ROYAL AIR FORCE GOLFING SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 2002 revised The golf programme introduced lastyearseemsto havemet with generalapproval. The inaugural Summer Meeting which was heldatNewark was a resounding success and the Club looked afterusverywell. We had 39 including 4 ladies andmany of theparticipantswere favour in of making Newark aregular base for the Meeting. However,the Committee feels that thetime for beingthe venue should alternate between theNorthMidlands and the South which was the proposal approved at the Annual General Meeting in 2000. This year's Summer Meeting will be at Piltdown; Lincoln Golf Club (also known as Torksey) and Newark are possiblevenues for2003. Reducing the Championship Meeting from two days to one resulted in the highest attendance forsome yearswhenwe had 37. Jon Marks retained the Championship Trophy with a three over par score of 145 and Malcolm Middlemist playing off 10 handicap won the Handicap Cup with 139. theearly part ofthe year the In weather played havoc with many golf programmes and our annual match with West Hill was cancelled due to flooding. Also the Brent Knoll Bowl at Burnham and Berrow was postponed from Marchto August. We followed last year's win in the by just losing Bowl in the final. Our participation in the Graham Butler foursomes at Ferndown had to be cancelled last atthe minute. Mick Young, ourorganiser and captain, was rushed into hospital on the day before the event with a suspected heartattack. He was diagnosed ashaving viral meningitis and as he was not allowed tousehismobile telephone in the intensive care unit themessages got somewhat garbledand we failed to produce team.a This year wehave been invitedto enter the Cornish Piskeyto be held atNewquayin October. We played 16matcheswith disappointing results:won4,lost 11 and 1 half. Ourinaugural match with Royal Cinque Ports was a most enjoyable dayand we look forward to playingat Deal again. Frilford Heath Golf Club hasrecently reviewed its programme ofmatches and our match, has was which been going for 4years, unfortunately casualty.a However, we have an addition to annual our programme with amatch againsttheRoyal Engineers Golfing Society to be played at Gog Magog. Attendance atour other golf meetings was much the sameas in recent years. We had 37 for the Spring Meeting at Luffenham Heath; 28 for the Guest Meeting at Denham,32 for the Yorkshire Meeting at Fulford and17 for the Winter Meeting at St George'sHill. The turnout forthe Guest Meeting is disappointing. It is very good value asDenhamgive us a generous and discount wehave the course to ourselvesforthe whole day. The course is excellent and the foodserved the in dining room is first class. Our Guest day anis ideal way to entertain your friends. Scottish The Tour continues tobe very good value and attracted a field of 31. Thesecond week in seems May to bringperfect weather along the Moray Firth; as in previousyears the tourists enjoyed shirt sleeve weather for all fourdays. Tom Hanlon was a popular winner of the Scottish Cup. have been goingto StGeorge's Hill since We the Society was formed in 1921. The cost is now very expensive but as the day attracts about 15-20loyal regulars your Committee has continued with this traditional home for the Winter Meeting. The time must be approaching when should consider we analternative,cheaper venueforthe Winter Meeting. Your viewsand suggestions would be most welcome. Many of youwill rememberthelate Squadron Leader John Morris. John was verya active member of theSociety and with others at Fulford was a fund raiserfor the RAF Benevole Fund. He was alsothe founder of our Yorkshire Meeting in 1991. We are always very weí received at Fulford and to mark our association we offered the Club an inscribed seat in memory of John. The Club replied thatifpossible a shelter would bepreferred. The shelter has been erected near the seventhtee and an engraved plaque will be formally handed to the Clubduringthis year's Yorkshire Meeting on Thursday5 September. Please let theSecretary know if you would like toattend. As you know our archives arequite thin. We were recently contacted by Chief Inspector MichaelNichols, cousin of the late Squadron Leader KennethOrr. Kenneth had kept copies of our annualHandbooksince 1948 and these arein mint condition. This has enabled our listof resultsto be lot checked and quite a ofgaps have been filled. Our members continue toparticipateinthemanagement of their golf clubsand we haveat leastthree presidents: Charles Donovan at NorthHants, David John at West Byfleetand Glenn Lloyd at Hindhead. Our members also maketheirmark on the national golfing scene. Our congratulationsgo to JonMarks on beingselected to play forEnglandintheinaugural seniors match with Wales, Ireland and Sweden. John Niven for many years President of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire achieved the remarkable feat on his 81st birthday of winning. with his son David, the annual Fathers and Sons foursomes at West Hill. Our congratulations also go Steve ork on winningthe Royal Air Force Championship and to Mike Rudd for leading the Royal Air Force Team to the inter service championships a fine last achievement inhis three weeks before retiring. Atthe beginning ofthe yearthe membershipstands at 679including 43ladies. Duringthe pastyear we welcomed32new members including 3 ladies. Itiswith regretthatthe deaths ofthe following membersare recorded: Squadron Leader D.W. Ashby MrP.L.Griffiths Group Captain H.E. Hopkins Air Marshal Sir Peter Horsley Mr J.P. Jeffery Wing Commander B.G.Meharg Mr R.V. Mirams Group CaptainJ.H. Mitchell Squadron Leader K.B.Orr Mr J.T.Riley Marshal ofThe Royal AirForce Sir Denis Spotswood Flight Lieutenant P.H.Verdon Air Chief Marshal Sir Ruthven Wade The Annual General Meeting will be heldatThe Berkshire Golf Club on Thursday 15 August2002afterplay intheChampionshipMeeting. Finally, our Chairman, Ray Piercey, joins mein sending bestwishes to all our members and we look forwardtoseeingasmany as possible of you atvarious golf meetingsand matches during the year. 1 January2002 MATCH REPORTS L. Brent Knoll Bowl at Burnham andBerrowG.C. ofmainly current orformer inter-service players. In After winningthetournamentlast year weagainfielded astrong team 3-0 and Old Golf wins against Old Cranleighans Golf Society by Tauntonians the first two rounds we had a comfortable Old 2-1 inthesemi final we justlostto Blundellians by1-2with Society by2-1.After beating TheWarwickshireBearsby green. one match extending beyond the eighteenth Gilmore Sgt D.B. Marshall (C) Team SAC C.E. Audin Chf TechM.W. Sgt S.F.Yorke D.J. Rigby Wt Off R.Shimwell AERO Golfing Society at West Byfleet G.C. an early at 3-3. In the afternoon singles matches the AERO took After the morningfour ball we went to lunchlevel to limitthedamage and our defeatto10%-7%. commandingleadbut our tail-enders tookthelastfour matches B.E. Evans Team G.E. Blaker J.V.Edwards Gp Capt H.A. Griffiths D.J.Everett W.Farrow P.H.Johnson M.J.H. Harding D.L. John Capt R. Piercey (C) Wg CdrM.J. Middlemist Flt Lt W.C. Parke Sqn Ldr D.J. Saady A.J. Wonnacott Royal Air Force at Woodhall Spa G.C. of course the predictable result of a win for the RAF side which Despite fielding a strong team our annual match had different. trailed if had first call on themtheresultmight have been We included a numbers of Society members. Perhaps we in singles to loseby11-3%. 4 -h afterthe morning foursomes and 7-3 the afternoon MJ. Feeney Team FItLrD.Andrew Sgt M.C:Cooke Chf Tech Gilmore Fit Lt G.J. Nickerson (C) A.W.Mathers M.W. Ldr M.J.Rudd Flt LtP.Taylor Cpl M.T.Rimmer Sqn Sqn Ldr S.R. Telfer-Smith Henley G.C. followingthe rain inthe early part of theyearand the Asusual, a most enjoyable match played in good weather conditions fielded very strong team including 7 players with a course was invery good condition. Henley unfortunately,for us, a thescorein most being 2 and 1 but resulting in a handicap of10or better. Most of thematches were closelyfought with anotheryear John Burke hadthe pleasure of whitewash for us. Dinner in the evening was a most enjoyable function and for presenting the Danesfield Cup to Henley. Dillon Team Air Cdre J.J. Burke (C) AirVice MshlK.A.Campbell Gp CaptJ.L. B.E. Evans Gp Capt J. Evans Air Cdre PA. Kelly Wg Cdr I. Marshall Wg Cdr M.J.Middlemist C.G.B. Quincey Wg Cdr D.R. Vickers Scottish Tour at Forres,Moray(Old), Elgin and Nairn Dunbar The Society is again gratefulto Group CaptainSkinnerforallowingthepartystayto at RAF Kinloss.As the Officers'Mess wasundergoingalengthy rebuilding programme to improveit'sfacilitiesthe touristswereaccommodatedinthe Sergeants' Mess.Forthe thirdyearin succession weenjoyed magnificent weather withsometourists playing inshortsonalfour days. Al the courseswere in excellentconditionand weweremadetofeclmost welcome.Tom Hanlonhasbeenknocking onthe doorfora number of years andfor oncehemanagedholdto hisgame togethertobecome avery popular winner of the Scottish Cup. Hisjoy at winningextendedto him buying drinksallround at the prize giving dinnerat The Ramneewhich made him even more popular. Team R.Ainley (G) A.I.Aitken ChaffeyJ. M.G. Clark J. Dobbs (G) Sqn Ldr A.E.J.Doveston J. Eede (G) L.E. Ellis Sqn Ldr P.W.Ellis B.E. Evans Gp CaptH.A. Grifiths Wg Cdr N.Halliday P.Halloron (G) TJ. Hanlon Gp CaptW.E.Hughes G.E. Jackson D.L.John Flt Lt D.W. Kirkland N.Martin R.McLean K.L. Mitchell J. Muir J. Whitelaw (G) Flt LtD.Otridge Cdr L.H.J. Wg Parker Wg Cdr J.Pearce Capt R.Piercey T Roberts (G) J. M. Scothern (G) Scutt (G) K.Williams(G) Royal CinquePorts G.C. Our inaugural matchwithRoyal Cinque Ports GolfClubat Deal was a most enjoyable day and the Club were generous hosts. Dealis atoughlinks course and the rough, which most of our team seemed to find, was severe.