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November 2012 / Issue 216
The finest downland course in Sussex... Bookings now being taken for 2013, in our Dormy House, open March to November Twin bed en-suite rooms with a five course dinner, bed & full english breakfast, including two rounds of golf from £90 per person per night GREEN FEE VISITORS CAN NOW BOOK ONLINE AT SPECIAL PRICES go to www.seafordgolfclub.co.uk and follow the visitor tee booking link For a brochure and more information call Sue on: 01323 892442, e-mail: sue@seafordgolfclub.co.uk or visit: www.seafordgolfclub.co.uk
Special Winter Society Deals available – to book call
01323 892442
SEAFORD GOLF CLUB SEAFORD GOLF CLUB, FIRLE ROAD, SEAFORD, EAST SUSSEX, BN25 2JD
L A I C E P S TY SOCI E G E A rch 2013 PACer K a 2012- M Novemb
Wildwood’s Winter Winner!
Only
£30pp ds £35)
(weeken
yers
m 12 pla
minimu
T
he panoramic 27 holes of championship golf at Wildwood Golf & Country Club maintain their magic throughout the year. The newly defined and manicured fairways with the U.S. standard greens ensure perfect playing conditions all year. And the warm atmosphere of the clubhouse with good golfer’s “fayre” ensures a great day out. Conveniently located between Horsham and Guildford, Wildwood is easily accessible from all areas. For more information and available dates contact: Louise Harrison on 01403 753255
Wildwood Golf & Country Club Our business is your pleasure
Horsham Road, Alfold (Nr Cranleigh), Surrey GU6 8JE Tel. 01403 753255 e.mail louise@wildwoodgolf.co.uk www.wildwoodgolf.co.uk
SOUTHERN CLUBS HIT BY TROPHY THEFTS Golf clubs in Surrey and Sussex are on a heightened security alert after valuable trophies and other silverware were stolen from several venues in identical attacks. Farnham, Hindhead, Seaford, The Dyke and West Sussex golf clubs are among many clubs in the south east that have been the target of break-ins and thefts, with many hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of irreplaceable trophies and silverware being stolen. Farnham Golf Club in Surrey was the first to be hit by the spate of thefts. Thieves broke into the club on October 2 and took 19 trophies and cups. One of the items, the Silver Frigate Trophy – the 116-year-old club’s emblem – has been valued at £100,000. Grahame Cowlishaw, secretary of Farnham Golf Club, said he was ‘devastated’ by the theft, which took place at 9.45pm. The club’s CCTV captured hooded and masked burglars removing a patio door and smashing a glass cabinet. “I’ve been here 30 years, 25 years as the pro. There’s a lot of me here,” said Mr Cowlishaw. “You feel like they’ve taken something out of your house
Stolen: Farnham’s Silver Frigate
because it’s part of the club; you feel devastated. It’s history and you’re not going to get that back.” One of the worst hit was Seaford Golf Club in East Sussex, which had 20 trophies dating back to the mid-1800s taken, nearly all of which were later found destroyed in a burnt out car. The trophies were valued in the region of £40,000. Waterhall Golf Club, just outside Brighton, was hit on September 19, followed by West Sussex Golf Club on October 7. More than 20 trophies were taken from the Pulborough club, with a spokesman saying that they had probably been melted down. Waterhall was hit for a second time on October 15, before nearby Dyke Golf Club
became the latest victim on October 20, when two men in balaclavas smashed through the patio doors with a baseball bat before heading straight for the trophy cabinet. In just four minutes they had left with up to 15 trophies thought to be worth around £5,000. Club chairman, Niall MacCabe, said: “We were lucky because we had heard what had happened in Seaford, and moved our really valuable trophies out. It appears to be a fairly professional group. We found some of the less valuable trophies floating down the River Adur, so they knew what they were looking for and what was valuable. It’s sad really. That is a part of the club’s history gone forever.” Police are now trying to establish if there is a connection between the burglaries throughout both counties..”
Dyke chairman Niall MacCabe
Shifting sands at historic Orsett
An example of the restored bunkers at Orsett
Orsett Golf Club in Essex has recently completed an upgrade to its historic course, which has included the restoration of bunkers to the original look intended by legendary course architect James Braid. The club’s course development committee, led by course manager Don Clark, appointed James Edwards Golf Design to restore 12 bunkers back to the classic look of those introduced by Braid in 1899, when Orsett Golf Club was founded. The project, which was completed over the summer, involved the removal of one bunker, and the rebuilding over 11 others, including all five on the fourth hole, two on the seventh, and four on the 18th. All the bunkers will feature the same
revetment techniques that were a feature of Braid’s designs. Speaking about the changes, course manager Don Clarke said: “Our aim for Orsett Golf Club has always been to bring back the strong traditional bunkering for which this wonderful golf course is known. I am pleased that our collective vision is shared by our course architect, James Edwards.” Edwards added: “It is an absolute privilege to work at Orsett alongside Don and his excellent team and local contractor Grassform Planthire. The course totally inspires me every time I set foot on the property and I was honoured that the club entrusted us to restore the integrity of the James Braid bunkering as designed some 113 years ago.”
Order your free Society Guide! Golf News’ Society & Company Golf Guide has been a must-have publication for every golf society organiser for many a year, and the 2013 version, which comes out in December, is guaranteed to be even bigger and better, with many new features introduced to make it even easier to use in the digital age. Showcasing many of the UK’s finest clubs and courses, this handy full-colour A5 booklet provides all the information you’ll ever need to make your golf day a success. As well as being available in print format, the 2013 Guide is available to download from the Golf News website – www.golfnews.co.uk – in a PDF format, and is also available to view at a brand new standalone website – www.golfdayguide.com – which connects golf clubs and golfers like never before. To order your free copy email your name and address to: info@golfnews.co.uk with ‘Society Guide’ in the subject line.