Hit a ball, have a ball on Captain's Day. Summer may be slow in coming, but Peter's big day on Saturday, June 25th is little more than three weeks away.

The starting sheet for Saturday's golf is already up and booking is hectic, but with play beginning at 6am, there are still plenty of times available. Five- and restricted seven-day members, plus juniors, are invited to play on Friday, June 24th, starting via the ball chute.

The Summer Ball, one of the big social events of our year, follows at 7 for 7.30pm, with carriages at lam. Dress: black tie and posh frocks. Once again, there will be a marquee. Dance to live band Juan More and enjoy a running sumptuous knife-and-fork buffet prepared by Tim McCrae.

Tickets are outstanding value at £37.50 each. The poster and seating plan are up. There are just 25 tables of 10, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Let's make this year's event another great night.

On midweek days when there is a society or Commandos match, it has been decided that members' fourballs will be allowed to tee off at the 10th at the earlier time of 8.15am. However, this is an interim measure as the current fourball times are under review.

Disappointingly, there were only 13 entries for the married couples league. This year's married couples competition will therefore be a foursomes stableford to be played on one afternoon, followed by dinner. The date has yet to be determined, so please watch the notice board. This will not necessarily be the format for the future and the golf committee will welcome alternative suggestions.

Tuesday 31st May: The 1st tee will be available from 12.30pm to 1.30pm to members wishing to play nine holes only - i.e. after the ladies' competition and before the police championship practice round.

Wednesday 1st June: Course closed all day for National Police Day.

Monday 20th June: Closed all day for repeat of last year's BMW corporate event

Monday 27th June: Closed from lpm for private charity golf day organised by a member.

Members' attention is drawn to two issues currently being considered by the general committee -a possible smoking ban in the clubhouse and a change to the way in which informal food is served. You can have your say on both by completing the enclosed slip in your name and returning it to the office by the end of June.

Acting on recommendation, the committee commissioned and has now fully endorsed a review of the course by Neil Coles & Associates.

The firm were asked to submit suggested improvements, with particular emphasis on fairway bunkering, as many of our existing fairway bunkers now penalise only the higher handicap player.

They were given a very clear and precise brief that we wish the course to be perhaps 1.5 strokes harder for the long hitter but, if anything, easier for the shorter striker.

In the unanimous opinion of the greens committee, the advice we have received - not only on bunkers but on tree planting and on ways in which various holes might be set up differently - is first rate.

A contract has therefore been agreed with Kestrel Golf, the company that remodelled the greenside bunkers last year.

Work is scheduled to begin in the first week of October and be completed (weather permitting) by the end of November. Neil Coles will design and oversee all aspects and we would hope to have the bunkers in play for spring 2006.

The report also supports the broadly held view that the 6th, 11th and 16th greens are in need of renewal. The greens committee will begin the preparatory work for this as soon as the fairway bunkering is completed.

The report will form the basis of our ongoing attempt to adapt Porters Park to the modern game, always bearing in mind that we remain a members' club. We believe that the various suggestions, once enacted, will ensure that Porters Park remains one of the premier golf courses in the South East.

Alan Pountney,    Chairman of the Green

2nd hole: Close the further right of the two fairway bunkers (the trees have grown sufficiently to punish the pushed drive) and create a new bunker to the left of the remaining fairway bunker and some yards nearer the green. This will urge the longer hitter to aim further left from the tee. A further small bunker to be installed at the left rear of the green.

11th hole: All three fairway bunkers up the left side to be removed. Two new bunkers to be built 30/60yds beyond the existing second left-hand bunker, in line and slightly beyond the pine trees on the left The shorter hitter will have a very wide 'bail-out" area on the left for the drive. The golfer driving 260yds or more must be straight.

15th hole: The cross-bunkers short of the green to be Med in, levelled and grassed. The left side bunker moved back to approx 260yds from the back tee. the right side bunker moved back 50/60yds. Big hitters must decide whether to try to carry the right-hand bunker or lay up. Shorter hitters will no longer have to thread through a narrow gap.

Ladies' winter bridge, which saw three teams of eight play a total of 38 home and away matches, has given way to a summer programme in which duplicate bridge is played on the first Thursday of each month, with possible social bridge on third Thursdays if demand is there. Anyone interested should contact Liz Copley

In the recent spell dry, the drainage lines on some greens looked in need of water. We plan to hollow core them shortly and apply granular wetting agents which will aid water retention. Dried seaweed will also be applied to boost nutrient levels.

Solid tining of all greens and tees will take place soon and monthly thereafter throughout the summer.

Concern about the health of the PGA oak tree at the 10th may be needless. 1 believe that the combination of the cold north east wind and frost in early May has possibly killed the young leaf growth. New buds and leaf are now appearing and hopefully all will be OK.

Tree fertiliser and mulching have been applied. All other recently planted trees seem to be doing well and will be weeded and mulched shortly.

Chemicals have been applied to control the knotweed in the sand plantation at the 14th.

Knotweed shoots have been spotted at the 1st and 2nd dell, behind the 8th and 17th tees, and at the bottom of the practice ground at 17th. These have also been treated. Please inform the course manager if you see any other knotweed.

Once again, moles are very active. We are using traps to control them, which is much kinder than gassing them. However, someone keeps taking the traps out and undoing our work to stop damage to the course. Please refrain.

Roll up for Pro's Day on Saturday June 11th. But beware if you form a low-handicap earn - David is making it tougher for you.

Last year, handicaps in this four-handed Texas scramble were added up and 10 per cent of the total deducted from the team score. This year, the deduction will be 20 per cent, giving higher handicap teams a better deal. Ladies will continue to benefit from an extra three strokes. In another change, where one or more members of a team fails to turn up, the team will forfeit completely the absentee's handicap allowance.

Otherwise the day will be much as before, with shotgun starts at 8.30am and 1.30pm, drinks by the 10th green, and an evening quiz after an all-you-can-eat curry meal. Golf costs £10 a head and evening food and jollities a further £15. Dress: casual.

Both parts of the day are independent of each other, so you can golf, or eat, or do both. Tickets for the evening, which will kick off at 7.45pm, are available in advance from the pro's shop, as are tickets at £1 each (£5 for six, £10 for 15) for David's grand raffle for a set of clubs. Entry sheets and a table plan are posted in Palm Court. So don't delay - get your names down today.

The general committee wish members to be aware that they are encouraging Peter Marshall to play his social golf at Porters Park. His social golf is that which he chooses to play in his own free time.

As his job on occasion involves evening and weekend commitments, he has the reasonable expectation of taking some time off from his duties during the week, though this must fit in with the day-to-day needs of the club.

The following opportunities are all appropriate and supported by the committee:
Responding to members asking him for a game or joining in any of the various "swindles" we have; playing in medals and stablefords to retain his handicap (though he cannot win such competitions); playing in inter-club matches where permitted by the rules of the league involved (e.g. Foxes); playing in inter-club social matches.

There may also be occasions when he will play, not in his free time, but in his capacity as Secretary-Manager.

May proved a good month for our top players. Geoff Kirby and Ewen Wilson both shot 75 in the Herts Salver at Harpenden Common to finish joint seventh and qualify for this year's county championship. Jason Mitchell, Michael Moore and Nick Pateman played in The Brabazon at The Oxfordshire, only Nick making the 36-hole cut.

Phil Devlin and Russell Lewis helped the scratch team to a 7.5 - 4.5 away win against Welwyn Garden City, inflicting last year's champions with their first defeat in 12 matches. Next match is against Sandy Lodge at home on 12th June. We look forward to your support.

Steve Pike who birdied the 18th with a drive, a 7-iron and a 5ft putt to boat David Helliwell by 1 hole and win the Oxhey Salver

Keith Jenkin who won the May midweek stableford with 35pts from Gerry Bevan with 34

Shirley Gudgeon who won the LGU May medal (silver) with net 74 on countback with Rosemary Walters. Rena Delaney took the bronze with net 70 from Margaret Mills with net 73

Christina Lye who won the May stableford (silver) with 39pts from Hilary Skinner with 38. Loretto McHugh won the bronze with 36pts from Rena Delaney with 34
Anita Prosser who won the Copley Cup (ladies' winter eclectic) with 50pts from Averil Mackett with 47

Dagny Moffat who won the ladies' spring meeting medal (silver) with net 66 (83-17) from Jan Kilsby with net 70 (84-14). Diana Samuels won the bronze with net 71 (102-31) from Carole Sharpe with 72 (93-21). Helen Emms won the President's Prize for the best scratch score with a 79 and took the prize for the longest drive. The afternoon's Viennese Waltz (best score on 1st hole, two scores on 2nd hole, three scores on 3rd, then repeat) was won by Rosemary Walters, Loretto McHugh and Jill Williams with 40pts on the front nine. Back nine winners were Anita Prosser, Sue Lean and Carole Sharpe with 39

Our junior team whose halved match away (3.5 - 3.5) and victory at home (4.5 - 2.5) against South Beds mean they will contest the Ver League Shield, which they won last year, rather than the less prestigious Plate

Jamie Kehoe who won the junior medal with a net 63 (84-21) from Mark Gibson with net 65 (93-28)

The Lancashire team who beat Yorkshire (again) by an aggregate of seven holes to claim victory and their usual glass of free port.