Status: Completed

News and information from this event

MTGS Walton Heath
Members Meeting – Thursday 2 September 2010
Match Report

A beautiful day it turned out to be for our final meeting of the season at Walton Heath. The draw sheet showed a turnout of 40 playing members on the day which was up on last year’s 35 – and a welcome increase too!

Perhaps this was due to the pulling power of the venue! There can be no doubt that Walton Heath is a great championship golf course and it was in terrific condition on the day with particularly the greens being mentioned by many as having quite the best playing surfaces of anywhere on the Society calendar this year. Few would disagree with this and indeed to many followers and aficionados of the game, Walton Heath is the finest inland test in England!

But it’s not just the course that makes this place so appealing – it’s the whole package. The comfortable and high quality clubhouse facilities; the excellent lunch in the dining room; the history of the Club; the great full length painting by Sir James Gunn of James Braid – 5 times Open Champion and Professional here until 1950 – standing, keeping watch in the Braid Room; the great tournaments staged here in the past including the 1981 Ryder Cup; the quiet, calm terrace overlooking the enclosed practise putting green. As Bernard Darwin said .....’If there is something that golfers want and do not get at Walton Heath I do not know what it can be’!

Our meeting lived up to all expectations and a lively competition too was had on the course for the many trophies on offer. Scores were good as the conditions were ideal for golf, being warm and sunny with a very light breeze. In the end, although the scores for most of the other competitions were very close, the winner in Division 1, with an unassailable and very creditable 43 points, was David Warren. This score also helped David to win the best aggregate result for the year and with it ‘The President’s Plate’ for 2010 which he thus retains from last year victory.

A full list of winners at Walton Heath is attached. I would however like to highlight one other, which was the ‘President’s Putting competition’. This beautiful trophy was won by John Skeldon which was impressive enough but it was delivered in person by last year’s winner, Mike Mead, on the morning of the event. At the last minute, Mike’s plans had changed and he couldn’t play but thought nothing of driving from Reading and back so as to ensure the trophy could be presented on the day. Very many thanks, Mike!

Finally, thanks must go to our sponsors, Motorclean, for their kind support. To John Lindblom, member at Walton Heath, for his benevolent influence on our behalf with the Club and to him and John Etches for all their help with the Desk and scores.


Gerry Lynch
13 September 2010