September/October 2026 update

The Autumn Cup meeting was held on a September Sunday to see if we could tempt those who work during the week along to join us. That did not work. Weekends are often busy for parents etc, and only nine golfers turned up at Shirley Park to do battle. And a bit of a battle it was; Shirley Park has seen better days, according to some who have played there regularly; the tees and fairways in particular looked very tired and worn after a punishing summer. But the sun was shining and we were playing in enjoyable company, and we had a satisfying meal to end the day.

As to the scoring, with only nine players, there were only two prizes to be won, and they went to Martin Down, who scored a very creditable 36 points, and Alan Scovell, who had driven from Suffolk, and who scored 34 points.

Kevin Prideaux de Lacy at Shirley Park

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Also in September, the school invited us to see how they were upgrading the golf academy facilities on what is a radically transformed Puntabout. Those who went were allowed to use the practice nets and short game area. The headmaster told us about his own efforts at Croham Hurst and more importantly, about his plans to build a golf simulator at the school.

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OWGS goes to Sherwood Forest

The Autumn Tour went to Nottingham this year. Well, the hotel was in Nottingham; all three courses played were nearer to Mansfield, and all three were located very close together – Hollinwell, Sherwood Forest, and Coxmoor. All three were in delightful settings, were well laid out, and all had their different challenges. At over 6,600 yards off the yellow tees, set in heathland, Hollinwell is a true test of golf, and it is an Open Championship qualifying venue; it is probably fair to say that the fairways were not in their best condition, but overall, this was a feast for the golfing eye.

Hollinwell’s 16th hole, at the end of an afternoon

Sherwood Forest and Coxmoor were not far behind in terms of quality, but it would have been nice if they had told us in advance that we would be playing with some holes undergoing maintenance; there were four holes altogether which had (seemingly hastily created) temporary greens. At £125 a pop for the green fee? But that didn’t stop us enjoying ourselves.

For those after some fun, there was plenty, and with Alan Scovell masterminding the scoring and reward process, there was always something to play for – or, in some cases, avoid. There were prizes for the winners (individual and team), for runners-up, for the winning school house, for longest drives, for nearest the pins, for sartorial elegance, and less kindly, for missing something (forgetting to pack your golf clubs, for example? – yes, it happened). And they were prizes with a difference – nearest the pin winners went home with a packet of local cheese!

So who won? Lots of people. Alan Scovell took the overall honours over the three days, with the day’s individual winners being Alan at Hollinwell (40 points), Peter Gale at Sherwood Forest (45 points) and Don Anderson at Coxmoor (33 points).

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