The Beaconsfield Niblick- May 25 :: Beaconsfield is a traditional Members club with a classic Harry Colt designed course that opened in 1914. The course is beautifully presented and complemented by excellent practice facilities. Visitors are welcome by prior appointment.

Beaconsfield Golf Club

Beaconsfield Golf Club
Seer Green, Beaconsfield
Bucks, HP9 2UR

01494 676545

From The Captain

Another very busy month of wonderful weather though rain arrived last few days thank goodness. Stuart was saying how much of our annual water allowance we’d already used which was a bit worrying so this rain is actually welcome.

The 100 Holes is taking up most of my time at the moment interspersed with lots of golf in various club and open competitions. This month it was the Men’s Invitation Day where we had 68 competitors from many clubs from across the UK and one competitor from Australia! The worthy winners were Bradley Hucker and his guest Joshua Stocker with 44pts with Bradley bagging 6 birdies! Paul Roberts and Mike Thompson were second with 43pts and Mike had a hole in one at the 11th - so drinks all round!

We then had 14 at the New Member’s Competition on 24 May to welcome and integrate new members and hosts. New Kiwi member Tim Leckie shot an impressive 70 off of 1 for 39pts. He hits it a country mile with his tee-shot at 14, 30yrds past the cross bunkers and a mid-iron in! The third of our three Andy Wickham was just as long so I was thoroughly outgunned. Giving them a few years though…. It was great to meet all the new members again and get them introduced to each other so a positive day and thanks to the other members who supported it with me.

100 Holes Charity Update

This will be my last update before we actually do it on 23 June. As I wrote in my email last week, we are now past our first £100,000 milestone with 4 weeks to go so pushing for the £150,000 mark now.

Many thanks to the support team and everyone who has donated and offered to help on caddying and buggy driving but plenty more needed so pls do sign up for a round or two if you can. Electric trolleys no problem. And last reminder that the Silent Auction is running till 30 June 30 so pls do take a look as some great stuff on there:

https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/100holeschallenge#none

Captain’s Day - 2025

Just two points on this; firstly make sure you get your pink gear lined up for special handicap/shots terms on the day. Be good to see the course ‘painted’ pink and it’s is very fashionable this year don’t you know… Chris Dodds can also help you source it so pop in and see him!

Secondly, have you made arrangements to bring your partner and stay for the evening to enjoy the DJ and music we have laid on along with a late bar?

Dave Booker

Captain's Charity for 2024/2025

From the Ladies Captain

May has been an incredibly busy month. We started off with our Spring Meeting over 2 days. The Hale Cup was won by Christine Watson and the Young Bowl by Tak McMillan.

The following week featured our Past Captains golf and lunch. Sue Puttergill won the Ann Burgess Trophy. Simon Dodd bravely came and joined us for dessert and a chat. It was much appreciated.

56 ladies made it to Hanbury Manor for a 2 day golf and stay break. The weather was glorious. The golf course fun and the hotel beautiful. Impossible not to relax and enjoy.

The County Championships took place at the Buckingham. 3 out of the 4 finalists came from Beaconsfield. Ella Butteriss, Amelie Jones and Daisy Kennedy did us proud. Daisy won in the final match and is the County Champion. Ella had a superb first day with a 67 and retains her position as Intermediate Champion.

County week is taking place at Harewood Downs from June 9 to June 11. Beaconsfield will be well represented and supporters are very welcome. Wear RED to support Buckinghamshire who have won this event 10 years running. Information about times and draws is in the ladies changing room.

And finally Elaine and Victoria attended the South Bucks RDA's 60th birthday celebrations on behalf of Regitta, who raised funds for the charity during her Ladies Captain's year, and they were introduced to Princess Anne.

Ros Johnstone

Ladies' Captain's Charity for 2024/2025

News From The Junior And Younger Members

Well, what a fantastic start to the summer with the sun shining and the course looking great.

You will recall in the April Niblick we gave a warm welcome to Stuart Langhorn onto the committee and with it the much-anticipated rivalry on the “enthusiastic” stakes between Stuart, Ingrid and Eddie. For some fun and working on the 5-3-1 point scoring system, a mini league will run throughout 2025, Ingrid convincingly won the first round with some savage blows of enthusiasm, with Roddy Conway, a dark horse, coming from nowhere up on the inside rails to secure second with Stuart a little of the pace in third, (School report - come on Stu, you can do better). Eddie failed to score due to a no show, maybe he was nervous of the opposition?

So, scores to date after round 1

Ingrid 5

Roddy 3

Stuart 1

Watch this table progress throughout the coming months, who is your “tip for the top” who from the committee will receive a glittering sleeve of Topflight Specials, the preferred choice for the discerning golfer.

Getting back to the serious business.

The junior’s campaign in the Chiltern League took an early set back when they visited Harewood Downs, never an easy track for an away side to get a result, which was duly confirmed as they slipped to a 4-1 defeat. Its early days so onwards and upwards and a reset required as they get ready for the next encounter hosting Wexham Park at home on the 31st May @ 14:00.

There have been plenty of golf with three Stableford-JOOM competitions already this month.

It all kicked off on the 4 May with Elisa Gilmour romping home with a big 40 pointer, with Harry Sharma settling for second on a credible 36 points and Pearse Conway sneaking Faeez Chaudhary into third on count back.

10 May continued with the second Stableford -JOOM event which was won by new member Mikey Mills with an impressive 38 points, pipping another new member Joshua Adele by a point with Pearse Conway, keeping up his recent run of form and top three finishes, with a credible 32 points to take third place.

On the 18 May yet another Stableford-JOOM took place this time Will Butcher bringing home the bacon shooting an impressive 37 points to pip the ever-improving Elsa Gilmour by a solitary point with John Brisbourne a point further back, but well played to all three with some excellent golf. In the morning, we saw Ella Butteriss and Amelie Jones appearing for the “Mens” 1st Team in the annual scratch match against Millfield School. Chosen to go out first as the dream team, they didn’t disappoint and lived up to the billing by grabbing the glory coming out comfortable winners to earn the team an early lead. Sadly, their form was not replicated by three of the remaining four matches to end up with a 2-3 loss, the second leg is away at Burnham & Berrow in November.

Finally, at the time of going to press the last Stableford is scheduled for this weekend 24 May at 13:30, so we hope everyone signs up and supports the competition.

A few further reminders :-

Tom’s excellent coaching programme continues, the next session is scheduled for 29 May with particular focus on our Associate junior members to help them perfect their swings and feel part of the section,. There are further sessions fixed up on 30 May, 23 July which Tom has set this date as a golf clinic with Q&A from John Gough who has kindly agreed to come along and pass on his wealth of experience, offer tips, advice and answer any questions, a real treat for those attending and a big thanks to John for agreeing to give up his time.

Thereafter 25 July August 6, 15, 18 & 29, with more planned throughout the summer, all these are limited to a maximum of 8 Juniors per session, so please make sure you sign up ahead of the sessions to confirm your place and don’t forget these are free!

The Wednesday evening 10 hole roll up has started, it is open to all and very relaxed, it’s a good opportunity to play with family and friends, so get yourself along, tee from 17:00 – 18:00.
Luke Donald Slaver - Watch this space when we advertise for ball spotters and general help on the day.
The new junior kit in club colours will soon arrive, so if you want to get fitted out just visit the Pro shop to place an order, so get along to Chris asap.

Hope to see you all at the club and keep swinging

Keep swinging!

Ian Boardman and The Junior Committee

Respecting walkers on public footpaths

You will be aware that we have footpaths running alongside & sometimes crossing sections of our course. Please make sure you give way to walkers; they have the right of way. That means waiting to play your shot until walkers are out of range.

In a recent article in the ‘Golf Business’ publication, there was a good and clear reminder.

‘If a public footpath crosses a golf course there is a legal right of way for the public to cross that golf course.’

We enjoy a positive relationship with our neighbours and the club appreciates the efforts members make to be respectful to walkers enjoying the footpaths that cross our land.

David Garmon-Jones

Chair of Golf & Competitions Committee

Membership Survey

The Club will shortly be sending out a Membership Survey asking for your thoughts on a number of areas we would like your feedback on. Do keep your eye out for this.

Stuart Langhorn

General Manager

We Remember Alan Wylie 1939-2025

Alan Wylie, who passed away earlier this year, had been a member since 1947, marking an impressive span of 78 years—likely a record that will remain unbroken. His father, a former captain, significantly influenced the club during its formative years after its acquisition from the Du-Pre family, guiding it through early financial difficulties.

Alan, a member before the club changed ownership, witnessed 16 secretaries and numerous professionals, including Jimmy Adams, Alex Crombie, Mike Brothers, and Chris Doods. He saw Euan Murray set the professional course record of 63 in 1981 and followed junior Luke Donald, who became world no.1 and captained the Ryder Cup Team.

Alan was a solicitor by profession and a devoted golfer. When golfing, he wore a jacket and tie, standard early 1900s attire. He was a beloved member, passionate about the club's success. Even in his final days, he shared suggestions for improvement with the Board, as his wife Lin noted, keeping his spirits up until the end.

Stuart Langhorn

General Manager

Course Update and Rainfall

This year so far has seen some challenging weather conditions. Without a traditional spring, the weather seems to have gone straight from a wet winter into a hot dry summer resulting in a course which feels more like the conditions we would see in August. We have only had 36mm of rain in the last 83 days, and this has required us to use the automated irrigation system 7 nights a week to keep the playing surfaces alive. The system is running from 8.45pm through to 7.15am every morning applying water to the greens, tees and approaches one night followed by the fairways the next. The split is designed to give each area of fine turf the longest period possible to soak the ground which helps maximise the depth the water can penetrate down to the roots of the plant. During extreme periods of drought like we are currently experiencing, the use of hose pipes are essential through the day to soak the dry patches around and on the greens and tees. To retain moisture as much as possible, the greens, tees and approaches are sprayed with soil surfactants (wetting agents) that speed up the irrigation water’s ability to penetrate the surface. Our target is to try and reapply approximately 60% of the water that is lost each month to keep the grass alive.

Without the grass growth we would expect from a lush spring we have completed other work around the course such as strimming all pits, cutting through the woods, removing the large tree stumps and topping up all pathways. There looks to be some rain on the way in the next couple of weeks so we will be returning to our usual cutting routines as soon as we can.

In general the course is holding up extremely well as a result of the continued hard work and early starts from my team.

Lee March

Course Manager

(Click on the image to view in full screen)

Meeting Lee March, our Course Manager

Lee comes top of my list for unsung heroes. He has worked at BGC since he joined as a 16 year old trainee greenkeeper in 2001; firstly, learning his trade under Bill Paterson before becoming a vital part of Stuart’s greenkeeping team that has transformed the course over the last few years.

You will be aware that Lee is now our Course Manager and is continuing the excellent development through the hard work of our greenkeeping team. Stuart observed recently ‘it’s Lee’s attention to detail that impresses me so much.’

I caught up with Lee over a cuppa to find out more about the man. Lee lives in Hazlemere, is married with 3 children (one working and two at school). Lee’s wife is a special needs teacher, who is currently completing a Master’s qualification in education.

Lee is a keen golfer, although he plays infrequently. He loves our course and particularly likes our 14th hole with its classic Colt bunkers. It also comes at a great moment on the course when you cross the railway and head for ‘home’.

Professionally, Lee has become an expert in many areas. He has valuable corporate memory that is called upon frequently! He has developed specialist skills that he is passing on to younger members of the team. For example, he is our mechanical expert (which Judd is taking over) and our irrigation expert (which Jamie is talking over).

The greenkeeping team is a great group and it has been fantastic to see the team working so well together. We have had four apprentices recently and they are all now developing into fully fledged greenkeepers and playing an increasingly active role in looking after our course.

Lee finished our chat by reminding me how much he appreciates the interaction with members. The team receive a lot of positive feedback and while that is always welcome, he also appreciates constructive criticism and ideas.

Garrett Cotter

Chairman of Green

Chris' Corner

Dear Member,

I hope you are well and the golf is going well?

It has been a busy few weeks for us all, Tom has been playing a bit more and had a brilliant trip to Royal St Georges. A game of opposites for him on the day as he managed to find most of the rough with the odd fairway thrown in there for good measure. He played off of the Championship tees which played at 7200 yards, needless to say it wasn't a day for bad driving! It has become one of the best courses he has played, and made even better with outstanding weather all day. See below for one of the (rare) straight ones he hit on the day. Perhaps it was the rather large lunch beforehand that threw off his sequence?

We are getting increasingly busy with lessons, so do get yourself booked in with one of us to get your game in shape for the summer!

We are still conducting fittings with our leading brands in the studio, Taylormade Qi35, PING G440, Callaway ELYTE and Titleist GT series. These drivers are excellent this year, why not get some time booked in to see if you can improve on your (perhaps) old tech!

Happy golfing, see you soon.

Kind Regards,

Chris, Adam and Tom

Tom's Top Tips

In the Bag... Rule 19 - Unplayable Ball

Imagine your tee shot on the 11th has rolled halfway down the slope. Maybe some of the more agile players may be able to climb up and play the ball, but there are a number of us that don’t want to risk falling, and anyhow, what sort of shot could you play perched halfway up the slope? This is where I would use rule 19 – unplayable ball. Yes, you have to take a one shot penalty, but you will then be able to play from a much easier place.

You can take Unplayable Ball relief at any time except when your ball is in a penalty area. It is up to YOU to decide when a ball is unplayable.

You may have seen a video on social media recently of a player hitting a putt too hard and it goes off the green into a very deep greenside bunker. If you are doubtful about getting out of the bunker, then an option would be to take an unplayable ball under stroke and distance and take the putt again with a one stroke penalty.

You even get to choose from three options under the unplayable ball rule:

Stroke and Distance Relief
Back on Line Relief
Lateral Relief

However, the important thing to remember is that for Back on Line and Lateral relief, you MUST know the exact location of your ball. For example:

If your ball is on the 11th slope, but you saw it land and roll down and can see the ball, then you can use these options. You do not have to retrieve the ball, but you must be able to identify it.
If your ball went over the ridge on the 6th, and you know it is on the slope, but you cannot see the ball, then your ONLY option is stroke and distance.

Stroke and Distance

Go back to where the previous stroke was made. On the tee, you can tee up the ball, in the fairway or rough then you drop a ball in a one club length relief area from where you played your previous shot (no nearer the hole), on the green you place the ball where you played your previous shot.

Back on Line

Keep the location of the ball between you and the flag and go back as far as you like and drop a ball on the line.

Lateral

Drop a ball in a two club length relief area measured from the location of the ball (no nearer the hole).

If your ball is in a bunker and you decide to take unplayable ball relief, then back on line and lateral relief must be IN the bunker. However there is an option to take back on line OUTSIDE the bunker, but it costs you an extra penalty stroke – so two penalty strokes. At all times, stroke and distance is where you last played, so once you have tried to get out of a bunker, your stroke and distance will also be in the bunker.

Janet Beal

Trophy Roll Of Honour

Click here to see all the Winners for the Trophy Competitions

Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.