September/December 2025 report

 

Martin Hayes has been appointed captain of the Halford Hewitt team, and will begin preparations for the 2026 tournament, the draw for which happens in January. We wish Martin every success in his new role.

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The season’s finale happened in Belgium this year, the first overseas venue for the 14th autumn tour. Nine participated, taking three cars across the Channel in ‘Le Shuttle’, and heading directly for the first golf course, Koksijde Golf Club, en route from Calais to our hotel in Bruges. Scoring was surprisingly good, given that virtually everyone had been up since 4am or 5am the same day, and that most holes had water featuring somewhere. Martin Hayes won with 36 points, playing off 2. Having had varying success in locating the underground car park near the hotel, the party enjoyed an excellent Belgian stew at ‘t Nieuw Walnutje in Bruges, before gratefully retiring after an 18 hour day.

Royal Zoute GC, the following day, offered immaculate club and practice facilities, and presented a very different challenge, but with a similar outcome, Hayes finishing top again, this time with 34 points. But he could not quite complete ‘the triple crown’ on the third and last day, being beaten by a super 36 points from tour debutant Kevin de Lacey, who clearly enjoyed the sea air at Royal Ostend GC, on the coast.

Overall tour honours however went to Martin, with Kevin taking the eclectic prize. And out of nine nearest-the-pins, Martin won six of them, which just about says everything you need to know! Huge thanks are due to Alan Scovell, who organised the entire event and somehow produced so many prizes that nobody went home empty-handed, albeit their wallets were a bit lighter.

There are individual snaps of the party below (l to r; Gale, Hamley, Harris, de Lacey, Hayes, Mason, Gould, Scovell, Huxtable), as well as some others reflecting the tour.

 

         

                     

 

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Thanks to Tony Harris for the below report on the Betchworth fixture, and also for overseeing the entire programme of events this year.

Our last open event of the season was held at the lovely Betchworth Park, competing for our Autumn Cup.
A somewhat lower turnout of 13, but the course was in great condition and we all enjoyed the golf and the dinner afterwards.
It was good to see Mike Berners-Price back with us, and it was he who triumphed with 32 Stableford points, just pipping 3 players by 1 shot. Our captain Mark Chatham secured second place on countback. Daniel Emkes was third. Nearest the pins went to Pip and Mike.
Despite the dire forecast we got away with only 3 holes of rain, so ended up dry and sunny.
Work is well underway for the 2026 program of outings and matches, so hope to see many OWs during the year.