1. sports
2. golf

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Playing Committee
held on Monday January 28th 2013
Chairman
Colin Harrison
Members Present Colin Harrison, John Mealing, Andrew Watkins, Warner Duff, Norman
Wood, Yvonne Southey, Debbie Duff, John Ager, Gill Self, Joan Cook, Ian Cook, Jane Draycott,
Terry Draycott, Simon Jay, Carol Wood, Di Lewis, Larry Isherwood, J. Aldridge, Val Volz,
Chrissie Moffat, Rob Moffat, Roger Seaman, Simon Southey, D. Emmett, Mel Emmett, Wendy
Sheppard, Joan Parish, Peter Last, Bob Higham, Trevor Barber, Keith Bloomfield, John
Osborne, Lawrence Irvine, Dave Schindler, Mark Edgerley, Dean Barker, Adrian Gipson, Alan
Middle, Alan Porter, Viv Sharma.
Apologies for Absence
Annette Harrison, Russell Beney, John Parish, Joan Ibbotson
Club Captains Speech 2012
Good evening Mr Chairmen, Lady Captain, members of the committee and ladies and
gentlemen.
Yvonne and I began our year with the start of many changes at Seckford, after Viv Sharma
investing in our club, and a year on we are still seeing improvements within the course,
Clubhouse and restaurant, I am sure we will continue to see more changes as time goes on.
Thank you to Viv and the board of directors for their continuing commitment.
A huge thank you goes to Yvonne, I couldn’t have had a better Lady Captain beside me, we
have worked together so well, and I believe that we have become lifelong friends with both
Yvonne and Simon who has been a great support to us both. Although I have the title of Club
Captain I feel it has been a joint effort.
It has been a great honour and privilege to have been your club captain for 2012 but I have had
a lot of help from many people.
Drive In
The year began with our very successful drive in we had a record year for entries with 96
people taking part with a shotgun start which is a great number to have on the course all
starting at once, I am pleased to say we all got round without too many hold ups, the weather
was awful but everybody turned up to support Yvonne, Norman and I, which was a credit to you
all. The bad weather seemed to follow us thorough out the year.
Tolly/Hambro
Terry Draycott helped me select this year’s squad of players, for the years Tolly and Hambro
teams. We played Aldeburgh in the first round of the Hambro which was always going to be a
difficult opponent. We did put up a good fight losing by 11 holes on the day which was no mean
feat with Aldeburgh going on to play in the final.
Losing the Hambro gave us the opportunity to concentrate on the Tolly where we were lucky
enough to be drawn all rounds on home ground up until the semi-finals. This was played at
Bungay against Thorpness where unfortunately our winning streak came to an end losing by 8.
None of this would have been possible without the commitment from the whole squad and
especially Terry who worked tirelessly to make this the best year for 3 years thank you Terry I
really could not have done it without you, your knowledge and experience made you the best
man for the job.
We again entered the Curry Cup in 2012 which gives squad players which have not managed
to play in the Tolly/Hambro a chance to play at competition level. We never made it through to
the next stages but it gave us the opportunity to play at different courses while giving squad
players valuable experience at competition golf.
Captains Charities
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The captains charities in our year where Help 4 Heroes and the Woolverstone Wish and I thank
you all for the support given at the various events and draws held, we have managed to raise
over £2000 to be split between the two, I will leave it to Debbie to quote the exact amounts.
Captains Away Weekend
August saw a successful Captains Away weekend at Old Thorns thanks to Andy Watkins who
as ever did a fantastic job organising a great two days for golfers and non-golfers.
Beney Trophy Turkey
In September 28 of us including our friends from Rushmere set off for 10 days in Turkey to
compete in the Beney Trophy, the weather was hot the golf was fantastic and the
accommodation first class, although I was unable to play due to health reasons everybody still
made it an experience to be remembered one of my highlights of the year my thanks go to
Adrian Gipson who arranged the whole trip and we all look forward to this year’s stay in
Tenerife. To keep in time with Beney Trophy tradition the Captains team were victorious.
Adrian also organised the Ryder Cup a very successful event done over two days this time the
Vice Captains team took the Trophy , thanks to all who entered it was great weekend. All
money left over goes into the Captains pot for next year. Thanks Adrian for all that you do.
Boarded Comps
I would like to congratulate all the winners and runners up on all our boarded competitions in
2012, it was nice to see some different names in particular one of our past captains who won
this year’s Men’s Kestrel and who had been trying 9 years for that honour and he finally done it
during my year congratulations Ian Bedford.
Communication
Throughout the year communication between the playing committee and the members of the
board has improved and the main reason for this is the inclusion of a committee member at the
weekly Head of Departments meetings held on a Wednesday where any issues for either the
playing committee or the management are raised and hopefully resolved. I would like to
personally thank the board of directors for the way we have worked together for the good of the
club and long may it continue and that includes Larry who is acting chairman and advisor to the
board.
Also thanks go to Paul and his team who have excelled in keeping our course the best it has
ever looked in sometimes extreme weather conditions. Also I would like to congratulate Charlie
for being nominated for “Young Groundsperson of the Year” good luck Charlie.
Playing Committee
I would like to thank each and every one of the committee for their hard work and dedication
and the support they have given me, for each member this is a massive commitment and
responsibility and a special thanks goes to our Chairman Colin who does a brilliant job in
keeping us and the meetings on an even keel.
At every golf club there are always people who do a tremendous amount of work behind the
scenes like our handicap committee, Frank and Chris who all do a great job. There is one
person who deserves a special mention who is Bob Higham I believe he goes that extra mile
and without his input of knowledge and expertise things wouldn’t go so well. Thank you Bob for
all you do you are a real asset to this club.
In June I was humbled, honoured and surprised when our 2011 captains Ian Cox and Sara
Higgins using some of their charity funds presented me with Junior a new member of my family,
a ride on buggy that allows me to get round the course which after mobility problems returning
to me in the spring has allowed me to continue playing the game I love, heartfelt thanks goes
out to Ian and Sara for such a generous gesture and to you the members, I will always be
indebted to you.
I would like to give a special congratulates to Gregor Tait who at the beginning of the year held
a handicap of 20 and over the year has managed to bring it down to a single figure handicap,
well done Gregor you are one to watch, and whilst on the subject of juniors I think a mention
should also go to George Copsey of Felixstowe Golf Club who in the Junior Open managed to
break the previous course record to score a 1 under par 65 playing off a 5 handicap.
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Last but no means least I would like to thank my wife Debbie who has really been with me every
step of the way and I couldn’t have done it without her and she is another one of those people
who does so much work behind the scenes and I am sure Alan has already seen how valuable
she is.
It leaves me with one last job which is to hand over to your new Club Captain Alan Middle, and
to wish him luck for 2013.
Warner Duff
Club Captain.
Lady Captains end of year report for 2012
Good evening Mr Chairman, Club Captain, Directors, Ladies and gentlemen.
First of all I would like to say what an honour and privilege it has been representing Seckford
Golf club as your lady captain for the last 12 months. It’s something I will cherish for the rest of
my life and I feel a little bit sad that this chapter of my life has come to an end.
My tenure has been made all the more enjoyable by the help of my Vice Captain, Joan Parish,
and Players representative Helena McDougall, to whom I owe sincerest gratitude for all their
support.
I would also like to thank the Seniors Captain, Norman Wood, for the continued bond of
friendship and cooperation which the Ladies and seniors have enjoyed over the last 12 months,
and without a doubt I am sure will continue into this year.
I have been very lucky to have shared my year with someone whom I consider to be, one of the
best Club Captains ever, Warner Duff; he is a one in a million and has supported me throughout
my year helping to make it all such great fun. We’ve spent many a Thursday at the club together
with our respective grandchildren running around, whilst we tried to arrange a forthcoming
event. I have made a true friend in Warner, and also his fantastic wife, Debbie, who has kept us
both within our budgets, which, by no means, was an easy task. Debbie has been at every
single event during our year, helping us and all the competitors, to make it all run smoothly.
Thank you, Debbie, for all your hard work.
The highlights for me in 2012 have been the Captains Drive-in (when it unfortunately rained),
our Charity day (when it unfortunately rained), the Ladies and Senior’s day (when it didn’t rain),
Breakthrough cancer day, and the Ladies Invitational (when the sun shone). All these events
have been so well supported by the members (in spite of the weather) and together they raised
over £3180, of which, £1182 has already been presented to the Breakthrough Cancer Charity.
The rest will be divided by Warner and myself and paid to our respective Charities.
“Ladies Tuesdays” have continued to be a great success, even though the weather was so
appalling throughout 2012; we have played in wind, hail, rain and snow and on the odd
occasion sunshine, but through it all the Ladies turned up and enjoyed their golf.
Several fun days were organised by the Ladies themselves, during the year which were all well
supported and great fun.
I had 23 friendly matches booked for 2012 of which we lost 8, drew 5, and won 10.
I’ve encouraged several new players to take part in these matches. All of whom have stated
how much they enjoyed the experience of playing at different clubs with different people. I would
like to thank all the ladies who signed up to play in these matches, because their support is vital
to the success of arranging them. I have been in the enviable position of often having more
players than required for certain matches which has made my job so much easier.
We entered the Stearn and Cranworth County Competitions but unfortunately, although the
matches were fought with enthusiasm and determination by our Ladies, this was not our year
for victory. Sadly, we didn’t progress pass round one. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all the ladies who took part and also their caddies. My thanks also go to all the
supporters, one of whom was our Club Captain Warner, who turned up for every match to give
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encouragement to our Ladies.
The proverb stating that “behind every successful man there stands a women,” has to be
reversed in my case, because any success I may have had this year has been because of the
total support and patience of my husband, Simon. He has been behind me all the time, helping
to keep me cool, calm and collected throughout 2012 when, sometimes things seemed to
unravel.
I want to thank the Directors, staff, committee members and club members for all the support
they have given me during my year as Lady Captain; you all have made it a most enjoyable
experience for me. It proves that the true strength of Seckford Golf club is in the diverse, friendly
and interesting people who make up its staff and members.
I think this is a very unique and special club and I hope the value of the loyal members is never
forgotten as it they who, after all, are what make Seckford the club it is.
Finally, it only remains for me to wish the two incoming Captains, Alan and Joan, every success
and that they enjoy the continued support that both Warner and I had during our year.
Thank you
Yvonne Southey
Ladies Captain.
SENIORS REPORT 2012
This year has seen a growth in the number of Seniors with much activity of Matches,
Competitions, Fun days etc.
Team matches, County Comps. monthly medals, stablefords, summer& winter singles/doubles,
seniors lunches, Xmas lunch and overnight stay at Dunston Hall in March meant a busy golfing
year.
Review of Year
Team Matches: 22 matches were played with Seckford Winning 13, Losing 8 with 1 halved. All
Seniors who played in the matches are to be congratulated on the overall results and deserve
thanks from Senior Captain and Organiser for their contribution and support.
The Pennock Hall Trophy V Lexden Wood was won by Seckford this year by a margin of 11
holes at Seckford. The away match was void due to Lexden being unable to provide a full team
of sixteen players at Seckford and therefore they agreed to play for the trophy on the day
resulting in our win!
The Seniors County Cup for the Parkes Trophy was a 1st Round Draw at Hintlesham for players
of (12 handicap or less) which resulted in a win for Hintlesham by 20 holes.
The Beaumont Trophy was a Home draw for Seckford playing Hintlesham and a win resulted for
us by 7 holes due to our team putting up a strong performance. However we were to be
shattered by the news that Suffolk County Golf Union had disqualified Seckford due to late
payment of union Fees by the Club!! A meeting of the Seckford Beaumont Team with our
Directors finally resulted in a written apology and confirmation that this would not occur in future
years. This was appalling particularly as Members pay these fees up front on renewal of their
yearly membership!!
Individual Competitions.
Kinsey Trophy
Seniors Hall of Fame
Seniors Kestrel Trophy
Seniors Championship
Frank Casey with 41 points
John Arnot with 44 points
John Williams with 10 points
David Whittaker lowest gross 76 Senior Champion
John Osborne lowest nett 62 Nett Senior Champion
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Winter Singles
John Robinson
Winter Doubles
Lawrence Irving & John Osborne
Summer Singles
Steve Jewhurst
Summer Doubles
Steve Jewhurst & Graham Wells
Senior Birdie Tree
Phil Vinnicombe
Seniors Clubman Of the Year
Keith Bloomfield
Our Congratulations to all the Winners of the Competitions throughout the year. The
segregation of Divisions 1&2 continues to work well and the entries are increasing so please
continue with such.
Away Events. We had a overnight stay at Dunston Hall in March organised by John Osborne
who handled all arrangements superbly with a very good evening meal and breakfast, two
rounds of golf with competitions and prizes enjoyed by all who attended. Many thanks indeed
John from all.
Charity days at Woodbridge and Rookery Park were attended by some of the Seniors and help
to maintain the Seckford profile.
Festival of Golf Week. The Seniors Open Invitation Day during the week was a little
disappointing this year as only 48 people participated, 30 members, 18 guests, a sign of the
current financial situation perhaps?.
The Seniors Evening with partners went down well with 78 (including wives/partners)attending
enjoying a good meal followed by some comical children’s quotes from your Captain and the
Quiz run by Clive Lenney who kept us all amused with his tongue tied answers over the
microphone.
Marie Curie Golf Classic 2012 This year saw our first entry into the Marie Curie Cancer Care
pairs competiton of fourball better ball with the winning pair going through to Regional Final in
August.
The Senior Winning Pair were David Whittaker and Peter Carter who were due to go to
Staverton Park but unfortunately due to unforeseen issues were unable to participate. A
cheque for £200 was sent to this worthy cause from entrance fees etc.
Ladies Day & Pink Charity Day These two separate days jointly arranged with Ladies Captain
- Yvonne Southey were very successful and greatly supported resulting in excellent fundraising
for worthwhile causes.
Dick Bailey Trophy This was the first year of the ‘Dick Bailey’ Trophy which was played on 15 th
March in memory of Dick Bailey who sadly passed away last year. The trophy was donated by
Mrs. Sue Bailey for a Seniors Pairs format of Stableford scoring for the Trophy with the winning
pair holding same for 1 year to defend for the following year. Ken Farrow & John Waller were
the winners with a score of 48 points - well done to both.
Hole in One. Well done to Tony Lambley achieving his on the 7 th green. John Porter also had
his on the 16th green, well done John.
Health.
Several members have experienced some operations this year, Tony Mahoney,
Frank Colbear, Tom Edwards, Ray Allen and Dick Hanley but are now recovering and we all
wish them well and look forward to seeing them back playing golf again.
Unfortunately Ron Fitch Seniors Captain at Cretingham sadly passed away in August and will
be missed by all those who knew him from the Seniors matches over the years.
Senior Captains Charity 2012
My Charity choice was East Anglia Air Ambulance for which we have collected the sum of £600!
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Which we are arranging to present to them on Friday 25th January at Seckford. My sincere
thanks go to all Seniors who have donated towards this very essential service throughout the
year by way of events and raffles.
Finally I would like to conclude by conveying my heartfelt thanks to all involved with the Club
throughout my year of Senior Captaincy.
Particular thanks go to Trevor Barber for his experience and knowledge of running the Seniors
section, Tony Mahoney for his Vice Captaincy in running the matches while I was recovering
from the broken ankle! Andy Pitcher for his Treasurers work, Keith Bloomfield for his Senior
events photography, John Mealing for his assistance, Paul Giles for his ‘Train’ ride to my 1 st Tee
Drive In, Paul Durrant and his team for the Course condition, Catering Manager Karl Harper,
Chefs and Bar Staff for the superb meals and service, and Admin Staff and Professionals for
Club matters.
Yvonne Southey Ladies Captain for her valuable help and smooth cooperation between Ladies
and Seniors sections. Warner Duff the Club Captain for his successful bringing together of the
Club this year and also to Debbie Duff for her Treasurers work. Colin Harrison for his Chairing
of the Playing Committee.
2013
The busy programme of Matches, Medals, Stablefords, and County Comps, and Fun days will
continue in 2013. Rookery Park has been added for Seniors Matches, one not to be missed!
Best Wishes to Tony Mahoney the incoming Seniors Captain for 2013 and to Vice Captain Terry
Draycott’s nomination.
A happy, healthy and enjoyable 2013 golfing year to all!
NORMAN WOOD
SENIORS CAPTAIN 2012
Treasurers Report AGM 2012
Good evening Mr Chairman, Club Captain, Members of the Committee Ladies and Gentlemen.
You will find that I have distributed copies of the finances for the year for the playing of Golf and
the Captains Charities accounts.
I believe the figures to be self-explanatory and I have tried to answer the queries that I think you
may have on the sheets but if you have any questions I will try and answer them for you.
As you can see the Captains have managed to stay within their budgets, which I know at times
has been quite a tricky task, although this could not have been possible without contributions
from certain sponsors and the usual donations from the Seniors Kinsey competition and the Ben
Benjamin which is always a big help to the Men’s county competitions thank you Colin and
Nettie for your continued sponsorship.
The Captains must be congratulated for the £2062.20 raised for their charities this year which
will be halved between Yvonne’s Charity “The Wolverstone Wish” and Warner’s “Help 4
Heroes” , with an additional £100 going to Help 4 Heroes donated from unused Kinsey Funds
and a further £100 donated from the 100’s Club for the Signed Flag which was kindly given to
us from Tom and Marian Rose.
In October Norman and Yvonne hosted an excellent Pink Day where a record amount of money
was raised totalling £1182.00 which I am sure you will agree was a great achievement with all
proceeds going to Breakthrough Cancer.
For obvious reasons this year I have had a greater insight to the role of Club Captain and
Ladies Captain and have realised what a lot of hard work and dedication is needed to work
within budgets given and having the time and imagination to raise as much money as possible
for their chosen charities. It is always said to be an honour to hold the position of Captain but it
really is a very big commitment and responsibility.
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2012 was again a very successful year for the 100’s Club where we were able to donate money
for a much needed buggy cover for Frank to keep him dry and out of the windy weather, a shoe
cleaner which did have a few teething problems which now have been sorted and you may have
noticed the bunker rake supports recently appearing around the course, these were also
donated by the 100’s club. Renewals are due at the beginning of February and if members
wish to re-join or any new members which to join us please see John Mealing, Yvonne or myself
when we will be more than happy to take your money. I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Yvonne and especially John who works tirelessly each year to get everybody to join. This
year we already have a head start as John has already collected over £1000 with the first draw
not being until end of February well done John and thank you. We will be doing the final draw
of the year when this meeting is finished. If anybody has any suggestions on what we could
spend the money on next year all ideas would be welcome as we have decided that the
decision on where the money is going will be announced at the Captains Drive in when we will
make the first draw of the year, we have thought about choosing a on-going project but just
need some ideas.
It just leaves me to say good luck Joan, Alan and Tony for 2013 I am sure they will keep me
busy.
County Competitions Budget Report
Seckford
Expenditure Expenditure
County
in 2011
In 2012
Comps
Tolly
0.00
199.00
Hambro
0.00
45.00
Curry Cup
0.00
Cranworth
370.00
22.50
Stearn
335.00
57.50
Parkes
0.00
103.00
Beaumont
135.00
Budget
Allowed
Contribution
from
Contribution Outside
from Ben
Sponsor or
Total
Benjamin
Fundraising Budget
Plus or
Minus
Budget
105.00
105.00
100.00
100.00
205.00
205.00
6.00
160.00
23.00
75.00
75.00
148.00
52.50
17.50
45.00
£23.00
£708.00
£281.00
75.00
75.00
125.00
£485.00
£200.00
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Budget Reports 2012
February
March
Monthly Comps
4 Captains Drive In
18 Seckford Foursomes
29 Kinsey Trophy
Monthly Comps
Income
Income
Winnings
2012
2011
2012
Payout
Budget
£ 669.00 £ 126.00 £
75.60
£
£
£
£
180.00 £
120.00 £
768.00 £
288.00
177.00
123.00
624.00 £
7 Easter Tankard
7 Easter Vase
Monthly Comps
£
£
£
183.00 £
66.00 £
363.00 £
186.00
78.00
321.00 £
6 Weale Cup
27 Scotter Trophy
Monthly Comps
£
£
£
227.00
210.00 £
363.00 £
192.00
351.00 £
210.60
Captains Charity Day
Monthly Comps
£
£
540.00 £
240.00
552.00 £
331.20
Pauline Burdon Trophy
Seniors Club Championship
Ladies Club Championship
Junior Club Championship
Mens Club Championship
PGA PRO AM
Monthly Comps
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
45.00
123.00
48.00
27.00
126.00
177.00
330.00
£
£
£
66.00
135.00
54.00
£
120.00
£
279.00 £
Budget
Used
Plus or
Minus
Budget
£
£
250.00 £
136.00 £
246.02
114.19
£ 3.98
£ 21.81
£
£
100.00 £
66.00 £
86.85
76.25
£ 13.15
(£ 10.25)
£59.34
£ 7.66
374.40
April
192.60
May
£
67.00
June
£
250.00 £
275.00
(£ 25.00)
£
£
£
£
£
30.00
101.00
38.00
109.00
£
£
£
22.18
72.42
36.00
£
102.84
£ 7.82
£ 28.59
£ 2.00
£ 0.00
£ 6.16
£
50.00 £
72.42
(£ 22.42)
£
£
£
39.00 £
30.00 £
104.00 £
51.42
51.42
118.00
(£ 12.42)
(£ 21.42)
(£ 14.00)
£
107.00 £
64.48
£ 42.52
July
10
13
14 /15
7
14/15
167.40
August
4 Millenium Globe
29 Senior Kestral
Monthly Comps
September
2 Ben Benjamin
8 Mens Kestral
8 Ladies Kestral
23 Battle of the Sexes
Monthly Comps
October
28 Watson Rose Bowl
Monthly Comps
November
Monthly Comps
December
9 Turkey Trot
16 Quaich
Monthly Comps
Total 12 months Figures
£
339.00 £
450.00 £
£
234.00 £
228.00
120.00
441.00 £
270.00
£
£
180.00 £
597.00 £
£
£
168.00
642.00
102.00
591.00 £
354.60
£
588.00
522.00 £
313.20
£
264.60
195.00 £ 168.00
£ 0.00
£ 102.00
£ 213.00
£
£ 7,721.00 £ 6,636.00 £ 2,554.20 £ 1,477.00 £ 1,448.82 £ 28.18
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Charity Statement 2012
Charity Account 2012
Income
Cost
£ 339.40
£ 754.80
£ 229.00
£ 170.00
£ 122.00
£ 200.00
£ 247.00
£ 2,062.20
Captains Drive In
Charity Day
Charity Bottle
Misc Draws
Baby Sim Challenge
Ladies Invitational
Captains Changeover Draw
Captains Charity 2012 Total
Remainder of 2011 Charity Funds
Junior Funds Donated from Barry Revans Family
Kinsey Help 4 Heroes Donation
Ben Benjamin Donation for 2013 Men's County Comps
Ryder Cup
Breakthrough Cancer
Watson Rose Bowl Captains Fund Draw
Donation from 100's Club to H4H For signed Flag donated by Mr & Mrs Rose
Green keepers Shed
Winners Boards
Franks Buggy Cover
Shoe Cleaner
Donation For Signed Flag
Rake Supports
Costs
£
£
90.00 £
£ 100.00
£ 228.00
£ 865.00 £
£ 1,182.70
£
52.00
£ 100.00
£ 4,679.90 £
Pay Out
Balance
£ 2,062.20
£ 424.89
£
16.49
£ 100.00
£ 228.00
747.05
£ 117.95
£ 1,182.00 £
0.70
£
52.00
£ 100.00
820.56 £ 1,182.00 £ 3,102.23
73.51
Total 100's
Club Income
Since the
Total Paid Total Paid
Beginning in Winnings in Donation Balance
£ 4,968.13
£ 2,400.00
£ 600.00
£ 225.00
£ 290.00
£ 575.00
£ 100.00
£ 254.45
£
13.98
£ 4,968.13 £ 2,400.00 £ 2,058.43 £ 509.70
Debbie Duff
Treasurer
HANDICAP AND COMPETITION ANNUAL REPORT 2012
The handicap committee has continued to be busy throughout the year albeit somewhat behind
the scenes. We have held our meetings and dealt with those matters which have arisen during
this term, which I have to say have been few especially the last 4 months, this can only be down
to the Stirling work and groundwork undertaken by previous members of this long standing
committee.
Many thanks to Di Lewis, Mandy Ward, John Arnott, Pete Last and special thanks to Bob
Higham for his continued work in running the competitions and dealing with Psi issues.
Every year the club has a club diary , thanks to you all who had an input in the production of this
years.
We have just undertaken our annual handicap adjustments with those affected either as an
increase or decrease being duly notified. Before I leave handicap adjustment I noted this time
last year a certain young member received an adjustment of -1 to take his handicap down to
26.6, he is now playing off 7, yes that’s a full 20 shot swing in one year, it just goes to show it
can be done. We have also decided at our next annual review to look at the Saturday Club and
the Seniors handicaps to see how they compare with the actual club handicap, so watch out all
you bandits out there, we are onto you.
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Non attendance at competitions is being addressed by way of the introduction of a yellow and
red card system, if you do not notify the club or have a valid excuse this will be implemented,
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those of you who have been fortunate enough to win competitions well done especially to
those who have their names on the boards, which I am pleased to see have been fitted into the
newly refurbished clubhouse.
Finally thanks to all the General Committee who I have served with this year and to Colin
Harrison for keeping the meetings in order.
I will be continuing in this role for another year and you may even see me pick up a club soon.
Andrew Watkins Handicap Secretary.
COURSE REPORT FOR THE PLAYING AGM 2013
Winter 2012
For once the winter was a little kinder. January and February were unseasonable mild, the
conditions unbelievably creating a flush of growth resulting in cutting fairways in the winter!
The warmer conditions saw more golf played than expected resulting in a lot of wear on some
tees resulting in temporary tees being used on some holes.
With no significant periods of frost to keep disease activity in check we experienced outbreaks
of fusarium patch and unusually for the time of year thatch fungus. These were successfully
treated with fungicide.
Spring 2012
Spring arrived early in March. We brought forward our fertilizer programme on the greens to get
them off to a good start to the year.
In March we planted Revans Row by the 18th tee and created paths on the 1st, 2nd, and 17th tees
and from the 11th green to 12th tee.
April saw the onset of dry hot conditions and the greens became very stressed with the ‘early
summer’. We were forced to postpone the verti-draining planned for early April to the end of the
month. The hollow coring was cancelled altogether.
May saw the end of the early summer. Colder wet conditions saw a growth check on the greens
prolonging the repair process from verti-draining.
Summer 2012
The summer was wet. June, July and August were wet months. This had an obvious effect on
the amount of golf played. The warm wet conditions turned Seckford into a ‘grass factory’. We
struggled to keep up with growth rates and all non-essential course maintenance fell by the
wayside to keep up with the cutting regime.
The ideal growing conditions saw a rapid increase in the development of thatch. This is
controlled by aeration, top dressing and scarification, all of which must be carried out in dry
conditions. Any dry windows of opportunity coincided with competitions and as a result we
found ourselves in a situation where we could not maintain the greens as required. This work
will be essential in 2013 regardless of the diary or the greens will take a significant step
backwards in drought and disease resistance and in playing quality.
The healthy growing conditions on the greens did however mean that we were able to grow out
disease rather than having to reach for the fungicide bottle.
In July it became evident we were going to have issues with the thickness of the rough amongst
the trees in key areas. The cutting regime meant it was hard to get labour to these areas.
Autumn 2012
The autumn saw a return to dry conditions. Just as we needed the irrigation for the first time in
the year the bore hole pump decided to break down. The only option was to replace the pump
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which was a very unwelcome expense. Several other clubs had similar problems and we had to
wait in line for the work to be carried out, this put the greens under considerable stress with the
limited amount of water we were getting being applied by hand overnight to minimise
evaporation. Luckily we had adhered to our wetting agent programme through the year which
helped to retain moisture in the greens.
The stress on the greens resulted in considerable nematode activity becoming apparent. This
combined with thatch fungus caused some concern. Seaweed and micronutrients were applied
regularly to aid resistance and speed along recovery.
In September the greens were verti-drained and hollow cored. For once this did not go to plan.
The difficult growing conditions combined with the increase in thatch meant the machine caused
a rippling effect. The only solution was to incorporate watering and rolling in to the process,
prolonging the job. The core harvester was also inefficient resulting in all cores having to be
collected by hand. A process that normally takes a few days took 2 weeks!
October was dry and cool which meant recovery from hollow coring was slow. An extra top
dress was applied in order to try to help recovery.
Winter 2012/13
To date the winter has been wet but mild. This has seen disease outbreaks on the greens that
have been managed with fungicide. Winter works are concentrating on raising crowns of the
trees in key areas in order to facilitate getting machinery in where possible to maintain the
thickness of the grass in the growing season. Work has also been done to address muddy
paths in areas such as behind the range and from the 7 th to 8th.
Course Ecology
We are currently starting to coppice some trees in some areas of woodland. This produces a
more versatile and varied habitat as well as correctly managing the woodland in to the future.
We got involved with ‘Operation Brimstone ‘run by the Ipswich butterfly group. This involved
planting buckthorn in some areas of the course.
Nest boxes were at around 80% occupancy We had an abundance of marsh orchids on the fen
area on the 12th and more rarely bee orchids on the course.
Paul Durrant – Course Manager
Restaurant Report
Since joining the Golf club back in September the restaurant has gone from strength to strength.
Due to the hard work put in by all the captains we had a very good December and all the
functions laid on were well supported by both members and non members alike. Our aim has
been to increase the restaurant trade through non members which is progressing nicely.
The quiz nights, bingo nights and selected theme nights have all been successful and we aim to
keep the momentum going throughout 2013. We all look forward to working alongside the new
captains in moving the golf club forward in ALL directions.
Karl Harper- Restaurant Manager
Director of Golf Report
Looking back at 2012 it was a positive year in many ways, a closer working relationship
between the committee and the board has created better communication and transparency.
Following a series of bad weather recently and lost income from golf the success of the carvery
is providing income with 40-70 people regularly here on Sundays. This has also been key in
providing the catering for golf days, club and charity quiz nights which are now attracting 100+
people and the diary for this year already has 8 charities events booked.
The new fixture cards showing when the competitions are played are now available from the
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reception and have been received well after deciding to remove them from the club handbook.
The proof for the new handbook is being compiled and will have generic information about the
club and the formats for the competitions etc.
13 new mats have been ordered and will replace the ones on the range. This will improve the
facility and for lessons and practice and these will arrive in the first week of February.
The actual membership is holding well against the trends of clubs losing members and overall
for the year we have gained in adult members but are down with junior numbers which we will
work hard to add to in the near future and as a result Viv and myself visited several of the local
schools and have had very good response with all wanting to utilise our facilities for tri golf and
after school clubs, which will bring more juniors, which inevitably will bring parents and further
memberships, which are much needed.
We are in the process of looking at budgets for next year and need to make some changed to
deal with the further costs of all our services and supplies. Business rates have increased
significantly as have energy costs, insurance and most other major expenses. There will be a
small increase in membership for the first time in 2 years across the board and we have
responded to some members who have objected to there being no charge for monthly
payments and re introduced a smaller interest rate of 5% for paying monthly.
We have introduced an associate membership which allows those that play as green fee
players can do so as members. There are major benefits for the club with VAT and the format
does not allow those members the same rights as any other memberships so does not
crossover any other memberships including the Platinum.
We will be completing the refurbishment of the club house in the next 4 weeks and have
organised a corporate day for local business to see what we have done and offer the benefits of
their using the club and its new facilities to keep improving the income towards sustainability.
I would like to wish all members an enjoyable 2013!
Simon Jay- Director of Golf
2013 CLUB CAPTAIN
Mr Chairman, Board of Directors, Ladies and Gentlemen
Good evening to you all
As I never attended last year’s AGM may I take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for
me to be Captain for 2013.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate Warner and Yvonne on their very successful year as
Captains.
I would like to thank Colin for continuing as Chairman, I feel his invaluable experience will help
guide me through my year, also I would like to thank Debbie in advance for being my PA.
My charity is going to be The Suffolk Dyslexia Association and my charity bunker will be the
greenside bunker on the 18th hole, so if you visit it during the course of the year please give
generously to the bottle on the bar.
I was asked what I hoped to achieve in my year as Captain. I would like to raise a nice sum of
money for my charity but mainly with the help of the membership supporting events I put on I
would like to carry on the fantastic work Warner and Yvonne have done in bringing “the feel
good factor “back to Seckford Golf Club.
I look forward to working with Joan this year and if we have half the success Warner and
Yvonne have managed to achieve I feel our year as Captains will be fulfilled
Thank You
Alan Middle
2013 LADIES CAPTAIN
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I think we all agree that Yvonne is going to be a hard act to follow, every event that she and
Warner arranged ran very smoothly despite the inclement weather.
Mail and the Mail on Sunday which is at Waldringfield on 3 rd February with nineteen friendly
matches this should accommodate everyone who likes to experience different courses and
playing against different people regardless of handicap.
Hopefully Tuesday mornings will continue to be well supported and 2013 will be as successful
as 2012.
To Mis-quote Abraham Lincoln “You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the
people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all the of the time” but I will do
my utmost to prove him wrong and please all of the people all of the time.
My Charity is the Neo-Natal unit at Ipswich Hospital
Joan Parish
Lady Captain 2013
2013 Senior Captain
I am very much looking forward to my year as Seniors Captain and hope that this time I can
actually complete my round!
We have a total of 24 matches this year with the addition of Rookery Park. We have something
like 90 people on the contact list and so selection this year is going to be difficult, but I can only
promise to be as fair as possible in the process and give everyone as equal a share of home
and away matches as I can, but the emphasis is on enjoying the golf!
On that point, I would just like to say that we all seem to have developed that very British trait of
being very negative and possibly over critical of things and particularly about this club.
We may not have the best course or the best facilities in the County, but when I look around this
room I can see that we have a great camaraderie and I believe that above everything else is
something that we should celebrate as the major strength of Seckford.
When I speak to the teams that visit us here, they are always envious of this club and the way in
which we enjoy our golf and each others company and this is what I firmly believe makes an
outstanding golf club and so a little less moaning and a little more positivity would be greatly
appreciated by all!
TONY MAHONY
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
CLUB CAPTAIN
ALAN MIDDLE
MEN’S CAPTAIN
ALAN MIDDLE
LADIES CAPTAIN
JOAN PARISH
SENIORS CAPTAIN
TONY MAHONY
JUNIOR CAPTAIN
TBA
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MEN’S VICE CAPTAIN
RUSSELL BENEY
LADIES VICE CAPTAIN
HELENA McDOUGAL
SENIORS VICE CAPTAIN
TERRY DRAYCOTT
SENIORS ORGANISOR
TREVOR BARBER
JUNIOR ORGANISOR
TBA
MEN’S REPRESENTATIVE
MARK EDGERLEY
LADIES REPRESENTATIVE
JOAN COOK
HANDICAP SECRETARY
ANDY WATKINS
TREASURER
DEBBIE DUFF
QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Roger Seaman asked if there was anything that could be done to make the mid-week
competitons more popular as the entries are getting lower and lower which makes the results
meaningless most of the time.
The question was answered by Handicap Secretary Andy Watkins who agreed with Roger and
said that this had always been a problem due to people working and he thinks maybe because
the majority of the seniors play in the senior competitions in week but to try and advertise the
competitions more would be a good idea .
Adrian Gipson asked if on the Seckford Website the members section could be updated to give
news etc.
The question was answered by Bob Higham who said that this was being looked into.
Terry Draycott wanted to congratulate the club for the Facebook site where users of facebook
are able to find up to date news and events as it is updated daily.
There was no other business, and the meeting closed at 8.30 p.m.
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