June's midweek competition. The winner with a very creditable 37 points was Clive Rennison, 2nd Tony Wright and 3rd Doug Barwick. Colin Scott won nearest the pin on the 4th, unfortunately no one was successful on the 10th. Thanks to everyone who turned out in the glorious June sunshine, never was a pint at the King's Head afterwards more looked forward to. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 29/5/21	Monthly Competition - May 2021 May's monthly competition took place on a lovely sunny day, far better than the grey cold windy day last month, the only problem there was also a month's growth to the grass in the rough. Hopefully this will be cut before we play our next monthly competition. Thirty competitors took part and the overall winner with a creditable 38 points was Ray Head, Division 1 winner was your captain Dave Wood and 2nd was Tom Roberts, Division 2 winner was Graham Smith, 2nd Bill Hewlett. Nearest the pin on the 8th Terry Whiting and on the 13th Keith Last. Dave Wood Captain
Wednesday 12/5/21	Midweek Competition - May 2021 Wednesday 12th saw the very first of our midweek competitions. It was pleasing to see a field of 22 competitors take part on a lovely sunny morning and enjoy some very competitive golf. The honours went to:- Ist Dave Wood 42 points 2nd Simon Wood 39 points 3rd David Stuart Thompson 38 points Nearest pin 6th Tony Wright, 17th Ian Whitty Thanks to Terry Powell for checking and correcting the score cards and for adjusting the handicaps accordingly. Please lookout for the date of the next midweek competition, which is likely to be Wednesday 9th June. Dave Wood Captain
Sunday 25/4/21	Monthly Competition - April 2021 Sunday April 25th saw the first monthly competition take place since socially distanced golf restarted and the first under my captaincy. Although it was a very chilly and windy Sunday morning a near maximum field of 35 hearty souls turned up to participate some even in shorts!! The overall winner with a very creditable 41 points was Tom Roberts and in 2nd place with 36 points was Tony Furtardo, Div1 winner was Dave Springate and the winner of Div 2 was Bill Hewlett. Winner of the nearest the pin on the 6th was John Keeble. Unfortunately no one was successful in getting on the green on the 17th. Congratulations to all of those and thanks to Terry Powell for recording all the results. Although not the most pleasant of conditions to play in I am sure they will get better as we progress and the rough grows longer! Thanks to all of you who turned out and I look forward to seeing you all again as the season marches on. A great start to the golfing year lets hope we can continue without any lock downs this year. Dave Wood Captain
Monday 8/3/21	Annual General Meeting The RHS Golfing Society AGM was held on Monday 25th March 2021 using Zoom for an online AGM for the first time for the Society. David Wood was elected society captain. Outgoing captain Keith Chittock was thanked for covering the role for 2 years and for organising so many excellent events and away-days. Keith has kindly agreed to remain on the Committee as lead for Tours and Away days. Following a long and distinguished career on the Committee, including as Treasurer and latterly Chairman, Roger Tyler has decided to take a well-earned retirement. Under Roger's leadership the Society has continued to grow and evolve into the friendly and vibrant organisation it is today and Roger was thanked for his passion and commitment over the years. Gordon Smith was elected as the new Chariman of the Society with Andrew Smith being appointed as the Society's Treasurer taking over this role from Gordon.
2020
Thursday 24/12/20	New flags, pins and cups Safe Golfing. New flags, pins and cups have been fitted on the greens along with easy ball retrievers.
Sunday 20/12/20	Charity Christmas pairs competition A Christmas pairs competition was held on 20th December. Victorious were Paul Unsworth & Doody Goodchild with a splendid 75 combined stableford points. Runners up were Keith & Glenn Last and third David & Staszek Stuart Thompson. Proceeds were donated to E.A.C.H.
Sunday 5/7/20	Hole in One for Paul! Congratulations to Paul Unsworth for his hole in one on the 4th hole. Suitable social distancing was observed when he bought a round to celebrate in the King's Head afterwards.
Friday 15/5/20	Golf course reopens After being closed for seven weeks, due to the lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the golf course at the Royal Hospital School reopened for use by Golfing Society members, School staff and School students. Play resumed on a bright, sunny Friday morning with the course looking in excellent condition. The splendid view from the first tee was a welcome one as shown in the photo below. All golfers now have to pre book tee times and follow safety precautions, including maintaining social distancing at all times, especially in the car park, around tees and around greens. Click here to read more
2019
Wednesday 28/8/19	Greens under repair The good news is that the benefit of the excellent work done by Steve Mutton and his team can already be seen on the three greens that have been under repair and all players owe a big thank you to everyone involved. The greens are now back in use but the grass is being left longer than normal while it becomes fully established. Players are asked to please ensure you treat ALL the greens with the respect they deserve and repair ALL pitch marks, which is for the benefit of us all. These photos illustrate the impressive progress made so far on the 3rd and 9th greens.
Friday 12/7/19	New Golf Flags Smart golf flags showing the new school logo have been installed on the course.
Monday 30/4/19	New Practice Nets New Golf Practice Nets have been purchased by the Society and positioned just behind the first tee. Members now have the opportunity to loosen up and perfect their swing before venturing on to the course. The Golfing Society is very happy to share this facility with the school to support pupils and employees wishing to develop or practice their golf.
Monday 25/3/19	Annual General Meeting Nearly 30 members attended The RHS Golfing Society AGM on Monday 25th March 2019 at the King's Head in Stutton. Keith Chittock was elected society captain taking over from Richard Lawson who was thanked for his work on behalf of the society and said what an honour it had been to serve in the role.
Sunday 17/3/19	Bob Good's Memorial Day 17th March 2019 A Memorial Day, planned by his wife Maggie and Bob before he died for St. Patrick's Day, was held on Sunday 17th March 2019. Bob Good, who was Chairman of the Golfing Society for 13 years, died in July 2018. The Memorial Day started with a service of celebration in the impressive surroundings of the RHS Chapel followed by a buffet in the Jellico room. The buffet was followed by the dedication of the memorial bench, donated by the Golfing Society and erected by the 8th tee. The final event of the day was a nine hole Texas Scramble golf competition. Click here to read more and see photos
2018
Friday 2/11/18	Presentation dinner The Society's presentation evening was held on the 2nd November at the King's Head. The evening started with the presentation of trophies to winners and runners up for competitions held throughout 2018. This was followed by a meal and live music enjoyed by over 50 members. 2018 Individual winners were: Championship Singles (gross score) - Terry Powell Championship Singles (net score) - Ray Head Senior singles - Ray Head Winter Pairs - Andy Smith & Steve Wain Summer Pairs Shield - Terry Powell & Tom Roberts Ray Head with one of his trophies
Monday 19/3/18	Annual General Meeting The RHS Golfing Society AGM took place on Monday 19th March 2018 at the King's Head in Stutton. Richard Lawson was elected society captain and David Stuart-Thompson was thanked for his excellent service to the society during his two years as captain.
2017
Sunday 5/11/17	Don Whitby Shield Competition Over 20 Society and School members competed in a very close run competition on Sunday 5th November with the School running out eventual winners. The texas scramble format created an enjoyable atmosphere for all and the top team score came from the team comprised of John Whitby, David Springate and Steve Wain with a score of 52.3. The shield was accepted on behalf of the school by Clive Rennison.
Sunday 9/7/17	30th anniversary competition and BBQ On 9th of July 1987 the inaugural meeting, chaired by Tony Cairns, was held to form the Royal Hospital School Golfing Society. So 2017 is the thirtieth anniversary of that meeting and with 9th July falling on a Sunday a celebration was planned by the current committee on the actual day of the anniversary. The celebration day included 9 holes of golf in morning for the Tony Cairns trophy fought out between a Captain's side and a Chairman's team followed by refreshments with a further 9 holes team better ball matchplay in the afternoon culminating in a barbecue in the early evening. The day was well supported by the members with 32 playing golf which, with the addition of partners and families, swelled to 61 attending the barbecue. Click here to read more and see photos
Sunday 28/5/17	Monthly stableford competition Thirteen players took part. Gordon Smith came first with an excellent score of 36 points, with Terry Powell 2nd scoring 34 points. Nearest pin on 4th/13th - Mick Suckling Nearest pin on 6th/15th - Richard Lawson
Friday 31/3/17	Awayday at Newton Green Golf Club Sixteen players took part in the awayday at Newton Green GC which began with a hearty brunch. The golf started under cloud and finished in bright sunlight with the players enjoying the course, although traffic alongside and across the green presented extra challenges during the last few holes. Keith Chittock claimed first prize with 36 points followed by John Scoines on 34 points winning second place on countback. The sixth green yielded the nearest the pin prize to Terry Powell with the very first shot from the group.
Sunday 26/3/17	Monthly stableford competition After enjoying Rosie's bacon rolls, and a tot of the Captain's Scotch 14 players took part on a sunny windy day, with tricky bumpy greens. Richard Lawson came first with an excellent score of 37 points in the trying conditions, with Bill Seggar 2nd scoring 34 points.
Monday 20/3/17	Annual General Meeting The RHS Golfing Society AGM took place on Monday 20th March 2017 at the King's Head in Stutton. Nearly 30 members attended and enjoyed the excellent buffet provided by the King's Head after the meeting.
2016
Sunday 27/11/16	Charity day A charity pairs competition was held on November 27th with proceeds donated to the Royal British Legion. Winners were R Goodchild (Doody) and T Wright snr. £130 was raised and donated to Holbrook Local branch. A letter of thanks has been received thanking the society. Photograph below is Doody receiving the RBL cup on behalf of himself and Tony Wright. A thank you goes to all participants and members who made donations.
Friday 28/10/16	Presentation dinner The Society's presentation evening was held on the 28th October at the King's Head. The evening consisted of a three course dinner followed by the presenting of trophies to winners and runners up for competitions held throughout 2016. The evening was a great success and attended by over 40 members. 2016 Individual winners were: Championsip Singles (gross score) - Terry Powell Championship Singles (net score) - Patsy Grimsey Bill Ives Memorial Trophy - Patsy Grimsey John Symes Memorial Cup - Keith Chittock Summer Pairs Shield - Paul Unsworth & John Keeble 3 club challenge - David Stuart Thompson 2016 Team winners were: Tony Cairns Trophy (Chairman V Captain team competition) - Chairman's team Don Whitby Trophy (Society V School team competition) - Society's team A very deserved award of a Society Club sweater was made to Bryan (Banjo) Collins for unstinting support of the society and in particular for many years purveyor of pickle onions awarded to competition last place.
Friday 28/10/16	Away day at Waldringfield GC In the afternoon of the Presentation Dinner 15 members took part in an "away day" at Waldringfield GC. David Stuart-Thompson was the winner with 37 points. He is pictured below with the second and third placed players and winner of the nearest the pin competition.
Friday 7/10/16 to Sunday 9/10/16	Away weekend at Sprowston Manor Marriott Hotel and Country Club Fifteen members of the Society braved the October weather in Norfolk for a long weekend at the Sprowston Manor Golf Hotel and had a very enjoyable stay including 3 rounds of golf on a challenging parkland course. The weather was mainly kind - sunny and showery - but overall, the course won the contest mainly due to interesting and perplexing borrows on tricky greens. The 3 days were won overall by Dave Wood, and Nearest the Pin awards were well spread around. Other course bookings meant a slightly delayed start on the first day which brought a new meaning to 'Blind Pairs' for the last few holes for the last pairs out! The weekend included convivial restaurant dinners at this very comfortable Marriott hotel - with good food, despite one member's view, that the mashed potato slightly resembled a popular modelling product for children (doh!). A highlight was the Chairman's Cocktail Party, which featured a wide array of cocktails and canapes - especially popular were the Bloody Marys and the Salt n' Vinegar canapes which were enthusiastically consumed and much appreciated by the team. All in all, a superb venue and a great weekend, perfectly organised and marshalled by Captain Dusty. Well done and thanks Dave, and congratulations to all the competition winners.
Sunday 2/10/16	Club Championship On Sunday 19 players entered the club championships and enjoyed playing on the course which had been prepared well by the ground staff, including cutting a lot of the rough helping play to run smoothly. Champion golfer was Terry Powell with a gross score of 71, second Shaun Welham (77) and third David Springate (78) Handicap trophy was won by Patsy Grimsey net 59, second was Stefan Potentas (60) and third was David Springate (64) As all three are over 55 yrs the positions were the same for the Seniors trophy. Trophies will be presented at our annual dinner on Friday 28th October so please reserve the date in your diaries and look out for further information about how to book.
Monday 5/8/16	Away Day at Harwich Twenty players arrived at Harwich Golf Club in bright sunshine to enjoy bacon rolls and coffee before assembling near the first tee. The tree lined fairways and well kept greens provided a good test of golf with the ability to hit a straight ball an advantage. The round was followed by welcome refreshments along with fish and chips. John Keeble returned the highest stableford score of 36 points with Tom Roberts second and Bob Stone third. Nearest the pin was won by Paul Unsworth. The picture below shows the winners with their prizes and our captain, David Stuart-Thompson, in front of the 9th green.
Monday 6/6/16	Away Day at Southwold On a clear sunny day at Southwold Golf Club 16 players enjoyed bacon rolls and coffee in the characterful clubhouse before taking on the course. With some tight fairways, difficult rough in places, gorse bushes seemingly positioned to be most awkward and some tee shots requiring a good carry the course proved a challenge. The expansive views to sea and inland were a real treat on such a fine day. Back in the clubhouse fish and chips accompanied by some local ale completed the experience. Terry Powell posted the best stableford score of 36, impressive at a handicap of 6, and the picture below shows him being presented with the prize by our captain, David Stuart-Thompson, in front of the 18th Green.
Sunday 29/5/16	May stableford competition Playing straight was essential on the day of the May monthly stableford and special thanks need to be given to the green keepers who kindly did a grand job on the greens and fairways and Bill Seggar for preparing the holes. This together with really nice weather encouraged a very good turn out of 24 players. Commendably two players managed to break 30 points, Richard Lawson with 30 and Mike Suckling with 35 who took the glory on the day. Nobody managed to be on the green in two on the 2nd/11th but Terry Powell managed closest the pin both times playing the 6th/15th. Thanks again to Rosie for the pre-match fare.
Sunday 24/4/16	April stableford competition Sunday April 24th saw our first stableford completion of the year preceded by the Captain's drive in. 18 members turned up and were greeted with hotdogs and refreshments. The drive in was won by Steve Wain. Considering the windy conditions the stableford scoring was good and Terry Whiting won with 41 points closely followed by Mike Suckling with 39. Thank you for all those who were there to support and made the day a very enjoyable one. Money taken was donated to the King's Head charity in aid of children with cancer.
Monday 21/3/16	Annual General Meeting The RHS Golfing Society AGM took place on Monday 21st March 2016 at the King's Head in Stutton with an encouraging attendance of nearly 30 members.
Sunday 20/3/16	Captain's team vs Chairman's team match Twenty two players took part in this event which was played under light cloud with occasional sight of the sun. The foursomes format proved good fun and surprisingly quick to play. Having the 'spare' players advancing up the fairway as ball spotters was a great advantage on some holes. The overall result came out in favour of the Chairman by just two holes. The teams were playing for the Tony Cairns Trophy and the picture below shows Tony Cairns presenting the trophy to Chairman Roger Tyler.