A collection of golfers from the nineties
It’s another really dreary day outside again today: rain, rain, rain and more rain! Such a soggy situation calls for something whacky, I feel. In sorting through some old papers recently from my publishing days in Sussex, I came across an interesting hand-written list of golfers. It was a collection of rather amusing names that I’d gathered back in the early nineties. At the time, I found it fascinating that many of the golfers and greenkeepers then had names relating to the game of golf.
So here, for your enjoyment, on this tediously wet weekend, may I introduce you to some of the golf addicts that I had the privilege of meeting whilst going about the business of publishing a golf magazine in the south of England in the last century!
Who’s who
With a name like ‘Pickup’, I’m curious as to whether the Secretary of Goodwood GC, Colin Pickup, ever scored many stableford points at the course near Chichester!
Hopefully Matthew Round is still enjoying a round of golf or two at Willingdon GC.
Nick Green was once the Marketing Manager at the highly-exclusive East Sussex National where the super-slick American-style greens of the newly-opened golf course near Uckfield caused quite a stir.
Meanwhile in the south of the county, Frank Green was the enthusiastic Junior Organiser at Royal Eastbourne GC where David Driver happened to be the Greenkeeper.
But ‘wood’ you believe it, in the early nineties the county boasted two greenkeepers with the name David Wood? There was David Wood who was Head Greenkeeper at Holtye GC, and over in West Sussex at Littlehampton GC, there was another Head Greenkeeper called David Wood. Completing the ‘woody’ hat-trick: Martin Wood, Head Greenkeeper of Dalehill GC.
With a name like John Gale, maybe the Junior Organiser at Cowdray Park GC was used to playing in all weathers?
On the blustery Sussex coast lies the challenging, cliff-edge course of Seaford Head. Members were no doubt keen that their Head Greenkeeper, Peter Underhay, didn’t let the rough grow too long. There’s nothing worse than looking for a needle (or your golf ball) in a haystack! Or in a field where cows or sheep graze, for that matter. As used to be the case at Lewes Golf Course. In fact, for many a year sheep used to graze on the fairway acting as natural mowers (and fertilizers). Over at Goodwood GC Ian Greenfield was once the Head Greenkeeper.
Thinking of ball-hunting … Ray Hunt used to be the Head Greenkeeper at Goodwood Park GC. Sewing the seed to encourage a new generation of golfers at Effingham Park GC was Junior Organiser Mark Root.
Brace yourself for this one … The bride-to-be of the Club Professional at Cooden Beach GC back in the early nineties was … Janice Hole!
Edward Hook (by name, but slice by nature?!) was a Member of the Artisans at Piltdown GC.
One of the professionals at Slinfold Park GC, Donald Slicer, must have endured much mickey-taking in his golf career. Nigel Duff too. He was working at golf’s leading shoe manufacturer ‘FootJoy’. Sounds as if he might have enjoyed a few ‘mulligans’ after a duffed tee-shot or two at the first in his day!
Oh, not forgetting the firm of Brighton solicitors called Bunkers.
Slow play?
Fast-forwarding to the twenty-first century … Slow-play probably won’t be an issue at Lewes Golf Club in Sussex where Mandy Quick is now Managing Secretary.
Even in Holland, golf names continue to amuse me. My favourite? Well, that’s got to be Matthias Hacker. I’m not sure whether golfers are queuing up to play with him or not as he sounds like someone who could do with a few lessons!
And finally, Bernie Putters. Now Bernie was not a golfer when he photographed me for an article in a Dutch newspaper a few years ago. However, with a name like Putters he really should take up the game! But it’s better that he waits for the weather to settle down.
Golf courses across Britain have been blasted and saturated by storms the whole winter. Flooding is rife. Golf in Holland is suffering too with unprecedented rainfall. When will it ever stop? As another storm brews (Jorge is on its way), it’s time to snuggle up with a plump pot of tea and some homemade cake for a cosy afternoon at home. Today is special after all. It’s the 29th of February and that only happens once in every four years. Now which of my golf books shall I choose to peruse?
Wendy Hoad
Editor
PS By the way, if we happened to have mentioned your name in this fun article, we sincerely hope that you are in good health and still enjoying this wonderful game in some corner of the world.
© Photography by Golfing Inspirations