We teed off our 49th year as a Society at Thorney Lakes Golf Club. A special thanks to Andy Izod, who kindly donated his courtesy green fee to upgrade our traditional mini breakfast into a Full English feast — much appreciated by all! Roy, never one to miss an opportunity for refinement, took things à la carte with poached eggs on toast.

Despite some recent spring work on the greens, the course was in fine condition. Fairways and bunkers were neat and tidy, making for a very enjoyable round.

The day wasn’t without its early drama: Colin and Roy had trouble locating the first tee after a couple of members mistakenly went off from the mat 50 yards down the fairway. Once the error was pointed out, the buggy made a swift retreat to the mandatory yellow tee.

Meanwhile, Geoff, piloting the second buggy with Les riding shotgun, found himself pondering the age-old question of “Where’s reverse?” After some collective head-scratching from nearby golfers, the mystery was solved: an electric switch on the dashboard. Crisis averted.

At Hole 2, designated Nearest the Pin, Les’s tee shot met a watery end, to his dismay. Geoff Delany, taking no chances, clubbed up (though not quite to driver level) and found the putting surface cleanly — the only ball to land on the green, earning him a well-deserved bottle of Port. Well played!

On the course, Trevor impressed with a fine 4 points on the Stroke Index 5th, while Gabe provided some comedy gold: after Paul removed the pin and stepped aside holding it, Gabe — ever accurate — took aim at Paul, not the hole. A surefire “Bloomer of the Year 2026” contender!

At the 18th, Geoff took on the role of on-course coach, wisely advising Les to lay up short of the pond rather than attempt a heroic finish from 160 yards. Solid advice — duly noted for future seasons.

Andy’s breakfast strategy to slow down everyone’s swing speed didn’t quite pan out. Final standings saw Trevor finishing 3rd on countback from Jim Daley with 29 points, Paul Flanders taking 2nd with 33 points, and our winner — with an outstanding 38 points — was Graham Tooke, setting an early pace at the top of the 2026 leaderboard.

Next stop: Blankney in April — onward we go!