As from 1st April 2005, the club will allow the use of single-seat buggies. Members and visitors who wish to use one must comply with all the following conditions:

1. Be in possession of a current blue badge issued under the scheme of Parking Concessions for Disabled and Blind People.
2. Sign a club disclaimer form.
3. Follow all bridge signage. This is mandatory.
4. Accept that the club will not supply any storage or battery-charging facility.

Any member wishing to use a single-seat buggy must contact the Managing Secretary.

Charity Day 2004 reached a happy conclusion earlier this month when the club presented cheques to the two charities for which members had raised a record sum.

Charity organisers Andrew Devine, Edgar Hill and Mark Lemon were among those who gathered in front of the clubhouse to see ex-captain Howard Wames hand cheques of £8,700 each to John Nicholl representing The Wooden Spoon, the charity that helps disadvantaged children, and Liz Hizli, of Grove House, the Macmilian-run cancer centre in St Albans.

Bunkers through the green delineated by a yellow line continue to be classified as GUR and relief should be taken under rule25-lb(i).

Paths: all artificially surfaced paths are immovable obstructions and relief should be taken under rule 24-2b(i). Definition of artificial surface: a road or path to which a foreign material - e.g. concrete, gravel, wood chips etc has been applied - is artificially surfaced and thus an obstruction.

Please remember that all red times have priority both at the 10th and lst tees except on men's competition days (Club Diary, P30) when all play should start from the lst tee.

R. Hemmings

Calling all boys and girls as young as six and upwards who'd like to try their hand at golf. Whether you've already had a go or never swung a golf club before, you'll be welcome at Porters Park Golf Club on Sunday, 22 May at 2pm, writes Gerri Warnes .

We will have some clubs available, but if you have your own please bring them. Don't worry too much about what clothes you wear. Just make sure they fit fairly loosely and you are able to move freely enough to swing a club.

The session will last about two hours. The aim is to try to interest boys and girls in golf. We are targeting members' children and grandchildren first. But if you have a friend, or you know someone who would like to have a go, please bring them along.

To book a place, please contact either Peter at the pro's shop (01923 854366) or Gerri Wames on 01727 866612.

For juniors already well into golf, Peter Crawford is holding coaching sessions on Saturday mornings. Two took place earlier this month and Peter hopes to hold more.

Trophies : Some junior trophies are missing and we are trying to find them. If you have a trophy, please bring it in to Peter in the pro's shop who will check if it should have been returned.

BLOB Although it has been the closed season for county junior golf, the winter months have seen Porters Park's Jason Mitchell reaping the rewards of his excellent play last year. At the recent Herts Junior AGM held at Welwyn Golf Club, Jason was awarded the county Order of Merit for the second successive year. This is based on points gained in the Herts Junior Championship, in which he was runner-up, and his six best results in county junior opens. Jason was also acclaimed Colt of the Year, open to golfers under 21, at the Herts Golf Union dinner.

After a title-winning season, the Porters Park Scratch Team are back in the top division where we belong, writes their captain Geoff Kirby jnr. The continued improvement of our younger members, combined with the return of seasoned veterans such as Norman Cameron, encourages me to believe that we have the strength in depth to compete strongly in the top flight.

At time of writing, the lowest 12 handicaps among those men available for selection are: Nick Pateman 1 (-0.6), Michael Moore 0 (0.1), Alan Glynn 0 (0.3), Norman Cameron 0 (scr), Jason Mitchell 1 (0.7), Jeremy Lee 1 (1.2), Ewen Wilson 2 (2.1), Phil Devlin 3 (2.6), Ken Hannah 3 (2.6), Alan Pountney 3 (2.6), Geoff W Kirby 3 (3.4), Luke Gutteridge 3 (3.4)

Thank you to Russell Lewis, as he steps down as team captain, and to Peter Marshall and his secretariat for all their assistance. We are also grateful to the club and members (latest donor Barry Barnes) for their contributions towards the cost of team kit and golf balls, particularly welcomed by our younger players. Special thanks to our 1st team shirt sponsors Denis Bozier Ltd, the property maintenance specialists.

The team look forward to the support of the Vice Captain and of the Captain, in spite of his full Maltby schedule, and hope that other members might be encouraged to attend some or part of our matches alongside our ever-present President Roger Barnes. It would be great to see you. Match-day formats consist of foursomes in the morning and singles in the afternoon.

Our fixtures: 16/4 Harpenden Common (home), 13/5: Welwyn GC (away), 12/6 Sandy Lodge (h), 23/7:Brookmans Park (h), 2/7 or 30/7: Berkhamsted (a), 27/8 Moor Park (a).

Tree planting has taken place on several areas of the course. Dead wood and scrub to the left of the 5th green have been cleared and replaced with beech trees transplanted from other areas. Pines have been planted at the 12th, 16th and 17th to replace dead and fallen trees. Mixtures of elders, ash and willows have been used to extend the copse planted on the left of the 18th to protect the road and houses from wayward shots. Hawthorns between the 5th and 10th bridge have been coppiced to allow mature trees more space to grow and give better views across the course. This work will continue along the ditch as time permits.

The junior par-three course (six holes) has been reinstated on the 8th practice ground, with green tee markers as on the main course and yellow flags on greens, which have been outlined with a white line and on which practice is not permitted.

All drained greens have been returned to play and all drains have been top-dressed, and I am just waiting for some spring-like weather to allow us to fertilise the greens, tees and fairways.

White tees are also back in play. Don't forget to fill in your divot marks on the par threes.

Clearance of trees and bushes along the edge of the car park will take place shortly. New shrubs will be planted to give a more attractive look.

The chance to look cool and suave as James Bond, or sexy and seductive as Pussy  Galore, made this social evening a must for many, with the result that a remarkable number of members turned out in costume, including 007's less smart "brother" Elvis, writes Martin Jeens .

For once the secret service agent with a licence to kill came off second best. Male prize went not to 007 but to Oddjob, as portrayed by Ken Hannah who required no make-up although he felt the need to practise skimming his bowler across the room. Sheila Bird won the female prize for her original Pussy Galore, though Di Marsh's exuberant version of same well deserved special mention, as did Captain Peter Robinson's Ernest Blofeld, complete with cat.

Thanks to Tim for the themed eats, and also for the Bond films which were projected on to a huge screen throughout the evening. Thanks also to Cathy for preparing the 007 quiz.

Buona sera , signori and signore... This month's Italian evening was memorable for a wonderfully appropriate spread and an excellent quiz, compiled again by Cathy in the office (our thanks once more) and won by Meet The Foccias. Afterwards Kevin and friends entertained, ably backed on occasion by members, not least for the songs Volare and O Sole Mio.

Checks and squares : Another action-packed evening as the energetic danced the night away to the music of American Square Dance maestro Pete Skiffen. Resplendent in check shirts and jeans (normally outlawed by the club), members proved they knew their right foot from their left and their promenades from their do-si-dos.

COMING UP : Fish supper - Good Friday, 25 March. St George's Night - Friday, 22 April. Please come along, as we do have lots of fun.

With spring hopefully almost here, the shop will soon be blooming with new products, writes David Gleeson .

Among these are new golf shoes - yes, shoes - that should have you hitting a longer ball. No, this is not an April fool. The secret of the revolutionary Hi-Tec CDT golf shoe lies in increased grip + torsion = stability + balance = power, control + distance. Wearing these shoes and using the same clubs and ball, Padraig Harrington has added 17yds to his length. The same footwear also helped him win the Honda Classic. Explanatory brochures are available in the shop. Please take one.

Also among our new stock will be the latest Cape Crest range of ladies' waterproofs in vivid shades. Look out, too, for a range of lightweight windcheaters.

As we get back into the swing of things, now's the time to check your grips. They may need replacing, or just a good scrub. Drop them in and we'll advise.

Here's to a great season.

Lists for the first two mixed social matches - Sunday, 10 April, Brickendon Grange away, and Sunday, 24 April, East Herts away - are now in the Palm Court. Please sign up if you would like to play.

Recruits are still sought by both sides for the annual Lancashire-Yorkshire match, which is due to tee off at 1.30pm on Saturday, May 7. So step forward northerners with a claim to ancestry in either county and sign up on the notice board to do your bit for this noble fixture.

Commandos : Home matches against other clubs, for many years mostly 16-a-side, are now limited to 12-a-side, the newly prescribed norm for all club team fixtures. This committee decision relates less to the major increase in team golf - Tigers, Foxes, men's and mixed social are all comparatively recent comers to the golfing scene - and more to restricted available starting times.

Michael Gallimore who won Div 1 of the March stableford with 40pts from Derek Ray with 39 (last nine) and Vashist Amin and Roger Dew also with 39. Div 2 was won by William Jeens with 40pts from Graham Holt with 39

Andrew McAllister who won the Div 1 of the March medal with net 64 from Dermot Wickham with net 67. Nick Flanagan won Div 2 with net 65 from Alastair Grassick with net 66

Richard Wilson who won the March midweek stableford with 38pts from Robert Davis with 36

David Hunt and Nathan Fraser, and Cliff Rose and Ken Brown who headed the qualifying fourball better-ball stableford with 42pts and 40pts respectively to represent the club in the Crameri Trophy

Anita Healy who won the ladies' February stableford (silver) with 37pts from Christina Lye with 36. Vivienne Fletcher won the bronze division with 31pts from Carole Bamford with 30

Helen Emms, Hilary Skinner, Sally McAlister who won the February roll-up stableford with 71pts

Margaret Nelson, Janet Home and Loretto McHugh who won the March Texas scramble with a net 67.1