Goodwood chiefs hopeful of landing golf gong

Bosses at Golf At Goodwood have welcomed news they are finalists in the '˜most welcoming golf club' category at the forthcoming 2018 England Golf Awards.
Goodwood'a academy open day has helped put the club in line for an awardGoodwood'a academy open day has helped put the club in line for an award
Goodwood'a academy open day has helped put the club in line for an award

Celebrating clubs that go the extra mile for their members, players and guests, the nomination – first revealed in the Observer last month – was given to Goodwood for its forward-thinking approach to membership and desire to drive participation in the game.

Welcoming existing and new members, experienced players and beginners with the same personal touch, Golf At Goodwood has taken much of the perceived formality out of the game. This ‘open door’ policy is nowhere more evident than at the academy, where specific programmes have been developed to encourage women and juniors to play.

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The annual academy open day has grown in popularity since its inception two years ago and the junior golf camps and ‘level-up’ classes have benefitted more than 200 children.

Golf At Goodwood’s flexible credit membership is at the heart of the club’s philosophy to make golf more accessible and has been unanimously well-received.

Allowing members to enjoy the benefits of being part of the club, such as having access to the stunning Kennels clubhouse, while only needing to pay when they play, credit membership has been so successful that a waiting list had to be introduced early last year.

Stuart Gillett, general manager for golf and leisure at Goodwood, said: “I am thrilled that Golf At Goodwood has been recognised for this prestigious England Golf Award. I am very lucky to have an exceptional team working under me who make Golf At Goodwood a fabulously fun and welcoming place to come and play golf.

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“We pride ourselves on looking after our customers differently and I actively encourage the team to have fun at work.

“Golf has a reputation of being quite strict and stuffy, but I can confidently say this isn’t the case at Goodwood. One look at our social media shows how we deliver golf in a very different way.”

CHICHESTER

The Chichester GC ladies’ annual Christmas lunch was very well supported with 54 ladies sitting down to a superb meal. Some hardy souls played nine holes beforehand just for fun.

The tables were themed with a Christmas song and participants decorated them accordingly as well as singing for their lunch. The winners who enjoyed a bottle of bubbly were Caroline Hawkes table with their shepherds theme.

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Other results for December: Two out of three comp - 1 Jennifer Sherwood, Caroline Hawkes and Lisa Mitchelmore 77; 2 Kathy Donohoe, Val Swain and secret partner 67. 123 Putt Away - 1 Kathy Donohoe, Wendy Jeffery Judith Whittaker 120; 2 Fiona Walsh, Pam Hart, Hazel Gillett 119; 3 Jane Buckley. Lynn Plowman, Val Swain 117. Lucky Dip - 1 Kim Wells, Lesley Downs, Heddie Straw 123; 2 Mary-Lou Litton, Caroline Hawkes, Fiona Walsh 98. Waltz - 1 Lisa Mitchelmore, Kim Wells, Wendy Jeffery 67; 2 Heddie Straw, Lesley Downs, Jane Buckley 58; 3 Kathy Donohoe, Val Swain, Nicky Eastland 57. Waltz - Cathedral 1 Val Swain’s team 57, 2 Judith Whittaker’s team 56, 3 Elaine Fell’s team 48. Tower - 1 Jane Buckley’s team 65; 2 Jeannie Blackman’s team 57. New Year Accumulator, Cathedral - 1 Jane Buckley 36, 2 Caroline Hawkes 32, 3 Viv May-Hearn 22; Tower - 1 Jane Cawte 324, 2 Vena Lee 180, 3 Kathy Donohoe 96.

The introduction of games on both courses each Tuesday is proving a popular decision with more ladies joining in during the winter period.

BOGNOR

A total of 120 members played in the now-famous cross-country golf competition held on Christmas Eve.

Following a hearty breakfast the teams took on the ten-hole competition. The format was teams of four men or ladies in a Texas scramble, with a real variety of Christmas attire.

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Rob Brown, head greenkeeper, designed and set up a great course. There were some memorable holes, including one which meant teeing off from the 12th tee to finish on the tenth green, a mighty 550-yard par five, with three changes in direction; and the last, a par three of 140 yards but requiring a shot to go over trees about 150ft tall.

Congratulations to the winning four – Sean Maginnis, Charlie Maginnis, Chris Spedding and Andrew Greig, with a score of 28.9, good enough to win by two shots.

Second were Ryan and Sean Maskell, S Bingham and James Ashman with 30.9 and third were Mark Watson, Vic Vincent, Peter Stoneham and Ollie Turnell.

COWDRAY PARK

Cowdray ladies’ last fun competition of the year was a best-nine-holes contest played on a crisp sunny day.

Results: 1 Sue Smith 22pts; 2 Amanda Paddle 22; 3 Pat White 22; 4 Brenda Rees 21; 5 Ann Tyrrell 21; 6 Gaynor Dudman 21; 7 Janet Poat 21; 8 Terry Hughes 20.