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Welcome to the Ordnance Survey
Golf Club's review for 2014. 2014 was a again a good year for the club.
Ordnance Survey enjoyed a programme
of outings and competitions. There were new venues this year on the itinerary
and a mixture of courses which we have played before. This year the club
was led by Stefan Wells. Stefan was described by a member as unique, a
one-off, a laughing hyena, childlike, full of fun, and a compulsive gambler.
All we know is he a very friendly guy.
The Captains Scramble
The first competition on the agenda was the Captains scramble again held
at Leckford Golf Club. This year the Captain's team prevailed with Stefan
Wells Darren Bailey and Kris Drudge carding a superb 59.9 with Bob Bailey,
Doug Johnson, and Simon Bevan 2nd and the defending champions Don Hobbs,
Chris Dunn and Robbie Rothwell third.
Erlestoke Sands Golf Club.
The outings started in early May at Earlestoke Sands Golf Club near Devizes
in Wiltshire. The course is par 72 (6485 yard), a private, down land golf
course established in 1992. Built on two levels, the course offered wide
and lush fairways on the upper section - with mature oak trees and attractive
lakes dissecting the 11th and 12th fairways on the level below. One of
the finest holes in the west country is the spectacular 170 yard, par
3 seventh which has been described as the most picturesque in the county.
It plunges from an elevated tee to a large green 100 feet below. Every
hole presented a new and different challenge. The course had suffered
considerably with the floods of the bad winter, and as it proved that
Ordnance Survey members found it particular difficult to score. The Captain
drove in as per custom.
The morning competition traditionally
is the London Road Shield for the best gross score and the Chessington
Cup for the best net. Despite a very wet course Bob Bailey prevailed in
the London Road Shield with a gross 81 with Mike Purvis 2nd and Darren
Bailey 3rd . Bob Bailey has won 6th consecutive London Road Shields and
has now won the trophy a record 12 times. In the Chessington Cup Mike
Purvis carded a net 75 with Bob Bailey 2nd and Kris Drudge 3rd. The afternoon
competition was the Stableford Decanter this year won by Alan Bush with
30pts Kris Drudge 2nd and Darren Bailey 3rd . Its Alan's first time for
winning the decanter. As the score shows it was a very tough day for members.
Club Championship
The next event on the calendar was the Club Championship played the Southampton
City Golf Course.. This was a 36 hole competition with the Club Championship
being decided with the best gross and the TM Baker trophy going to the
best net. Unfortunately during the late morning a vicious rain storm hit
the course to such an extent that only one group finished the round. The
storm was so bad that the course was flooded and any play for the rest
of day was impossible. It was decided to abandon play and postpone the
competition until the committee could decide what to do. This was only
down side of the year with the abandonment of this premier event. This
was the first time this has happened in the club's history. When the competition
was decided to be re-run in August the event did not attract another number
so the event was eventually cancelled for 2014.
Christchurch Golf Club
The next event on the calendar was the Topo Trophy played over 18 holes
at a new venue, Christchurch Golf Club on the Bridge Course. Stableford
points would decide the winner.
This course is a Par 72 open parkland course with level terrain. The greens
had been constructed to USGA standards and are in use throughout the year.
Most of the tees are slightly raised negating the need for temporary tees.
Despite a relatively high water table on part of the course it remains
open and playable throughout the year with very little interruption from
the weather. The course includes two lakes and the River Stour which help
to create additional challenges. From the competition tees the well-spaced
and wide fairways measures 6,375 yards with comfortable distances between
tees. The course had been designed with the holiday makers in mind. On
the day Ordnance Survey played at Christchurch the weather and course
was excellent. This provided good scoring with Lee Gladwin-Stride winning
the Topo Trophy with a superb 40 pts. with Malcolm Fletcher 2nd and Trevor
Coupland 3rd. It was the first time Lee had won this particular trophy.
New Forest Golf Club
The July venue featured the New Forest Golf Club which was an old favourite
of the club last played in 1992. This was the most popular outing of the
summer with 24 members attending.
The New Forest course is one of the oldest clubs in Hampshire, situated
in an area of outstanding natural beauty near Lyndhurst with a course
totalling 5,536 yards with a par of 69 and some of the most scenic holes
in Hampshire. The trophy on offer on a hot and beautiful day was the Roger
Martin Memorial Trophy. Again Stableford points decided the winner.
The scoring was exceptional. 78% of the field scored 30 or more points
. Following on from his success at Christchurch Lee Gladwin-Stride came
out on top with 39 points with Dave long 2nd and Darren Bailey 3rd.
Came Down
The August venue and Captains Day was Came Down Golf Club. This is the
eighth time we have used this venue since 1991. The course sits on chalk
down land and offers fantastic views to locations such as Weymouth, Portland,
Dorchester, Isle of Wight and Maiden Castle. The 18 hole golf course is
a par 70 and measures 6255 yards.
On a fine but breezy day 17 members made the long journey to Dorset. The
Captain Day competition is played over 36 holes. One round is scored using
the stableford system and the other round is stroke play with net scores
to count. The winner was decided by take the stableford point score away
from the net score and lowest score being the winner.
The morning round was the stableford round. At lunch time Mark Hunt led
the competition with a magnificent 43 points with Andy Evans second with
39 points. Whether Mark could sustain this lead with the stroke play to
come was the big question. Mark Hunt definitely held his nerve and shot
a splendid net 65. This calculated into a competition score of 22. Second
was Malcolm Fletcher who also shot an afternoon score of 65 with a competition
score of 33 and third was Robert Bailey with a score of 34. It was Mark
Hunt first time winner of the captain's prize. Actually his score of 22
was the lowest score recorded since detailed records were documented back
in 1992.
Donnington Grove
The last venue of the year
and to celebrate 70 years of the Ordnance Survey 20 member travelled north
to play Donnington Grove Golf Club. This is a new course which Ordnance
Survey has not played before.
The trophies up for grabs were the Autumn Flag and those who are 55 and
over the Veterans cup.
Donnington Grove is considered to be one of the most challenging golf
courses. Set in 550 acres of prime Berkshire countryside, the course is
set in a delightfully secluded position on the outskirts of Newbury. Overlooked
by the historic Donnington Castle on one side and flanked by the River
Lambourn on the other, its mixture of terrain, from classic woodland to
ascending vantage points, provides an ideal setting for championship standard
golf play. The Donnington course was designed by PGA member Dave Thomas,
one of Britain's foremost golf architects. The course was completed and
first played in June 1993.
The two nines are very different in character: The front nine can be described
as classic parkland, with an abundance of beautiful trees and water hazards
that can unnerve the bravest whilst the back nine undulate over higher
ground with stunning views over Newbury,
From the white tees the course measures over 7,100 yards (6,490 metres)
in length and presents a stiff challenge for low handicap golfers. At
some 500 yards (457 metres) shorter, the course off the Yellow Tees is
a fair test for higher handicap players, making it eminently suitable
for society and corporate events. The course is a par 72 with SSS of 72.
Despite the toughness of the course there was some excellent rounds. In
the flag competition both Bob Bailey and Stefan Wells went up the 19th
Hole. In the absence of the result sheet binned by a particular person
the winner of the autumn Flag was Bob Bailey who scored a magnificent
net 70, 2nd was the captain Stefan wells and 3rd was Paul Taylor. This
was Bob's first time as winner of the Autumn Flag.
In the Veterans Cup there also a first time winner. Chris Dunn scored
a net 76 to lift the trophy beating Don Davies on a better back nine with
Malcolm Fletcher 3rd.
Chairman's Cleek
This is played for throughout the summer. The winner is decided by the
3 best scores out of the 4 outings which this year was Earlestoke Sands,
Christchurch, New Forest and Came Down. If the competition were stableford
as at Christchurch and New Forest then the scores would be converted to
stroke play scores.
With the scores from Earlestoke Sands generally high the winner Alan Bush
took advantage of some consistent scoring at the last 3 outings and posted
a creditable 214. 2nd was Lee Gladwin Stride with 216 and 3rd 4 shots
behind was Chris Dunn with 220.
The OS Golf Club currently
is in excellent hands. Support for the outings is good although the club
needs members to come forward and express there availability for the Vice
Captain & Captains roles.
Members would be interested in news within the club. At the AGM it was
decided that the 2015 Club Championship and TM Baker would be played over
18 holes. It was also agreed to make Steve Richards a life member of the
club.
Looking forward to 2015 our new Captain is Lee Gladwin-Stride with Robert
Bailey as his Vice Captain. We hope you will join us in giving Lee our
support and wish him a successful year as Captain.
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