Weekday tee times have been adjusted to meet the demand for more two-ball time off the lst tee. The new times became effective on September 19th and are posted in Palm Court. Please check these times before arranging matches.

At a meeting with the golf committee on August 19th, ail team managers agreed to seek the approval of the golf committee before arranging new fixtures. The aim is to ensure that all teams have fair access to the course. The golf committee will next meet team managers on October 30th.

I am delighted to announce that Barry Plews and Rod Kirkland have both been co-opted on to the golf committee. Barry runs the eclectic and Rod is fixtures secretary for the Commandos. Both Barry and Rod represent a large playing section of the club and I hope they find their time on the committee rewarding and informative.

Congratulations to the ladies' 1st scratch team who are through to the semi-finals of the scratch league. They will play East Herts on October 14th at Hadley Wood. All supporters are welcome. Play starts at 9am.

The Charity Day this year was run on a much lower key, without a committee and with just a few willing members getting their heads together to raise money for the Peace Hospice in Watford, writes the Club Captain.

The club's sincere thanks must go to Phil Beardwell, Linda Lambert, Denise King, Cathy Newman and Peter Marshall for all their help in making the event work so well. The generous gifts from members for the raffle and the auction lots put forward by Ronnie and Diane Samuels, Norman Ackroyd, David Gleeson and Malcolm Pattinson meant that the day generated over £6,000.

I am very grateful to the 53 members who played in the Texas scramble and the 43 members who attended the evening dinner. It is a great credit to all that so much was raised by so few.

Setting the scene for our cricketers to win the Ashes, a worthy England squad lifted the Paul Harrington-Brown Four Nations Trophy - like our cricketers, it must be said, for the first time in years.

The team prizes were won by England's Ian Taylor, Nick Kilhams, Erik Browne and Julian Lappert, closely followed by Gerri Warnes's Irish team in which she was joined by Barry Plews, Malcolm Pattinson and John Keeley.

Some   50   members   attended   this month’s clubhouse presentation by committee members of the five-year plan for the course.

After the Chairman had introduced the proceedings and the Club Captain had explained the reasoning, details of the plan, which includes fairway watering, the repositioning of fairway bunkers and the rebuilding of the 6th, 11th and 16th greens, were given to members by Vice-Captain Ken Hannah. Treasurer Lionel Cooper then spoke about the financial implications.

A lively questions and answers session followed.

The scratch team's season came to a close away to Moor Park, with Derek Fotheringham, Geoff P. Kirby and David Stoye entering the side. Special thanks to David who stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Norman Cameron. Unfortunately, we were up against a full-strength Moor Park and were soundly beaten 9-3.

Our overall efforts have been rewarded by return to the top division and it looks as if we will probably finish in second or third position. Well done to all who played.

We entered a team for The Hudson Trophy at South Herts, in which each team's club pro and three members play 72 holes of scratch foursomes. Rory Young joined David Gleeson, and Alan Glynn and Geoff Kirby made up the other pair. In a competition where the bottom four teams are relegated, I am pleased to report that we finished eighth and in the top half of the field. Alan and Geoff returned the day's best gross score, a one-under-par 143.

I thank everyone for their support this year and look forward to next season.

The Verti-cutting of the fairways to remove all thatch will be carried out over the coming month. Over-seeding will follow. Deep scarifying of the greens with the graden, followed by over-seeding and top-dressing will also take place. This operation will be extended to some aprons.

Hollow-coring of the tees has been completed and they will be deep scarified and over-seeded shortly.

Drainage of the 18th rough and the 17th practice ground will be carried out in-house rather than be contracted out This will start after all over-seeding is completed.

Kestrel Golf will be back with us in October to reconstruct and move all fairway bunkers. These will be out of play until around May next year.

The oak tree on the 4th has finally been felled and we await its removal. When the stump has been ground out a suitable replacement will be planted.

David West and Jamie Hazell have joined the greenkeeping team as trainee greenkeepers.

Oct 7th:   By popular demand, we are pleased to announce a return visit by The Kinks. So dress up in your 60/70s' gear, slip on your dancing shoes, and enjoy a meal and super music.

Oct 21st: Thinking caps on for a full-scale quiz evening, plus supper. Please arrive by 7pm for prompt 7.30pm start, as there will be lots of rounds to get through.

Nov25th: Salsa evening. No idea what to do? Don't worry, help will be at hand.

Dec 16th: The ever popular Christmas Carols evening. Book your table early.

Dec 31st: New Year's Eve party. This was a huge success last year, so start thinking now about making up a table.

Hurry, hurry: Entry for winter competitions, originally due to close on Monday, September 26th, has been extended by one week until Monday, October 3rd, If you haven't done so, report to the pro's shop now.

Green fees are going up. Rates from October 1st will be: Visitor - £45 (round), £65 (full day). Member's guest - £23 (round), £30 (full day).

A junior coaching session for all will be held on Sat October 15th, at 1pm. Don't miss it.

Guests: A reminder of the regulation that states: "Members are limited to introduce three guests at any one time, and at weekends no more than one guest (except in exceptional circumstances when advanced permission must be obtained from the Managing Secretary). On weekends of men's competitions, a guest may be invited to play only after 3pm." On competition days, members can bring only one guest and that again must be after 3 pm.

Two further reminders:

Candidates for election at the AGM must have their names posted on the notice board not later than October 15th in any one year.

Resolutions for consideration at the AGM must be signed by two members and submitted to the Managing Secretary at least 30 days before the meeting.

Congratulations to Julian Lappert on winning Eclectic 2005 with an all-time low score of net 44, writes organiser.

After his disappointment last year when he was edged out of the top three on the last day, Julian steadily built up his card, playing on 19 of the 23 eclectic afternoons. Two improvements on the final Friday clinched his No.1 spot ahead of rookie Ian Edwards, whose net 48 pipped Ian Taylor on countback over the last three holes.

Best gross rounds were recorded by Geoff W. Kirby (54) in the 0-13 group and Ian Edwards (62) in the 14-28 handicap category.

The Barron Cup was contested by 17 five-day and restricted seven-day members in blustery, cool conditions and was won by Nick Painter with 35pts followed by Julian Lappert with 34pts and Erik Browne with 33. Ken Hannah (36pts) and Brian Smith (39pts) hustled wins on countback in the final Friday competition.

Fifty-four players, including most of the prize-winners, attended the eclectic dinner. Thank you to all 163 members who competed in Eclectic 2005. Over 24 weeks they played more than 1,200 rounds of golf and netted 21 eagles and 532 birdies. Let's hope Eclectic 2006 is even more successful.

Anne Laing, three times Scottish champion, a former Curtis Cup player and one of two plus-2 golfers in a field of 41, shot rounds of 69 and 70 at Porters Park last month to win Ladies' Scratch Open for the Centenary Cup.

Anne, who hails from Vale of Leven, flew down from Scotland especially to compete in the event, which attracted seven entries from girls who had played at Porters in the summer of 2003 when we hosted the English Girls' Championship.
Highgate's Louisa Tarn was second with 75, 71, with Hampshire champion Liz Bennett, from Brockenhurst Manor, and Tara Walters, of Muswell Hill, tied in third place on 148. Kerry Smith, the other +2 player, also a Curtis Cup English International and, like Anne, a Vagliano team member, and Clair Aitken, from Mid-Kent, tied for fifth place with totals of 149.

The organiser was accused by some of our own members of 'mean' pin positions. However, she defends this because the challenge was to bring our newly refurbished greenside bunkers into play. This was reflected by slightly higher scoring than in past years.

Apologies for the late inclusion of this item which should have appeared in last month's Tee Times.

Bernard Amos who won the Ernest Thomas Cup with 77-11=66 from Shaun Reddin whose 76-9=67 beat the Captain (79-12=67) on countback

David Tomblin who won the James Bradbeer running stableford with 40pts from Paul Williams whose 39pts beat Jas Arora on countback

Norman Sagar who won the August midweek stableford with 40pts from Malcolm Menzies, whose 38pts beat Ron Culnane on countback

Gill Cooper who won the August medal (silver) with 83-15=68 from Carole Bickerton on 86-15=71. Christine Dingley won the bronze division with 99-28=71 from Gillian Edmonds on 108-33=75

Pam Cohen and Christina Lye who amassed 45pts to win the better-ball fourball played at Hertsbourne Golf Club on exchange day. Frances Lynn and Jane Furlong were runners-up with 43pts followed by Carole Bamford and Yvonne Frankland with 42pts

Rosemary Walters who won the LGU September medal (silver), played as the second round of the Westgrove Cup, with 75-6=69 on the back nine from Shirley Gudgeon with 83-14=69. Janet Hardy won the bronze division with 88-21=67 from Juliet Talbot on 100-30=70 and took the Westgrove Cup with 77, 67

Our junior team who, thanks to Rory Young winning a sudden-death play-off which ended only on the 4th hole, have again reached the final of the Ver Shield. The home and deciding leg against Dunstable Downs will be played on Sunday, October 2nd.