Nominations for club office, due for ballot at the AGM on Sunday, December 10, closed on October 15. There are six, none opposed. They are:

Captain: Jasminder Arora

Jasminder has been a member of Porters Park Golf Club for 15 years and was elected to the committee five years ago.  He was the captain of the Tigers Team in 2004 and 2005. Always off a handicap of five or better, he has won the Porters Park’s Benevolent Challenge Trophy and, with his son Manjeev, the Generation Cup. As Vice-Captain, he spent last year working closely with the Captain, Ken Hannah. 

Jasminder was born in Kenya in 1950, took up golf as a budding youngster and in 1968 was the Kenya Junior Champion. He came to Britain at the age of 18 and graduated from Glasgow University as an optometrist. During a brief return to Kenya, he was vice-captain of the Royal Nairobi Golf Club.

He lives in Elstree with his wife Gudo and runs his own business, Arora Eye Consultancy Ltd. His three children have all graduated from university. He is looking forward to becoming Captain of such a prestigious golf club and to the opportunity to work with his Vice-Captain, Lionel Cooper, in continuing to drive the club forward from strength to strength.

Vice Captain: Lionel Cooper

Lionel is a chartered accountant who retired in 2000 after a long and varied career with Allied Domecq. He took up golf in his mid-30s in the Midlands having played hockey for many years, which may explain his generous overswing!

He joined Porters Park in 1988 from West Herts and has been Treasurer for the past last three years - a period that has seen the development of a detailed five-year plan and changes to the membership structure to secure the club’s long-term future.

Although Porters Park has taken up a fair amount of his time of late, he remains a family man, married to Gill (for a long time!), with three sons, two granddaughters and two grandsons who live in Newcastle and Singapore. His interests away from golf include travel, theatre, the arts, sport of most kinds and, since retirement, cooking.

He welcomes his nomination as vice-captain as an opportunity both to play his part in the continued development of Porters Park and to give something back to a sport and social activity which both Gill and he have enjoyed so much.

Chairman:  John Liddle

John joined Porters Park in 1975 and was elected Club Captain in 1992. He is currently a director and secretary of Porters Park Golf Club Properties Ltd and a club trustee.

Aged 61, he enjoys speedy social golf with like-minded spirits. He is married to Denise, also a keen social golfer, and they have two sons.

John qualified as a Scottish chartered accountant and solicitor before pursuing a career in merchant banking with Morgan Grenfell and Charterhouse, where he was a member of the group board as head of legal and compliance. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Securities Institute for his work on the Compliance and Ethics Committees. He was Chairman of the board of governors of Manor Lodge School for five years and is a trustee of The Radlett Village Institute.

John looks forward to serving as Chairman for three years. He will focus on working with all employees of the club, and the many volunteer members who devote their time, energy and experience to the club, to provide high quality and cost efficient facilities to members both on and off the course.

Treasurer: Jeff Cloke

Jeff, who is older than he looks, is a relative newcomer to Porters Park, having joined in 2004 just at the time the club became desperate for new members. Previously he was a member for some 19 years at Arkley Golf Club, and for six of those was Treasurer, which allegedly should help him in his new role at Porters Park.

He has lived in the area for over 50 years, initially in Borehamwood where his main claim to fame was playing in the same rugby team at the local grammar school with Mike Mealey.

Jeff moved to Radlett when school fees no longer put a large dent in his budget and lives in a house which had once upon a time belonged to Arnie Hubbard.

He is a chartered accountant, having qualified in 1973, and since 1980 has run his own small accountancy practice in London, specialising in advising small businesses.

One of his better decisions was marrying Irene and they have two adult children who have fled the nest, to Glasgow & Warsaw (temporarily).

For the benefit of those who have played golf with him, especially those who have had the misfortune to have him as partner, it is rumoured he is a better accountant than golfer.

Committee Member: Kevin O’Donnell

Kevin was born in 1951.  During his early career with ICI, he was a member at Welwyn Garden City GC where he had lessons alongside Nick Faldo.  Unfortunately that’s where the similarity ends!

Golf was an early casualty in Kevin’s pursuit of his musical career.  He became an Associate of the Royal College of Music in 1978 and has since enjoyed a full and varied career in many genres – including regular BBC radio broadcasts, concert work at major UK venues and, more recently, cruise engagements with his wife, Cynthia.

Kevin has been a member of Porters Park GC since 1999 and for the past three years has served on the general committee, chaired the social committee and sat on house committee.  He and his social team have concentrated on putting on a wide variety of events to cater for all members’ tastes.  As well as the traditional and budget themed events, he has introduced very successful cabaret evenings, booking high quality artists including this year The Four Balls and Fine Arts Brass Ensemble.  New Year’s Eve is now back as a firm fixture in the calendar.

Kevin also takes a keen interest in all other areas and activities of the club and is looking forward to serving the club over the next three years.

Trustee: Ian Eggleden

Ian joined Porters Park in 1977. He was co-opted as a trustee at the 2005 AGM and is proposed as a Club Trustee and a director of Porters Park Golf Club Properties Ltd.

Aged 61, he was educated at Aldenham School and is a keen advocate of fun golf - e.g. foursomes and singles - in order to spend time with friends in the bar and still get home to do the shopping for essentials. He lives in London and is married to Geraldine, for better or worse a non-golfer. He once lived in Radlett but not in a house which belonged, before or since, to Arnie Hubbard!

Ian is a European Partner of Mercer, the global actuarial and pension consulting firm, having previously been managing director of Sedgwick Employee Benefit Consultants Ltd in 1989. He is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute and was its President from 2001 to 2003.

He is a strong believer in the democratic management of golf clubs for the benefit of members and is keen to maintain the heritage of the club, whether land, property or facilities. Having not been a member of any committee, he feels well placed to protect the interests of members.

Autumn renovations are now complete with over-seeding finished on tees, aprons and fairways. The proportion of fescue seed used was increased in line with S.T.R.I. recommendations to give better drought resilience.

Autoflow Systems are back for the next six weeks installing further misters around bunkers. Pop-ups will be installed on all approaches and the whole 1st fairway and 10th fairway from the ditch to the fairway bunker.

Autoflow has specified that under health and safety rules each hole must be closed while the work is being completed. The course information board on the 1st and 10th tees will inform members of any closures.

White trolley lines are now back in place for the winter. Please note them and obey.

Verti-draining of all greens will commence on October 21 and will continue monthly thereafter through until April. Greens, tees and aprons will be slit fortnightly throughout the winter.

A full winter programme will soon be posted on the Palm Court notice board. It will include the returfing of several bunker faces. These bunkers will be GUR until the turf is fully established. Some minor alterations to other bunkers, which have been recommended by Neil Coles, will be carried out at the 5th green and on the 11th fairway.

The heavy rain is causing problems with washout on some paths. We are looking at alternative materials to solve the problem.

Peter Robinson will shortly be choosing trees to enhance the course in several areas, especially on the left of 7th where the aim will be to hide the overflow car park and the greenkeepers’ facilities.

M J Smith
Course Manager

The new face you may have spotted in the pro’s shop or on the practice ground is that of Paul Simpson.

The Bedfordshire professional, who is usually to be seen at his home club, Beadlow Manor, near Shefford, is here to help out on a temporary basis as our own pro David Gleeson recovers from an unusually debilitating attack of shingles.

Paul will be present at Porters Park on Fridays from 10am to 4pm and on Sundays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm and will be available on both days for lessons (£30 for 50mins). He will not be concerned with the shop which will continue to be run by Peter Crawford, with David standing in on Peter’s days off.

David will continue to teach and to run the ladies’ golf academy, which is launching into a fresh season. But he has withdrawn from the Maltby, in which the Captain will instead be joined for the last flight of matches by Steve McAlister.

It is hoped David’s lighter schedule will speed his return to good health and we wish him well.

Saturday, November 4: All are welcome to the annual Prize Presentation in the clubhouse. If you are among this year’s trophy winners, please make a special effort to be there. If you hold a trophy, please return it to the office before the end of this month.

Thursday, November 23: Commando ladies evening. Sign up now to entertain your partners to dinner.

Friday, November 24: Quiz night (and supper) with an alcoholic theme. Some questions will require certain knowledge of alcoholic beverages – most members shouldn’t have any problems here!

Thursday, December 7: Men’s Xmas Fayre – a day for golf, excessive dining, donating and drinking. A Texas scramble in teams of four will be followed by late lunch at which non-golfers are also welcome. Watch for details on the men’s competition board.

Friday, December 15: The ever popular carol evening with the choir of St Peter’s Church, St Albans, and their director Nick Robinson, who led us so brilliantly in 2004.

Sunday, December 31: New Year’s Eve party.

COURSE CLOSURE: Please note that the course will be closed all morning on Thursday, November 16, for the rescheduled Herts Pro Am.

The Captain is pleased to welcome as playing members: Steven Edgley, Stephen Cook, Justin Saunders, Jamie Hamilton, Stan Dubowitz, Susan Lawrence, Mary Cleary and Sandra Mackenzie. All the ladies have joined after attending the Ladies’ Golf Academy.

David Ring who won the Order of Merit with 116pts from Derek Fotheringham with 100pts and Norman Mitchell and Colin Robertson each with 89pts

Bill Tweddle who won the Roberts Cup with 39pts (last nine) from David Tomblin. William Gallimore was third with 37pts

David Ring who won the September medal with 72-5=67 from Richard Paffley with 74-6=68 (last 9) and Craig Hutson with 76-8=68. Division II was won by Chris Connor with 86-22=64 from Alan Ring with 87-18=69 and Nick Flanagan with 86-17=69

Andrew Poupart who won the September midweek stableford with 34pts (last nine) from Dominic Warren and Adrian Smith with 33pts

Rena Delaney and Cherry Tricker who won the White Elephant Competition in aid of the National Playing Fields Association with 32pts. Gillian Edmonds and Gill Williams were runners-up with 31 points

Dagny Moffat and Alison Kennedy (Batchworth) who won the ladies autumn invitation 4BBB with 44pts. Sue Leen and Paddy Bates (Moor Park) were runners-up with 42pts

Lucy Glyn who won the Business Ladies’ Cup with 78-9=69 from Ros Lake with 96-24=72

Margaret Wilson who won the Tattersall Cup (silver division) with 81-13=68 from Judith Williams with 86-12=74 (last 9) and Pamela Cohen 82-8=74. Susan Leen won the bronze division with 102-25=77 (last 6) from Diana Barry with 108-31=77 and Denise Liddle with 106-26=80