Captain's Blog
January 2025
Happy New Year!
A bit late I know but still early enough in January for me to wish you all the best for the year ahead. A big thank you to those people who attached Christmas cards to the club notice board - your contributions added £75 to our charity fund for Cancer Research UK! With the festive season behind us, we now have a great year ahead of us....said your optimistic captain!
Although the Highwoods centenary year was officially last year, did you know that the first competitive round played over our course happened in June 1925? We are working on a special match to celebrate the day, so watch this space! If you've read the excellent centenary booklet produced by Sol Buckner and Colyn Allsop you should already know about the 1925 inaugural competition. If you haven't yet read it, I recommend it highly to you....it's a polished piece of work. After you finish my BLOG of course......
A bit later this month we'll be celebrating the life and work of Robert Burns on - appropriately enough - Burns Night. It's a warm-hearted evening of Scottish based fun and a little bit of tradition, including haggis, whisky and bagpipes. The haggis and whisky aren't compulsory but it's hard to avoid the bagpipes....not that you'd want to as they'll be played by our very own Fred Laing! You could always turn your hearing aid down I suppose - just don't let Fred know. There'll also be music from 'Helter Skelter'. As a man of Irish descent, I feel a strong connection to our brothers and sisters from north of Hadrian's Wall and it would be good to see plenty of you (not just the Celts!) there on the 25th to help us celebrate. Take a day off from dry January! As I write there are still tables available.
It seems to me that our members are pretty well aware of the need for us all to take care of the course when we're out there, enjoying the fruits of all the effort put in by our brilliant greens staff. Many members now carry one of the plastic soil tubes available from the office and some of us even use them! It's really just a case of remembering two things - divots and pitch-marks. If you make either of these, just repair them before you move on. It's not that difficult really. Many thanks to those for whom this gentle reminder is unnecessary....keep up the good work.
Our new manager Andrew is safely ensconced now behind his desk in the office, although from what I've seen of him so far he'll be keen to spend time out and about around the club as much as in his chair. He comes to us with an impressive track record and decent handicap to boot - I'm sure he will appreciate the welcoming support our club (ie you, the members) will give him over the next few months as he settles in still further. This is just my way of publicly welcoming you Andrew. I look forward to our collaboration over the next few months.
Here's early notice that, as in previous years, there will be charity-based penalties to pay for birdies and eagles this season. Albatrosses will be subject to a VAR review of course. And - to add to the fun(d) - Trish and I intend to lay claim to the greenside bunker on the 18th as the "Captains' Bunker" on behalf of our charity (see above). As the bunkers are still sometimes GUR at the moment and the competitions aren't yet qualifying ones, we'll leave them both for now but you'll be informed as soon as both forfeits come into play. Some time in March probably.
In the meantime, as we all hope for a dry end to the winter and a decent Spring to follow it, I look forward to bumping into you in the clubhouse, perhaps even on Burns Night!
Denis D
A bit late I know but still early enough in January for me to wish you all the best for the year ahead. A big thank you to those people who attached Christmas cards to the club notice board - your contributions added £75 to our charity fund for Cancer Research UK! With the festive season behind us, we now have a great year ahead of us....said your optimistic captain!
Although the Highwoods centenary year was officially last year, did you know that the first competitive round played over our course happened in June 1925? We are working on a special match to celebrate the day, so watch this space! If you've read the excellent centenary booklet produced by Sol Buckner and Colyn Allsop you should already know about the 1925 inaugural competition. If you haven't yet read it, I recommend it highly to you....it's a polished piece of work. After you finish my BLOG of course......
A bit later this month we'll be celebrating the life and work of Robert Burns on - appropriately enough - Burns Night. It's a warm-hearted evening of Scottish based fun and a little bit of tradition, including haggis, whisky and bagpipes. The haggis and whisky aren't compulsory but it's hard to avoid the bagpipes....not that you'd want to as they'll be played by our very own Fred Laing! You could always turn your hearing aid down I suppose - just don't let Fred know. There'll also be music from 'Helter Skelter'. As a man of Irish descent, I feel a strong connection to our brothers and sisters from north of Hadrian's Wall and it would be good to see plenty of you (not just the Celts!) there on the 25th to help us celebrate. Take a day off from dry January! As I write there are still tables available.
It seems to me that our members are pretty well aware of the need for us all to take care of the course when we're out there, enjoying the fruits of all the effort put in by our brilliant greens staff. Many members now carry one of the plastic soil tubes available from the office and some of us even use them! It's really just a case of remembering two things - divots and pitch-marks. If you make either of these, just repair them before you move on. It's not that difficult really. Many thanks to those for whom this gentle reminder is unnecessary....keep up the good work.
Our new manager Andrew is safely ensconced now behind his desk in the office, although from what I've seen of him so far he'll be keen to spend time out and about around the club as much as in his chair. He comes to us with an impressive track record and decent handicap to boot - I'm sure he will appreciate the welcoming support our club (ie you, the members) will give him over the next few months as he settles in still further. This is just my way of publicly welcoming you Andrew. I look forward to our collaboration over the next few months.
Here's early notice that, as in previous years, there will be charity-based penalties to pay for birdies and eagles this season. Albatrosses will be subject to a VAR review of course. And - to add to the fun(d) - Trish and I intend to lay claim to the greenside bunker on the 18th as the "Captains' Bunker" on behalf of our charity (see above). As the bunkers are still sometimes GUR at the moment and the competitions aren't yet qualifying ones, we'll leave them both for now but you'll be informed as soon as both forfeits come into play. Some time in March probably.
In the meantime, as we all hope for a dry end to the winter and a decent Spring to follow it, I look forward to bumping into you in the clubhouse, perhaps even on Burns Night!
Denis D