Through the Green 2022

The 19th Hole with the Editor

2022 saw the resumption of a near normal season after two years of disruption due to Covid. The only event not played was the Inter Service Championships which had to be postponed owing to the sad news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The Championships will now be held in April 2023, returning once again to Enville GC. The Ladies will seek to retain their Champions’ title for the fifth consecutive year, with the Mens team aiming to wrestle the trophy back from the RAF.

Given the interrupted programme of the last couple of years it was great to see all our events, with the exception of the Stableford and the Inter Unit Championship, at full capacity. Unfortunately, the lack of accommodation owing to the Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham, proved too difficult for some with regards to the Stableford Championship but the newly designed Whittington Heath GC was absolutely superb and well worth the entry fee for next year.

As ever, our Regional and Corps Secretaries continue to work tirelessly and managed to organise around 90 Corps and 50 Regional events in 2022, which is remarkable considering this is in addition to their very busy day jobs! Their efforts are much appreciated.

And finally, I must mention our three Major Championship winners: Maj Jack Musgrove RA won the Army Strokeplay and LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) and Spr Graham Torrie RE won their respective Matchplay Championships. Our congratulations also go out to the Ladies Player of the Year, Maj Gina Smith REME, and Mens Player of the Year, Spr Graham Torrie RE.

As always, if you would like something publicised, please let us know. The very best of luck to all of you in 2023!

All results, reports and photos from 2022 events can be found on our website. Any queries should be directed to the AGA Office on aga@armygolf.co.uk or 01252 787078 / 94222 7078.

CHAIR S FOREWORD Colonel Kieran Sheldon

championship by 12 shots from the nearest competitor, with Major Jon Howse RLC claiming second place in a hard-fought race for the runner-up spot.

Still a relatively new Championship, now in its 7th year, the High Handicap Championship, which took place in May, was brought ‘in house’ for 2022 and moved from Kingsthorpe to Test Valley Golf Club. Major Richard Sanders is to be congratulated on driving this one from its inception in 2014, but his retirement allowed the AGA to add it to their majors’ portfolio. It was superb to see so many new golfers at this event with Cpl Roshan Mabo Inf running out the eventual winner by 3 points ahead of SSgt David Whitwham RLC.

Having assumed the appointment in the latter half of this year’s season, I must start with a thank you to my predecessor Brig Mark Pullan MBE for his four years as Chair of the AGA and for continuing to hold the chairmanship of the UK Armed Forces Golf Association. Under his tenure the AGA continued to deliver success, to grow and to provide fantastic opportunities to Army golfers, all despite having to navigate the two years of restrictions imposed by Covid. However, he has not gone far and has agreed to take up the role of President of the AGA. Having taken over late in the season, I have struggled to attend any events this year, so must pass on my gratitude to Steve Davis, Bob Gamble and Diane Walters for representing the Chair while delivering their own roles in the competitions. I have already put next year’s events into the diary and hope to attend as many as possible. However, reflecting on the past year it is obvious that it provided opportunities, successes, and some great golf.

The season started with the Strokeplay Championship at the wonderful Little Aston Golf Club, which was hosting the event for the 36th time. With the course in superb condition the Army Captain, Major Jack Musgrove RA was able to put in a stunning performance to win the

The Inter Unit event was taken by the Gurkha ARRC Support Bn, with HQ Regional Command Support Branch winning the Plate and 11 (RSS) Signal Regiment the Reserve Trophy.

This year the UK Armed Forces Golf Association introduced an Inter Service Development competition, into which the Army entered a team made up of both up-and-coming golfers who had not yet played for the Army and those who had not played IS Golf for some time. Such is the strength and depth of the Army team that they convincingly won the competition, with several of the team preparing then to represent the full Army side at the next Inter Services competition

In July the Matchplay and Inter Corps Championships returned to Saunton Golf Club, which saw us play out our 99th Army Championship, 12th Army Ladies Championship and 48th Inter Corps Championship. Spr Graeme Torrie RE and LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) were the eventual Mens and Ladies winners and crowned Army Matchplay Champions, LCpl Niki Sutton managing to successfully defend the title. The RLC A team came away victorious in the REME Shield competition, the REME A team won the Singapore Trophy (Plate competition) and the RA A team won

the Inter Corps Championship, managing to stop the Infantry from winning a fifth year in succession. A superb event, hosted at a wonderful golf club and one which the AGA looks forward to every year.

In August the Stableford Championship returned to a very different Whittington Heath Golf Club. While LCpl Niki Sutton was back to defend another title, she was pipped to it this time with Capt Mukunda Rajali Inf who dominated the competition with 169 Stableford points, with SSgt Alan Finn R Sigs and LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) taking the runner-up and third places respectively. For those of you worrying about entering next year, you will be pleased to know that Capt Mukunda Rajali’s performance knocked 8 shots off his handicap!

By September the team was raring to take on the other services. However, as the country went into a period of state mourning for the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the competition was quite rightly postponed. It has been rescheduled for April 2023 in a ‘wrap around’ between the seasons, so it is going to be an incredibly busy year for the Army teams with two Inter Service Championships to be played in the same season amongst all their other commitments. It is fortunate therefore that we have incredibly talented squads with strength in depth ready for the 2023 season.

As ever, while I am yet to meet many of them, it is due to the hard work of the Corps and Regional Secretaries and their continued support that golf in the Army has survived and flourished during the last difficult three years and is growing ever more popular. I once again call upon them all to support

the AGA in identifying, attracting and developing players for a possible future Army team. Thank you for your continued efforts and support.

The sponsorship support being provided by Thales, our headline sponsor, and the Army Sport Control Board over this period has been invaluable and we remain very grateful for it; without it we simply would not be able to deliver the events we do. However, Steve Davis has been hard at work seeking to secure additional sponsors for 2023 season.

Although I have only held this post since July, it is already plain to me the huge debt of gratitude Army Golf owes to the fantastic AGA team in the ASCB. Steve Davis and Diane Walters continue to be the driving force behind the AGA and all its great achievements, which are underpinned by the sterling work done by Jana Daniell who continues to develop and improve the website and social media presence of the AGA. I already owe them my thanks for the support and guidance they have provided me, and I look forward to a wonderful next year working alongside them (once they are back from a winter of running skiing for the Army), and all of you.

To you all, I hope you have a good winter, manage to get some practising and some golf in during the cold and wet season and come out ready for an even bigger and better season in 2023 and our centenary year of the Army Matchplay Championships.

See you next year!

MAJOR EVENTS 2023

3

17 May 23

22 - 24 May 23

13 - 15 Jun 23

9 - 12 Jul 23

11 - 12 Jul 23

13 - 14 Jul 23

31 Jul - 2 Aug 23

5 - 6 Sep 23

18 - 21 Sep 23

5 Oct 23

Open High Handicap Championship Test Valley GC

Open Strokeplay Championship Belton Park GC

Inter Unit Championship Catterick GC

Army Matchplay Championship Saunton GC

Army Ladies Matchplay Championship Saunton GC

Inter Corps Championship Saunton GC

Open Stableford Championship Whittington Heath GC

Inter Regional Championship Worksop GC

Inter Service Championships 23 (RN lead) Woodhall Spa GC

Quill & Club Tournament The Nottinghamshire GC

STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Championship returned to its spiritual home of Little Aston Golf Club (LAGC) for the 2022 Championship. Once again, we were grateful for the generosity provided by our sponsors, Thales as our headline sponsor, BT who have been working with the AGA to revolutionize the AGA ways of working by creating a bespoke IT package that equals that of many a private golf clubs, and Comms Spec who donate their radio systems for use at our events. All are thanked for their continued support throughout the season.

We were delighted to return to this prestigious venue, one of the best courses in UK, which has hosted the AGA Open Strokeplay Championship on 35 previous occasions. The course was in perfect

been replaced, some removed and others reshaped. With freshly cut and ironed greens they were lightning quick.

The weather on day one was warm, although at times a little cloudy, but later in the day with the wind picking up and the rain setting in it made life difficult for the last few flights on the course. It certainly paid to have an early tee time. The main competition was played off the white/red tees, which measured 6717/5749 yards; the par was 72/74 with a slope rating of 134/131.

Scoring in the first round was steady with only one player breaking par and one level. The clubhouse leader was the current Army Captain, Maj Jack Musgrove RA (+0.9) on 70, followed closely by another Army team regular, Gdsm Jordan Slater Coldm Gds (+3.5) on 72, and LCpl Alex Matthews RE (2.1) on 74 sat in third. There followed three players tied in fourth on 76, SSgt Adam Hayward RA (1.7), Maj Jon Howse RLC (+0.3) and Lt Neil Williams RA

With the changing weather conditions the afternoon round was always going to be a challenge but those starting early in the afternoon took the opportunity to consolidate their first round scores and were equally impressive during their second round.

Musgrove carded a 2 over 74, ending the day on 144, which on a course playing as it was would be hard to beat. The best second round score went to Cpl Glen Watt RAC, who carded a superb 72, bringing him up the leaderboard into second place on a total of 151, some seven shots back.

Other notable second round scores were LCpl Johnny Stephenson SCOTS who carded a 76, Howse, SSgt Gaz Gurung RE and WO2 Kerry

LCpl Ram Limbu AGC

Roberts RA 77, Lt Col Bob Pace R Sigs, Spr Graeme Torrie RE, Mr David Wilson, and Mr Patrick Griffiths 78 and finally Slater 79 which was good enough to move him into joint second place overall.

So, after two rounds the leaderboard saw Musgrove on 144 leading by seven from Watt and Slater on 151. He would take some stopping, but on this course there was still too much golf to be played to say for certain where the winner would come from.

As the course basked in glorious sunshine on day two, any early morning dew very quickly burned off to leave the course dry, firm, and quickening. The greenkeeping staff were out early to cut and iron the greens once more adding to an already stiff test of golf.

Day two followed a similar pattern to day one. With everyone feeling the strain as the golf course tightened its hold on the field, only the best players managed to hold their own. Slater looked like the player most likely to make a formidable charge, but was halted following a 9 and a 7 on the 17th and 18th holes and surely his race was run.

As the third round ended it seemed only a collapse proportions would see Musgrove not see this through to the close. Noticeable scores from round three; Musgrove level par 72, Matthews 73, Howse 75 and these were followed closely by the so far unmentioned Cpl Steven Farnworth LANCS 76, and Lt Jordan Aird RLC and Cpl Ben Churchill RE tied on 77.

Before we report on the final round, it would be remiss not to mention the Stableford event running concurrently for those who did not make the cut on day one. The field of 39 had some seriously good golfers, nine of whom were playing off a handicap

Round one saw three under par scores; Lt Col Stuart Campbell AMS with 37pts, Sgt Chris Rosie RE with 39 pts and the leader, Mr David Holyoak with

Although neither Rosie or Holyoak could emulate their morning round scores, they still managed to up and third respectively with 73 pts

Cpl Carl Thompson Inf

LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS)

a very creditable 39 pts to take the spoils and make his total for the day 76 pts.

It wouldn’t be an AGA event if we didn’t have at least one hole in one. Sgt Prades Limbu REME kept

Back to the main event then and with a stiffening breeze, round four saw a resurgent Churchill make a charge up the leader board after carding a one under 71. This may yet see him reach the elusive 0.4 he strives for to enable Open qualification this year. The Championship leader with no immediate challengers was able to play steady all day and carded a final round 1 over, 73. No doubt making his walk up the 18th fairway that much easier. One flight back, Howse carded a 73, as did Slater, who steadied the ship but was undoubtedly left ruing those two last holes in round three. Gurung also posted a credible 2 over 74, with Matthews and Pace a 3 over 75.

At the end of the day there can only be one winner, this year other than the course, which it would appear beat most of the players, it was Maj Jack Musgrove RA who triumphed with his impressively consistent 70 + 74 + 72 + 73, totalling 289 (1 over gross). Winning by 12 shots in the end, Musgrove proved himself to be a worthy Champion.

This year the course set up was fair, but challenging, lush fairways and slick greens and with the minor alterations that had been made during

SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS

Our sincere thanks go to the Chairman, Jeremy Cook, the Committee, Manager Iain Burns and staff and members of Little Aston Golf Club for allowing the AGA to hold this Championship there. And for presenting the course in such excellent condition. For the future, LAGC has kindly agreed to host the 2025 Championship (date to follow). Special thanks must go to the AGA officials for running the event in their usual professional and tireless manner both at the event and back in the office. Finally, the AGA is eternally grateful to Thales as the AGA headline sponsor for 2022.

The 2023 AGA Open Championships will take place at Belton Park Golf Club over the period Mon 22 –Wed 24 May 2023. AGA members should note that this is a mixed competition open to ALL members of the AGA with the field limited to approximately 66 players; all interested in playing whatever handicap should enter.

RESULTS

Maj Musgrove RA and Lt Col (Retd) Gamble

Left to right

Lt Col Stuart Campbell AMS, Lt Col Bob Pace R Sigs, Maj Jack Musgrove RA, Maj Jonathan Howse RLC

HIGH HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP

year. Previously the event was co-ordinated by Lt Col Richard Sanders, a former Regional Secretary. His promotion and assignment to Scotland rendered it impractical for him to continue to run the event; therefore, the AGA would like to formally thank Col Richard for setting up and driving the event to this point since its inception in 2014.

This year’s competition was held at Test Valley Golf Club (TVGC), a venue used periodically by the South East region, and so was familiar to a few of the competitors. Based on chalk, the course drains well and with little water on the course it served as an ideal venue to hold this competition, which serves to provide the players with an experience of higher

fatigue affected some. Whilst the course was a little forgiving in places, the rough was high and the greens slick, having been cut and rolled prior to play. It achieved all we set out for – a fair but stern test.

The tee boxes were set up as they would be for all AGA Championship events with sponsor and event banners flying. The players were formally briefed and then introduced on the tee. For some this added an extra layer of stress to the first shot of the day but, again, it added to the experience.

Having brought the competition under the umbrella of the AGA, the longer-term plan is to drive attendance to the heights of all other

WO2 Ian Lester RAPTC

WO1 Vicky van Zyl AMS

the speed of the greens was to cause more than a little angst to some. That said, there were some good scores posted at the halfway point. The clubhouse leader was Sgt David Whitwham RLC (26) on 40 pts; in joint second were Cpl Chris Hammond AAC (26) and LCpl Lee Williamson RLC (21) on 39 pts, closely followed by Cpl Roshan Mabo Inf (18) in third on 38 pts, and WO2 Ian Lester RAPTC (19) in fourth on 37 pts. The next three

LCpl Karl Straw RLC

WO2 Gregory Tucker

HIGH HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP

Whitwham all on 36 pts, and Williamson, who scored his first ever birdies, one in each round, finished on 35 pts.

Three of the morning’s top five made it into the prizes at the close of play but of course there can only be one winner. Mabo put together 2 under handicap rounds of 38 & 41 pts and assuming his golf will only get better, he will be unable to defend his title next year.

the course in such excellent condition. For the future, TVGC has kindly agreed to host this event for the next 5 years (dates to follow). Special thanks must go to the AGA officials Diane Walters and Jana Daniell for administering and running the event in their usual professional and tireless manner. Finally, the AGA is eternally grateful to Thales as the AGA headline sponsor for 2022.

The 2023 Open High Handicap Championship will take place back at Test Valley Golf Club on Wed 17

RESULTS

High Handicap Champion Cpl Roshan Mabo Inf 79 pts

Runner-Up SSgt David Whitwham RLC 76 pts

Third Place LCpl Lee Williamson RLC 74 pts

Fourth Place WO2 Gregory Tucker RLC 72 pts OCB

Fifth Place Maj Ali Hughes RLC 72 pts

SSgt David Whitwham, Cpl Roshan Mabo, LCpl Lee Williamson

INTER UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP

and the competition was played in full for the first time since 2018. The 2019 Championship was rained off and the following two events cancelled owing to the Covid pandemic, so it was a great relief that the weather played its part in making the 2022 event the success that it turned out to be.

The Inter Unit event dates back to 1904 and this year it was attended by 36 players, forming 12 teams; unfortunately, slightly down on recent years, although this may result from the missed years and the many commitments the Army is currently involved in. We would like to thank all the units who participated and, in some cases, travelled great distances to enter this year. Particularly QDG from Dereham and 6 Regt RLC from Thirsk.

The format of this year’s event was amended slightly on account of the number of teams entered. The opening day remained a 36 hole Stableford Qualifier off handicap adjusted to 95%. Teams comprised 3 players (plus one reserve). The team Stableford scores from day one resulted in teams being seeded 1 to 12 with all teams switching to the Matchplay format on day two. The top four teams competed for the main championship

teams competed for the reserve trophy.

The weather on day one was forecast to be overcast with a chance of rain; however, to the delight of all players and officials the result was the complete opposite. The sun shone through by midday to dry off the overnight rain, firm up the course and speed up the greens. Our thanks must go to the Army Golf Club as the course was presented in excellent condition with greens that were quick, but true.

With a wide-ranging standard of player and handicaps, and the golf course providing its usual stern test, scoring well was always going to be a challenge. This proved to be the case with many players carding less than average points. That said, the damp early morning conditions provided an opportunity for some players to be more aggressive and take on some of the more accessible pins. Leading the way at lunchtime with an impressive 41 pts was Cpl Darren Smee 3 Regt RLC, followed closely by Sgt Suresh Ale Magar Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn and WO2 Nabin Subba 9 Regt RLC both on 40 pts; two pts back on 38 pts was Cpl Dhanraj Limbu 9 Regt RLC and then Sgt Tolok Gurung 11 (RSS) Sig Regt on 37 pts, and finally the last player to score to handicap was WO2 Thamesh Rai RMAS on 36pts.

Following a fast turnaround and with the breeze stiffening, the second 18 holes would be a further test of everyone’s fortitude. This proved to be the case as the morning round had seen 20 players break 30 pts, whereas only 13 managed the same in the afternoon. The notable scores were: Smee backing up his first round 41 pts with an even more impressive 43 pts. Given this was a two-round qualifier, his 12 handicap was likely to be cut by the time he hit the tee on day two. On 38 pts were T Rai and SSgt Bipendra Rai Lingkha 9 Regt RLC, followed by SSgt Rohit Gurung RMAS and WO1 Ray Conway 3 Regt RLC on 37 pts.

Cpl Darren Smee 3 Regt RLC

The overall individual standings from day one were:

D Smee 84 pts – 3 Regt RLC

S Ale Magar 75 pts – Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn

T Rai 74 pts – RMAS

N Subba 74 pts – 9 Regt RLC

T Gurung 72 pts – 11 (RSS) Sig Regt

Team scores from the qualifying competition:

little by way of a breeze, all looked good for the second day of play.

In the first reserve semi-final 11 (RSS) Sig Regt stormed to an early lead in their match against the QDG, with T Gurung convincingly completing a 7&6 win over his opponent. The third match then gave a point to the QDG after Tpr Joe Shaw beat Cpl Shane Addison 4&3. So one all and with the second match still on the course and very close, it was nail biting for both teams. Eventually though 11 Sig Regt took the deciding point when WO2 Bishnu Gurung beat LCpl Nathan Sell.

The second reserve semi-final saw Cpl James Boyd from 6 Regt RLC win 7&6 against his opponent from 32 Regt RA, even though he was giving away 15 shots. This was despite sending his first tee shot into the rough on the first which, as it turns out, was to be the only fairway he missed on his way to victory. The second match saw two 24 handicap

The draw for day two semi-finals in the three competitions saw:

Main Championship:

RMAS vs 9 Regt RLC

3 Regt RLC vs Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn

Plate Competition:

Inf Battle School vs 3 PWRR Sp Branch RC vs 170 Infr Sp Engr Gp

Reserve Competition:

11 (RSS) Sig Regt vs QDG

6 Regt RLC vs 32 Regt RA

With the teams drawn and in a bid to ensure everyone could get away at a reasonable time, an early start beckoned for day two. The course was a hive of activity as we arrived at the start of the day with greenkeepers cutting and rolling the greens, preparing the bunkers, and blowing overnight debris from the course following the windy close the previous day.

Day two would see us revert to a two tee start with the teams playing head-to-head Matchplay going out in twos on a 0715 first tee. With the course bathed in warm, early morning sunshine and with

Cpl Rishikesh Sen Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn

Finally, on to the Championship semi-finals: first up 3 Regt RLC against Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn, which on paper looked to be a close affair as all players had similar handicaps. However on the day the Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn appeared to hit a purple patch midround with CSgt Bikash Gurung coming through with a 4&2 win in the first match. But then Smee, the day one top scorer, levelled the match with a solid 3&2 win, before Ale Magar completed the win for the Gurkhas, winning with a conclusive 6&5.

The second championship semi-final saw RMAS take on 9 Regt RLC (the third RLC unit in the competition). Again, all handicaps were even in each match, but it was RMAS who played better, winning 3-0 with 4&3, 6&4 and 5&4 wins.

With the weather on the turn and now threatening rain and the wind picking up slightly, the three finals all started off the first tee.

First up in the reserve final was 11 (RSS) Sp Bn vs 6

RESERVE WINNERS

11 (RSS) Sig Regt

WO2 B Gurung

Sgt T Gurung

Cpl S Addison

Sgt Tolok Gurung 11 (RSS) Sig Regt

INTER UNIT CHAMPIONSHIP

PLATE WINNERS

HQ RC Sp Branch

WO1 C Topping

WO1 K Ross

Maj J Revell

the third match to level the overall match at 1-1. The middle pair played a match that was eventually won on the last hole by Ross to give the Sp Branch RC a 2-1 victory to win the India Cup.

In the main Championship competition Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn took on RMAS. On paper there was little to choose between the two teams so it was down to who could produce the best golf on the day. In the first match, SSgt Nilkumar Thapa on his home course could not hold off the charge from B Gurung losing 3&2. The second match ended with a half between Cpl Rishikesh Sen and T Rai leaving the score 1½-½, meaning RMAS needed to win the last match to take it to a play off. Unfortunately, this was not to be as the consistent Ale Magar produced another fine performance to close the match with a 5&4 win giving the Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn the Balfour Trophy.

Huge congratulations go to all the players who fought hard over the two days for their units. The AGA will endeavour to grow this event to capacity over the next couple of years and welcomes entries from all units able to field a team of 3; male, female or mixed.

thank you!

Winners

RESULTS

Gurkha ARRC Sp Bn

CSgt Bikash Gurung

Sgt Suresh Ale Magar

Cpl Rishikesh Sen

Runners-Up RMAS

WO2 Thamesh Rai

SSgt Rohit Gurung

SSgt Nilkumar Thapa

Plate Winners Sp Branch HQ RC

Maj Justin Revell

WO1 Chris Topping

WO1 Kirk Ross

Plate Runners Up Inf Battle School

Capt Madan Kumar Jimi

CSgt Pralon Kulung-Rai

Cpl Gopal Rai

Reserve Winners 11 (RSS) Sig Regt

WO2 Bishnu Gurung

Sgt Tolok Gurung

Cpl Shane Addison

Reserve Runners-Up 6 Regt RLC

SSgt David Whitwham

Cpl James Boyd

LCpl Liam Whitbread

GOLF SKILLS COURSES 23/24

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MATCHPLAY & INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Army Golf Championships is the blue riband event in the Army Golf calendar and the 2022 event, which has a permanent base at Saunton Golf Club, took place from 3 to 8 Jul. The Championships comprise the individual Matchplay event, both Male and Female and the Inter Corps tournament. The event was generously sponsored by the Army Sport Control Board, Charitable Fund and the AGA is indebted to them for their invaluable support, and to Thales as headline sponsor of the AGA, once again. We were especially pleased that BT, who have been working behind the scenes on our competition IT systems, and Christopher Ward, watch manufacturer, were able to visit for a few days, with the latter very kindly donating a watch to each of our winners.

Having missed a full season in 2020 owing to the Covid pandemic we were unable to combine Saunton’s 125th anniversary with our own 100th Matchplay anniversary, which was rather a shame. To make up for the disappointment we agreed to celebrate the occasion by playing a 32-a-side match (teams were selected from AGA members past and present) on the Saturday prior to the commencement of the Championships.

The first few flights had to endure a period of fine ‘misty’ rain before the wind blew in and cleared the way for a glorious afternoon in the sun. Competition was hot with most matches coming in close. The AGA President and Chair started strong, bringing in the first points of the day, and having missed a putt for the win on the last, the Secretary was happy not to have lost and finished with a half. As the scores started to flow in, Saunton started to stride ahead to a four point lead, but this was to be short lived and the AGA pulled back three, leaving Saunton with a slender lead of one.

With one match still out on the course the AGA needed a win to halve the overall match. Close as it was, the AGA could not get the needed win and lost on the last hole, thus Saunton were the victors. As much as the AGA Secretary and Army Captain took the flack for missing ‘that’ putt and ‘that’ chip on the 18th respectively, it was only right that Saunton took the spoils; after all it was their day. With little time to spare following completion of the last match, we dined as a collective hosted by the Golf Club, with a 4-course meal, speeches, port and a toast to the Queen.

Overall, the day was a huge success and a fitting celebration to mark such a landmark event and occasion in the club’s history.

It was good to be back and running the Championships in its original format with all the

99TH MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

As appears to be the norm now, the event was full well before the closing date and travelling reserve spots were offered to 12 players, six of whom accepted and played in all available Stableford competitions.

An excellent field of 94 players arrived on Sun 3 Jul to commence battle. The main competition started the following day with 64 players, and to reduce the field to this number, there was a pre-qualifying event for 60 of the 94 highest handicapped players. The winners went into the main draw and the 30 losers went on to compete in their own reserve event, the Keith Seddon Trophy.

The cut for automatic qualification into the main event was made at 2.8 whilst the highest handicap overall was 8.3. This is a testament to the high levels of golf being played in the Army. It is usual to have four seeds for this Championship which consists of the winner, runner-up and two semi-finalists from last year. Owing to non-availability, only the runnerup and one semi-finalist entered, thus reducing the number of seeds to two.

The course was as ever, in excellent condition with testing rough waiting for those who strayed off the beaten track. In true links fashion, straight driving was a necessity as was good course management. With Army golf balls being in short supply because of import issues, keeping the ball in play was paramount so spotters were deployed to assist players when wayward shots were hit.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny for the qualifying round which commenced at 1100hrs. As you would

expect with the highest handicapped players taking on the lowest, there were some early finishes with a number of 7&6 results being submitted. On the flip side a couple of matches had to go past 18; SSgt Roger Malcolm R Sigs beat CSgt Santosh Gurung Inf and Capt Tom Clarke REME beat Sgt Sanman Thapa Magar RE, both on the 19th.

Day one of the main event commenced with an overcast sky and normal onshore breeze. First out saw Lt Neil Williams RA up against the 61 seed Lt Scott Proctor Int Corps. This match was close run all the way to the last, before being decided on the 19th hole by Williams. Lt Col Bob Pace R Sigs and Capt Sanjeev Rai R Sigs also needed a 19th hole playoff to secure passage to the next round. But it took an additional 2 holes for WO2 Stu Hawkins RAPTC to finally beat Capt George Watson RLC on the 21st.

Cpl Raju Tamang Inf with an 8&7 win and WO2 Kerry Roberts RA, SSgt Adam Hayward RA, Maj Danny Saunders AGC (RMP) and Cpl Steven Farnworth Inf with 7&6 wins eased into the next round comfortably.

The 30 players who failed to qualify for the main Championship took part in the Reserve Championship event for the Keith Seddon Trophy. The first part was a scratch Stableford competition on Mon 4 Jul on the West Course, to enable a fair draw and decide the seeding for the Matchplay event (top 16 players) to take place the following

Col Jim Brown Int Corps

SSgt Gajendra Gurung RE

day. It should be noted that the 6 travelling reserves played in this competition and although able to win prizes could not qualify for the Keith Seddon Trophy.

LCpl Cameron Weir RLC won through on 32pts, with Maj Ben Stephens Int Corps on 31pts then Maj Om Pun R Sigs on 30pts, followed by Cpl James Watson AGC (SPS) on 29pts. The rest of the field followed slightly further back from 26 through to 11, which was testament to the conditions and toughness of the course. Although the travelling reserves were unable to qualify, it should be noted that several outperformed some of those that could.

The second round of the main Championship was played in ever improving weather conditions with brighter skies and match results going as expected. Our habitual winner, Cpl Ben Churchill RE, had a slight scare against WO2 Jason Moore AGC (SPS), with Churchill 2 Down and 3 to play, and Moore needing a 2-foot putt to win 3&2. Unfortunately, he missed the putt allowing Churchill back into the match. Churchill took full advantage and went on to win the next two holes before closing out the match on the 19th. Not to be outdone, Sgt Bruce-Smith AGC (SPS) took his match to the 20th before finally claiming the win over LCpl Lewis McColm Int Corps.

In the Plate competition, the Denton Trophy, held for the first-round losers from the main Championship, there were no clear favourites given the high standard of golfers in the competition. Sadly, Cpl James Boyd RLC had to withdraw leaving LCpl Caspin Sandry Inf with a walkover into round two. Notable scores from round one were: 7&6 wins for Watson G over WO2 Neals Mostert RA, LCpl Peter Forsyth R Sigs over LCoH Nick Jackson RAC and WO1 David Grant AGC (SPS) over WO1 Steve Canning REME. Slightly tighter results were 1Up wins for Sgt Jim Reeves R Sigs over Cpl Ben Dawson R Sigs, Sgt Tom Purce Inf over Malcolm, and Lt Col Stuart Campbell AMS over Capt Tek Rai R Sigs.

Day two morning of the main event saw Williams out first again, this time against Pace, the latter just taking the spoils 1Up. All other ‘last 16’ matches were close with no major surprises. Another result

of note was in the match between Torrie and Churchill; Torrie beat Churchill 3&2, ending his [Churchill] last visit to the Championships after a long and successful golfing career in the Army; the first of his six Matchplay wins coming in 2008.

Tuesday also brought the first of two handicap Stablefords (Mickey Bryant Memorial Salver) for those who are knocked out of the Main and Plate Championships (Mon pm), Keith Seddon Trophy Qualifier (Mon am) and travelling reserves. Scores on the whole were pretty average, but 4 players shot 36pts or better: Thomas (36pts), WO2 Ian Mahan Inf (37pts), Cpl Sean Byrne REME, and Clarke (39pts). Capt Tom Clarke REME is the 2022 Mickey Bryant Memorial Trophy winner.

Day two afternoon and we are now into the quarter-finals. In the main Championship, Maj Jack Musgrove RA beat Pace 8&7, Gurung G beat Maj Jonny Howse RLC 2&1, Spr Graeme Torrie RE beat Maj Sean Stevenson RLC 2Up and Bruce-Smith beat Roberts 1Up. A superb set of semi-final matches was on the cards and close results expected.

TUESDAY STABLEFORD WINNER Capt Thomas Clarke REME

The Plate results were as follows: Reeves beat Proctor 7&6, Col Jim Brown Int Corps beat Campbell S AMS 4&3, Cpl Bisal Gurung R Sigs beat LCpl Jonny Stevenson Inf and SSgt Furtenji Sherpa RE beat Grant 4&3.

The last of the 3 quarter-finals, the Keith Seddon Trophy, produced the following results: SSgt Aidi Bennett R Sigs beat Maj Ski Nowosielski R Sigs 3&2, Capt Kenny Wilson RLC beat Weir 7&5, Stephens beat LCpl Aiden Dewar REME on the 20th and Pun beat Sgt Milan Rai R Sigs 3&2.

Wednesday morning started bright and early with the semi-finals of the Keith Seddon Trophy teeing off at 0715hrs, followed by the Plate (Denton Salver) and then the Main Championship (Paget Trophy). The second of the handicap Stablefords (Bartley/ Taylor Trophy) took place on the West Course.

The Stableford event as usual had a significant field of 85 which included any Corps team players who had not played in the individual events. Scoring was evidently difficult and only 2 players managed to card 36pts or better; Sgt Prem Tamang AGC (SPS)

(36pts) and Thapa Magar (38pts). Sgt Sanman Thapa Magar RE is the 2022 Bartley/Taylor Trophy winner.

The result of the first semi-final in the Keith Seddon Trophy did not go to form when Bennett beat Weir 3&2, but the other the result was as you would expect with Pun beating Stephens 4&2.

The Plate Championship got underway with Brown taking Reeves all the way to 18, clinching the match 1Up. In the other match Gurung B took on Sherpa, who incidentally was the highest handicapped player in the whole event and performed very well to get as far as he did. Sadly for him, this was a match too far and Gurung B won 6&5.

The Matchplay Champion could have come from any of the four semi-finalists in the main Championship. Torrie just eased past Bruce-Smith 2&1 but it was nip and tuck all the way until Torrie

WEDNESDAY STABLEFORD WINNER Sgt Sanman Thapa Magar RE

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Sgt Mathew Bruce-Smith AGC (SPS)

MATCHPLAY & INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The other semi-final saw Musgrove up against last year’s losing finalist Gurung G. Both players had the opportunity to take a foothold in the match but on each occasion the other would raise his game. Going on to the 17th, Gurung G was 2Up and the pressure was all on Musgrove. However, Musgrove won the hole and gave himself a chance going up the last. Both were on or around the green in two with Gurung G on for a solid par. Musgrove then sank a superb 30-foot putt for a birdie to take the match down the 19th. This would turn out to be a historic battle that needed a further 8 extra holes to determine the winner, a record for the Army Championships. Both players had opportunities to take the match, both missed them, particularly Gurung G who had two opportunities to sink 3-foot putts for the win. The pressure was telling with a few wayward shots creeping in, but with Gurung G on the front edge and Musgrove over the back of the 26th hole, could this be it? Gurung G stiffed a long putt to 3-inches to finish with a par, with

The final of the Keith Seddon Trophy pitted Bennett against Pun. Both players played some good golf, but Pun eventually ran out the winner Maj Om Pun R Sigs is the 2022 Keith Seddon Trophy winner.

Reaching a final is never easy and you have to beat all opposition to win the prize. However, the route there appeared to be relatively comfortable for both players in the Plate Championship. Brown versus Gurung B was no different and once Gurung got his nose ahead he held firm to win through Cpl Bisal Gurung R Sigs is the 2022 Denton Salver winner.

The Paget Trophy final was set with last year’s losing finalist Gurung G (0.1) up against a young and talented Torrie (-2.8) in his first Army Matchplay final. The match was a close affair and after only a 20 minute turnaround for Gurung G he was straight out on the tee. He must be commended for maintaining such high levels of concentration having played 26 holes of golf to reach the final. The match ebbed and flowed with Torrie taking an early lead only for Gurung G to fight back to level the

PLATE WINNER

Cpl Bisal Gurung R Sigs

RESERVE WINNER Maj Om Pun R Sigs

MATCHPLAY & INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS

scores on the 17th. Moving on to 18, both were off the green in two, with Torrie finding the better lie which allowed him to take his putter and leave the ball about 4 feet from the hole. Gurung G on the other hand was not only short-sided by a bunker but he also had a tough lie. The only option was to play safe to the centre of the green and hope that he could stiff a 40-foot putt. A valiant effort that narrowly missed leaving him with a bogie only for Torrie to sink his putt for par. Both players played some outstanding golf and given their ages the

future looks bright for Army Golf and the Inter Service Championships later in the year. Spr Graeme Torrie RE is the 2022 Paget Trophy winner.

The standard of play and overall levels of

Runner-Up

Plate Winner

Reserve Winner

Tuesday Stableford Winner

Wednesday Stableford Winner

Most Improved Player

SSgt Gaz Gurung RE

Cpl Bisal Gurung R Sigs

Maj Om Pun R Sigs

Capt Thomas Clarke REME

Sgt Sanman Thapa Magar RE

Sgt Mathew Bruce-Smith AGC (SPS)

Matchplay Champion 22 - Spr Graeme Torrie RE

Gurung G vs Torrie final

12TH LADIES MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

The 12th Army Ladies Matchplay Championship took place on 5 and 6 Jul on the East Course in some good weather conditions. The wind by the afternoon rounds would keep all players’ minds concentrated with the flags flapping hard in the wind. Despite the difficult conditions, we saw a field of 11 players take to the tee, with 5 byes. LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) was poised to defend her title but with Cpl Kirsty Kennedy RE retuning after a couple of years out all was set for an enthralling couple of days.

There were two seeds based on lowest handicap; Sutton (1) and Kennedy (2) (no pressure on being seeded so high on her return).

With only 11 golfers playing in the first round there were an additional three players over the two seeded players to receive a bye, SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS, Maj Sue Lambert AGC (ETS) and SSgt Zoe Burrell-Knipe RLC. Unfortunately, Burrell-Knipe

So, with only three rounds being played on the morning day one, notable results saw, Musn Justine Stringer CAMUS beat WO2 Claire Ham AGC (SPS) 2&1, Maj Karen Fidell AMS beat Maj Lizzy Stileman MBE RLC 3&2 and finally Maj Gina Smith REME win 4&3 over WO1 Vicky van Zyl AMS.

The quarter-final matches saw Sutton beat Stringer 5&4, the latter playing in her first Army event, her time will come in future years surely, after all the practice she has had in light blue (ex RAF)! Kennedy beat Fidell 7&5, which brought Fidell’s Army Championship days as a player to a conclusion. We look forward to seeing her in the future as an AGA official. Smith and Lambert needed the 19th to separate them after a very close-run match.

In the Plate competition for the Bowles Trophy, Ham versus van Zyl V, Stileman received a bye through to the final. With an early start, and faced

BOWLES TROPHY WINNER Maj Lizzy Stileman MBE RLC

SAUNTON BOWL WINNER Musn Justine Stringer CAMUS

2Up to Stileman. Maj Lizzy Stileman MBE RLC is the 2022 Bowles Trophy winner.

So back to the semi-finals of the main Championship. The draw was set for van Zyl M to play Sutton and Kennedy to play Smith.

As had been the case in all her matches, Sutton eased into the final with another comfortable 5&3 win. The second match was extremely close between two very evenly matched players that required a further 5 holes for it to be decided. Once again Smith, who likes to play EVERY hole at least once in EVERY round, ran out the eventual winner on the 23rd hole. So the final would see Sutton face Smith.

With a good breeze and in bright sunshine the final was set to be an enthralling mixture of young talent in Sutton versus the experience of Smith. Sutton set off at a breathtaking pace, taking an early lead that she was never going to lose. Playing some excellent golf with levels of accuracy and consistency that just could not be matched, Sutton lodged her

second Matchplay victory with a winning score of 7&6. We should note that Smith played all rounds en route to the final and went to the 23rd hole in final leaving only a 20 minute turnaround before teeing off for the final. LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) is the 2022 Meechie Trophy winner.

Congratulations go to all players for not only the standard of play but also the level of sportsmanship displayed throughout. Big thanks to David Thomas for taking some stunning photos of the final!

On a slightly different note, Thales, the AGA’s headline sponsor, generously provided a wedge in a free prize draw for the Matchplay Championships. The first correctly completed draw sheet out of the hat was Capt George Watson RLC.

Finally, we were pleased to announce that our relationship with renowned watchmaker Christopher Ward seems to be progressing well

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Maj Gina Smith REME

SSgt Mel van Zyl AMS

KEY RESULTS

Army Ladies Champion LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS)

Runner-Up Maj Gina Smith REME

Bowles Trophy Winner Maj Lizzy Stileman MBE RLC

Saunton Bowl Winner Musn Justine Stringer CAMUS

Most Improved Ladies Player Maj Gina Smith REME

LADIES MATCHPLAY CHAMPION LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS)

WO1 Vicky van Zyl AMS

WO2 Claire Ham AGC (SPS)

Musn Justine Stringer and Cpl Kirsty Kennedy

Maj Lizzy Stileman MBE RLC teeing off

48TH INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIP

The draw for the Inter Corps Championship, generously sponsored by The Army Sport Control Board, was made on Wed 6 Jul, after the Matchplay finals had concluded. 19 teams entered into the new format for the third year, the field comprised 12 ‘A’ teams (CAMUS did not enter a team) and 7 ‘B’ teams; more on the 2022 ballot later in the report. Inf A (1) and AGC A (2) teams, as winners and runners-up from the 2021 Championship respectively, were the 1 and 2 seeds with the remainder being drawn out of the hat. The draw was evenly matched with RA A, RE A and Inf A in the top half and AGC A, RLC A and R Sigs A in the bottom half. Yet again no two Corps teams were drawn together. This year RE A looked the strongest on paper. The three teams balloted out to the subsidiary competition were, RE B, AGC B and RA B. This year the AGA officials allowed for the R Sigs to enter a third team (R Sigs C) into the subsidiary competition.

and SSgt Mel van Zyl representing AMS. In round one there were convincing wins for RA A over R Sigs B 4½ - ½, RE A over AMS 5 - 0, RLC A over AAC 5 - 0 and REME B over RLC B 4 - 1. The other matches were a little closer with AGC A beating REME A 3½ - 1½, RAC beating RAPTC 3 - 2, Inf A beating Int Corps 3 - 2 and R Sigs A beating Inf B 32. There were some strong teams in the field this year so the 2021 finalists would need to be on their game throughout if they were to achieve the same levels of success.

In the second round the two seeded teams had contrasting results with last years winners, Inf A, losing out narrowly to a strong RE A, who on paper were the team to beat. AGC A fared better, managing a 3 - 2 win against RLC A team. The other matches saw RA A beat RAC 3½ -1½ and R Sigs A beat REME B convincingly 5 - 0. R Sigs A were considered to be going about their business quietly

LCpl Weir accepting REME Shield

WO1 Parkinson accepting Singapore Trophy on behalf of REME A

MATCHPLAY & INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS

way. All players performed well but the eventual finalists were RA A beating RE A 3 - 2 and R Sigs A beating AGC A 3½ - 1½.

In the Plate (Singapore Trophy) for the first-round losers, R Sigs B beat RAPTC 4½ - ½, the AMS lost out to the Int Corps also 4½ - ½, REME A beat AAC 4 - 1, and finally Inf B beat RLC B 3½ - 1½.

This left the Plate semi-finalists as R Sigs B versus Int Corps and REME A versus Inf B.

In the REME Shield for day one losers, each team is required to play 18 holes scratch Stableford, with all 5 scores counting. On face value last year’s Inter Corps winners, Inf A, who had lost four of the winning team players over the past 12 months, still appeared to be the strongest team on paper. On a tight course with little breeze, it all seemed to play into the hands of the top players. The RLC A team scored 147pts to win the REME Shield by 14pts from the Inf A team on 133pts. Third place went to the AMS with 103pts. The top individual scores for the round went to Maj Sean Stevenson RLC with 32pts followed by LCpl Cameron Weir RLC and Lt Jordan Aird RLC on 30pts - all good scores considering they

Back to the Plate Championship and in the first semi-final, R Sigs B beat Int Corps 3 - 2 and in the other REME A convincingly beat the Inf B 4½ - ½. This set up a closely matched final, on paper! REME A played better on the day and came out on top with a 3 - 2 win. REME A are the 2022 Singapore Trophy winners.

The subsidiary competition saw RE B run out the winners after a 3½ - 1½ win over AGC B and a 3 - 2 win over R Sigs C. RE B are the 2022 Subsidiary Competition winners.

In the main final it was always going to be a tough ask for R Sigs A as the RA A team held three Army team players including the runaway winner of the 2022 Strokeplay Championship, Maj Jack Musgrove RA. As anticipated, RA A got off to a flying start, taking the first three matches and the Royal Irish Rangers Bowl. RA A are the 2022 Royal Irish Rangers Bowl winners.

The AGA was once again hugely indebted to the Saunton Golf Club Committee and members for allowing us take over their club for the week. The hospitality and friendship shown to all concerned

LCpl Dewar, Capt Clarke, Cfn Sanghera, WO1 Parkinson, Cpl Moore, WO2 Smith, WO1 Bell

MATCHPLAY & INTER CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS

a great relationship with one of the top golf clubs in the country, not something we take lightly.

Spr Graeme Torrie RE and LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS) deservedly won their individual Championships, and RA A their victory in the Inter Corps. Huge thanks go to our sponsors Thales, the

ASCB and BT for their invaluable financial and technical support. Special thanks go to Mr Jon Southerland, the General Manager, and his assistant, Liz Cann, at Saunton for their great support during the week. Thanks also go to the Tournament Committee, who ran a seamless event.

KEY RESULTS

Inter Corps Champions

Plate Winners

-Up

Stableford Winners

Subsidiary Competition Winners

L to R: Maj Musgrove, SSgt Hayward, WO2 Ramage, Sgt Perrins, WO2 Roberts

STABLEFORD CHAMPIONSHIP

Club after an absence of two years owing to the Covid pandemic. Throughout that time everything has had a monumental makeover: from the brand new modern clubhouse and halfway house, to the course being reconfigured to include five brand new holes. For all intents and purposes, it was a new course for most of the field.

Having navigated the problems of the last two years, we hoped this year would see as smooth a

and senior ranks only: no junior rank accommodation! Those players booked into the competition who had expressed their requirement for accommodation had to therefore find it themselves or withdraw from the event. Consequently we ended up with a field of 42 starters.

Day one started in overcast but humid conditions with a stiff breeze whistling across the five new 5), only abating once the play entered the old areas of the course where the established tree lines offered some degree of protection. With the country having just experienced an unprecedented heatwave the course was starting to suffer the effects with yellowing and hard baked fairways, although the tee boxes and greens remained watered and lush. All in all, the course was set up to provide a good test of golf, taxing enough for the lower handicap players yet forgiving enough for the high handicap players.

The field was slightly reduced on recent years although there were still two ladies amongst the field of 42, with last year’s reigning champion, LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS), back to defend her title.

As the morning progressed, the clouds blew through, and the sun shone brightly raising the temperature and making for a very warm day. The course offered opportunities for the more adventurous where the reward of a birdie or two was well worth the shot; either way staying on the fairways was always going to be the way to shoot a

Round one saw some excellent scores posted with 16 players scoring 36 pts or more. Capt Mukunda Rajali Inf playing off 25 was the club house leader with a score of 43 pts, followed by the reigning champion Sutton in joint second on 41 pts along

Sgt Ashley James Inf

(Retd) Jim Ferrier. Mr Ian Bosley and Maj Stephen Johnson AMS were one back on 38 pts. Other scores: 37 pts – SSgt Alan Finn R Sigs, Padre (Maj)

Patrick O’Driscoll Inf and Lt Col Adrian Grinonneau Inf, and 36 pts – Lt Col (Retd) Warren Ginn, Mr Bill Vale, WO2 Clinton Hamblett RE and Maj Sean Stevenson RLC.

The second round of day one continued in glorious sunshine and as the course continued to dry out, drives were running longer but the greens remained receptive, true and slightly slower than some we have played on this year (with the long dry spell the greens may have been kept deliberately longer to protect them from burning out). Having already played 18 holes, the players were more familiar with the course and better placed to know when and where to take a risk for the resulting reward. As a result, the scoring remained high with a further ten players scoring above 36 pts.

With a second high score of the day, Rajali continued in fine form, scoring another round with 41 pts (a total of 84 pts after two rounds). Sgt Ashley

James Inf hit 40 pts followed by three on 38 pts

WO1 John Butler RLC, Cpl Saugat Gurung RLC and SSgt Adrian Bennett R Sigs. One back on 37 pts was the local lad from Whittington Heath, Mr Bill Vale, and O’Driscoll. Then on 36 pts were another three: Bosley, Bott, and Sutton.

After two rounds the leaderboard stood thus:

Rajali 25 84 pts

Sutton 8 77 pts

Tucker 17 75 pts

James 18 74 pts

Driscoll 14 74 pts

Bosley 15 74 pts

Sherpa 20 74 pts

Vale 17 73 pts

Ferrier 24 73 pts

Shaw 9 72 pts

Day two started as day one finished, with the weather conditions remaining hot and with a steady breeze; although the temperature had reduced slightly it was still going to create the odd problem if concentration levels lapsed. Early morning work by the greenkeepers saw a change of pin positions and a trimming of the greens. So, with hardpacked fairways meaning the straight fairway bound shot would continue to roll for unprecedented distances and with receptive greens all was in place for another high scoring day

time would tell.

As things stood, there were realistically 6 or 7 players in with a chance, but of course this would need both the leader to falter a little, which could

WO2 Gregory Tucker RLC

Lt Col (Retd) Jim Ferrier

The heat and difficult conditions were starting to take their toll on players in the fourth and final round, but those in the last three flights off the 1st knew that second place was up for grabs.

Alistair Hennessey RE on 40 pts, which was particularly good playing off 5. One back were James and the overnight leader Rajali on 39 pts. Then came four players on 38 pts – Hamblett, Bosley, O’Driscoll, and Tucker. So there were several players posting consistently good scores over the two days. Sutton carded another sub handicap score of 37 pts as did Sgt Jason Chester Inf, and one of our long-standing attendees and a former AGA Chair, Lt Col (Retd) Roger Crook.

The leaderboard was slowly taking shape but going into the final round it was only the 2nd to 7th places that were going to be contested:

Rajali 123 pts

Sutton 114 pts

James 113 pts

Tucker 113 pts

Finn 112 pts

Bosley 112 pts

O’Driscoll 112 pts

WO1 Vicky Van Zyl AMS

LCpl Niki Sutton AGC (SPS)

Lt Col Adrian Grinonneau Inf

score or 46 pts (though eyebrows were raised, he did play well). 5 pts back was Hamblett, then one back on 40 pts were Sherpa and WO1 Vicky van Zyl AMS. Then came four players on 39 pts - Finn, WO1 Charlie Brown AGC (SPS), Bott, and Sgt Brett Evans AMS. WO2 Steven Ball AGC (SPS) posted 38 pts, and Chester, Bennett and Shaw were on 37 pts. Sutton could only manage 34 pts which on any other day may have been enough to retain her title.

So, after two long days in the sun and wind, Rajali could not be caught, winning with an incredible 169pts, 18pts more than second placed Finn on 151pts. Interestingly, in 2021 Sutton won with a score of 151pts. Rajali played well, but I suspect his handicap will be reduced considerably once CDH runs its updates. [edit – Rajali’s handicap at the time of printing has been reduced to 17.3].

Scoring in general in the top ten places was around

The prizes were shared out evenly with Capt Mukunda Rajali Inf winning the Handicap Cup and also the Taylor/Bartley Trophy, for the best round of the competition with 46pts. The Scratch Winner, taking the Courage Cup, was Maj Sean Stevenson RLC with 126pts. The Harrison’s Shield for the Senior winner (over 45) went to SSgt Alan Finn R Sigs with 151pts.

Our thanks go to the President and Captain of Whittington Heath GC, Mr Kelvin Edwards and Mr Paul Keen. To Colin White, the General Manager, and his team for helping to arrange the event and for helping our team with the complicated hightech IT setup in the club! To Nicky Manley and the restaurant staff for their brilliant hospitality. To Mike Raj, the Club Professional, and finally to Adam Jones, the Course Manager, and his team of greenkeeping staff for presenting an excellent, challenging course. The AGA is indebted to all at

L to R: Harrison's Shield Winner - SSgt Alan Finn R Sigs

Taylor/Bartley Trophy & Handicap Cup Winner - Capt Mukunda Rajali Inf Courage Cup Winner - Maj Sean Stevenson RLC

INTER REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

of the hottest summers on record, the course had suffered, like most golf courses up and down the country. The fairways were burnt, but it must be said the greens were in excellent condition with pin positions as tough as we have seen all season. A little rain in the preceding few days helped the fairways which now had some give which meant the balls were not able to run for the distances they once had. This coupled with the receptive greens made for a much fairer test than it might have been.

With a field of 9 teams (Cyprus unable to travel due to travel restrictions) we had 54 players representing their A teams in this year’s Championship: Northern Ireland (the reigning Champions), Scotland, Wales, and both Northern, Midlands, and Southern regions.

The competition format remained the same in

well. At least that was the feeling in the practise area; of course, things always change after you hit your first drive off the first tee. That said, the rain held off, at least until later in the afternoon, and the sun made an appearance as the morning progressed. All was set for a good day’s competition. With play off the yellow tees, it was now left to the teams and players to produce the scores.

It was clear that those with the ability to hit consistently straight shots would score well and this was the case in the morning Greensomes, where some extremely good scores were posted. There were six pairs who posted 40 pts or more and a further six hitting the high thirties. Most notably it was the reigning champions from Northern Ireland who got off to the best of starts with Sgt J Simmons and Capt D Muir posting a winner score of 46 pts, this was followed by Eastern region’s WO1 J Butler and Mr R Cooper on 43 pts. Other notable scores were North West’s Capt S Tickle and Mr M Wiggins on 42 pts, WO2 G Riding and Mr R Delmare, and Scotland’s SSgt B Innes and WO1 D Grant on 41 pts and then Northern Ireland’s Sgt R Fraser and Capt C Tweed on 40 pts.

As for the team scores, at this stage the team from Northern Ireland had firmly placed a marker down and were not going to give up the trophy without a fight, scoring an impressive 125 pts. Competition for the next few places was however much closer with North West (118 pts), Eastern (116 pts), North East (114 pts) and Scotland (112 pts) all within 6 pts of each other, but the best of the bunch trailing behind Northern Ireland by 7 pts.

The afternoon singles competition was again played off the yellow tees and with the weather starting to close in and a forecast of heavy rain, thunder and lightning, there were doubts as to

whether all matches would be completed. Any weather delay would severely disrupt our ability to complete the competition, owing to the drawing in of the evenings. So, with the officials patrolling the course to maintain a good pace of play, the competition got underway. Play progressed well into the afternoon before the heavens opened and the lightning started, but, with frequent weather checks and effective communication between the officials on the ground, play continued, except for a brief period when the rain fell like a monsoon, and waterproofs were hurriedly donned. As the rain subsided and play returned to normality it soon became clear that Northern Ireland were going to be difficult to beat as they maintained the pressure on their closest rivals, one player posting 40pts and three others 37pts or better.

The next four teams making up the chasing pack from the morning Greensomes fought hard to make a challenge with Scotland making the best charge, but having started 13 pts adrift at the start of the singles it was always going to be a big ask and whilst they leapfrogged the North East, North West and Eastern regions, they ended up 19 pts short of Northern Ireland.

At the close of play Northern Ireland had retained their title with a very commendable 311 pts, in runner-up position on 292 pts was Scotland, who rose four places during the afternoon rounds, third came Eastern region on 286 pts and fourth North East on 282 pts.

Our thanks, once again, go out to the Worksop committee and all its members for allowing us the use of their course for this year’s event and for their generous hospitality and support. A special mention must go to the Club Captain, Mr Stuart Fletcher, who went out of his way to make us feel so welcome and also assisted as a starter for the day. To Scott Barber and his staff in the Pro shop, Natalie Willis and her catering staff, and all of the greenkeeping staff for setting the course so well. Finally, a special mention to the new General Manager, Mr Simon Booth, who following a meeting to discuss future events agreed to host the Inter Regional Championship for a further 5 years. We are already looking forward to 2023!

Our thanks again to Thales, the AGA headline sponsor, to BT and Comm Spec who continue to provide pro bono IT tech support to the AGA, to the

Practice green

INTER REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Army Sport Control Board, and last, but by no means least, to Lt Col (Retd) Keith Seddon, the Tournament Director, for his unstinting efforts to ensure the event ran smoothly.

With the Championship secured at Worksop Golf Club for the next 5 years, we look forward to returning on Tue 5 and Wed 6 Sep 23 with the usual practice round and Committee match taking place

RESULTS

L to R: Maj A Falconer, Sgt R Fraser, Trish Westwood (WGC Lady Captain), Capt D Muir, LCpl S Clare, Stuart Fletcher (WGC Captain), Capt C Tweed, Sgt J Simmons

QUILL & CLUB TOURNAMENT

seasons close for all the current and past organisers of AGA events at Army, Corps and Regional level. This year it was hosted at the Army’s spiritual home, the Army Golf Club in Aldershot on Thu 6 Oct. In a break from the norm, and to provide a better opportunity for the Regional and Corps Secretaries to discuss issues from the Annual General Committee meeting at length, the two events were separated with the Committee meeting taking place, virtually, the following week. This also meant less stress for the AGA staff and made for a more convivial occasion. The tournament was once again most generously sponsored by Mr Geoff Hill from Astute. We remain grateful for his continued support, although unfortunately Geoff was unable to attend this year.

Given the disruptions of the past 2 years as we navigated our way through the pandemic, our hopes of a larger than normal turnout were high. In the end we were pleasantly surprised with a good turnout. Unfortunately, neither our new President, Maj Gen Mark Pullan, stepping up from Chair as Lt Gen Giles Hill left the Army or our new Chair, Col Kieran Seldon, were able to attend owing to increased work commitments. Unfortunately, our ever-present Vice Chair, Lt Col (Retd) Bob Gamble had to step down at the last-minute owing to prior engagements. This left the Assistant Secretary to run the event, with the Secretary admirably performing his front of house duties. All things considered, we had a reasonable field of 21 players; 19 men and 2 ladies: Sue Lambert and Fiona Gray, returning after some time away. It was also good to see the AGA headline sponsor Thales, supported by the effervescent Nick Miller, along with potential sponsors for next year: Sam Keen from Holts Bank and an old friend of the AGA Jason Botterill from Qioptiq; we hope and look forward to seeing more of them all next year on the circuit. Competition for the day was the usual format of 18 holes Stableford

given the particularly wet weather we had experienced in the lead up to the event.

The weather had picked up for the day and, with a warm front sitting over Aldershot, rain was not forecast. The course was playing well with only one temporary green, owing to a new greenside bunker being built, which put the usual 12th green out of play. After the blisteringly hot summer and only recent rain the course was in surprisingly good condition with lush fairways, all we could ask for when all was said and done.

With a good range of handicaps, the highest being 17 and the lowest at +1, the returning previous Secretary, Martyn Allan who it would appear was making good use of his retirement, dropping four shots in four years. In fairness to all players there were some very steady scores carded, half scoring 30+ and the rest in the 20s, bar one. The course stood firm and proved a good test for everyone, and with a few ‘risk and reward’ holes that favoured

Maj (Retd) Hamish Miln

Results in the overall competition proved fairly close with only 3 points separating the top four players, then there was a gap of 3 to the next group of 3 or 4 players. But all things changed when the last flight came in with Andy Harriott, attending for the first time in some years, posting a score of 40 pts off of a handicap of 3, so hats off to Andy who played a great game on a tough track. Unfortunately for the Secretary, Andy’s score pushed him out of the running for a prize (Andy also took the nearest the pin in two prize from him). So, in third place with 36 pts was Jamie Lucas, in second place with a credible score of 37 pts was Ian Lester and taking the spoils and the trophy with an outstanding 40 pts was Andy Harriott.

decided on count back. Nick Miller from Thales, with his new golf swing, took the spoils with a score of 36 pts, with Sam Keen in second place, and Jason Botterill in third. All three were inside the top 6 of the overall competition, so well done to you all!

The event closed with a lovely two course carvery meal, which was first class. Our thanks to all at the Army GC for making us feel welcome and hosting the event impeccably. As usual a great time was had by all, and this event was a fitting close to the AGA Majors season. The next Quill and Club will take place at Mill Ride Golf Club on Thu 5 Oct 23.

RESULTS

Winner Andy Harriott 40 pts

Runner-Up

WO2 Ian Lester 37 pts

Third Adrian (Jamie) Lucas 36 pts

Guest / Sponsor Winner

Guest / Sponsor Runner-Up

Guest / Sponsor Third

Nearest the Pin

Nearest the Pin in 2

Nick Miller 36 pts

Sam Keen 33 pts OCB

Jason Botterill 33 pts OCB

Andy Harriott

Andy Harriott

Nick Miller accepting his prize from Sec AGA

Andy Harriott accepting his prize from Sec AGA

EX BIRDIE 22

By WO2 Lee Wright REME

After months of preparation and planning by WO2 (AQMS) Lee Wright, the day finally arrived on 26 Jun for 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Golf Society (13AASR GS) to depart the UK for Portugal on Ex BIRDIE 22. This would be the 1st Golf Tour in the history of 13AASR and this, combined with the social limitations due to COVID, I would say meant excitement was an understatement. The transport was packed and after a swift docs check we embarked on our journey from Colchester to Stansted airport. Check in and bag drop was smooth and there were no queues at security, which gave us plenty of time to have breakfast before the flight. We finished breakfast and grabbed a drink, only to find out the flight has been delayed for 3 hours!

After a light snooze during the flight, we arrived in Faro airport, met with our transfer driver, and headed towards the hotel. The delay at Stansted had a knock-on effect with timings for our 1st team bonding event. With no time for a shower, we dumped our bags into our allocated rooms and

Capt Gwynn-Cousins setting up on the simulator

headed towards Golfland for food and our 1st round of golf to practise on Trackman simulators, playing the world-famous St Andrews course.

Day two. Reveille 0800 for a light run along the beach before the first match, held at Silves Golf resort. Most holes have mountain views overlooking palm trees and olive groves, making for superb scenery with authentic Portuguese smells coming from the local cork factory. As our first round out on a course, this was more a practice to shake off the cobwebs rather than a strict competition. The match was won by WO2 (AQMS) Matt Baron with a Stableford score of 30, closest to the pin was Lt Oli Measey and longest drive SSgt Lewis Haddon. A few refreshments later, bouncing between watering holes, we soon arrived at Golfland for our second team, bonding event – minigolf.

Day three. Tee off was scheduled for 1106hrs at Vale de Pinta Golf. Eager and raring to go, 13AASR GS commenced a pairs competition. A technical, challenging narrow course led to multiple lost balls

and one frustrated officer, Capt Joseph Jenkins, who lost a total of 15 balls in a single round of golf, mainly in the water on hole 5. Overall winning pairs team was WO1 (ASM) Guy Sargeant and Lt Keiran Garroway scoring a combined Stableford score of 80. Closest to the pin was again Lt Oli Measey and longest drive WO2 (AQMS) Matt Baron.

Day four. Tee off at 1048hrs at Alto Golf, 13AASR GS vs Golfland GS. Alto Golf has long rolling fairways

Pre match putting practice at Silves

WO2 Baron enjoying his round

SSgt Haddon teeing over the lake on the 5th

Lt Garroway and WO1 Sargeant looking for another lost ball

using the Stableford system. The Captain of the club, Ian, who happened to be retired RAF, organised a team of retired Army and RAF members now living in Portugal. This led to good conversation and competition throughout the day and ended up in Ian’s privately owned villa situated on hole 3. Whilst enjoying his excellent hospitality with BBQ food and drinks, short speeches took place as well the prizes. Overall 13AASR GS lost to the local veterans but this was expected due to their local knowledge of the course and years of playing!

Day six. No more golf. Everyone was exhausted from walking the hilly courses in the midday sun and welcomed a relaxing day by the pool as we waited for our evening flight back to Stansted.

Ex BIRDIE 22 was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who took part. The team bonding events provided a structure for the evenings along with some golf practice with the simulator and minigolf. The four rounds played at picturesque golf courses with ideal weather conditions have set up members of 13AASR GS ready for the remaining Corps events for this 22/23 golf season and beyond.

elevated greens, making it challenging to finish unless you are on top of your short game. The scoring system used was Stableford, allowing our golf team to finish ahead of the local players by the thanks to WO1 (AMS) Guy Sargeant for carrying the team with his handicap of

Day five. Back to Vale de Pinta for our final round against Carvoeiro Golf and Country Club, again

RESULTS

Winner WO1 Guy Sargeant

Runner-Up Lt Keiran Garroway

Third Lt Oli Measey

Longest Drive WO2 Matt Baron x 3

Longest Drive SSgt Lewis Haddon x 1

Nearest the Pin Lt Oli Measey x 2

Pairs Winners WO1 Guy Sargeant and Lt Keiran Garroway

Some members of 13AASR GS and Carvoeiro Golf and Country Club

Capt Gwynn-Cousins fetching a ball

By Maj Jack Musgrove RA

Iperformed during the 2022 season. My aim as the team’s Captain during the season was to provide new golfers the opportunity to represent the Army. I believe that increasing our squad size and providing competition for places is important, especially due to the current tempo of Field Army Commitments and an increasing number of Mens team fixtures. Sustainable success in the future will require a large pool of players capable of competing in scratch events.

As Captain, I continue to be supported fantastically by Sgt Richie Over and WO2 Kerry Roberts. They remain our Vice Captain and Team Manager respectively. It would be remiss of me not to give a special mention to Kerry who has not only done a great job in supporting our matches, driving at least 2000 miles in the process, but has also strengthened our relationship with PING Europe. Capt Scott Dickinson is now also established as our Mens Golf Development Officer and is helping pave the way for the next generation of Army golfers.

We opened the season in the usual style by competing in the Brent Knoll Bowl and with a match against Hayling Island Golf Club. Maj Danny Saunders and WO2 Kerry Roberts did a great job leading our teams in these fixtures. These early season fixtures provide a great chance to get the team back together after a long break and shake off the cobwebs that winter golf (or lack of golf) inevitably creates. In May, we played a new fixture against the Cheshire County team at Lymm GC. Cheshire’s elite squad were excellent in 2022; this was proven by their North of England Inter-County results. I was tremendously pleased the Army held

their own in this match. It was also a great chance to bring new players in at the deep end against top amateurs. Testing ourselves against strong opposition can only make us better in my eyes and it is something I want us to do whenever the opportunity arises. Against Cheshire it is notable that four of our team were unbeaten over the day’s foursomes and singles sessions, Maj Danny Saunders, SSgt Adam Hayward, Spr Graeme Torrie, and me. The same four team members represented the Army at the UK Public Service Championship held at Coxmoor GC later in May, finishing 3rd overall in the team event behind the Royal Navy and MOD Civil Servants sides. The main takeaway from this event was how superb a venue Coxmoor GC is, and how well the course was presented.

In June, the team competed in back-to-back fixtures. On Sunday 12 June, the Army side came out on top in a hugely enjoyable match against Little Aston GC. Little Aston and their members continue to go above and beyond to support Army Golf and I am proud that we have ties with such a prestigious and welcoming club. On the following the day the team headed North to play the Civil Service at Royal Liverpool GC. Sadly, we fell short in this match. A superb singles session display from the Civil Service secured their victory.

A new event was introduced by the UK Armed Forces Golf Association in July, which was designed to help all three Services develop golfers and identify talent for future Inter Service Championships teams. The event was a development Inter Services Championship and was played under the same format as the main Inter Service Championships, except that the matches

were not played in a central location within the same week. The Army played the RAF at the Army GC on 13 Jul, led by the new Army Champion Golfer, Spr Graeme Torrie. Our team was a great mix of new talent and seasoned Army golfers and in the Aldershot sunshine it was my great pleasure to witness the Army beat the RAF 8.5 to 6.5. On 22 Jul at Enville GC, the Army team were crowned the winners of the inaugural Development Inter Services Championship after routing the Navy 13.5 to 1.5. On this day, the Army did not lose any of their 10 singles matches, which is the first time I have seen such a dominant afternoon display in my 25+ years of team golf. All credit must go to Captain Torrie and his team. These matches demonstrated

involved in these matches becoming stalwarts of our first team in the coming years.

In August, the Army entered three pairs into the Hoylake Scratch Mixed Foursomes. This is one of the premier amateur mixed events in Europe. As such, I was very pleased that the British Army was represented in the field. The pairs were LCpl Niki Sutton and me, Sgt Richie Over and Sgt Abi Kennedy, and Spr Graeme Torrie and Cpl Kirsty Kennedy. Both our Ladies Captain and I firmly believe in reducing the gender divide within our sport and making Army Golf as inclusive as possible. It was great to see SSgt Melanie van Zyl and LCpl Niki Sutton playing in the AGA Open this year. LCpl Sutton, to my knowledge, became the first woman to represent the Army team in the

Maj Musgrove whilst representing the UK Armed Forces team at South Staffs GC

LCpl Matthews teeing off in the Development IS Championship against the RAF at the Army GC

Sgt Bruce-Smith teeing off against the Navy at Newquay GC

Cpl K Kennedy and Spr Torrie eyeing up a crucial playoff putt on the 17th hole at Royal Liverpool GC

in 2023, I urge you to make golf as accessible as possible for both men and women. Our AGA permanent committee are on hand to advise on how to conduct mixed gender events. The goal wherever possible must be to ensure everyone can participate and have fun.

Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the 2022 Inter Service Championships

Forces team against a combined UK Public Services side. I was honoured to Captain the UKAF team which ran out convincing 9-6 winners at South Staffs Golf Club.

I hope that like me you are all looking forward to the 2023 season. It promises to be our busiest year yet, and I will once again be trying to give as many people as possible the chance to play for the Army

The Army team at Coxmoor GC after competing in the UK Public Services Championship

The 3 mixed pairings representing the Army at the Hoylake Open Scratch Mixed Foursome in Aug 22

By WO2 Zoe (BK) Burrell Knipe RLC

TArmy Ladies. With no competitive golf played for nearly 2 years it was fantastic to see the players out on the course again, enjoying their golf and each other’s company.

Over the winter our committee discussed various opportunities for development and recruitment of current and new players and the Development team worked tirelessly throughout the season to conduct events and recruit new players to the Ladies Section for which I am extremely grateful.

The last week in March saw 4 members of the representative team attend the Advanced Pro-Jam development course at Brampton Heath Golf Club, providing them with some valuable coaching and personal training at the beginning of the season. Feedback from the players was encouraging and we will be looking to utilise this opportunity again in the future. Continuing with the theme of development, Maj Gina Smith REME and SSgt Kim Glynn-Galbraith AGC have done a fantastic job as our Development Officers this season, hosting an introduction day at Worldham GC in Alton for new golfers (of which some have since gone on to play representative development fixtures for the Army Ladies) and organising the development fixtures. The first of the development matches was against the Army GC in Aldershot, a tough match off handicap saw us field a mixture of some of our newest players such as LCpl Lizzy Chapman AMS, along with AGA members and well-seasoned team players. This allowed us to compete on a more level ‘playing field’ but the result didn’t go our way losing the fixture 3-1. Another of the development fixtures was vs Tylney Hall; loaded with new players both regular and reserve, our team was captained by one of the junior representative squad members

enhancing their management and administrative experience.

Burnham and Berrow in May is always a great fixture. A fantastic links course to play and the Ladies are always very welcoming, both during the match and at the evening meal afterwards. The team this year was a mix of representative and AGA players with 3 of the 4 matches going down to the last few holes but ultimately, we lost out 1.5 to 2.5 to our hosts.

In June, Wyboston Lakes welcomed the representative team back for the second year running to host our annual fixture against the British Police and it was pleasing to see that the course was in much better condition than last year. The weather also stayed fine for the two days, which is always a bonus. It was great to welcome back Cpl Kirsty Kennedy RE and LCpl Bethan Parker RAC into the fold after time away on operational commitments; they have been sorely missed and we are over the moon to have them back with us. On the flip side WO2 Claire Ham AGC played in her first representative fixture. The standout performance was SSgt Kim GlynnGalbraith AGC who made a fantastic eagle on the 9th in her singles match, knocking it in from 130yds and playing 1 over gross through the front nine. As always, each match was played in great spirits with the friendly rivalry playing its part. However I am pleased to say that we came out on top with an overall 8-4 win, and we look forward to the 2023 fixture at Macdonald Hill GC in Cheshire.

The Army Matchplay Championships held in July at Saunton Golf Club is a firm favourite in the golfing calendar; playing such a beautiful links course at a club that welcomes us the way they do is always a

pleasure, so the players and I arrived eager to compete. The event this year was preceded by a mixed match against Saunton GC to commemorate their 125 year anniversary. With 10

Three players attended their first Army Matchplay (WO1 Vicky van Zyl AMS, WO2 Claire Ham AGC and Musn Justine Stringer CAMUS which was great to see and showed promising results from our

Army Ladies at Tylney GC in Aug 22

Gina Smith

Mel van Zyl and Liz Griggs

developing the desire of both Jack and me as the Army Captains to make our sport as inclusive as we can. This year two of the pairings brought home silverware and the third performed admirably in the main part of the competition, which is great to see from such a prestigious event. With some of our ladies playing in the AGA Open this year and LCpl N Sutton AGC being the first woman to represent the Army Mens team playing alongside our male colleagues at Hayling Island, we are certainly heading in the right direction.

Unfortunately, due to the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the 2022 Inter Service Championships were postponed and have been rescheduled to take place in April 2023, where we will look to defend our title and hope to make it 5 in

Huge congratulations must go to Maj Gina Smith REME for being awarded ‘Player of the Year 2022’ for her performance across the season and her commitment to the development of our players. 2023 will see the Army Ladies team continue with their development and recruitment drive as well as an overseas tour to Thailand. The committee continue to work hard to meet our targets and hopefully the year will see us win not one but two more IS Championships. Best wishes,

Army Ladies at Wyboston Lakes GC in Jun 22

Left to right

Sue Lambert, Gina Smith, Alex O’Brien, Zoe Burrell-Knipe

Left to right

Claire Ham, Kim Glynn-Galbraith, Niki Sutton, Emma Dann

AGA EASTERN

By Capt Chis Tate

With the pandemic ‘almost’ behind us, we were looking forward to a great year with no interruptions. It didn’t go to plan as Covid finally caught up with me two days before the first event; however I brought on the super sub and Maj Dave McGee stepped in seamlessly. Still with the remainder of the ERG golfing year being played on completely new venues, we had loads to look forward to. The region managed to hold four events during the year, a Stableford, a Strokeplay, 36 hole Championships and the coveted Bogey trophy.

was a Strokeplay event, with only three players breaking par. Well played to the overall winner Robbie Reynolds and to Capt Ingham, WO2 Huyser and Sgt Cooper for their under-par rounds against the course of par 72.

A slightly wet start to the ERG golfing year would be an understatement, torrential rain and gale force winds being the order of the day, and the 26 players that took part were steadfast in their resolve to get around. A challenging course was presented, which included the par 3 stroke index 1 hole - not for the faint hearted. Such was the challenge it is booked for 2023, just hoping for better weather.

Div 1 1st A Ingham R-Up J Crossley

3rd R Reynolds

Div 2 1st D Carey R-Up W Ginn 3rd I Piears

A reasonable turn out with another 28 players teeing it up on another new venue for the ERG. Great start to the day with a full English to set everyone up. Hospitality was great and the course certainly provided a stiff challenge, especially as it

Rushden was a quirky little course with outstanding hospitality. ERG like to have the ability for a two tee start for the 36 hole Championship so we are not finishing in the dark, as we have done in

Event One - Brampton GC - 31 Mar 22

Event Two - Lakeside Lodge GC - 26 May 22

Event Three - Rushden GC - 28 Jul 22

R Lloyd Champion

Scratch Champion

REGIONAL REPORTS

presented in good condition. Again, some great golf played and special congratulations to SSgt Spicer who had a hole in one and stood his round at the bar (mostly coffees). He was compensated with a double entry in the two’s competition.

Event Four - St Neots GC - 13 Oct 22

32 players rose to the challenge of St Neots, which is a great little course, having to plot your way around, driver not required too often. The day started with a full English, before tackling what was considered a super venue for all standards of golfer. Although the course was still recovering form the heat of the summer it played ok and only 5 players beat it.

The ERG has had a reasonable year’s golf with c120 players playing across four events, plus the team of 6 to Worksop for the Inter Regional Championship. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that ventured out on to the fairways and a special thank you again to Paul Taylor for organising some additional trophies for ERG, which added to a small prize pot from the AGA. If you are reading this you must have a small interest in golf, so spread the word, AGA and especially the ERG is classless and open to all ranks. We need more talent or individuals to develop for the future of ERG and Army golf, so please advertise as widely as possible. More information can be obtained from the Eastern Secretary on eastsec@armygolf.co.uk, Mil: 94650 5120 or

01284 718470.

J Crossley gets the thumbs up from his playing partners

John Butler deep in concentration

AGA NORTH WEST

By Capt Neil Williams

Event One - St Anne’s Old Links - 22 Apr 22

After missing two seasons of AGA golf due to COVID, it was a very much anticipated and welcomed return to the 28 golfers who made their way to St Anne’s Old Links. St Anne’s Old Links is a Par 72 Championship Links course on the Lancashire West coast, is regularly voted in the top 100 courses in England, and is a qualifying course for the Open Championship.

A windy day made it a stern test for this first event of the season; I was entertained by the expressions of those players coming into the clubhouse at the end to hand in their scorecards a mixture of horror and despair from most.

A long day in the end with it being a full field of players and with the strong winds making playing conditions very tricky to say the least, a score of 36 level par was definitely a good target for the day.

Results:

Champion – Stephen Buck 36 pts

Runner-Up – Mick O’Hara 36 pts

Third place – Darren Holmes 35 pts

Nearest the Pin – Robert Delamar MBE

Longest Drive – Paul Johnstone

Event Two - Formby GC - 3 May 22

Our second event found us playing at the fabulous Formby Golf Club, ranked inside the top 100 golf courses in the UK; Formby never disappoints. No surprise, we had our biggest turn out of the season with 38 players teeing it up.

Results:

Champion – Kyle Cooper 41 pts

Runner-Up – Ross Grundy 40 pts

Third place – Connor Eastham 40 pts

Nearest the Pin – Scott Dickinson

Longest Drive – Leigh Clayton

Event Three - Penwortham GC - 22 Jun 22

Penwortham was the venue for our third event where the golfing gods were watching over us as we had clear blue skies and sunshine all day. A short but fiddly parkland course saw some very good scores, particularly CSgt Lewis Royle, who reduced the 142-yard par 3 15th hole to an ace.

Results:

Champion – Mick Wiggins 39 pts

Runner-Up – Matthew Griffiths 38 pts

Third place – Lewis Royle 36 pts

Nearest the Pin – David Wilson

Longest Drive – Sam Thompson

Event Four - Worsley Park GC - 12 Jul 22

We headed over to Manchester for our fourth event of the season, to Worsley Park Golf Course, which is regarded as one of the finest inland courses in the North of England and has been a regular venue for Professional Tournaments over the years. The greens were soft and true so made scoring very good. Two outstanding scores came from Capt Neil Williams, who shot 3 under par gross with 15 pars and 3 birdies, and Capt Steve Tickle, who scored a phenomenal 45 points.

Results:

Champion – Steve Tickle 45 pts

Runner-Up – Rob Delamar MBE 42 pts

Third place – Neil Williams 41 pts

Nearest the Pin – Lewis Royle

Longest Drive – Connor Eastham

Event Five - Shaw Hill GC - 10 Aug 22

Shaw Hill Golf & Spa Hotel is located near the Lancashire town of Chorley and is a challenging par 72 parkland golf course. For this event, which was the penultimate of this season, we had 16 players attend on what turned out to be one of the hottest

was in fantastic condition and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who played.

My distinct memory of this round was that of water conservation! With no half way house in operation and the 9th/10th being well away from the clubhouse, there was no chance of getting a resupply. It was that warm, you could have quite easily drunk all your fluids within the first 9 holes, so a bit of water rationing and ‘buddy buddy’ sharing managed to get us through.

A cracking summer round of golf on a great course in fantastic condition.

Results:

Champion – Matthew Griffiths 38 pts

Runner-Up – Robert Delamar MBE 36 pts

Third place – Tony Davies 35 pts

Nearest the Pin – Glen Riding

Longest Drive – Nick Wise

Event Six - Leyland GC - 7 Sep 22

The final event of the season was held at Leyland Golf Club, which is a par 70 parkland course situated in the heart of Lancashire, just south of Preston. It was all to play for in this event as several players still had a chance to claim the overall title for the 2022 season.

was Robert Delamar MBE but unfortunately he was away on exercise in Estonia. In order to catch him in the points race the players in second and third places, Glen Riding & Matthew Griffiths needed to score 37 & 38 points respectively in order to catch him.

It was a cold overcast day on an unfamiliar course for most; this was reflected in the scoring as most struggled on a tight course and avoiding the trees off the tees seemed increasingly difficult. In the end, it was too much of an ask on a tough day and unfortunately Glen & Matthew were unable to close the gap.

Congratulations to Robert Delamar MBE who was now the AGA NW 2022 champion golfer. A great comeback season for the NW, onwards & upwards for 2023.

Results:

Champion – Jase Moore 41 pts

Runner-Up – Al McKenna 36 pts

Third place – Paul Nuttall 33 pts

Nearest the Pin – Carl Goddard

Longest Drive – Paul Johnstone

The overall winner of the North West 2022 season was Robert Delamar MBE, the runner-up was Glen Riding, and third was Matthew Griffiths.

Members of NW region at event one

AGA NORTH EAST

By Maj Neil Bulmer

The resurrection of the North East golf after a 4-year hiatus appears to have been welcomed by all across what is a big area in the North East of England. To that end, the events were spread far and wide as you can see below. Some with more success than others, but this has also allowed me to better shape the 2023 season and our locations to play golf.

The 2022 season was made up of 6 league events and a Grand Final, all playing their part in selecting the team for the Regional Championship at Worksop in early September. There was a great mix of serving personnel and veterans across all events, with the spoils also spread amongst each group. The average number of attendees across the season was 32 players, and 25 people scored league points across all events. The locations and winners are listed below.

Event 1: Weatherby GC - Mr Pete Lynch

Event 2: York GC - Mr Jack Baldwin

Event 3: Driffield GC - Capt Kumar Pun

Event 4: Durham GC - Cancelled

Event 5: Selby GC - Sgt Danny Ray

Event 6: Cleveland GC - Mr Karl Atkinson

Grand Final: Catterick GC - Sgt Ian Lockwood

Thank you to all the clubs listed for their support and understanding, and keeping the cost of each event as low as possible.

Final League top 5:

Champion – Mr Pete Lynch

Runner-Up – Capt Kumar Pun RGR

Third place – Mr Steve Thompson

Fourth place – Mr Karl Atkinson

Fifth place – Maj Neil Bulmer YORKS

The top 5 players from the season and the grand final winner were all selected for the Regional Championship and would be heading to Worksop GC in early September to take up the regional challenge. Unfortunately, due to unchangeable commitments Karl Atkinson was unable to play and was replaced in the team by the next player in the final league table, Cpl Nathan Rose YORKS. After a shaky morning of foursomes from all, the team had a better afternoon with Sgt Ian Lockwood YORKS having the top individual score of the day with 44 pts. The team finished in a credible 4th place. Well done all.

The format for the 2023 season will be the same, with only the 36 hole grand final day being tweaked slightly to include a 9 hole team event and an 18 hole individual play only. I hope the participation will grow as word spreads that the North East golf is back in town.

Good luck to everyone for the upcoming season!

AGA SOUTH EAST

By WO2 Matt Priston

As Army Golf and the world emerged from the cloud of the pandemic, so did I as the newly appointed secretary for the South East region. It has been a fantastic year so far, whether it be playing new courses within the region, welcoming new players to the events, seeing members of the region attend wider AGA tournaments, or catching

up with some stalwarts of the regional meets, my first year as secretary has been a very enjoyable one. This was made easier by the fantastic support of Steve, Di and Jana at the AGA and all of the members in my region.

Thank you.

REGIONAL REPORTS

Spring Meeting - 16 Mar 22 - Oaks GC

The spring meeting was contested by 38 golfers, ranging from low handicaps to those at the higher end of the range. Nonetheless, the day was a well contested event, played over 18 holes Stableford at the Oaks Golf Centre on what turned out to be a dry and mild day.

With 4 points splitting the top 5 the day belonged to golfers from 3 PWRR filling 3 of the top four places, with Maj Dhan Gurung being crowned the SE Spring Champion.

Results:

Champion – Maj Dhan Gurung

Runner-Up – CSgt Martine Dodds

Third place – Sgt Ashley Burns

Fourth place – CSgt Sanjay Ghale

Nearest the Pin – Cpl Raju Tamang

Nearest the Pin – WO2 Netra Rai

decided on countback, WO1 Ray Conway emerged victorious with a tremendous 40 points on countback.

Results:

Champion – WO1 Ray Conway

Runner-Up – LCpl Sanjib Limbu

Third place – Maj Justin Revell

Most Golf – WO2 Nick Gill

Nearest the Pin – WO2 Jamie Lucas (x2)

Nearest the Pin – Capt Al Ahern

Longest Drive – WO1 Ray Conway

Par 3 Champion – LCpl Sanjib Limbu

Par 3 Runner-Up – Sgt Deian Jones

Inter Regionals - Worksop GC - 6-7 Sep 22

The region was represented by 6 players at the Inter Regional Championship and whilst they put up a valiant fight, they were unable to bring home the silverware. All six enjoyed the day and expressed strong encouragement for others to put

Summer Meeting - Drayton Park GC - 7 Jul 22

With the Army Matchplay and Inter Corps

Championships taking place at Saunton the same week the event went ahead to allow those less talented or not selected to enjoy another glorious day of sunshine on the course. Making the most of Drayton Park’s facilities, the format of the day was Stableford, first over 9 holes on the short Par 3 course, followed by lunch, before attacking the main course for 18 holes. The day was well contested by 20 players and with the course in great condition good scores were no doubt inevitable. With much of the order of merit being

themselves forward for selection next year. Quill & Club Tournament - Army GC - 6 Oct 22

With participation by invite only, WO2 Jamie Lucas and I attended the Quill & Club Tournament at the Army Golf Club, competing for the coveted trophy against past and present AGA secretaries, committee members and sponsors of the AGA in an 18 hole Stableford format. Whilst the weather was fantastic, and the course in great condition as always, sadly my golf wasn’t. However, Jamie played very well and secured third place in a very enjoyable day, including a carvery dinner afterwards. A big thank you to Steve Davis and Di

Spring Champion 22 - Maj Dhan Gurung

L to R: Capt Deb Ghale, Sgt Hugh McGarvey, WO1 Chris Topping, Maj Justin Revell, WO1 Guy Wilkinson (C) & Cpl Jimmy Watson

Walters for organising the day.

AGA WALES

By WO2 Mal Burn

Season Open Meeting - The Vale GC - 30 Mar 22

After the winter period, the opening golfing event of the year took place at The Vale Golf & Country Club with the chosen national course. The Vale is one of the finest venues for Golf in Evesham, with superb views over the Malvern and Bredon Hills. Even though the weather had been very unpredictable over the previous couple of weeks, it was great to get a dry round of golf on a most stunning and beautiful course. Yes, golf should be a challenge, but on the national course it was a layout where you can perfect your technique prior to the start of the season. The course was in great condition and the hospitality, which The Vale laid on, was superb. The event was a full handicap Stableford competition from the yellow tees over 18 holes. The event was well turned out with 48 golfers. Congratulations to Lloyd Jenkins, who won with a great score of 40 points.

Results:

Champion – Lloyd Jenkins

Runner-Up – Rob Picton

Third place – Jim Kirkpatrick

Nearest the Pin – Jason Suller on the 3rd

Nearest the Pin – John Hendry on the 14th

Spring Meeting - Gower GC - 11 May 22

The second event of the year took place at the Gower Golf Club, 18 hole parkland course, which is located at the entrance to the beautiful Gower Peninsula. As we arrived, early in the morning ready for our bacon roll and coffee, the weather was horrendous; however by the first tee time the clouds blew away leaving a cold but stunning day. What an absolute pleasure to play this course with stunning views over the sea to England. What a hidden gem! The event was a full handicap Stableford competition from the yellow tees over 18 holes. Great scores were had by all, but Craig Samuel took the glory quite easily. Well done, another great turnout of 38 golfers.

Results:

Champion – Craig Samuel

Runner-Up – Kim Burn

Third place – Lloyd Jenkins

Nearest the Pin – Dafydd Gould on the 5th

Nearest the Pin – Sam Crawshaw on the 11th

Summer Meeting - Cottrell Park GC - 6 Jul 22

The third event of the year took place on the Button Gwinnett Course in Cottrell Park, located just outside Cardiff. This magnificent course, with its rolling views of the Vale, is based more on an American design with a number of water features spread over the 18 holes. A beautiful sunny day, the course played long in the windy weather conditions. The event was a full handicap Stableford competition played from the yellow tees. Great scores again, three personnel had 37 pts and John Hendry won the event OCB, thanks to his 30foot birdie on the last hole. A fantastic turnout of 40 golfers.

Results:

Champion – John Hendry

Runner-Up – Mal Burn

Third place – Dave Hurley

Nearest the Pin – Neil Summers on the 16th Longest Drive – Craig Samuel on the 5th

Autumn Meeting - Morlais Castle GC - 22 Sep 22

The last event of the year took place at Morlais Castle GC. Situated on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil, the golf club is enjoyable for both low and high handicapped golfers. A challenging moorland golf course set in the surroundings of the foothills of the Brecon Beacons with some magnificent scenic views. The event was a full handicap Stableford competition from the yellow tees over 18 holes. Great scores again; congratulations to Paul Hicks who won the event with a fantastic score of 43. A good turnout of 34 golfers.

Results:

Champion – Paul Hicks

Runner-Up – Mal Burn

Third place – Rick O’Shea

Nearest the Pin – Rick O’Shea on the 11th

As the Chair, Secretary and gofer, I want to personally thank all those golfers, who have attended each of the golf events and supported AGA Wales. Keep smiling fellow golfers, stay safe and I hope to see you all this year. Happy golfing!

AGA NORTHERN IRELAND

By WO2 Paul Morey

2022 has been a relatively quiet year for Northern Ireland, partly because of the pandemic; however there has been a large number of serving personnel and Army veterans involved with a number of societies across the region, including the NIAGS, which celebrated its centenary year.

WO2 Paul Morey took over as the Regional Secretary for Northern Ireland in Jun 22.

A team from the AGA Northern Ireland successfully

retained the Inter Regional trophy after playing at the Championship held at Worksop GC in Sep 22.

Owing to security measures there are no details released via media of any activities held in NI.

The Northern Ireland Region has a large number of fantastic courses from Parkland to Links varieties, and with the easing of restrictions the plan to increase the number of events will hopefully see AGA members make full use of these events.

AGA SCOTLAND

By Capt George Watson

Getting back to some form of normality, this year has been wonderful and we have had an outstanding year on the fairways of Scotland.

Spring Meeting - Turnberry GC - 14 Apr 22

The first event of the year was held on the world famous Trump Turnberry GC, a beautiful peninsula of links land on the coast of South Ayrshire, with spectacular views across the Firth of Clyde to the islands of Arran and Ailsa Craig, the Mull of Kintyre and even to Ireland on a clear day. The King Robert the Bruce course was in excellent scoring conditions with 82 golfers in attendance, including representation from the Royal Navy and the RAF. As per normal, the field was split into 3 divisions and the scoring was really tight in all 3 as the results on the right show.

Results:

Div 1 Champion – Stuart Campbell

Div 1 Runner-Up – George Watson

Div 2 Champion – Andy Kennan

Div 2 Runner-Up – Frank Martin

Div 3 Champion – Philip Mould

Div 3 Runner-Up – Ross Manson (RN)

Nearest the Pin – Ben Dempster (RAF)

Longest Drive – Mal Moule

R SIGS vs AGA Scot - Haggs Castle GC - 8 Jun 22

In June we played the annual match against the touring R Sigs team at Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow. A team of ten was selected and although the weather was particularly wild on the day, this did not spoil the event and after some tough

matches a gentlemen's ‘match all square’ was declared.

Summer Meeting - Kinross GC - 19 Jul 22

The summer meeting was held on the hottest day on record in Scotland. Kinross GC offers two challenging but fair 18 hole golf courses known as ‘The Bruce’ and ‘The Montgomery’. We were blessed with great weather and the two courses were immaculate. 44 golfers were in attendance for the two rounds and the scores were really close. We played in three divisions, with the combined Stableford scores in each division winning and the Scottish Champion was the player with the highest overall combined score. The following were the successful players on the day, with Maj Zander Russell the Scottish Champion after an outstanding second round.

Results:

Div 1 Champion – Zander Russell

Div 1 Runner-Up – Stuart Campbell

Div 2 Champion – Arthur Frame

Div 2 Runner-Up – Will Brown

Div 3 Champion – Jack Crook

Div 3 Runner-Up – Tam Jeffrey

NP Montgomery AM – Crawford Swanson

NP Montgomery PM – Peter Gorrie

NP Bruce AM – Paul Chalmers

NP Bruce PM – Brian Innes

Longest Drive Montgomery AM – Craig Surgeon

Longest Drive Montgomery PM – George Watson

Longest Drive Bruce AM – Stuart Campbell

Longest Drive Bruce PM – Shaun Innes

Scotland vs RN - Deer Park GC - 31 Aug 22

In August we played the annual match against the Royal Navy at Deer Park GC in Livingstone, a tough parkland course with lightning quick greens that tested all those taking part. At long last we had a female member of the team, WO2 Chalky White, who partnered the Secretary on the morning 4BBB session, which we managed to win. This, along with the AGA team dominating the morning session, contributed to the AGA’s magnificent win by 8 points, and was after a spirited comeback by the Royal Navy on the singles matches in the afternoon. A great day played in the right manner.

Inter Regionals - Worksop GC - 6-7 Sep 22

In September we sent a strong team to the Inter Regionals at Worksop GC and after a spirited performance the team just came up a bit short into second place, which was a massive improvement on the performance from last year. Could 2023, at last, be the year we win for the first time? Here’s to hoping.

Development Match vs RLS - Kinross GC - Oct 22

In October we hosted the touring RLC development team with two rounds at Kinross in a really hard fought encounter, with the AGA team emerging victorious. The event was cancelled in Sep, due to Her Majesty’s funeral, and numbers attending in Oct were slightly down. Hopefully next year we will get back to a full turnout.

Autumn Meeting - Deer Park GC - 19 Oct 22

In October we returned to Deer Park in Livingstone with 36 golfers. The course played extremely well after two weeks of heavy rain and the green staff deserve mention for the way they got the course playable.

Results:

Div 1 Champion – Mark Tynan (RN)

Div 1 Runner-Up – Kenny Wilson

Div 2 Champion – William Watson

Div 2 Runner-Up – Alan Holmes

Div 3 Champion – John Mill

Div 3 Runner-Up – Alex Watson

Nearest the Pin – William Watson

Longest Drive – Ray Shiels (RN)

Prize-Giving - St Michaels GC - 9 Nov 22

46 players attended the prize-giving. The majority of the winners mentioned above were in attendance to receive their prizes. The winners of the Texas Scramble on the day with a net score of 55.2 were:

Stuart Campbell, George Watson, Rory Stuart, Jim Westwood

Nearest the Pin – Arthur Frame

Longest Drive – Andy Blair

REGIONAL REPORTS

I want to thank all the AGA Scotland members, the Royal Navy Northern Society and the RAF Kinloss Society for their continued support throughout the year, and for those from the AGA who attended the RN and RAF events throughout the year.

Due to impending retirements the time has come for George Watson and Brian Innes to step down from the running of AGA Scotland. Brian retired in Dec 22 and I will be retiring in the summer of 2023. I want to take this opportunity to thank Brian for his support over the 14 years. We have both thoroughly enjoyed our time running the society and we wish our successors Kenny Wilson and Dave Grant all the best taking the society forward.

AGA WEST MIDLANDS

By Sgt Avinash Ale

The West Midlands Golf’s aim is to improve competition formats and vary event locations to encourage and promote the sport across the region. UK West Midlands Golf has had a reasonably successful term, which also includes the Festival of Sport 2022.

Spring

Meeting - Shropshire GC - 23 Mar 22

The year started with the Spring Meeting. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend owing to my last minute course confirmation, but Sgt Ishwor kindly ran the event for me. The format for the event was 9 hole Texas Scramble and 18 hole Stableford competition in the afternoon. WO2 Claire, Cpl Prem, Sgt Roche, and WO2 Sanjay took first place in the Texas Scramble competition. Sgt Ross Milton became the Spring Champion with 39 pts. All in all, it was a success since everyone had a good time.

Handicap Championships

The Handicap Championships, which began in 2021, were hosted at the Telford Golf Resort. There were 15 serving personnel competing overall, and the weather made things challenging. WO1 Suresh Gurung won the Low HC Championship in the 18

hole Stableford competition, and Maj Nick Hill won the High HC Championship with 38 pts.

Summer Meeting - Llanymynech GC - 29 Jun 22

The weather was on our side, and it was one of the prettiest courses. There were 18 participants in total, and Maj Nick Hill won the Stableford competition with an overall score of 41 pts, with Cpl Simon Nunn as runner-up with 35 pts.

Brian Innes and George Watson

WM Matchplay Various GCs Mar Aug 22

WM Matchplay Finalists: LCpl Forsyth and CSgt Cromwell before teeing off at The Belfry GC

and the matches began from Mar 22. Since the final was the only one that would get funding from the AGA, SPs were required to host each other for the matches that were played. The opportunity to compete in the Plate Finals was extended to those who were relegated after the first game. They were required to play at their present HC and adhere to R&A Matchplay rules.

Capt Ian Wells and Sgt Ross Milton competed in the WM Plate Matchplay Finals on 15 Jun, which was arranged at the Derby Course, The Belfry. The Plate Matchplay was won by Capt Wells with 3/1.

The WM Matchplay Finals between LCpl Forsyth and CSgt Cromwell also took place on the Derby Course on 2 Sep 22. An extremely competitive match that saw LCpl Tyler demonstrate his skill and tenacity, but was ultimately won by CSgt Cromwell by a 2Up score on the 18th hole.

Festival of Sport - Oakridge GC - 28 Sep 22

An 18 hole Pairs Greensome Stableford competition was used, with alternate shots, until completion of the hole. The day's handicap allowance was 60% for the lowest handicap and 40% for the highest handicap.

A four man team representing each regiment competed for the day, with 24 SPs representing their respective regiments, including reserves. 30 Sig Regt were the Major Unit Champions, with DMRC as the Minor Unit Winners.

Inter Regionals - Worksop GC - 6-7 Sep 22

Following a careful team selection, Inter Regionals were attended by a six person team from the WM region, which was represented by several cap badges. CSgt Bikash Gurung, ARRC Bn led the team, which battled valiantly and finished with a solid 256 pts, but they were unable to secure a podium finish.

I was a little disappointed that I couldn't play again owing to commitments, but was happy for the sport being promoted for the regional golfers.

Due to work commitments, I could not organise an Autumn Meeting. The 2023 Winter Meeting had to be postponed to Jan 23 due to TRAWL Deployment.

AGA SOUTH WEST

By Maj Steve Hickey

Spring Meeting - Tidworth GC - 5 Apr 22

The Spring Meeting was well attended with 52 players teeing it up. There were a few late withdrawals due to covid & injury, however this was a very pleasing turnout, especially as it coincided with another Corps event.

The day started with the AGM, where the Secretary laid out his plans for the coming year and canvassed opinion on the venue for the next few meetings. It was decided to use the AGA grant to

offset the prizes, matches and the Inter Regions, and not to use it to buy team polo shirts. It was also decided that the Summer Meeting would be held at Bath GC.

The Spring Meeting itself was a success, with so many taking part there was plenty of noise from around the course, mainly when another 3 putt happened (or even a few 4 putts). The course was in good condition and the greens played fast with tricky pin placements. The wind really got up which made it a challenge for all levels. This was

Sgt Ross Milton and Capt Ian Wells

REGIONAL REPORTS

highlighted by the winning score only being 36pts. The Longest Drive was won from the first 4 ball out with the current Ladies Champion Niki Sutton smashing a monster down the 6th. Those following couldn’t even see the marker from the tee. If the Longest Drive only had one name on it, the Nearest the Pin had quite a few, with the winner finally coming from Liam Rutter.

With scoring difficult those who were in the prizes did very well, however it’s the taking part that counts; a bad day on the golf course is always

caused lots of issues, so well done to the two winners.

The weather was good with a gentle breeze. This allowed for good scoring from most of the field, however there were some outrageous scores from a few Kingsdown Club members. ‘Time spent on recce seldom wasted’ comes to mind, or just too much time off playing golf!

The rules are you can only win one prize, so some of the winners were the winners in more than one category.

Ian Whitehead took first prize in the Stableford, Saroj Pun took the Net prize (he would have won the Stableford as well, as his morning round was 47 pts), with Sunil Gurung taking the afternoon prize with an equally impressive 44 pts. Al Hennessey took the Scratch prize with a total of 157.

A good day with some great scores played in the right spirit in the sunshine.

The day began with bacon rolls, always a winning start. As this was the Summer Meeting, it was a 36 hole event that included Gross, Net & Stableford competitions, ensuring everyone had something to play for in the afternoon.

The course was in good condition with the greens running true and fast. The staff at Kingsdown looked after us extremely well and this proved to be a good value event.

The Longest Drive was won in the morning by Tek Rai and in the afternoon by Matt Loft; two great drives. The Nearest the Pin was won in the morning by Aiden Eldred and in the afternoon by Lee Williams, a short Par 3 down a big slope that

Autumn Meeting - Ogbourne Downs GC - 1 Nov 22

The Autumn Meeting was attended by 23 players. This was a very pleasing turnout despite a few late withdrawals.

The day started with the heavy overnight rain and wind easing. The course was in good condition with the greens running true despite the rain. The course is built over fast draining chalk downland which gives rise to tight springy fairways. This would later play havoc with the scoring as the winds picked up in the afternoon.

Spring Champion: Chris Vaughan

Al Cameron teeing off

The Longest Drive was won by Callum Vaughan on the 14th. The Nearest the Pin was won by Tek Rai; this was a short 120yd Par 3 played down a slope. Only 1 of the 23 hit the green, which shows how difficult the wind made the course. Tek went on to make the putt to be the only player to score a 2.

The rain held off for most of the day so players had blue skies. This also meant some shots were difficult to see due to the low sun. ‘Hit and hope took on a whole new meaning!

This was a Stableford competition. The winner of the Nett was Rasham Shrees, who was the only player to play under handicap. His 37 pts was 3 better than 2nd, where Ogbourne member Ervin Brown won OCB. Al Hennessey took the Scratch prize with a total of 27, with Fraser Bott running him close with 26. Fraser is also a member, so local knowledge clearly had an advantage.

Another good day out. We got lucky with the weather on a challenging course in great condition for November, and played in the winter sunshine. Those playing would like to play the course again in better weather so we will maybe look out another meeting in the future.

37, and sinking a putt to win the 18th and tie the match. Fraser and Alan were also worthy of note, putting in a strong winning performance. I

SW vs High Post - 4 May 22

A fine May day saw the High Post GC hosting the SW team. The course was in good condition, and a long period of dry weather saw the fairways firm and the greens running well. Fortunately, the rough was not overly penal, and the conditions made the course play reasonably short from the yellow tees, making it an enjoyable experience for all. In the top match, Steve George put in an outstanding performance, playing his front 9 in a gross score of

SW vs Sherborne - 20 Jul 22

For the match the weather was very kind, a slight breeze throughout, a very brief shower, but generally excellent conditions; a great day to play golf. We struggled to field a team of 10 due to unavailability; all of the reserves were also committed elsewhere and to other Corps events. The Sherborne Captain agreed prior to the match to field 8 players.

The first group went off the 1st at 1200hrs. With the temperature at around 23°C they had an uphill battle to contend with shots given. The gradient was too steep, especially on an away course they had not played for many a year, Sherborne taking the first point. Sooty and Percy were following on playing the club 2022 Captain and partner, and after halving the first 4 holes quickly found themselves 2 down. They fought back at the turn to all square. A nip and tuck game, unfortunately they were 2 down again, after missing a putt to win the hole to reduce the deficit to 1. Another point to Sherborne, but a well fought match.

Marcus and Milan dovetailed very well together throughout their match, and at one point found themselves in control and 3 up. The wind on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes swirls around the valley, making these holes tricky. They battled on and despite a comeback from the home team, they were victorious by 2&1.

1st tee smiles didn’t last long

Members of SW region at High Post GC

REGIONAL REPORTS

Om Pun and Lee Alfie brought up the final group at 1230hrs start time, giving shots to the home team playing David and Rob, steady and seasoned golfers. Once again they battled hard in a tight match, unfortunately losing by 3&2 to finish the match.

A great day, fabulous course, and a great match where the SW were hosted by a fantastic team. Plaudits need to be highlighted to the green staff, the course management team and caterers. Sherborne players were victorious winning 3&1.

Thanks to all those players who travelled and competed hard against a good side. Looking

This is the first time SW played the friendly match against Chippenham GC, therefore most SW players didn’t know the course well, but they enjoyed it and also the company from host team.

Chippenham team Captain, Pat Blake, and many club members appreciated our presence, and are hoping to continue in the future. All in all, it was a great day and big well done to the SW team for the excellent result!

SW vs Defence Academy - Tidworth GC - 5 Oct 22

The forecast for the day was for heavy rainfall but, due to the elevated position of Tidworth GC, the rain only fell for a few holes towards the middle to late holes of the round, albeit enough to soak you through in that time!

The two teams met in the clubhouse at a little after 1000hrs and enjoyed a hearty breakfast buffet prepared by our excellent hosts. The appeal of hot coffee and warm bacon baps proved far more inviting than the range on the cold wet morning.

Generally excellent conditions and a great day to play golf. Despite maximum leave period and school holidays, SW did manage to field a team of 10, and the Chippenham Captain matched the number with their 10 players.

The first group teed off at 1120hrs and quickly forged the way forward for the others. The Captain for the day, Steven Canning, shot a 71 gross score off his 5 handicap. In the second group, the star of the show was Marcus, rising to the occasion with his scratch partner coming in as victors. The third group suffered a shock defeat as we all hoped Pete and Paul would be able to dispatch their opponents, but after giving away a combined 11 shots, it proved too much and they excruciatingly lost their match on the last hole.

Defence Academy thought at this point they may have been able to grab a half; however, despite Jacob having to give up an extraordinary 36 shots, our final pair came in securing victory for the SW team on the last hole! His low handicap proved he had the skills on the day to deal with the howling wind.

Despite their defeat, the team from the Defence Academy were all smiles back in the clubhouse; the course, catering, and facilities proving to be much enjoyed on the day. Plenty of tales were shared and enquiries on handicap accuracy made, all in good humour of course!

Members of SW region at Sherborne GC

Members of SW region at Chippenham GC

RLC

By SSgt Adam Herbert

RLC Golf has been very active in 2022. We have over 245 subscribers to our Corps Golf Society and have had more than 170 golfers who have played in some form of the Corps golf events this year – many of them newcomers which is extremely positive.

The Corps managed to play six of the scheduled ten Inter Corps matches throughout the season, winning four, losing one and a half in the other. The intent is to play all events this year whilst bringing more new players into the fold and setting up fixtures with other Corps/Regiments.

Inter Corps and Army Matchplay

RLC entered 2 teams into Inter Corps 2022 at Saunton. One of our teams made it through to the semi-finals, losing to the AGC 3-1. We also did well in the main Matchplay event with our Chair, Maj ‘Jonny’ Howes, making it into the Quarter-Final.

Spring Meeting - Belton Park GC - 3-4 May 22

The Spring Meeting was hard fought in very windy conditions, but all competitors dug deep and the winners were:

Gross Champion – Jonny Howes

Net Champion – Adam Herbert

Team Gross – 165 Regt RLC

Team Net – 3 RLC

Summer Meeting - Hartlepool GC - 28 Jul 22

51 golfers attended what was a successful event organised by SSgt Adam Herbert. There was some excellent scoring throughout the day with Jonny Howes coming out on top in the scratch competition with a superb Stableford score of 72. SSgt Dafydd Gould became our Summer Net Champion with a score of 80 pts!

Some of our members visiting St Andrews during the 22 Scotland tour

Club house at Belton Park GC

The Autumn Meeting saw fantastic conditions for low scoring. However, over Par won the day. Mr Dave Holyoak won the 36 hole Gross competition with 64 pts.

AAC

By Lt Col Al McKenna MBE

This season has been one of reinvigoration post COVID and a ‘changing of the guard’. We have seen a number of established players retire from the Corps and the Chair’s main effort has been nurturing new and junior talent. So far this season 24 players have represented the Corps in five matches and the Inter Corps Championship. Of those individuals, nine made their debut appearance this year, and eight were junior ranks, a significant increase on past seasons. Additionally, despite ongoing operational commitments, there has been representation from the vast majority of

In such a small Corps, it can be difficult to obtain the services of our ‘natural’ athletes, who are pulled in different directions. However, the Catterall brothers, AirTprs Jack & Harry, have made a significant contribution to the team and it is hoped that we can get at least one of them vying for the Army team in the not too distant future.

With such a change, unfortunately results have not been as good as last year when we won all our matches. However, each match has been fiercely competitive and our inexperienced players (a total of 15 have played fewer than five matches for the Corps) have gained valuable matchplay experience. Also, owing to work commitments, we sent an inexperienced team to the Inter Corps Championship; some other Corps are able to field two teams. Despite this, the junior players gained experience of competing at this significantly higher level.

We have also organised our biennial overseas training camp. These camps provide a fantastic opportunity for coaching and competitive games against different opposition on unfamiliar courses,

Summer Net Champion: SSgt Dafydd Gould

Autumn Gross Champion: Mr Dave Holyoak

AAC vs DA Golf

year we played against the Malaysian Armed Forces Golf Association (MAFGA) and were superbly hosted by the team, led by their Chair, Brig Gen Dato Semaon bin Hj Marjuki (Comd of the Malaysian Defence Academy). We also played a local civilian team.

Obviously, our season ended as we entered as the winter months and the committee started the planning and administration for next season.

We will play our usual fixtures in 2023 and continue to advertise and encourage attendance at the AGA events. Golf remains very expensive and we rely heavily on the financial support we receive from the AAC Corps fund. Especially for our younger SP, and to manage this year on year, we have increased the gap in subsidy between our junior and senior

INFANTRY

By Capt Scott Dickinson

Infantry Golf has seen several changes throughout 2022 - both to the management and to the squad players. Through the year there have been limited fixtures owing to the high tempo of the Infantry and availability within a proposed calendar; however individual development again this year has been at the forefront of Infantry Golf.

Capt ‘Dicko’ Dickinson 1 LANCS has taken on the reins of Infantry Golf from Capt Neil Williams. All at Infantry Golf would like to thank Neil for all his efforts over the last few years, especially through the challenging time of lockdowns and restrictions. The Infantry is in a good place and hopefully we can push on to further the successes seen in recent years.

To start I would like to mention a few players that have decided to leave the Army and will be a loss to Infantry Golf. Gdsm Jordan Slater, Fus Lewis Philips and Cpl George Casserly, all Infantry golfers for several years and represented the Infantry in individual matches, Inter Corps selections and at Army level. These players will be a big loss to Infantry Golf not just through their technical ability, but also through the friendship and personalities that they brought to the squad. We wish them all the best. We have also lost Sgt Matty Bruce-Smith to the AGC (more to follow on Matty in this article).

Every year the Infantry tries to host several Inter Corps matches. This is not only to get the competitive golf under our belt, ready for the Inter

Batu caves

AAC members in Malaysia

CORPS REPORTS

Corps Championship at Saunton GC, but also to identify and develop talent from across the Infantry. This year we were limited to two Inter Corps fixtures, mainly due to deployments, career courses and opponent availability. However, both matches saw excellent competition and new talent emerging.

Inf vs R Sigs - Belton Park GC - 7 Apr 22

The first match was not only a chance to select a few players that had come on the radar for the Infantry, but also to get some competitive golf during the early part of the season. The morning fixtures were foursomes, and the Infantry went in to the afternoon singles 2-2. This was a chance to see 2Lt Dec Brady and LCpl Caspin Sandry come and play, playing off scratch and 1 respectively. Both played some unbelievable golf, Brady giving his opponent 14 shots and still winning 4&2, and Sandry giving his opponent 11 shots and narrowly losing 1 down. The Infantry unfortunately lost the match 6½ to 5½, but this was a great indication to where Infantry golf is.

Inf vs RAC - Weymouth GC - 7 Sep 22

The second Inter Corps fixture was again a chance to see a few new players and to play in a competitive match. Rgr James Murphy, CSgt Andy Cromwell, and Capt Henry Kirkpatrick came in to their first matches following some great golf. The format was 18 hole Matchplay, the team performed fantastically well and won the match 6-1. To note no individual got beaten with 5 wins and 2 halves. Sgt Kyle Cooper came out with the best results, an emphatic 7&5 win, closely followed by Kirkpatrick with a 5&4 win. As always, WO2 Ian Mahan was the driving force behind the team, and was thought to be the ‘sacrificial lamb’ against Cpl Glen Watt (an Army player off +4) but came out with a 3&2 win!

Inf Strokeplay & Stableford Champs - York GC30 Jun - 1 Jul 22

The flagship event of the Infantry golfing calendar is the Infantry Strokeplay Championships. The course is a serene blend of parkland and heathland, known as a lowland heath style, and a challenging track for all levels of golfer. The event was supported by 76 Infanteers, including veterans and

Individual Stableford, Team Gross, and Team Stableford competitions running concurrently. The conditions for the 36 hole events were, at times, testing (to be polite), with only 1 player hitting par or better. Bruce-Smith scored an unbelievable -5 on the first day to take an 8 shot lead after day 1. Cpl Steve Farnworth kindly donated a bottle on the bar after a superb hole in one on day one. As he was the 1st group out, we could hear the cheers reverberating around the course, and the buzz of the clubhouse for those yet to play changed with the players itching to get out there. As mentioned, the conditions were challenging to say the least, with only 17 golfers scoring in the 70s! However the leaderboard was tight and there could be many changes on day 2. The whole field was chasing Bruce-Smith’s 8 shot lead, but the heavens decided to make it a little tougher with a continued downpour, followed by high winds - perfect conditions to go low!

Seasoned Infantry players LCpl Johnny Stevenson, Farnworth, WO2 Gary Waugh, and Mahan even struggled to set a score in the conditions. CSgt

Inf Strokeplay & Stableford Champs - York GC

Webb, Cromwell, and Murphy battled on day 2 to push themselves up the leaderboard. Ultimately the lead by Bruce-Smith was too big a gap to close and he was crowned Infantry Strokeplay Champion by a clear 9 strokes from Dickinson. A fitting result not just from his -5 first round score, but for an Infantry player that has been at the heart of Infantry success over the last 6 seasons winning his first & last Infantry Championship as he has been successfully accepted for transfer to the AGC. We wish him all the very best and look forward to meeting him on the course as an opponent in the near future.

Running concurrently to the Strokeplay are the Infantry Stableford Championship and the Infantry Gross & Stableford Team events. With a large field of 76 players this proved to be a highly competitive affair. The were some real high scores from some of the higher handicappers, playing the tough conditions within their abilities and using course management over distance, like some of us supposed ‘better’ golfers. There were seven players that shot under their handicap over 36 holes, a superb effort in the conditions. But again here was a runaway leader, Maj Jogendra Limbu, with an unassailable 88 points! Sgt Alan Hawthorne earned the well fought 2nd place with 81 points, with Capt ‘Doc’ Doherty coming 3rd with 80 points. There were only 7 points to separate 2nd – 12th place; just showing how competitive the standard was. A mention must go to Maj (Retd) Alan Wright playing against some of these ‘ young uns’ earning himself a very credible 12th place finish. Alan has been played in this fixture too many times to mention, but has been quoted as saying “it’s about the taking part, I’m too old to be competing now”. It seems Alan still has it and hopefully he can step it up for next year.

Another mention must go to those that travelled across from NI, a really strong cohort made the journey, and also went away with some of the prizes. 2 R IRISH were the winners of the Team Stableford competition with a total of 224 points, beating 1 RANGERS into 2nd place with 213 point. Both teams must be getting plenty of golf in over in NI! The Team Gross winners were 1 LANCS for the 2nd time in three years, narrowly beating MRTC by three strokes. Another mention must go to ITC who fielded three teams this year; they were going to

make a 4th but limitations of numbers meant they were unable.

This year the Infantry has continued to feed players towards Army representation. Again, Stevenson has represented the Army. New to being selected to play for the Army were Cpl Clinton Prime, Farnworth, Brady, and Dickinson (who has also taken on the role of Army Development Officer). The Infantry has continued to push to mentor current talent and identify new talent. All the top Infantry golfers also played in most of the AGA

2Lt Dec Brady at Army vs RAF match

Infantry B team at the Inter Corps Championship

CORPS REPORTS

events this year, with the Infantry A team being runners-up in the REME Shield. We hope that this year we can get more fixtures into the diary, and also as many players to all the AGA events supporting Army Golf as a whole and pushing the Infantry back towards challenging for titles.

The final mention must go to WO2 Ian Mahan. Ian has been involved in Infantry Golf for over 15 years, not just in a playing capacity but also as direct support to Captains, Secretaires, and committees over this period. He has seen transitional changes in Infantry golf and sourced emerging talent and nurtured this to fruition in the last few years, where Infantry was the best team in the Army, and producing some of the best players in the Army set up. Ian has been at the forefront of this, he has seen Infantry Golf Captains come and go but has always been well placed as the 2IC to each and every one of them. Ian is due to leave the Army after 37 years Colour Service in the next few years and Infantry Golf is going to be up against it to find a replacement. With his constant and devoted support to Infantry Golf WO2 Ian Mahan was selected for a Life Time Achievement Award to Infantry Sport at this year

We couldn’t be prouder to see him receive the recognition he deserves!

R SIGNALS

By Capt Ash Ingham

Royal Signals golf has gone from strength to strength throughout 2022. We have over 350 subscribers to our Corps Golf newsletter and have had more than 120 golfers who have played in some form of Corps golf event last year – many of them newcomers, which is extremely positive.

Corps Matches

The Corps managed to play eight of the scheduled ten Inter Corps matches throughout the season, winning four, losing two and drawing two. The intent is to play similar events this year whilst bringing more new players into the fold.

Inter Corps and Army Matchplay

In preparation for the Army Matchplay and Inter Corps Championships an excellent three day development golf event was arranged at Trevose GC. The main aim of the event was to expose our better golfers (potential Corps team) to the rigours of links golf in a matchplay setting.

The development event certainly achieved its aim, with the R Signals managing to field three teams in the Inter Corps Championship. All three teams performed superbly well; however, they were pipped at the post becoming runners-up in three

Life Time Achievement Award - WO2 Ian Mahan

R Signals team at Kenilworth GC

Ashley Wood GC - Corps Championship Winners