Raising a toast to the game of golf

And the winning friendships forged along the way

Christmas is the time of year that I love to pull out the best china and the cut-crystal glasses and decanters. Each cherished piece is a wonderful reminder of a dear friend or a glorious golf course from my early golfing days in Sussex. Prizes that are a joy to use and which sparkle magnificently alongside the Christmas tree lights during the dark days of December.

Although some of these treasured trophies were not to my taste at the time, I kept them all the same and now they take pride of place in my home at Christmas. Fond memories indeed. Alas, you rarely see amateur prizes like this anymore. Well, at least not in Holland, where I now live and play golf. Vouchers for the golf shop or bottles of wine seem to have replaced the once so enviable silver spoon or lead-crystal whisky tumbler awarded to the monthly medal winner. Then it wasn’t just about beating the rest of the field that day. The ultimate challenge was to win a complete set of six of the same before the Club Secretary in his wisdom switched to wine glasses as prizes.

Yes, I do love to eat, drink and be merry at Christmas. It’s a time to be jolly with family and friends and to chink the crystal in celebration. But it’s not just the crystal that I’m proud of. I’m glowing with pride because of the many friendships I’ve happily forged on the golf course over the last few decades. Golf buddies from England who have become cherished friends for life. That’s what makes the game of golf so special.

So if you’re lucky enough to have won a piece of crystal in your golfing heyday, why not raise a toast with it this New Year’s Eve to your victory and to your golf buddies with a pledge to play more in 2020? And so say all of us. “Proost!”

Happy golfing in the new decade!

Wendy Hoad

Editor