Wednesday 7th May 2025

As seems to be the pattern so far this year the day dawned with grey skies and a cold northerly wind. Nevertheless this did not deter 12 TEGS members and 2 guests from attending our meeting at Ashridge.
The staff at Ashridge were very welcoming; in particular the new starter, who gave us a very comprehensive briefing before letting us out on the course. Thus fully updated and fortified with coffee and bacon rolls we ventured out onto an Ashridge that was subtly different from the last time I played the course a few years ago.
The greens were slow compared to usual but course was in generally excellent condition. The setting was as beautiful as it always is, with many of the rhododendrons in full bloom. Despite the beauty of the setting a number of members managed to shoot some really excellent scores.
The weather improved somewhat through the morning and was pleasantly warm by the time we finished our morning round and withdrew to the clubhouse for the usual high quality lunch always provided by Ashridge. Because so few chose to play the afternoon greensomes competition, prize giving was conducted immediately after lunch.

The Nearest the Pin on the 3rd was won by Alex Kidd and the Nearest the Pin in 3 on the par 5 15th was won by guest Ian Creasey.

Tuesday 15th April 2025

The day began with light drizzle and grey skies – a reminder of the many wet and miserable days of last year. However this did not deter 13 TEGS members and one guest from venturing out onto the course at Beaconsfield.
The starter told us there had been heavy rain overnight and so conditions were very different to the blue skies of recent weeks. Nevertheless the greens were fast and true and the wet conditions did not seem to deter our doughty entrants and this was reflected in some remarkable scores. Indeed, when I saw the scores, I wondered if I had been playing the same course………
Despite the threatening skies we only saw light drizzle from time to time and everyone got round reasonably dry. The sun even made a brief appearance during lunch to remind us that we are still in spring and summer cannot be far away. We then enjoyed an excellent lunch of a seafood starter, followed by a lamb shank and apple
crumble and custard for pudding in the upstairs dining room.

Friday 28th March 2025

At long last March 28th dawned heralding the much anticipated first TEGS meeting of 2025. However the sky was dark and a light rain was falling ; reminiscent of so many miserable days in 2024!

Fortunately the rain was brief and as the morning progressed the sun came out and we had magnificent weather for the rest of the day. Moreover the greens were in great shape, especially so early in the season; prompting several of the Burnham Beeches members present to comment that they were the best they could ever remember for March.

Following 2 late withdrawals on medical grounds, the remaining 20 TEGS members plus one guest set out to challenge the course. With the exception of the sole guest Peter Litherland (who happens to be Burnham Beeches’ current Vice Captain) I think it fair to say the course won.

So Peter Litherland won the Guest prize with an impressive score of 37 points (playing off 10) and also the Nearest the Pin on the Par 3 10th. Nearest the Pin in 2 on the 14th was won by Geoff Ogden.

The team prize went to Chris Green, John Smith and Norman Oldmeadow with a score of 75 points and it was particularly good to see Norman back after what seems a long absence, as well as several others we haven’t seen for a while. The second team prize went to the team of Peter Litherland , Phil Moody and Nick Longman with a score of 73 points.