Captain's BLOG
November 2024
As we near the end of our centenary year, it seems a good time to give a little thought to what a good job our captain Keith has done this year. His enthusiasm for the game itself has never been in doubt (more than 200 rounds of golf since his drive-in!) but his amazing commitment to all the other stuff that a captain has to deal with has been outstanding too. His unfailing good humour has been a genuine boon for all those who have come into contact with him, and his service to the club - both home and away - in such an important year, has been exemplary. He certainly deserves a rest! Speaking as his vice-captain, I can't promise to reach the heights that Keith has reached, but I can give it a go in 2025.
Approaching the daunting prospect of following in Keith's footsteps, I must say that I'm starting to look forward to it. Some of you might know that by profession I'm an actor and the role of a lifetime awaits. I've never played a golf club captain before (there aren't many in Shakespeare's plays) but I seem to have the important bits of the costume ready, so here goes. Theatre runs aren't usually as long as a whole year but I think I've got most of my lines learned now - any I've missed, I'll just ad-lib - and the entrances (drives?) and exits (putts?) should be fun, if occasionally unpredictable. There are plenty of longer serving club members than me who will, I'm sure, keep me up to the mark both on and off the course. Even my golf might show some signs of improvement - OK, maybe not. We'll see.
Highwoods is a really good golf club. Its strengths are obvious but perhaps worth mentioning anyway. Firstly, it is a very friendly club. This has led to a tendency towards inclusivity rather than the often experienced exclusivity (usually based on nothing sensible) that some clubs hide behind. Secondly, the course is a top class example of a tree-lined parkland course and it's so well cared for by the greens staff. Thirdly, there is less smugness than I have seen elsewhere amongst the "better" golfers in the club. Most of you have realised that simply being a good golfer doesn't necessarily make you a good club member. There's so much more to it than that. We are all members of the same club and we all deserve the same respect - thank you all for spotting that! I particularly enjoyed my rounds with Manus C-C earlier in the year and was delighted to see that he picked up a couple of trophies at the annual prizegiving. We have, of course, also been very lucky to have had Rebecca running the place for the last few years. She will have gone to West Hove within two weeks or so of my becoming captain, which is certainly the worst news I've had during my time as vice captain. Still, I'm looking forward to working with the new appointee and to helping the club to move forward into its second century!
Over the next year I'm hoping to play with many members with whom I haven't yet had the privilege of playing, so if you find my name added to your group one day, please don't be surprised - it will just be your captain meeting new people. I'm aware that the role of captain can sometimes seem a bit removed from the day-to-day golfing life of many members, so I'll be hoping to make sure you at least know who I am.....and remember, if you have any suggestions to make with regard to any aspect of the club, I can always be relied upon to listen and then to forget them...no, sorry, then to make any appropriate ideas known to the board.
So, keep an eye on the captains' notice board and - if you can bear it - try not to delete my BLOGs unread when they land in your inbox. Here's to 2025!
Denis Delahunt
Approaching the daunting prospect of following in Keith's footsteps, I must say that I'm starting to look forward to it. Some of you might know that by profession I'm an actor and the role of a lifetime awaits. I've never played a golf club captain before (there aren't many in Shakespeare's plays) but I seem to have the important bits of the costume ready, so here goes. Theatre runs aren't usually as long as a whole year but I think I've got most of my lines learned now - any I've missed, I'll just ad-lib - and the entrances (drives?) and exits (putts?) should be fun, if occasionally unpredictable. There are plenty of longer serving club members than me who will, I'm sure, keep me up to the mark both on and off the course. Even my golf might show some signs of improvement - OK, maybe not. We'll see.
Highwoods is a really good golf club. Its strengths are obvious but perhaps worth mentioning anyway. Firstly, it is a very friendly club. This has led to a tendency towards inclusivity rather than the often experienced exclusivity (usually based on nothing sensible) that some clubs hide behind. Secondly, the course is a top class example of a tree-lined parkland course and it's so well cared for by the greens staff. Thirdly, there is less smugness than I have seen elsewhere amongst the "better" golfers in the club. Most of you have realised that simply being a good golfer doesn't necessarily make you a good club member. There's so much more to it than that. We are all members of the same club and we all deserve the same respect - thank you all for spotting that! I particularly enjoyed my rounds with Manus C-C earlier in the year and was delighted to see that he picked up a couple of trophies at the annual prizegiving. We have, of course, also been very lucky to have had Rebecca running the place for the last few years. She will have gone to West Hove within two weeks or so of my becoming captain, which is certainly the worst news I've had during my time as vice captain. Still, I'm looking forward to working with the new appointee and to helping the club to move forward into its second century!
Over the next year I'm hoping to play with many members with whom I haven't yet had the privilege of playing, so if you find my name added to your group one day, please don't be surprised - it will just be your captain meeting new people. I'm aware that the role of captain can sometimes seem a bit removed from the day-to-day golfing life of many members, so I'll be hoping to make sure you at least know who I am.....and remember, if you have any suggestions to make with regard to any aspect of the club, I can always be relied upon to listen and then to forget them...no, sorry, then to make any appropriate ideas known to the board.
So, keep an eye on the captains' notice board and - if you can bear it - try not to delete my BLOGs unread when they land in your inbox. Here's to 2025!
Denis Delahunt