The PiGS Shield day was enjoyed by 13 players & fortunately storm Ashley had blown away.  Damp autumnal conditions prevailed.

Nearest the Pin was Craig Hendleman.  Paul Suggitt won the longest drive prize.

The winner of the PIGS Shield was Craig with 32 points, playing off a handicap of 9.

Runner up was Colin Aslett with 30 points. Colin was playing off a handicap of 20.

The Cecil Cup winner was Graham Mattocks.  Graham scored 30 points, playing off a handicap of 30.

As this was the last event of 2024 the following awards have been confirmed;

The Aggregate Trophy awarded to the player with the best combined 3 scores, during the year was won by Mark Ryder.  Mark score was 107.  Peter Lilja scored 103 & Nick Stell 102.

The Cecil Cup Shield goes to Alan Queree.

11 PIGS gathered in the Hever Castle Golf  clubhouse with the weather set fair and no sign of rain.  Playing 18 holes on this day was welcome as the course was undergoing maintenance with a lot of sand across the first six fairways.  We were also introduced to the concept of eco bunkers using sustainable sand.

The overall winner and recipient of the Len Horwood Trophy was Phil Redman, one point ahead of Colin Aslett. 

Nearest the Pin was snatched by Mark Ryder and Longest Drive claimed by Nick Stell.

The Cecil Cup winner was Alan Queree.

In a hastliy arranged last minute event a shortened field arrived at The Weald of Kent GC. The weather was very warm and the course was playing extremely well. 

In the morning Mark Ryder as joint organsier devised a very entretaining yellew ball competion where points scored with the yellow ball counted as double. He promptly tried to drive over the water on the first only to loose the ball. Paul Suggit the other co-organiser hit a sensilble iron short of the trouble and he and his team of Mat Clark and Kevin Kelly went on to win the morning event.

The Golfers Trophy competion in the afternoon was won by Kevin Kelly continuing his form from the morning with Dave Warwick coming in as runner up. Well done Kevin!

Longest drive was taken by Colin Simmons, nearest the pin was taken by Ed Chick and Dennis Miller took home the  Cecil Cup.

Well done to all our winners. 

A lovely sunny day greeted the 11 members playing for the PIG’s Open at Westerham Golf Club.

The course was in great condition and played with a good degree of difficulty looking at the scores.

Nick Stell won the day with 33 points playing off 12 he also claimed the nearest the pin prize on the very picturesque 11th.

Beating Craig on count back with 32 points to come second was Ed Chick playing off 27 so he also wins the Cecil Cup.

The final prize of the day went to David Warwick who had the nearest the pin in the uphill par 3 8th.

This was our third visit to Surrey National Golf Course, and I believe everyone enjoyed the day.

The weather was kind to us being 23 degrees  and the putting surfaces were superb.

A good turnout of 15 members, played the normal 18 hole stableford competition.

Mark Ryder took the first prize and the Claret Jug with an amazing score of 44 points, no doubt he will be cut significantly for the next game. Joking apart what a great round, 10 players achieved a score in the 30’s, well done everyone.

 Phil R took the longest drive by a few inches and Peter L just beat Gary H to nearest the pin. It was nice to see Gary and Dave M returning to golf after a long layoff.

 The day, will be remembered for the unfortunate Sun Stroke of Kevin K, glad to hear he has fully recovered, our best wishes go out to him. Special thanks to the St Johns Ambulance people and the 3  Paramedics who attended. Special thanks to Gary as he unselfishly managed to scoff all of Kevins Chocolate Brownies to stop them going stale.

It was a first trip to Dartford Golf Club for the PIG’s and it was a very enjoyable day.

It was the Tiny Ryder Cup event organised by Mark Ryder.  As per normal teams started the morning in a USA v Europe, Ryder Cup style, team competition. Europe edged the morning with a 2-1 points lead. In the afternoon, it turned more to traditional golf, with all competitors, trying to win via a Stableford competition, albeit, the scoring for the team event continued in the background.

Winners of note were as follows :-

• Dennis Miller overall winner with a score of 36 points

• As Dennis PREVIOUSLY played off a handicap of higher than 23, he also won the Cecil Cup played for by those with a handicap of 23 or higher

• Dave Warwick was in 2nd place, beating Mark Ryder into 3rd on countback with a score of 34

• Colin Aslett won Longest Drive using only a 3 wood !!!

• Ed Chick playing his first PIG’s event, won the Nearest the Pin

With the afternoon’s scoring being added to the mornings for the team event. USA romped home clear winners, so congratulations to :-

Dave Warwick, Phil Redman, Jon Beadle, Nick Stell, Colin Simmons and Ed Chick.

The PIGS first official event of the golfing season took place at Willingdon Golf Course. There was a shower late morning but apart from that the weather was excellent for the time of year and the course was in super condition.

The views from the higher parts of the course are terrific and the course was challenging with the yellow tees pushed right back and playing long and I think this was reflected in the scores with only three playes breaking 30 points.

First and second both scored 32 points with Paul Suggitt beating Colin Simmons on countback with Colin Aslett coming in third with 20 points. The longest drive went to Glenn Elphick (our latest new member) and nearest the pin went to Colin Simmons again. Well done to all participants!

Photo is Colin presenting the winner (and organiser) Paul Suggitt.

The PIGS visited Lydd Golf Club for the first golf day of 2024 with 19 players.  Whilst it was cool, the sun came out and the wind was a steady breeze, all leading to a pleasant day of golf.  The course was dry under foot which was a something many had not experienced for a while in the UK.  

The winner of the day was co-organiser Graham Mattocks followed closely by Paul Suggitt.  The two nearest the pin prizes were won by (in 2) Mark Ryder and Peter Lilja.  Longest drive saw many long hits only to fail to end up on the fairway, the winner was Phil Redman.

Photo is of Andy Mitchell co- organiser presenting the AGM Cup the winner.

The Players Player of The Year Award is voted by the players.  

This award is not necessarily for the best player (although it can be). Every member votes for the player that may contribute to the running of the society or may be someone they just enjoy playing with.

For 2023 this award was won by Alan Queree. Well done Alan.

The AGM for the Society took place at The Plough Inn, Crowhurst, on Wednesday 31st January. We had an enjoyable meal beforehand . Thanks to the staff at The Plough.

The Aggregate Trophy for 2023 is awarded to the player with the best 3 combined scores for the year.  A very close result. The winner, Mark Ryder on 103 points. Andy Hulls scored 102 points & David Warwick 101 points.  Congratulations to Mark.

A frosty start at Sweetwoods, but the sun came out. Well, for 9 holes only. The course was in good condition with quick running greens, despite the dampness. 

11 PIGS took part and they all said they enjoyed it. No big scores, but several of us were quite close. 

Mark Ryder came first with 33 points. He also won the Cecil Cup. Mark said he’d been wanting to win the Len Horwood Memorial Cup. 

There were 3 players in second place with 30 points each. Craig H came second on count back. 

Peter L won longest drive and Dennis M won nearest the pin. 

We finished the day with a late lunch/early dinner. Most of us chose beef burger and fries. Good meal, but large portions. It was a good enjoyable day. Everyone was in good form (and I am not meaning golf!!!). 

Neil Thorn - Organiser

A great day was had by all who attended the event at Cooden. It was great to play the course again after many years since our last event there. The weather gods were kind and we thank the club for their hospitality. 

The overall winner was Alan Queree, well done Alan. A speicial mention also to Ian Townsend who came in with a higher score than Alan but was playing as a guest, as he chose not to rejoin as a member, so was not eligible to win the trophy or prize. Ian did however win the nearest the pin prize so did not go home empty handed. The longest drive was won by Phil Redman.

Thanks to Kev Kelly fo organising the event.

Mature landscape, designed by Harry Colt in 1927 ..... sounds tempting?

6,000 yards with fast greens, ranked 12th in Kent .... worth a trip?

£74 package to include sustenance and prizes .... not cheap, but surely we like a challenge?

And so it was that 11 members of the PIGS set forth to take on the highways, byeways and potholes of the Sussex/Kent borders to take on the challenges of the above .... and rising to the challenge was the brave response.

It’s not normal to refer to the lower scores, but there was no disgrace when presenting cards of 27/28/29 ...  6 players offered cards in the high thirties .... with the winner, Andy Hulls, scoring 40 points!

The weather gods approved with a clap of thunder and a torrential downpour as the last 4-ball entered the clubhouse.

Congratulations to Andy and Colin Simmons, who beat Mark Ryder to second place on count back with 37 points. 

Colin S was also the proud recipient of the much cherished Cecil Cup.

Andy H was presented with a Trophy substitute .... in the shape of a Picasso inspired jug.   ......  last year’s winner is still turning his house upside down in search of the original Golfer’s Trophy ...... 

And to great acclaim, Paul S took both bottles for NTP and LD. 

We sang the praises of the chef and waitress staff ... and made our way home. 

Alan Queree - Organiser

A bright and windy afternoon greeted the 14 PIG’s members at East Brighton Golf Club. The views of the channel and surrounding Roedean and Brighton were an added bonus for playing this course with some very challenging holes and pure putting surfaces.

Winner of the PIG’s Open and the Cecil cup was Phil Redmond with a great score of 37 points playing off 24. Phil also won nearest the pin on the 16th hole.

Second with a score of 33 points was Paul Suggitt and 3rd Foros Kalakoutis with 31 points. This was Foros’s last game with PIGs this year and we wish him well in his retirement back in Cyprus.

Finally the prize for longest drive on the 6th hole was taken by Peter Lilja who only used his 3 wood!

Craig Hendleman - Organiser

12 golfers met at Chartham Park, fearing thunder storms and heavy showers, however the weather was very kind to us, if not the course !!

We were competing in the morning with three groups of four in a betterball competition, representing either Europe or America.

Without going into to many details, it was fair to say that it was a complete whitewash by Europe, winning all three games, and therefore leading by 6 points at lunchtime.

We were joined in the afternoon by two further PIG’s members, who preferred to take in the cricket in the morning, followed by an easy and relaxing 18 holes.

The competition in the afternoon was a Stableford competition vying for the prestigious Tiny Ryder Cup. However, as per normal, individuals scores, would also continue to feed into the Europe v America Match.

Dave Warwick who I had the pleasure of playing with, won the afternoon event with 35 points ( he was representing America ).

Second place, was only a point behind on 34, in a keenly fought competition between Jon Beadle and Clive Suggitt, with Jon pipping Clive on countback (both representing America ).

The winner of the Cecil Cup for those with handicaps of 22 or over, was Kevin Kelly on 31 points ( he was representing America).

Prizes for Nearest the Pin and Longest Drive were won by Peter Lilja and Clive Suggitt respectively.

America faired much better during the afternoon’s Stableford competition, which bought us a “first” in the Tiny Ryder Cup format, when the afternoon’s play was taken into consideration, the teams were drawn at 15 points each. The organiser Mark Ryder, decided to work out “countback” for each individual playing in the afternoon, and this was also close, but America pipped Europe by one point after countback.

Thanks to Mark Ryder for organising the day.  Our thanks also to Chartham Park.

Mark Ryder - Organiser

The Claret Jug event took place at Royal Eastbourne Golf club on Thursday, 25th May. 

David Warwick won the prize for nearest the pin & Paul Suggitt for the longest drive. 

A stableford competition over 18 holes was the format for the main event contested by 12 members & 1 guest. 

Our guest David Stitchman, with 37 points, playing off a handicap of 19, was the winner. However the trophies can only be awarded to members. 

Runner up for the Claret Jug was Mark Ryder. Mark scored 33 points, playing off a handicap of23. 

The winner of the Claret Jug was Clive Suggitt. Clive scored 35 points, playing off a handicap of 22.  Clive also won the Cecil Cup award for the best 22 & above handicapped player. 

Thanks to Colin Simmons for organising the day. Also thanks to Royal Eastbourne Golf club.

The PIGS Cup event  took place at Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club on 20th April.  After an enjoyable full English breakfast the golfers braved the cold, wet & windy conditions. 

Nearest the pin prize went to David Mitchell & for the longest drive to Paul Suggitt.  Paul also won the prize for nearest the pin in 2 but he generously donated this to Nick Stell, who was the next closest.

  The 18 hole stableford competition, for the Cup,  was won by David Warwick.  David scored 32 points playing off a handicap of 23.  He also won the Cecil Cup, awarded to the best 22 and above handicapped player of the day.

Nick Stell was runner up for The PIGS Cup.  He scored 30 points playing off a handicap of 10.

Congratulations to the winners.  Also thanks to Paul Suggitt for organising the event & to Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club.

The AGM for the Society took place at The Plough on Friday 20th January. We had an enjoyable meal beforehand .  The Players Player of the Year award, voted by the members,  went to Paul Suggitt.  Well done Paul.

The Aggregate Trophy is awarded to the player with the best combined 3 scores during the year. This was won by Nick Stell with 113 points. Runner up was Jon Beadle with a similar total. Nick had one of the best scores from the 3 counting scores & therefore won on countback.