2010 is the Club's Centenary year - please click here for the CENTENARY INDEX & EVENTS

In the Spring of 2011 we will we will be applying in the region of 375 tonnes of compost onto our fairways. Compost contains slow release nitrogen plus other major and minor nutrients and, unlike sand based dressings, compost can retain nutrients and make them available to the grass for a longer period. It will also increase the depth of our top soil layer.

Benefits
Using compost on our fairways as a soil-improver brings many benefits:
   Increased root growth
   Faster turf establishment
   Improved turf density and colour from slow-release nitrogen, iron and magnesium
   Plant disease suppression
   Improved soil moisture retention

Application and appearance
Application will take place in the Spring to maximise the benefits of the compost. After the compost is applied the fairways will appear darker and slightly brown in colour. However, this will pass with rainfall and fairway cutting. There is a possibility of very small pieces of twig/leaf being seen, but these too will disappear with regular cutting. It is also important to point out that compost is not a quick fix and to be effective its application must be staged at semi-regular intervals, forming part of a fairway maintenance programme.
23 July 2010"

Today's West Hove GC Centenary Junior Open was won by Matt Greenfield (Pyecombe)
This Sussex County Golf Union 'Junior County Order of Merit' competition attracted 35 players today from golf clubs around Sussex. It was won by Matt Greenfield (handicap 4) of Pyecombe GC with a gross 73. The net prize-winner was George Ounsted (22) of the Nevill GC with a splendid 62, just beating Tim Finnerty (28) of Cottesmore GC on count-back.

Special thanks are due to Michael Phillpot and Ken Stafford for organising this very successful competition. click here for photos of the two winners

The full list of today's prize-winners is shown below:

...And today's Combination Crystals event at Singing Hills GC was a day for our Captains
Singing Hills GC's Combination Crystals annual competition is an annual fixture that few Sussex clubs ignore. It is a 36-hole competition for Captains and Vice-Captains of Sussex golf clubs.
On the hottest day of the year so far, our team had a most enjoyable day playing with the East Brighton team. In the morning 4BBB Stableford, Gordon Eaton & Pete Rodger scored 38 points and Jan Seabrook & Rita Hedderman scored 43 points. In the afternoon mixed foursomes Stableford event, Gordon and Jan scored 36 points and Pete and Rita scored 29 points, for a team total of 146 – they were therefore runners-up to Leatherhead GC who achieved an excellent total of 153. Please click here for  a photograph of our team.

Although already known by most of our members, Norman then announced that the Club's President Don Thatcher would be retiring in November after 19 excellent years in office. He went on to say that at the Club's AGM in November, Don Thatcher would be proposing that Michael Phillpot should succeed him as President of West Hove GC. Michael thanked Don for his nomination and deemed it a great honour. This does not, of course,  preclude other members from proposing other candidates in due course.

Following the presentation of the Carl Haydon Trophy (from one President, Carl, to another, Don) the afternoon concluded with a very special finale. Carl had brought along a bottle of 73% proof Benedictine which he had won during his captaincy (1965/66) and presented it to Don. It was probably as old as Carl (87) and they agreed that it was about time for it to be opened, after all it is our centenary year. It was superb, as was the whole day. Please click here for photos

The prizes were awarded by the B&DGS President Tom Grogan and Secretary Don Weston in the presence of Club Captain Gordon Eaton.

Everybody present has said that the Ball was a resounding success and this must be attributed to the Centenary Committee and the Club's staff, with particular thanks to Brian Murphy who project managed the whole event.

If you would like to see some photographs of the preparations for the Gala Ball, and the actual evening's celebrations, please click here. In addition, the Club also used the services of a professional photographer, Graham Franks, and you may see his photographs by clicking here.

Important Notice for all users of the Clubhouse and Driving Range
The Club's Centenary Gala Ball will be held on Saturday 3 July 2010 and our General Manager, Gary Salt has issued the following statement:
 
"Please note that all areas of the Clubhouse will close at 6pm on Saturday July 3rd and reopen at the normal time on Sunday 4^th July. Please also be advised that the driving range will be closed from the morning of Tuesday 29th June until the morning of Monday 5^th July. All areas of the range will be closed except for the chipping area which will be open to the teaching professionals only."

Yesterday also saw Jonny Ingram's debut as a Sussex Colts player. He represented his County at Stoneham GC in Hampshire and, although he won his morning foursomes with Richie Farmer
2 & 1, he narrowly lost his afternoon singles at the 18th. Sussex lost to Hampshire 5½ to 6½.

Full details of today's results may be found on the S.C.G.U. website - please click here

The Sussex Amateur Championship also incorporates a Team Event. Three nominated members from each Club comprise a team and their combined 36-hole total determines which Club will represent Sussex in a national competition.** Worthing GC, with their depth of talent, usually do well and this proved to be the case again. However, they were very narrow winners this year, scoring 423 compared to West Hove's 424, Lewes' 427 and Littlehampton's 428. Our team of Jonny Ingram, Dan Milligan and Lewis Jackson were very unlucky to have missed the chance of representing the County in this the Club's centenary year, but wish the Worthing team every success in their future endeavours.

Further reports will be published on this website over the next two days, so check out here how the 16 finalists (and the West Hove pair of Jonny Ingram and Dan Milligan) fare - but if you wish to see the full results please visit the S.C.G.U.'s website here.
** The English Champion Club Tournament at Woodbridge GC, Suffolk on 11 & 12 September 2010.

The Dyke GC won the Junior Cup by beating Brighton & Hove GC 3 -2 in the final.
Please click here for a photo of West Hove's Club Captain, Gordon Eaton, together with team manager Gary Chamberlain with the Plate.

West Hove will now play at home to Waterhall GC on Saturday 12 June 2010 in the first round of the PAV Plate. Today's results were as follows:

Congratulations to the hosts - and to Brighton & Hove who beat The Dyke in the Plate event.

West Hove win the Jubilee Cup
Nine clubs from around Sussex competed today in West Hove’s Jubilee Cup. The format for this annual team competition is particularly tough as every one of the 6-man teams’ net medal scores count towards the team total – so anybody submitting a 'nil-return' precludes their club from any chance of winning.
West Hove today regained the Jubilee Cup from the holders Peacehaven GC who this year finished second. Today's team scores were:
 

West Hove  GC East Brighton GC Waterhall GC

436 456 487

Peacehaven GC The Dyke GC Hollingbury Park GC

445 460 n/r

Brighton & Hove GC Rustington GC Singing Hills GC

450 474 n/r

The West Hove team members, with their handicaps and net scores, were: Gary Cissell (6) 68, John Godley (16) 72, Neville Hudson (4) 73, Brian Murphy (8) 73, Luke Longcroft (15) 73 and Dave Friend (6) 77.

N. Leonard of Brighton & Hove won the prize for the best gross score and our own Gary Cissell won the best net score prize.

West Hove GC are knocked out of the Cyril Blake Cup 2010
West Hove travelled to Lewes GC for their 1st round match today, unfortunately we lost the match 3-1. Individual results are as follows:

Pete Rodger & Alan Hopping lost 5 & 4
Gordon Eaton & Kevin White won 2 & 1
Andy Page & Don Shepherd lost 4 & 2
Michael Coombes & Richard Knight lost 3 & 1

The Club's Centenary Charity Walk started today (what London Marathon?)
Further to our report on 6 March, the Club's South Downs Way Charity Walk got under way today. Club Captain Gordon Eaton bade farewell to Mick Phillpot and Dave Nealer on the first tee, immediately after the start of the BDGS Senior Cup event. Mick and Dave will be walking the 100-mile South Downs Way in aid of the captains' (children's) charities and the SCGU Juniors. Today they braved rain and cool winds to reach Storrington, some 16 miles away.

Members are reminded that they can sponsor Mick and Dave for these very worthy causes by visiting the on-line JustGiving pages that have already been set up, or by pledging a donation on the forms provided. please click here for details
IF YOU HAVEN'T DONATED YET, PLEASE DO SO NOW - THANK YOU.

West Hove GC wins the Brighton & District Golfing Society's Senior Cup today
In its Centenary Year, the Club hosted the BDGS Senior Cup, the first of a series of annual team foursomes matchplay events. These competitions are competed for by The Dyke GC, East Brighton GC, Brighton & Hove GC and ourselves and usually comprise five foursomes matches.
Today's competition saw us drawn against East Brighton in the morning (which we won 3-2) and then against The Dyke in the afternoon final - which we won by 4½ to ½ to be the proud winners of the BDGS Senior Cup. The full results were as follows:

Morning match v. East Brighton GC
Mark Gully & Jonny Ingram won 2 up
Dan Milligan & Damon Raikes lost 2 down
Neville Hudson & Simon Tiplady won 3 & 2
Tim Marshallsay & Raoul Ellis won 3 & 1
Steve Nielsen & Tony Humphrey lost 4 & 2

Afternoon Final v. The Dyke GC
Mark Gully & Jonny Ingram won 2 & 1
Dan Milligan & Damon Raikes halved their match
Neville Hudson & Simon Tiplady won 3 & 1
Tim Marshallsay & Raoul Ellis won 3 & 1 (again)
Steve Nielsen & Tony Humphrey won 6 & 4                        please click here for photo

Special congratulations go to Jason Fowler of East Brighton GC for holing his tee shot in the morning at the short par-3 seventh hole.

Club Captain Gordon Eaton has today issued the following Notice:
"Many of you will now be aware that, following his recent health problems, Richard Daughtrey will not be resuming his Vice-Captaincy duties this year.
I am delighted to announce that Pete Rodger, who was Vice-Captain Elect, is prepared to step into the breach and take up the Vice-Captaincy with immediate effect, becoming Captain in November this year.
As a long-standing member of the Golf Club, Pete is of course known to most of the Members. He is also well known for his starter duties on a Sunday!
Richard Daughtrey wishes to defer his Captaincy by a year and will therefore be Vice-Captain for Pete and subsequently Captain in 2011/12.
I am sure you will all join with me in wishing Pete every success and in wishing Richard well with his continuing convalescence."

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Dan Milligan wins the British Colleges Sport National Golf Championship
The 32nd British Colleges' Sport National Golf Championships took place over the past two days at Park Hill Golf Club in Seagrave, Leicestershire. The event was organised by Loughborough University and 32 qualifiers played yesterday with the top 12 competing today. Dan Milligan, representing Chichester College, won the individual title with rounds of 71 and 74 (one under par) over the long par 73 course. Many congratulations Dan.

The third West Hove President’s Dinner was held this evening in the clubhouse.
The dinner, organised by Norman Milburn, is hosted by the West Hove Past Captains and the guest of honour is the Club’s President, Don Thatcher. This year's dinner was attended by 20 past Club Captains from West Hove together with Derrick Kirkham (President of The Dyke GC), Richard Simmons (Club Chairman) and our current Club Captain, Gordon Eaton.
This was a momentous occasion as Don has announced that he will be retiring at the Club's AGM in November after 18 years in office. Past Captain Geoff Bishop paid tribute to his sterling work, particularly as a hands-on President, over a long and difficult period in the Club's history.
please click here for photos
  
Carl Haydon, Club Captain in 1965 (yes, 45 years ago!) penned the following tribute:
West Hove Golf Club is 100 years old, some facts and figures can now be told,
owned so long by the Clark family Trust, eventually a change became a necessary must,
the new course developed, thanks to past captain Frank,
overcoming many problems before there was money in the bank.
Now owned by the Members and a joy to behold, the Club has truly come in from the cold.
This course has now settled in so well, the players upon it think it really is swell.
Game changes have taken place with bogey becoming par, and the ball size increased to make it go far.
Seven presidents during the whole of the time, with 85 men's captains, a really fine line,
Only 59 lady past captains since 1946, as previously they were not in the mix.
We now have 6 directors on the scene, to ensure that the Club doesn't lose a bean,
1910 Members would be envious of us today, as West Hove is up for the future come what may.
Our very active President, now finishing his term, his successor will certainly have much to learn.
Such a 'hands-on' president, Donald is known to us all, now aged 81 he still hits quite a long ball.
In future his office will be someone else's call, whist the Don we thank and respect will always walk tall.
So God bless him, the Club and all Members too, as we approach the next century with energy anew.

West Hove Members are asked to note the following diary changes for November 2010
The Club will be receiving a Special Centenary Gift, the first of its kind, from the Sussex County Golf Union at their Annual Dinner on 19 November 2010. Therefore, the Club's Annual General Meeting, and associated functions, will be postponed as shown below: 

The Club's AGM (in the Keith Haste Suite) will now take place on Thursday 25 November;

The Captains' Farewell Party will now take place on Saturday 27 November; and
Addendum 1/7/10 - this function has reverted to the originally scheduled date of 20 November.

The Captains' Drive-In will now take place on Sunday 28 November.

West Hove's run of match wins continues...
Following the reports of the successful matches against Hollingbury GC on 6 April and Golf du Sart on 11 April, the Club's General Manager Gary Salt reports that the Men's Section has won a further two matches - firstly we beat East Brighton GC 4½ to 1½ and on 10 April we beat Chichester GC 5 -1. Can we maintain this streak?

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Winter Rules OK! - Club Captain Gordon Eaton has today issued the following statement:
"Due to the recent lack of rain, coupled with the continuation of the cold winds etc., the fairway grass growth has fallen far short of expectations. Course maintenance is also taking place this week as planned. In order to protect the golf course, winter rules will therefore be resumed with immediate effect.
It is the Club's intention that this temporary local rule will be dropped by the end of the month at which time all the main teeing areas will also come back into play. I thank Members for their understanding and patience – I am sure you will appreciate that this measure has been taken with the best interests of the golf course in mind."

West Hove GC beat Golf du Sart 5½ - 2½ in Lille, France today
Sixteen Members travelled to France last Friday to play Golf du Sart GC in the first of the Club's 2010 centenary matches. As happened last year, a practice round took place in the afternoon before the team travelled into old Lille for a lovely dinner at 'La Cave aux Fioles', an atmospheric  restaurant in a 17th Century building owned by Golf du Sart member Eric Chevalier.

On the Saturday, and in recognition of our centenary year, our hosts had organised a special Stableford competition called "God Save the Green". Each West Hove Member played with two Golf du Sart Members, but nobody from this side of the English Channel played well enough to feature in the prizes. However, after the golf some of our Members did win prizes in a special draw where typically English fayre was up for grabs! In the evening our hosts invited their wives and partners to join both teams in a casual dinner in the Clubhouse. Magnifique!

The main 'business' however was the match against the French side. The series stood at 1-1 so there was everything to play for. On a dry, but chilly, Sunday morning the team's green fleece jumpers proved beneficial, helping our pairings to perform as follows:

Gordon Eaton and Keith Fender won 5&4
John Godley and Maurice Grange won 7&5
Brian Hazelgrove & Bernard Barker won 1 up
Kevin White and Bob Smith lost 1 down
Andrew Macgregor-Boyle and Dave Southon won 3&2
Pete Rodger and Damon Raikes lost 1 down
Steve Nielsen and Neville Hudson halved their match
Jeff Rhodes and Dave Nealer won 1 up                        West Hove won the match 5½ - 2½  

Following a splendid lunch in the Clubhouse, Club Captain Gordon Eaton spoke to the assembled mass in French. Amongst other things, he thanked our hosts for their fantastic hospitality and friendship. He endorsed the view of all West Hove Members that it had been a wonderful weekend and it was good to see that the 'entente cordiale' had been maintained. He then arranged for Brian Hazelgrove to present a 'Clock with a Coq' and a bone-china centenary plate to Golf du Sart. Their President, Jean-François Toulemonde, replied in his typically humorous manner.

We would like to thank everybody at Golf du Sart for a wonderful weekend, particularly those Committee Members who played in the match - namely Jean-François Toulemonde, Pierre-Marie Flipo (Vice- President), Thierry Dujardin (Communications Manager), Philippe Rogeau (Sports Committee) and Didier Renard (Responsible for Interior). We very much look forward to welcoming our French friends when they visit us in August next.
please click here for photos

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Bognor GC win the SCLGA Inter Club Scratch Knockout Foursomes today at West Hove
In our Centenary Year, West Hove was honoured to host the 2010 Sussex County Ladies Golf Association's Inter Club Scratch Knockout Foursomes. Twenty-two Clubs competed over the past 3 days and Bognor GC won by defeating Worthing GC in today's final. There was some excellent golf played and Bognor, who won by 3 & 2, were 2-under par when the match finished on the sixteenth hole. Highwoods GC finished third and Chichester GC were fourth.

West Hove hosted the annual match against Hollingbury Park today and came out resounding 6-0 winners. The individual results are as below:

Latest news of Stacey Rodger and Lewis Jackson in the USA
The Club has heard from both Stacey and Lewis in the past few days. Stacey recently played for Missouri State University in Las Vegas shooting 76,73 and 75 to finish 8th out of a field of 93. This helped her team to finish 2nd out of 16 teams. Whilst there she apparently visited the famous 'Strip' and ate in 'Treasure Island'. In the previous week she had been to Arizona and visited the Ping Factory. She received VIP treatment and was able to visit the room where they store gold putters - and she was particularly excited to be given the opportunity to hold Tiger Woods putter from 1994. Stacey's next tournament starts next week in Indiana.

Like Stacey, Lewis has been playing all over America and reports that he has played "some awesome courses" and that he has "no regrets about coming to America". He started his college golf career last year with a level par tournament (shooting 74 and 70) to finish tied 9th. In the last week however he has climbed to new heights. Playing for the Bisons (Harding University) he shot a level par 72 in the second round of the Lyon College Scots Invitational to lead his team to victory over the other three teams. More importantly for Lewis, it enabled him to tie the individual lead before he went on to win the event with a birdie on the first play-off hole. The competition was played over 'The Course', a 6,607 yard track at Eagle Mountain, Batesville.
Their fathers, West Hove Members Stuart Rodger and Steve Jackson are both very proud of what Stacey and Lewis have achieved - as of course are the rest of us at West Hove.
click here for photos of Stacey & Lewis in the USA

Tee reservations - 6th, 7th and 8th April 2010
"In our centenary year the club is proud to host the Sussex County Ladies Golf Association scratch foursomes event on the above dates. This is one of the major events in the ladies golfing calendar.
Tee times on these days will therefore be restricted. For details of reserved tee times please check in the professional shop. Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated."
Gary Salt, General Manager

The new South Downs National Park was officially designated this morning
At a minute past midnight today the South Downs National Park came into being. It covers over 1600 square kilometres and is the tenth National Park to be designated in England and in the midst of it sits our Golf Club.
Apart from offering an area of protected countryside it is 'home' to the famous South Downs Way, loved by walkers, cyclists and horse riders, stretching 160 km from Winchester in the west to the white chalk cliffs of Beachy Head in the east.
Members are reminded that two past Club Captains will be walking the 'Way' from 25 April for the Captains' charities Leo House at Home and the NSPCC. Please make every effort to support these worthy children's charities. For information on their walk, please see here.

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The Club apologises for the recent website breakdown
The Club would like to apologise for this website being unobtainable for the past few days. We were first made aware of a problem on Friday 26 March. This was immediately reported to our website host and was due to circumstances beyond our control. We hope the problem has now been resolved.

West Hove GC has been drawn to play Hill Barn GC in the PAV i.t. Trophy 2010.
The draw for the first and second rounds of the Sussex Inter-Club Matchplay Championships took place yesterday at Worthing GC. West Hove will be at home to Hill Barn in the first round on Saturday 8 May and the winners will then play away against either Pyecombe GC or Brighton & Hove GC in the second round on Saturday 22 May. Steve Nielsen will captain West Hove's team this year and Graham Marchant will act as the non-playing Manager. The full draw for the first and second rounds can be seen on the Sussex County Golf Union's website. http://www.sussexgolf.org

A last opportunity for you and 3 friends to play a superb course at a fantastic price
As part of the fund-raising process for the Centenary Gala Ball and the Captains' charities, the Club has been running a 'Silent Auction' for Members to enable the successful bidders to obtain a '4-ball voucher' at one or more of 14 fabulous golf courses situated in the south-east of the country.
Bids should be entered onto the Centenary Notice-board which is situated just to the right of the bar in the Clubhouse. Bids will ONLY be accepted up to 5pm on 31 March 2010.
The highest bidders will then be invited to submit their payment to the Club's office and payment must be made by Saturday 10 April. Failure to do so will mean the bid is forfeited and the voucher will be offered to the next highest bidder.  please click here for full details

General Manager, Gary Salt, reports the creation of a new Catering Serving Area.
On Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 March the Club plans to install a new catering serving area which will enhance our main lounge and help Clay’s team with the operation of the catering department. There may be some inconvenience during the work but the catering service will operate as normal during this installation. Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

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Club Chairman, Richard Simmons, writes:
"Graeme Crompton, our new Head Professional, will be joining the Club on Monday 22 March.
During the next few days, we will be redecorating and making alterations to the shop’s fittings to accommodate the new stock of clothing and equipment that will be arriving next week.
Members who have a credit balance with Darren will be able to choose items from Graeme’s shop.
We hope to have a computerised tee-booking system in operation soon. This will not be accessible via the internet, but will be located in the shop.
We wish Darren well and we are glad that he has accepted the Board’s invitation to become a member of the Club. We hope to see him at the Club as often as his new job allows.
I am sure that all Members will want to introduce themselves to Graeme and patronise his shop. Many will also want to take out a course of lessons, but all will wish him a successful future with our Club."      please click here for photo

Tickets for the Centenary Gala Ball are selling like 'hot-cakes'
On 6 March it was announced on this website that 'booking forms' for the Club's Centenary Gala Ball were available from the General Office or the Bar. Just 10 days later, an amazing 159 tickets have been allocated and sold. Members are again advised to collect booking forms and order their tickets as soon as possible to avoid potential disappointment.

Graeme Crompton is to become the new Head Professional at West Hove GC
Club Chairman, Richard Simmons, writes as follows:
"Following interviews carried out last week, I am delighted to announce that Graeme Crompton will be our new Head Professional. Graeme was one of many candidates who applied for the vacancy.
Graeme has been the Head Professional at Hollingbury Park Golf Club for 13 years and he is well known in Sussex as a top golf coach, particularly for coaching ladies and juniors. He has worked in the Brighton area as a golf pro' for nearly 25 years.
The Directors are confident that Graeme will operate and stock our pro' shop to the highest standards and will help us to drive our Club forward in our centenary year and beyond.
Graeme is looking forward to working with Ronnie, Russell and Graham, re-fitting and changing the layout of the shop and introducing a Mizuno custom-fitting centre and computerised tee-booking system.
I am sure that you will join the Directors in congratulating Graeme on his appointment and in wishing him a successful future with our Club".

Ladies Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday team results - you win some and you lose some
A team of five West Hove Ladies made the short trip to The Dyke GC yesterday to play in the second round of the Mail on Sunday team matchplay event. Playing in their new raspberry and white team colours, partly sponsored by Tony Seabrook and Globalnet telecom, they won by 3½ to 1½ to reach the third round.
Today, in the Daily Mail pairs' competition at a cold and blustery Hill Barn GC, our team of Rita Hedderman and Angie Whitty lost narrowly 2 & 3.  please click here for photos

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West Hove's Juniors donate £300 to 'Rockinghorse'
In keeping with the theme set by Club Captain Gordon Eaton and Ladies' Captain Jan Seabrook, our Juniors have chosen to support a children's charity by donating their Dockerill's Junior Brighton League winner's prize of £300 to Rockinghorse. This charity, that makes life better for sick children in Sussex, is best known for its work with the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton.
In a letter to Ken Stafford, West Hove's Junior Organiser, the Rockinghorse's Community Fundraiser, Analiese Doctrove wrote "I would like to say a special thank you to Jonny Ingram who chose to donate the money to Rockinghorse, and also Malcolm Dockerill who kindly provides a fund for the top three teams in the Brighton Junior Golf League".

The Latest Centenary Year News

• Booking forms for the Club's spectacular Centenary Gala Ball, to be held on Saturday 3 July 2010, are now available from the General Office or the Bar. Members are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

• The draw for the team to represent the Club in the inaugural centenary year match against Golf du Sart has been made. The16-man squad, led by Club Captain Gordon Eaton, will travel to France on 9 April. Our hosts will then be visiting us during our Gala Weekend in August.

• Plans for the Club's South Downs Way Charity Walk are well advanced. Members will be receiving full details with their AGM Notice papers later this month. In the meantime, sponsorship forms will shortly be available on the table beneath the Centenary Notice-Board and the on-line JustGiving pages have already been set up.
  please click here for details

• Now that the threat of snow has disappeared (?), Members might like to consider booking a free round of golf on another golf course. During our Centenary Year, the Club has organised reciprocal arrangements with no less than 23 different Clubs!
  please click here for details

This year's Mixed Easter competition on Easter Monday becomes even more mixed!
The Club is conscious that there is a growing number of members who have left the Club, or lost their partners, who very much miss the fabulous social side of 'Mixed Golf'. It has therefore been agreed that at this year's Easter Monday competition, past members will be invited to play but subject, of course, to the payment of a green-fee. If you would like to be involved in this year's Texas Scramble event please get in touch with the office, Maurice Grange or Jeanie Bailey. Don't be shy.

Brian Holmes was unanimously elected as the new Seniors' Captain today
Following the sudden sad death of John Lane on Boxing Day 2009, the Senior's today held an Extraordinary General Meeting where Brian Holmes was unanimously elected as the new Centenary Year Seniors' Captain. Brian, who was the Seniors' Captain in 2006/7 takes up his responsibilities immediately and joins the Golf Committee. Andy Page continues in his role as Seniors' Vice-Captain.
The meeting also agreed that the recently purchased silver salver, to be competed for as an 18-hole Par (or Bogey) competition, should be renamed. In memory of John, it is now known as the John Lane Seniors' Centenary Salver.

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A message for all Members - Come and play a round of golf with the Captain!
Having returned bronzed from his winter holiday, Centenary Club Captain Gordon Eaton writes:
"During my captaincy year, I would like to play with, and get to know, as many members as possible. Some of you may have noticed that my captain’s tee times (9.30) on the Saturday and Sunday start sheets are now marked as just “Captain” with three blank spaces after. If you are looking for a game, please feel free to fill in your name if there is a space available - all welcome, particularly new members. I look forward to seeing you."

Congratulations to the winner of January's prize draw for a free mid-week 2-ball round of golf (worth £50) - he is Tim Reynolds.

The Club has today issued the following statement about Darren Cook:
"Darren has given notice that he will be resigning as our Golf Professional when his contract expires on 26 April 2010 as he has accepted a job opportunity at Gatwick Airport, completely unrelated to golf.
Darren has been associated with West Hove Golf Club for 17 years and has brought great credit to the Club, particularly with his work developing junior golfers that was a major contribution to our successful achievement of the Golfmark Award.
Everyone at the Club thanks Darren for his help and commitment during that time and wishes him great success in his new role.
The Board will be instigating a formal process for a new Golf Professional during the next few weeks."

Three late news items:
1.    The winner of the raffle which helped fund last year's Children's Christmas Party was
       Tony Tilbury. His prize? A large cuddly toy.
2.    The winner of December's prize draw for a free mid-week 2-ball round of golf (worth £50)
       is Owen Voice - congratulations.
3.    The entry in the Club's diary for 11 December should read "Children's Christmas Party".

The dates for the September 2010 Course Maintenance work have changed
Would Members please note their diaries that the Course Maintenance scheduled for 20-24 September inclusive has now been postponed by one week and will now take place between Monday 27 September and Friday 1 October 2010.

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Today's Centenary Welcome Lunch was attended by over 100 Members and guests
This was the Club's first formal event in our Centenary Year and the first large function for our new Catering Manager Clay Morris. It proved to be a resounding success with everyone enjoying the full waiter/waitress service and some excellent food. Brief presentations were made by the Club Captain, Gordon Eaton, the Ladies' Captain Jan Seabrook and the Centenary Committee Chairman, Brian Hazelgrove, before the postponed 2009 Christmas Raffle draw was made. A full list of the winners is now displayed in the Clubhouse. Thanks go to Brian Murphy and Lynn Stoner, and everyone else involved, in making this event a success.

How is my annual fee to the English Golf Union used?
The English Golf Union (EGU) is the governing body of men's amateur golf in England. Every male Club Member pays the sum of £5.00 (as of January 2010) to the EGU as part of his annual Club subscription. So, if you want to know how your 'fiver' is used, please click on the image of the EGU's recently published 'e-brochure' (on the left) which outlines their role and future plans.
Note: Lady Members subscribe a different amount to the English Women's Golf Association (EWGA).

Our new Catering Manager (and old friend), Clayton Morris, takes over from today
As announced on 20 November 2009, the Club's catering franchise has been awarded to Clay Morris. He will be known to many of the longer serving Members as he had worked at the Club in the past as an assistant professional, but his background was not well known.

Clay's parents became the steward and stewardess of Enmore Park GC in Somerset when he was 11 years old. This is where he had his first golf lesson and when he decided that he would like to be a Golf Professional. His parents went on to run bars and restaurants at another 5 golf clubs over the next 25 years, the last of which was locally at Pyecombe GC. In those early days Clay gained a lot of experience by working in the kitchens, dining rooms and bars(!) before leaving for the USA (California) in 1980 to pursue his golfing ambitions.

Whilst there, he would play golf every day and work in as many as 3 different restaurants to make ends meet. This went on until 1988 when he returned to England, joining Pyecombe GC, where he achieved a low enough handicap to join the PGA in order to become a qualified Professional Golfer.

He trained under Chris White, who at that time was the Professional at both Pyecombe and West Hove, and he worked for him at our old clubhouse in Old Shoreham Road. When the Club moved to its new location in Badgers Way, David Mills became the Head Pro' and Clay joined him. Clay went on to pass his final exams with flying colours and received the 'Titleist Trainee of the Year' award and a (small) cheque to go with it.

He left West Hove shortly after to pursue his ambitions, eventually becoming the Head Pro' at West Chiltington GC. From there, he went to Seaford (Blatchington) GC to work alongside David Mills again, taking over the day-to-day role of Head Professional whilst David pursued his playing career 'on the circuit'.

After 7 years Clay felt that the Golf Pro' business was on a downward trend, so decided to make a big change before it was too late. He found a small catering business for sale and, having regard to his past experiences, decided to buy it. The business, 'The Upper Crust' in Richardson Road, Hove has grown from strength to strength and continues to prosper.

Now, almost 3 years later to the day, he is delighted to have been awarded the catering contract at West Hove and says that he is looking forward to being back at the Club. He hopes to be able to offer the Members, and visitors, some good food, good service and a clean environment in which to enjoy it.

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Catering Service Notice
The Catering Service Transfer has now been completed. Clay Morris looks forward to offering you a warm welcome from mid-morning tomorrow, Tuesday 19th January. There will be no catering service until then and we apologise for any inconvenience.
Gary Salt, General Manager

After recent heavy snowfalls the course re-opens tomorrow, Sunday 17 January 2010
Notwithstanding today's heavy rain, the Club's Head Greenkeeper, Duncan Haste, has authorised the re-opening of the course on Sunday 17 January. Play will be from a mix of normal and winter tees and our normal greens will be in play (except possibly at the 8th and12th holes where there are still large snow-drifts). Members will be allowed the use of trolleys but NOT buggies.

Match & Handicap announce changes to this weekend's Monthly Medal -  and the Four-Ball KO
As it is not known whether the course will be open for play on Sunday 17 January, the postponed December Monthly Medal rearranged for that day has been further postponed. The new date is Sunday 14 February 2010.
In addition, Andrew Macgregor-Boyle, Chairman of M&H, has extended the deadlines for playing the first two rounds of the Winter Four-Ball KO competition – the closing dates are now 14 February for the 1^st round and 7 March for the 2^nd round.

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A further update on the condition of the course:
There is still a lot of snow on the course even though it has cleared from many urban areas, particularly near the coast. The Club's General Manager, Gary Salt, has issued this update:
"Present indications are that it is highly unlikely that the course will be fit for play this weekend unless we experience an exceptional thaw. The position will continue to be monitored daily and we hope the course will be open again for play at some stage early next week. For today (15 January) the Pro-Shop (tel. 01273 413494 ) will only be providing a limited service between 9:00am and 1:00pm for the purpose of making tee reservations for future dates, and for this Saturday & Sunday this limited service will be extended to 7.30am to 1.00pm."             see here for photos
NB - THE RE-OPENING OF THE COURSE WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THIS WEBSITE

An exciting new Men's competition has been introduced (The Palmer Order of Merit) and M&H has released the following statement:
"Match & Handicap are pleased to announce details of a new trophy being introduced from 2010 – the Palmer Order of Merit. Open to seven day male members points will be awarded to the top ten for each of the weekend qualifying competitions (except the Club Championship)  - 12 for 1^st, 10 for 2^nd, 8 for 3^rd and then  from 7 down to 1 .  Where there are separate competitions for handicap categories eg. Sir George Dance and Leigh Wainwright points will be awarded in the same way to each category.  However, for a monthly medal, which is the same competition split into two categories where there is one overall winner points will be awarded on the best 10 net scores across the two divisions. In open competitions points will be awarded to the top 10 qualifying members. The competition will run during the calendar year commencing with the January monthly medal scheduled for 30^th January. There is no entry fee and the player with the most points at the end of the year wins the trophy. Thanks go to Kevin Palmer for kindly donating the trophy."

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The Team Captains for the 2010 external club competitions have been named
The Club Captain, Gordon Eaton, has today announced the 2010 captains of our PAV it Trophy team, the Cyril Blake Cup team and the Club's Brighton & District Golfing Society's teams. They are:

Steve Nielsen for our two scratch teams - they are the Sussex Inter-Club Matchplay Championship team (the PAV i.t. Trophy) and the B&DGS Senior Cup team.
Graham Marchant, from our Pro-shop, will act as the non-playing Manager.

Damon Raikes for the Brighton & District Golfing Society's Intermediate Cup team.

Gary Chamberlain for the Brighton & District Golfing Society's Junior Cup team.

Maurice Grange for The Cyril Blake Cup team - an inter-club foursomes knockout competition, played on handicap over 18 holes by four pairs, for players who are aged 55 years or more and members of the Sussex County Golf Union.

Gordon wishes them all good luck and looks forward to assisting and supporting the teams wherever possible  throughout  the season.

Gary Salt provides an update on the condition of our course for Members and visitors
Following last week's heavy snowfalls (and there being no early signs of a thaw), the Club's General Manager, Gary Salt, states that:
"Present indications are that it is highly unlikely that the course will be fit for play for the remainder of this week, including next Saturday and Sunday. The position is being monitored daily and further information will be posted on this site as appropriate. For the remainder of this week the Pro-Shop (tel. 01273 413494 ) will only be providing a limited service between 9:00am and 1:00pm for the purpose of making tee reservations for future dates."

The Club is pleased to report two significant events today
Firstly, the Board welcomes our new General Manager, Gary Salt, who starts his tenure today. His name is rather apt as without salt (and the considerable efforts of all our green-keepers), he would not have been able to negotiate the half mile entrance drive to our Clubhouse following the recent heavy snowfalls.
Secondly, at the beginning of our Centenary Year, our new website has received its 100,000th visitor this morning. The site is becoming increasingly popular with over 20,000 visitors in the first year, over 33,000 in the second year and now over 46,000 in the third year (with over two-and-a-half months still to go!). We have also had visits from 91 different countries to date and it would be quite appropriate to achieve 'our century' in our Centenary Year - watch this space.

A New Year's Day message from our Club Captain Gordon Eaton. Gordon writes:-
"Dear Fellow Golfers,
Welcome to 2010 - our Club’s centenary year! The year ahead is packed with many additional golfing and social events, along with all the familiar ones. We are also honoured to be hosting several external events, both professional and amateur.
The exciting highlight of the social calendar will be the Centenary Gala Ball which is to be held on Saturday 3 July 2010. This promises to be a truly memorable occasion so I urge everyone to book early! I particularly look forward to seeing all members of the Golf Club participating in and enjoying our centenary year – have fun."
In fact, the fun started last night at the Club's New Year's Eve Party.
Click here for photographs

The 4 January 2010 Lynx Professional Golf Tour Event at WHGC has been postponed
Our current Club Champion Tom Coulson, who turned professional in August 2009, has been instrumental in organising a new tour event for professional golfers and category 1 amateur golfers. The inaugural event of this new  tour was to be held at West Hove in a week's time but this has now been postponed to Thursday 1 April 2010.
Further details can be found on the Lynx Tour website by clicking here.