President’s Update

FOREWORD

The Newsletter of Whickham Golf ClubFounded 1911 Summer 2014

Dear Member ...At the time of writing thisupdate we have completed fivemonths of our 2014 financialyear. I am delighted to report,that apart from subscriptions,every one of our incomestreams is showing substantialgrowth over the prior year.

We budgeted for lowersubscriptionlevels as adirect resultof reducingourmembershiprates for2014. Thegood news isthat ourmarketing andmembershiprecruitment

strategy is working well, andwe will finish 2014 ahead ofbudget, but with less incomethan prior years. We willcontinue to recruit, throughout2014, five and six-daymembers.

Bar sales, food sales, visitorincome, buggy sales,competition and entertainmentrevenues are all growing, andthe Club’s overall revenue ismore than 12% up on lastyear. We continue toaggressively control expensesand we have reduced ouroverall annual costs by morethan 1%.

Our new Management Teamis up and running, it isparticularly pleasing to see thenew Club CompetitionCommittee, under theleadership of John Warneford,active across all sections of theClub. In addition, the GreensCommittee, led by GarryWilson, are also showingexcellent initiative. Theinteraction between Garry,Brian Hughes and ourFacilities Director, Ray Dennis,

is proving very effective ingenerating cost savings and indeveloping a five year assetreplacement plan.

Our two new Captains arefinding their feet, and havealready proved that they willbe an asset to the Committee,particularly, with respect totheir involvement withcompetitions.

Despite the wet weather thecourse is in excellent conditionas evidenced by the 60%growth in visitor revenues. Wehave had very positivefeedback from our membersand visitors, including the ProAm participants, re theexcellent condition of ourcourse. We intend to continueimproving our course. Wehave hired additional helpduring the summer months tomaintain the Clubhousesurrounds, and assist on thecourse, as and where,necessary.

In summary, the Club is in a‘’great place’’ and I hope youenjoy the rest of your golfingyear.

ContentsPresident’s UpdateFacilities Director ReportNew Biomass BoilerCompetition NewsOn The HousePro’s CommentMarketing ReportNina Nordman’s 70

year membershipHadrian Healthcare

ProAm ReportNational Trust,

Gibside and WGCLadies ChatterCaptain’s LogJunior UpdateGreens ReportSenior Moments

. . . and much more!

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A GGrreeaatt Deal for GGrreeaatt Golf in a GGrreeaatt Place

LLeess BBrriittttoonn,, President

THE CLUBHOUSEThe major change in the Clubhouse has been theinstallation of a Biomass Heating System (see theseparate article).

Plans are in hand to provide members with moreinformation and better facilities when signing inon the computer system.

Phase 1 of the Electrical rewire is now completedand Phase 2 will commence shortly.

Some internal decoration is also planned for thenear future and it is hoped that a completerefurbishment of the Male toilets next to the mainentrance can be carried out this year.

THE COURSESeveral items of very old course equipmentbeyond economical repair have been or will

shortly bedisposedof. Whilstregularservicing has made most equipment more reliable,a complete review of this equipment has beenundertaken and a strategy agreed to repair, scrapor replace equipment as funds permit.

A new Ladies Loo has been provided near the 9thGreen.

Greens staff have been issued with ‘’Hi-viz’’Jackets and Bump Caps as part of our review ofHealth and Safety procedures.

CLUB SURROUNDS AND GARDENA new contractor has been employed to clear andturf the bank beside the 1st Tee Box. This work is

now complete and I hope you agree is a hugeimprovement.

The Clubhouse surrounds will now be maintainedby a part-time gardener. Alan Perry’s team willcontinue to maintain the Centenary Garden andsurrounds.

Plans are underway to improve the Shrubbery onthe south side of the building. Several areas offencing have been repaired.

The Shoe cleaning compressor is to be repositioned.

FUTURE PLANS n Phase 2 electrics rewiren Toilet refurbishmentn Bar refurbishmentn Decorationn Overflow car park extensionn New on course ‘’distance’’ and ‘’out of

bounds’’ posts

We have an almost new 2,500 litre oil storagetank for sale of if any member knows of anyonewho has use for this?

IINNTTRROODDUUCCIINNGG OOUURR‘‘’’FFRREEEE’’’’ BBIIOOMMAASSSS BBOOIILLEERRI am delighted to announce the successfulinstallation of a new Biomass Heating Systemfor our Clubhouse and flat. The instal wascarried out by AA SShhaaddee GGrreeeenneerr LLiimmiitteedd,who regularly provide free domestic andcommercial biomass boilers to propertiesoutside of the Mains Gas Network under theGovernment’s ‘‘Renewable Heating Incentive’’(RHI), a scheme introduced to help the UKmeet its carbon reduction targets. TheRenewable Heat Incentive, introduced by theGovernment in 2011, encourages smallbusinesses like ours to switch from traditionalfossil based fuels to more sustainable,renewable fuels such as wood pellets.

As most of Europe already has a maturebiomass market, the cost of pellets has beenvery stable over the last 25 years, providing

certainty ofsupply for thenew UK market.In any event,wood pelletsare the onlyfuel you canactually grow!

The new100kW boilerburns highquality wood pellets and is built within a self-contained heat cabin located in the woodsoutside of the Clubhouse. It is expected thenew biomass boiler will save the Club around50% of our annual heating costs and reduceour carbon foot print by 745 tonnes over 20years thereby future proofing the Club fromgreen taxes or climate change levies whichmay be imposed in the future. In return, AASShhaaddee GGrreeeenneerr claim the Government

subsidised, Renewable HeatIncentive to cover the cost ofthe equipment, installation,service and maintenance. Inthis case, part of the incomefrom the Renewable HeatIncentive is being shared withthe Golf Club as an extraincentive.

The boiler, installation,servicing and maintenance areprovided 100% free of charge

to the Golf Club for the next 20 years. Theperformance and operation of the boiler alsois monitored and controlled remotely so inthe event of a technical fault one of AA SShhaaddeeGGrreeeenneerr service engineers is automaticallyalerted and on site within 24 hours. Thedesign of the biomass heating systemsincorporates a heated water buffer store,providing instant heat for central heating andhot water systems. This in turn offers a muchmore economical way of providing heat tothe Clubhouse compared to the old inefficientoil boilers. Essentially, the new biomass boilerprovides the Golf Club with a hassle freeheating system for the next 20 years and weare also doing our bit to reduce carbonemissions in our area.

You can find out moreabout the AA SShhaaddeeGGrreeeenneerr commercialbiomass boilers atwww.asgbiomass.co.uk

A Shade Greener was established in 2009 toprovide free solar PV to UK homes. The companyhas successfully installed over 35,000 domestic solarPV installations throughout the UK.www.ashadegreener.co.ukYou can see a commercial biomass boilerinstallation at: http://youtu.be/kzSVq9QL0mM

Facilities

Biomass

Ray Dennis, Facilities Director

We now heat theClubhouse by burning

wood pellets!

The New Years Eve Party wasanother great success at the GolfClub with State Express Fiveproviding the entertainment.

The band played on untileveryone was too tired to danceany longer – it could have beenthe social alcohol, of course.

This was followed by a must notmiss night, BURNS NIGHT.

Once again it was wellsupported, with Darren Tenchpiping in the Haggis and HarryMcKee providing the ‘‘Ode tothe Haggis’’ in his own inimitablestyle (see pictures).

The much sought after GaryJames provided theentertainment with a routinecovering five decades ofmusic.

The social night of the year forme was in March. This was thenight when comedy came tothe Golf Club in the shape ofJosh Daniels. Josh is probablythe best north-east comedianat the moment and had theaudience in stitches throughouthis show. A fabulous night!

To end our Spring Season ofevents we were entertainedby the ever popular Tamla

Motown Band – SOULVILLE. Theselads put on one of the bestperformances we have seen atthe Golf Club and I will nothesitate to have them backagain.

After Captain’s Night on SaturdayJuly 5th, the entertainment teamwill be back in October with thestart of our Winter Programme ofSocial Events. We already havesome great entertainment linedup!

Incidentally the Clubhouse isincreasingly being used as avenue for private parties so ifyou have anything tocelebrate, the Golf Clubprovides a full service tomeet your requirements.

STEVE CHAPMANON THE HOUSE...ON THE HOUSE...ON THE HOUSE

HOUSE AND ENTERTAINMENTS CHAIR

PPrroo ’’ ss CCoommmmeennttGolf coaching at WhickhamGolf Club has been growing,May and June were very busy.

All the new ladies ‘‘Get IntoGolf’’ sessions are now underway and most of the ladies whoenrolled on similar course lastyear have continued and manyare looking to join the Club.

The men’s ‘‘Get into Golf’’groups will be starting in the nextmonth.

There are several members whohave booked up for lessons. Iam pleased to say they all seemto be improving and in somecases doing well in thecompetitions. I hope that I canhelp more of the members withtheir game.

Please keep a look out for offersand also the proposed secondGolf Psychology Evening whichhas been requested.

I am looking to deliver someshort game clinics this seasonfor the men’s section. Theyproved very popular with theladies last year.

The Club junior Sessions havestarted again with a core ofregulars to build on,

Contact me if you wish topurchase Club Shirts orSweaters. I plan to place ordersevery two weeks If there issufficient interest. I will beleaving a brochure behind thebar giving more details of theavailable colour range.

GARY SHIPLEY, PGA Professional

If you would like coaching telephone

07719838390

MMeemmbbeerrsshhiippAAddvveerrtt iiss iinnggAt the time of writing we havefive, Seven Day Membershipsavailable. The ManagementCommittee agreed to support theMarketing Team recommendationand direct seven day membershipto a waiting list. The Club’s statsshowed an increase in malemembers playing in Saturdaycompetitions. However wecontinue to promoteopportunities for Five and Six-DayMembership through localadvertising.

VViiss ii ttoorrAAddvveerrtt iiss iinngg National Membership Adverts willbe ongoing throughout theSummer with NNaatt iioonnaall CClluubbGGooll ffeerr.

Club and Masterkey Ads will becirculating regularly.

Visiting Party business has beenbrisk and very encouraging.Visitors generally have increasedby taking advantage of ourvarious offers. Online bookingsare leading the way through webpromotions. Our onlinepartnerships are also deliveringgood results. Overall visitornumbers are healthy and aheadof last year.

Twitter action promotes tee timeoffers, Opens and other activities.Follow us @WhickhamGC.

MMaasstteerrKKeeyyWWhhiicckkhhaamm’’ss MMaasstteerrKKeeyyCCoommppeett ii tt iioonn was cancelled dueto bookings being verydisappointing. With only 14 pairsregistered to play we decided tocancel rather than have thecourse closed to our members formost of the day. We areconsidering a rearranged date in

October. We will welcomesupport from home and visitingplayers to make a successfulevent. Follow us@NEGolfMasterkey.

PPrroo--AAmm21 Teams took part and thanks toall Entrants, Hole Sponsors andPrize Donations this proved to beanother successful day. This was agreat team effort supported by theClub’s Competition Committeeand led by JJoohhnn WWaarrnneeffoorrdd(Club Comp’s Secretary, seeseparate report).

GGeett iinnttoo GGooll ffWe have put out bannerspromoting the Club as an AdultBeginner Centre.

We are currently offering adultcoaching with five lessons for£25.

GGoollff DDeevveellooppmmeenntt//GGrraanntt AAppppll iiccaatt iioonnssI am delighted to announce thatEErr iicc TTuurrnneerr has volunteered tolead an initiative seeking fundingfor our development plans. Ericwill concentrate exclusively on thisprocess, operating within theMarketing Team.

GGaatteesshheeaadd CCoouunnccii llEEccoonnoommiicc DDeevveellooppmmeennttTTeeaamm has responded with someadditional support to finance aspecialist consultant. MMaarrkkBBuuttcchheerr AAssssoocciiaatteess have 25years in the business of preparingbids for funding. The value of thisservice is worth up to £800. Thecost will be paid initially by theClub and then reimbursed byGateshead Council. I believe thiswill benefit the process by givingus the best chance to gathersome realistic benefits.

NNeewwsslleett tteerrOur ‘‘FFoorreewwoorrdd’’ Newsletter wasconceived for our Centenary Yearand has been produced toinform, advise and promote ourClub Activities. It is only possibleif the content is provided by theManagement Team. However, itwould be enhanced if Memberscould contribute also. Please sendyour own suggestions or contentto me atkgr8batch@blueyonder.co.uk

I would like to acknowledge thegenerosity and tremendoussupport of Club Member BBii ll llBBaattyy for his contribution to theproduction of this publication. HisCompany ‘‘TTeecchh--SSeett’’ areSpecialist Typesetters and GraphicDesigners and with their level ofexperience and expertise haveprovided Whickham Golf Clubwith a highly professional service.

LLeeaaddeerrbbooaarrddWe plan to utilise theLeaderboard in a dual role toprovide a SSppoonnssoorr BBooaarrdd toadvertise our supporters when it’snot being operated forcompetitions. Our sponsors willgain a bit more recognition fortheir commitment to the Clubthroughout the year.

MARKETING REPORTKEN GREATBATCH, Marketing Director-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Ladies Captain LLeennaa NNeewwttoonnarranged a coffee morning for theladies section. The Ladies were told thereal purpose of the occasion was torecord a remarkable achievement forone of their number, MMrr ss NNiinnaaNNoorrddmmaannnn who has reached alandmark of 70 years as WhickhamGolf Club member.

May the 1st saw a larger than usualattendance for the coffee morning. Thesecret was intact and the guest ofhonour was present when ClubPresident, LLeess BBrr ii tt ttoonn interruptedproceedings.

He spoke of the tremendouscontribution Nina had made to forWhickham Golf Club and DurhamCounty. He continued by saying thatshe would always be held with greataffection by all. Nina was presentedwith a spectacular bouquet of flowersfrom the Management Committee onbehalf of the Club.

Mrs Nordmann together with herlate husband Len (President for 30

years) and their family had a hugeinfluence on what today’s membersare able to enjoy about Whickham GolfClub.

l Nina joined in August 1943.l She was Lady Captain

1960, 1977 & 1978.l Held the post of

Ladies HandicapSecretary.

l Assisted (butactually did most ofthe work) the LadySecretary.

l Elected as a lifemember on 4thApril 1996 and isnow the longestserving PastCaptain.

l Nina was on theDurham CountyLadies Golf Assoc.Committee in 1971& 1972

l Captain of the Lady Captains’Society (Durham County) then later

l President of the Lady Captains’Society (Durham County) and nowthe longest serving Past President.

However this doesn’t tell all about a

lady who has lived a full and activelife. At 92 years young shedemonstrates a remarkable memory,great wit and the same level ofpassion and enthusiasm forWhickham Golf Club.

Remarkable 70 years as aWhickham Golf Club Member

Mrs Nina Nordmann, looking surprised as she receives her bouquet from Les Britton

Whickham Golf Club recently respondedto an invitation from their neighbours,TThhee NNaatt ii oonnaa ll TT rruuss tt aa tt GG iibbss ii ddee tointroduce golf to their visitors. Togetherwith the DDuu rrhhaamm CCoouunn tt yy GGoo ll ffPPaa rr tt nnee rr sshh ii pp a site was preparedalongside the historic GG ii bbss ii ddee CChhaappee llto allow visitors to experience the game.

Whickham Lady Captain LL ee nn aaNNeewwtt oonn, Immediate Past Lady Captain,EEmmmmaa MMaa rr tt ii nn, Ladies Team PlayerMMaarrggee GG rreeaa ttbbaa tt cchh and JuniorLiaison Officer MMii cchhaaee ll FFaa rr rr eeyyencouraged passers bye have a try.JJoonnaa tthhoonn WWaarrdd represented theDD CC GG PP who provided an inflatableDriving Bay and Putting Mat. MM aa rr kkRRaayy ssoonn (PGA Professional) providedthe coaching expertise.

Many of the visitors from around theUK and abroad who had not experiencedgolf had their first experience of thegame. Some visitors came back fromtheir stroll for another try. The event was

presented as a fun day and feedbacksuggest that it was an enjoyablediversion for the Trust’s patrons. Somevisitors requested more information tofollow up and find out more about theoffer for a Five Week Beginner Coursefor only £25.

WWhh ii cc kkhhaammGGoo ll ff CC ll uubb wwaassrr ee cc eenn tt ll yyrr ee ccooggnn ii sseedd aassaa GGEETT IINNTTOOGGOOLLFF AADDUULLTTSSTTAARRTTEERRCCEENNTTRREEbbuu ii ll dd ii nngg oonnll aa ss tt yyeeaa rr ’’ ssssuucc cc ee ss ss aa ss22001133 DDCCGGPPPPrroo jj ee cc tt oo ff tt hheeyyeeaa rr ww ii tt hh tt hhee ii rrLLAADDIIEESS GGEETTIINNTTOO GGOOLLFFpp rroogg rraammmmee ..

NATIONAL TRUST GETINTO GOLF AT GIBSIDE

Jonathon Ward, DCGP,demonstrates Tri-Golf alongsidethe iconic Gibside Chapel

Michael Farrey helps out a young Tri-Golf visitor

WHAT a busy time it has beensince the four Captains

walked behind DDaarrrreenn TTeenncchh,our Bagpiper to launchWhickham’s 2014–15 seasonwith the traditional drive-in.

April was hectic, starting withthe Fashion show arranged byour non-resident ProfessionalGGaarryy SShhiipplleeyy. Modelling theoutfits from Ping and Glenmuirwere DDiiaannee BBrrii tt ttoonn, MMaarrggeeGGrreeaattbbaattcchh, FFrraann BBeell ll,WWeennddyy RRoobbiissoonn and mygrand-daughter SSaarraahh JJaammeess.All were nervous at first but bythe end of the night they werestrutting their stuff like trueprofessionals on the catwalk.

Both the A- and B-teamscommenced their AndersonLeague matches with the A-teamhaving two wins. The B-teamhaving a walkover as theWearside team failed to attend.

On Saturday 12th KKeennGGrreeaattbbaattcchh, EEmmmmaa MMaarrtt iinn,MMaarrggee GGrreeaattbbaattcchh and Iwere at the National Trust’sGibside as part of the Get intoGolf Scheme. Children andadults tried their hand atchipping Velcro balls onto atarget and putting on a greenthat assembled like a jigsaw

I organised a CChhaarrii ttyyCCooffffeeee MMoorrnniinngg as a ruse onThursday the 1st of May as theClub wanted to recognise NNiinnaaNNoorrddmmaannnn’’ss 70 years ofmembership, without her priorknowledge of the occasion.

LLeess BBrrii tt ttoonn, the Presidentpresented Nina with a beautifulbouquet of flowers, as everyonelooked on. This was a truly

memorable day and as a bonusthe coffee morning was a hugesuccess.

The LLaaddiieess OOppeenn tookplace on the 8th May, MMoonniiccaaDDoohheerrttyy and NNoorraa GGoossll iinnggof Whickham being the winners.

On the Tuesday the 13thMay, 17 Ladies were goingon a play and stay at RuddingPark in Yorkshire. Eleven ofus travelled in a minibus,waved off by the Seniorsection, the other six travelledby car. At the hotel the staff,were obliging, transportingluggage and persons fromthe Golf Club to the Hoteland vice-versa, our trolleyswere housed overnight withbatteries fully charged andtrolleys lined up ready for playon second day.

We enjoyed the Hawtree18 Hole Course although onthe first round we becamesomewhat wet, but anydiscomfort was soonremedied on return to thehotel when we experiencedthe luxurious splendour ofthe hotel. The food in theClocktower Bar Restaurantwas relished and breakfastthe next day went down well.

The weather was kinderon the Wednesday andsome of us played theRepton 6 Hole Par 3signature course aftercompleting our 18-holecompetition. Afterwardssitting in the sun, presen-tations for winners tookplace, PPaamm DDaavviiddssoonn onday one and EEmmmmaaMMaarrtt iinn on day two.

The minibus arrived andhome we tripped, promisingto make it a two-day staynext time. Many thanks toJJuunnee RRoobbssoonn, theorganiser.

IInnvvii ttaatt iioonn DDaayy was afine and sunny day, thewinning team of MMaarrggeeGGrreeaattbbaattcchh and her guestPPaamm HHiinndd having 40pts.

The BBaaxxtteerr SSaallvveerrss((MMiixxeedd)) was played on the26th with a winning scoreof 72 on count back wereNNeeii ll and JJuull iiee CCoorrnniisshh.

The winners of theLLaaddyy CCaappttaaiinn’’ss MMiixxeeddCCoommppeett ii tt iioonn wereDDiiaannee and LLeess BBrrii tt ttoonnwith 40pts.

LADIESCHATTER

Dining at Rudding Park

Invitation Day Winners

Baxter Salvers Winners

LENA NEWTON, Ladies’ Captain

Outdoors at Rudding Park

Who is he?Well if Ken Greatbatch is asefficient as he usually is myanonymity is over, yes that’syour new(ish) ClubCompetition Secretary. The firstthing I’d like to point out ‘‘it’snot all my fault’’ as I have afantastic team of volunteerssupporting me to spread theblame.

They are as follows: LadiesCompetitions, Lena Newtonand Pam Davidson, Men’sCompetitions, MalcolmHession and Ray Thew, SeniorsCompetitions, Ray Dennis andDave McLaughlin, and JuniorCompetitions, Michael Farrey.

But if you need assistancefeel free to visit another smalldark room next to the officethey call the dungeon, it’s thecave next to the snookerroom, where I will do my verybest to solve any problem youmay have.

New TouchscreenSystemSome would say WHY? I did! Itwas mid-season and most ofmy team and I had just aboutgot used to the old system.

So firstly the techie stuff, theold system used local

computers to store and movedata, problems associatedwith this are slow systemresponse or even total failure,something that was becomingall too familiar in recentmonths, resulting in us havingto revert back to the old papersystem and the manual inputof cards.

The new system uses the‘Cloud’ which is basically theinternet and is supported bythe big players Microsoft.

So the non techie bit, thenew system should be muchmore reliable, data is storedsafely and much easier toaccess and manage, also thecompetitions team can accessthe system from any computerlinked to the internet. I said yesgo ahead and so far so good.

Go CompetitiveSince I took over a total of 50non-competitive members arenow competitive players,either by submitting threequalifying scores or threesupplementary cards. Butplease don’t get complacentthe summer months passquickly so don’t leave it toolate to submit the minimumthree qualifying scores yourequire to remain competitive.

A Bit of Help Please! A few members are still notentering their cards after theyplay, possibly due to timeconstraints or system problems,hopefully a thing of the past.Although cards can beentered by the competitionsteam this can be timeconsuming when you’re trying

to close competitionsaccurately and as quickly aspossible. So please make everyeffort to enter your score, thisalso includes scores for NRrounds as the system dependsupon stableford adjustedscores for handicappingpurposes, so even for an NRround in stroke play the scoreat every hole should beentered.

‘The Lamp’I think it is fair to say the‘‘Competitions Corner’’ in theSpike Bar is not the bestlocation for the touch screenetc. However ‘JohnGreenwood’s Lamp’ just aboutsaves it. . . well not for long! Ithas been agreed as Phase 1 ofthe Spike Bar refurbishmentplan that we remove thestorage cupboard in thecorner and utilise the far wallfor the majority of thecompetition functions,relocating the touch screenand displaying competition ofthe day, fixtures and results forLadies, Men’s, Seniors andJuniors all in one location.Plans are currently beingfinalised with onlyone problem, wheredo we put the lamp?

Thanks Finally I would like tothank everyone who hashelped and supported mesince I took over from PaulTinnion, and a special thanksto Paul for a job well doneover the last couple of years.

CCoommppeett ii tt iioonnssJohn Warneford

John Warneford, Club Competition Secretary

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The group’s Owner andChairman, IAN WATSON, pickedfellow Whickham members LESFRIZZELL and CHRIS NUNN forhis team and their Pro wasCRAIG GOODFELLOW, the onlyplayer in the history of theProfessional Golfers Associationto win both the National PGAClub Professional and Assistants’Championships.

Driving rain and blustery winddid nothing to dampen theirspirit or buffet their style as theyromped off with the team awardsix shots clear of the field.

The 38-year-old Goodfellow, whoteaches at Penrith Driving Range,said: ‘‘The three HadrianHealthcare players were solid andsteady all the way round and wewere hardly ever in any trouble.’’

‘’Sometimes in these events theclub players can all shine onsome holes and hit big trouble alltogether on other holes but thethree of them dovetailedperfectly.’’

‘‘There was a big finale as wellwith Les and Chris landing 40-foot and 30-foot putts on the lasthole.’’

Along with Hadrian owner andtournament sponsor Ian, Les andChris each won a £100 AmericanGolf voucher – in Ian’s casepocketing the prize for the Clubwinning golfers put up by his owncompany.

The Hadrian Group runresidential homes for the elderlyin Barnard Castle, Blyth,Bradford, Gosforth, Hull, Leeds,Scunthorpe, Wetherby andWhickham.

Eleven days before their Pro-Am,the Whickham club announced awaiting list for seven-daymembership, having reachedtheir capacity of 450.

Said Marketing Director KENGREATBATCH: ‘‘We still haveopenings for six and five-daymembers but there has been an

incredible andunprecedentedpopularity in golferswanting to play in ourSaturday competitions.’’

‘‘We have deliveredaffordable golf andhave let golfers knowabout it through aconcentratedrecruitment campaign.’’

This is a dramaticturnaround for a Clubwhich lost 177 membersin three seasons a fewyears back and ran up a

six-figure overdraft before wildlysuccessful wholesale changes tookeffect.

Whickham were also in theforefront of the NNoorr tthh EEaass ttGGooll ff MMaass tteerrKKeeyy scheme beingintroduced this season for sixDurham County Golf Clubs.

This allows members of BeamishPark, Brancepeth Castle, Chester-le-Street, Durham City, Wearsideand Whickham to play the otherfive courses for free during 2014.

The winning professional in theWhickham Pro-Am was DAVIDCLARK, whose four-under score of64 was a tournament record andput him three shots clear of thejoint runners-up, JONATHANLUPTON (Close House) andPHILIP WAUGH (Hexham). It wasClark’s first victory since takingover as the Head PGAProfessional at the Morpeth Clubon October 1st.

Clark, who won The JournalChampion of Champions as anAmateur at Rothbury, dedicatedthe win to the memory of the lateMartin Jackson, his friend andpredecessor as the Morpeth Pro. Morpeth’s David Clark,

the Pro-Am Winner

Ian Watson and the Hadrian HealthcareWinning Team with Chris Nunn and Les Frizell,accompanied by Ladies Captain Lena Newtonand Men’s Captain Malcolm Hession

Martin Rankin’s Runners-Up Team, pictured withthe Captains Lena and Malcolm

MMy time as Captain has so farbeen short as I took over thereins from Steve two months

later due to the change of themembership year and up to now it’sbeen very enjoyable.

The golfing season is now in full flowand I’m pleased to see that the Men’steam have made an excellent start to theseason, with a bigger squad than lastyear we are hoping that we can make apush for promotion but there’s a longway to go yet. I did say at the AGM thatunlike the previous two Captains ipromised not to get the team relegated

and I am hoping we can go one betterby moving up a division.

On the weather front it has been amixed bag with reasonable spells of drywarm weather followed by a day or twoof heavy rain just to remind us that thisis a typical unpredictable spring climatein England but fingers crossed the bestis yet to come. The weather was kind toall four Captains during the Captains’Drive In and one of my goals on thatday was to drive the ball further thanthe previous two Captains! Let’s just sayI reached my objective and we will leaveit at that.

The course is shaping up nicely, nowwe have the GGrreeeennss MMaaiinntteennaanncceeWWeeeekk well and truly behind us. Havingrecently played in the Pro-Am I wasdelighted to see a marked improvementon the putting surfaces since that workwas carried out. This is down to somegreat work from our team of Green staff.My thanks go out to them all. I’m surethe work won’t end there as the Club is

committed to making our course one ofthe best in the region.

At Easter time I attended my firstsocial event as Captain and we were alltreated to a fantastic evening’sentertainment from SOULVILLE whobelted out hit after hit from the Soul andMotown era, my thanks to STEVECHAPMAN and his team for setting thisup and making it a very enjoyable night.

Thanks to a great turnout for ourearliest competition, TThhee SSuummmmeerrSSoollsstt iiccee was another great day or wasit night?

By the time this goes to print I willhave hosted my CCaappttaaiinn’’ss DDaayy on July5th with the brilliant local band SPECIALBREW as our entertainment for theevening.

Finally keep a lookout for someforthcoming events at the Club. I willalso be arranging a CCaappttaaiinn’’ss AAwwaayyDDaayy, date to be confirmed for sometimein September.

EEnnjjooyy yyoouurr GGoollff tthhiiss sseeaassoonn!!

CAPTAIN’S LOGMALCOLM HESSION, Men’s Captain

It was a dry, bright but breezy morning and by10.45am a good crowd had assembled in theClubhouse prior to the drive in. A sweep wasprepared to add extra interest to theproceedings. It would be decided by theapproximate combined drive distances in yards ofall the four Captains.

At 11.30 am Darren Tench piped the Men, Lady,Senior and Junior Captains up to the First Teefollowed by the crowd.

On the tee President LES BRITTONintroduced all of the sections Captains to thecrowd. Ladies Captain LENA NEWTON wasfirst to tee off. Lena hit a nice straight drive

down the middle, Juniors Captain ROBBIECORNISH was next and he hit a powerful drivebut blocked it right, towards the ninth green,Senior’s Captain RAY DENNIS played next. Hedrove his ball right down the middle and a gooddistance. Finally the Men’s Captain MALCOLMHESSION stepped up. He later admitted tobeing quite nervous. He addressed the ball andhad a practice swing which prompted a lady tocheer as she thought the ball had been hit, thisadded a bit more tension to the big occasion.Malcolm swung at the ball and the crowdcheered, it appeared to be quite a nice contactwith good elevation but it sailed to the left andon its way towards the wall. It clipped a littlefairway tree and settled on an embankmentshort of the wall a total of 143 yards!

The ceremony celebrated the opening of theseason and everyone was piped back down to theClubhouse by the impeccably dressed DARRENTENCH in his full Scottish regalia.

The combined drive distance was won by aDIANA HEDLEY from the Ladies Section and shegenerously donated half of the winnings betweenMen’s and Ladies Captains’ Charities.

A putting competition had been arranged onthe practice putting green and four winners won aselection of golf balls donated by Captain MalcolmHession.

Members then enjoyed a few drinks and weretreated to Chef Paul’s ‘Geordie Tapas’ in theClubhouse.

The four Captains line up with Club President Les Britton

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The Team is progressing well inthe league, currently in thirdplace, six matches played out ofa total of 14.

However, not going so well inCup Competitions going out toHeworth away in a five-manteam event and Consett away inFoursomes.

Whickham School Sportscoaching sessions continue on aMonday with Gary Shipley forkids between 12 and 15.

Jonathan Rutherfordrepresented Durham Schools atBramhall Golf Club in Cheshirerecently and has also won BestGross in two events at Whickhamand Ramside in the Race toRockcliffe.

Durham County Junior Golfing SocietyNorth West League 2013

Played Win Half Loss Team PointsPoints

Beamish Park 6 18 3 9 11 39

South Moor 5 14 3 8 7 31

Whickham 6 13 4 13 6 30

Tyneside 5 13 1 11 5 27

Hobson 5 11 4 10 3 26

Consett 6 8 8 14 3 24

Crook 4 7 4 9 5 18

Durham City 5 6 3 16 2 15

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The Mudie Trophy whichis a MatchplayCompetition played bythe Men’s Team againstthe Juniors’ Team tookplace on Tuesday 6thMay 2014. All gameswere close and played

in a sporting manner. Forthe first time in threeyears the match waswon by the Men’s Team

Men 5.5 games toJuniors 1.5 games

Both teams presentedthe new team uniform.2014 will see all of ourrepresentative teamswearing the sameWhickham Golf ClubUniform colours.

The men feature the new Club SweaterThe juniors show off the new team shirts.

UNFORTUNATELY the mostcommon theme that Ihave noticed in past

Newsletters is the weather andthis one is no different.

The greens staff havestruggled all year to try and bringthe Nordmann Course into play,however it has only been openfor a few days and remainsstubbornly wet. It is however theaim of the committee to play theNordmann whenever conditionsallow. If the current good spell ofweather continues, the situationmay change rapidly.

I would like to take thisopportunity to congratulate theHead Greenkeeper BrianHughes and his three staff,John, Chris and Graham for theexcellent work they are doing.Late off the press another facehas appeared, particularlynoticeable around the clubhousesurrounds, his name is Paul andhe is working three days a weekunder the direction of the HeadGreenkeeper. He has made animmediate impact with the turfingwork which has made a massiveimprovement to the right of thefirst tee.

Other things which you mayhave noticed recently are thenew bells and notices; thesehave been put in place followinga Health and Safety inspection,this report also required thegreens staff to wear high visibilityclothing, they have adapted tothe new requirements quitehappily and I am sure you haveall noticed how easy they are tospot on the course. I would likeat this point to remind members

that greens staff working on thecourse have priority and youMUST take every precaution toprotect them from being hit by agolf ball.

The course has now beenproperly marked with new plasticmarker posts, this may seem asmall thing but it may be ofinterest to members to know thatthe cost of this change was over£1,200.

Although not many memberssupported Divot Day (my thanksto those who were able to) itmade a massive improvement tothe first six holes and I intend tohave another one soon.

I believe that the policy onplacing rakes in the bunkers hasimproved the situation but it willonly work if members complywith the arrangement, if you haveforgotten or not seen the policy itis displayed on the notice boardin the foyer.

It is the intention of thecommittee to use the STRI reporton the course as a basis forcontinued improvement, bothenvironmentally andaesthetically. It is hoped that overthe next 3-5 years, trees will bethinned and removed asrecommended; we also need toplant hedgerows and gorse inseveral areas.

Hopefully by the time thisnewsletter is issued work toimprove the playability of the18th hole will be completed. Thecurrent idea of keeping the grasslong on the left hand side andholding the ball on the hill makesthe hole very unfair. Our intentionis to cut the grass on the hill tofairway length which will allow

the ballto run tothe flat part at the base of thehill. The trees on the left will beremoved to allow a shot to thegreen.

I have received several pleasfrom a few members, who willremain nameless, to considerremoving the Teasedale/Boldontree on the right of the first tee,and the Greenwood tree to theright of the 5th green. Though Isympathise with the memberswho have made these repeatedrequests, it is unlikely that anyaction will be taken, I think thatWhickham is a course thatfavours those right handers whocan draw the ball and the lefthanders who fade it. Thereshould be some holes that givethe rest of us a chance. I thinkthat the best course of action inthe short term is to learn to hit itstraight, if necessary.

Some fantastic news that Ihave just been given is that theFinance Committee haveapproved the purchase of asurrounds cutter and a utilityvehicle. When these two vehiclesare received we will have asuperb stock of vehicles. Themanagement committee hasstressed that the main focus forthe Club is currently ‘‘the course’’and this purchase confirms thatcommitment.

Finally my thanks to those whohave taken the time to write inwith suggestions, all letters willbe considered by the GreensCommittee and any suggestionsconsidered worthwhile, will beput before the managementcommittee for approval.

GREENSNNEEWWSS!!

GARRY WILSONGREENS CHAIRMAN

Email: enquiries@whickhamgolfclub.co.uk Website: www.whickhamgolfclub.co.ukFollow us on Twitter: @WhickhamGC

TThhee CCaappttaaiinnss DDrriivvee IInn..

There’s LLeennaa, RRoobbbbiiee, MMaallccoollmmand I piped onto the tee ... Lena hitsher drive safely down the middle,Robbie smashes his ball somewhereover the 10th Green and Malcolmhooks his viciously into the woods onthe left (hee-haw) Now my turn –hands sweating, heart pounding andmouth as dry as sticks and with 20-30 people watching I closed my eyesand swung. Whack – I have no ideawhere it went but at least I actually hitthe thing.

Honestly the hardest task of the year!

So far so good for me this year withtremendous support from members,the various competitions have beenwell attended and the Team is doingquite well but etiquette does not allowme to reveal the results as our matchesare ‘Friendlies’. TThhee SSeenniioorrCChhaammppiioonnsshhiipp was retained by KKeenn

HHaarrvveeyy. SSeenniioorr CCaappttaaiinnss DDaayy alsowent off well with the weather behavingitself for most of the day. Thanks to mywife, Joan, Pam Davidson and Edith

McLaughlin for their able assistanceproviding a service at the Half WayHouse.

A major change for us this year has beenthe introduction of the computer systemfor signing in and competition results andboy have we had some fun. I need tothank JJoohhnn WWaarrnneeffoorrdd and MMiikkeeSSmmii tthh for the patience and cooperationin correcting all of our mistakes. Seniorsand Computers don’t go together verywell, but we are getting there.

Our annual SSeenniioorr AAwwaayy DDaayy this yearis to BBeeddaallee GGCC and an enormous voteof thanks must go to BBoobb HHuuddssppii tthhwho, despite medical problems this year,has once again organised the day. Welldone Bob!

To join the Senior Section you need to be60 or older, pay a nominal participationfee and just join in on any Tuesday orThursday. Competition details are on ournotice board.

Senior Moments‘Probably my most nerve-racking experience of the year!’

RAY DENNIS, Senior Captain

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