The 2024 Don Cup
Friday’s prestigious inter-club competition
From 7am onwards, yesterday, our suited and booted club ambassadors (well blazer and club tie to be precise) gathered to greet the 23 teams of three, taking part in this year’s Don Cup. The weather did not look too promising, as it was cold wet and windy, but whilst the competitors were enjoying coffee and the best bacon rolls in south west London, the sun came out. Things warmed up, whilst a stiff gusty breeze hung about to add a little more challenge to the up and coming, already tough, medal format competition.
There was a twos club on the twelfth, where Les had embraced his inner Machiavelli with the pin position - £10 entry.
Whilst play was in progress our club ambassadors were out and about on the course doing a bit of ball spotting & searching, supplying refreshments and generally being the hosts with the most! It is more than worth mentioning that just about all players who were here for the first time commented on what a fantastic course we have.
Spotted early on - one of our ambassadors seemed to have a fuller jacket pocket than one might expect!?
Post golf, guests had time for a few drinks at Tom’s, before moving through to the marquee for a spectacular lunch. Prior to the results and prizes The Captain gave the history of the Don Cup
The Don Memorial Challenge Cup is among the oldest and most prestigious golf competitions in the London area and in 2021 a team representing your golf club has the opportunity to compete for it.
The magnificent trophy was subscribed for by Members of The Richmond Golf Club and regularly contested since October 1895.
Patrick R Don was born in Carnoustie and graduated from Cambridge University for whom he played in the first “Varsity Golf Match” against Oxford in 1878. Trained as a barrister, Patrick Don was independently wealthy and belonged to nine clubs: The Richmond Golf Club, Royal Mid-Surrey, the R & A, Royal St George’s, Royal West Norfolk, Dalhousie (Carnoustie), Felixstowe, Littlestone and Eltham and it was Members from those that first participated in the Don Cup. Later, clubs including Royal Blackheath, Sunningdale, Wentworth, Woking and Walton Heath with which Patrick Don was connected were invited to take part. Since 1995, The Trophy’s Centenary Year, clubs have also played as teams for The Don Centenary Salver. The Don Cup is always played at The Richmond Golf Club.
Golfing historians will know that an early and three times winner of the Don Cup (1901, 1920 and 1922) was none other than Bernard Darwin, a grandson of Charles Darwin, the evolutionist, arguably the greatest writer on golf of all time. Ben Crenshaw, who knows a thing or two about golf, wrote “As a writer on golf, Bernard Darwin was not just the origin of species, he remains, decades after his death, one of its aces as well.”
After that bit of history it was on to the results:
The Don Memorial was won by local rivals, Royal Mid Surrey, with 140. The format is best two medal scores from the three players.
The Don Cup was won by Jimmy Price from Felixstowe Ferry with an impressive 68
Our very own Graham Valentine took the twos pot of £380 and very generously donated half of that to the charity.
Full results as follows
Don Cup
1st Jimmy Price Felixstowe Ferry 68
2nd Talor Reay The Army 70
3rd Gregory Hughes RAC 70
Don Memorial
1st Royal Mid Surrey - Michael Hobday, Peter Caristino, John Dawson 140
2nd Army A - Chris Taylor, Henry Lloyd, Talor Reay 141
3rd Richmond A - Captain, Vice-Captain, Graham Valentine 142
Okay so what was that stuffed pocket all about?
It would appear that Tim Hutchence was of the opinion that no gathering of ambassadors was complete with out the Ferrero Rocher! Many thanks to John Taylor, Richard Young, Simon Russell, Jeremy Trevethick, Chris Leggett, Greg Carlow, Chris Lyons, Chris Lyons, Patrick Doolan, Doug Baillie and, of course, Tim.
Did you all get one?
There was a twos club on the twelfth, where Les had embraced his inner Machiavelli with the pin position - £10 entry.
Whilst play was in progress our club ambassadors were out and about on the course doing a bit of ball spotting & searching, supplying refreshments and generally being the hosts with the most! It is more than worth mentioning that just about all players who were here for the first time commented on what a fantastic course we have.
Spotted early on - one of our ambassadors seemed to have a fuller jacket pocket than one might expect!?
Post golf, guests had time for a few drinks at Tom’s, before moving through to the marquee for a spectacular lunch. Prior to the results and prizes The Captain gave the history of the Don Cup
The Don Memorial Challenge Cup is among the oldest and most prestigious golf competitions in the London area and in 2021 a team representing your golf club has the opportunity to compete for it.
The magnificent trophy was subscribed for by Members of The Richmond Golf Club and regularly contested since October 1895.
Patrick R Don was born in Carnoustie and graduated from Cambridge University for whom he played in the first “Varsity Golf Match” against Oxford in 1878. Trained as a barrister, Patrick Don was independently wealthy and belonged to nine clubs: The Richmond Golf Club, Royal Mid-Surrey, the R & A, Royal St George’s, Royal West Norfolk, Dalhousie (Carnoustie), Felixstowe, Littlestone and Eltham and it was Members from those that first participated in the Don Cup. Later, clubs including Royal Blackheath, Sunningdale, Wentworth, Woking and Walton Heath with which Patrick Don was connected were invited to take part. Since 1995, The Trophy’s Centenary Year, clubs have also played as teams for The Don Centenary Salver. The Don Cup is always played at The Richmond Golf Club.
Golfing historians will know that an early and three times winner of the Don Cup (1901, 1920 and 1922) was none other than Bernard Darwin, a grandson of Charles Darwin, the evolutionist, arguably the greatest writer on golf of all time. Ben Crenshaw, who knows a thing or two about golf, wrote “As a writer on golf, Bernard Darwin was not just the origin of species, he remains, decades after his death, one of its aces as well.”
After that bit of history it was on to the results:
The Don Memorial was won by local rivals, Royal Mid Surrey, with 140. The format is best two medal scores from the three players.
The Don Cup was won by Jimmy Price from Felixstowe Ferry with an impressive 68
Our very own Graham Valentine took the twos pot of £380 and very generously donated half of that to the charity.
Full results as follows
Don Cup
1st Jimmy Price Felixstowe Ferry 68
2nd Talor Reay The Army 70
3rd Gregory Hughes RAC 70
Don Memorial
1st Royal Mid Surrey - Michael Hobday, Peter Caristino, John Dawson 140
2nd Army A - Chris Taylor, Henry Lloyd, Talor Reay 141
3rd Richmond A - Captain, Vice-Captain, Graham Valentine 142
Okay so what was that stuffed pocket all about?
It would appear that Tim Hutchence was of the opinion that no gathering of ambassadors was complete with out the Ferrero Rocher! Many thanks to John Taylor, Richard Young, Simon Russell, Jeremy Trevethick, Chris Leggett, Greg Carlow, Chris Lyons, Chris Lyons, Patrick Doolan, Doug Baillie and, of course, Tim.
Did you all get one?