50th Anniversary Celebrations

Our Golden Jubilee Celebration Day on 14th August 2019 greeted us with heavy rain and a forecast that was not encouraging. Nevertheless, 90 Wags/Seniors, Guests and Sandy Lodge members arrived hoping the forecasters had got it wrong.

Everyone tucked into their bacon rolls and a morning “party” developed, helped along by some bright words by our Club Vice-Captain Paul Boyle, the decision to postpone having been taken at 9.00am when the Green Keeper’s radar looked even worse that the Met Office prediction.

The Assistant General Manager, Ben Stockman, came to the rescue and hurriedly rearranged the Club Diary and by the following day we were able to start again! Almost everyone who had booked to play in our aborted first attempt signed up immediately and we all arrived on 25th September to enjoy a glorious sunny day. No, you guessed it, again it was raining cats and dogs.

After breakfast, determined not to be defeated, it was decided that golf is an outdoor sport and the rain would not deter us. Remarkably, as the first groups teed off from the 18 tees, 92 players taking part in the shot-gun start, the rain stopped and at times the sun appeared. As the last group arrived back at the clubhouse the rain started again!

Players enjoyed a well-earned pre-lunch drink, followed by a superb indoor barbecue and prize presentation with a minimum of speeches.

It was a great day enjoyed by all, and our Captain Alan Thackrey did us proud as host and, by the way, he flew back from his holidays on both occasions, a dedicated Captain prepared to go the extra mile or one thousand eatra miles! He wasn’t aware at the time that within three months he would deservedly be elected President of the Wags.