The Captains Plate was again played at the New Zealand golf club in Surrey. The overnight thunderstorms continued to drown the M25 as I navigated towards Addlestone at 6.30am on the morning of the BAGS Member’s AGM day at the New Zealand. Thankfully both the storm clouds passed and the course remained open for another excellent day’s golf enjoyed by our members. The course was in fantastic condition as always and drained superbly given the deluge of rain beforehand. I had the pleasure of joining Andrew Browne, Terry Dobbins and Mark Kirby in the opening four ball off the first tee. The company was convivial, the golf sometimes sublime, inevitably woeful in parts, but we somehow managed to dovetail to a respectable ‘best two’ stableford team score of 85. Andrew contributed with a superb birdie two on the 7th hole, knocking a 215 yard rescue wood into 8 feet and followed up with an even better eagle three on the 14th, pitching in from 65 yards. A place on the podium beckoned surely? But there was even more golfing magic to come from the first team off the 6th tee. Mark Bird teed up what was to be his final shot of the day on the par three 5th, sweetly struck his 7 iron, one bounce….and in. His first hole in one and enough to take his team to 90 points and win the team prize for the day. Congratulations Mark! Always a special moment when it happens.
The tussle for the Captain’s Plate inevitably featured the day’s aforementioned accurate heroes. I broke with the BAGS tradition of playing the ‘bogey card’ off the yellow tees (turning a par 68 into a par 73 course making five long par 4’s into par 5’s) and set the challenge of the standard card off the white tees. Needless to day the winning score had a three in front of it and not a four. Anthony Brown delivered a very respectable 36 points to secure third place on count back. But even a hole in one and 36 points from Mark couldn’t knock Andrew Browne off the top spot with 37 points. A great day’s golf with some truly memorable moments. Many congratulations to Andrew for winning his first BAGS event. Not only does he get to stare misty eyed at the newly acquired silverware on his mantelpiece whilst working through the Fortnum’s hamper of red wine classics, but he also gets that premium invite to the end of season golfing fiesta at Swinley Forest in November.
A really great lunch then followed, the AGM wrapped up within minutes after prizes, and we were set free for our individual skirmishes with the M25, thankfully before the afternoon rush hour. It was great to receive really positive feedback from some of the members following the day and hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!
Captain Wilko
