Club News

Message from Lady Captain:

I held my Lady Captain's day on Tuesday with an individual 18 hole Stableford competition in the morning. A total of 30 ladies took part with spot prizes and a beat the pro challenge. The weather did its part and the rain held off until everybody had finished their rounds. The resulting scores were very good and the winners of the spot prizes were Jenny Filby (nearest the pin on 3rd hole) and Sheila Brightwell (nearest the line on the 16th hole - she was exactly my shoe size away from the line - Well done!). The beat the pro challenge was won by Jane Bizley with Kay Bates coming in 2nd. There was a special prize for an "EAGLE" on the par 5, 5th hole for Carol Turnbull, she got so excited with 6 points on one hole that the rest of her round was slightly below her usual level.
The main prizes in reverse order were 6th: Annie Langstaff (37 points); 5th: Helen Howe (37 points); 4th: Jenny Filby (37 points); 3rd Linda Foster (38 points); 2nd: Kay Bates (39 points) and 1st: Christine Whyman (41 points) - as I mentioned the point scoring was very impressive ; well done to all the winners on the day.

The winners of the County Stableford were awarded their voucher prizes with Christine Webster as runner up and Maxine Hadden Philo as winner.

Forty ladies and guests sat down to a meal provided by David Ball. Thanks for an excellent meal which everybody enjoyed.

I would like to thank all the club members who bought squares for the sofa quilt that I made as the amount of money raised was £162, your generosity is much appreciated. In addition to this total, £72 was donated during the beat the pro challenge and other donations received totalled £60 making a grand total on the day of £293. Thank you all so much.

Your Ladies' Captain, Anne Taylor

On Sunday 21st May, Dereham had a home draw in the 2nd round of the Myhill event. This was a closely fought contest throughout the day and despite a ‘come back’ in the afternoon we lost on the second extra hole. Many thanks go to the team for their efforts and to the club members for their support.

Comments from Club Captain:

"I felt a little sad the day after losing the Myhill match last week. I am sure Julian is also feeling it following the Cullington result. The boys, however, were a credit to the club. Was the result fair? Probably - the team from Mattishall GC played well in the morning and we as a team were a little off our game. I think the boys would agree!
In the afternoon, that was completely different. They played brilliantly. Coming back from 6 down in the morning to tie the match. Well done, lads. This forced a sudden death playoff. Choosing who should play the playoff for a team is always difficult but I asked Matthew Strudwick and Mark Brewster to play. Well done to Matthew and Mark for taking on that challenge. They have been fantastic this year, playing well in all four rounds. They finished 11 up at Dunston Hall and 7 up on the day at Dereham GC. They stood up brilliantly for us this year. We lost the playoff, but it was a great effort nonetheless! Well done also to all the players in both teams this year, an excellent team spirit. I know you did us proud and I was especially pleased with the respect you players gave to each other, you conducted yourselves admirably. Thanks to the club for your support, it’s been a brilliant experience. I am a very proud Captain.
A special thanks to Marcus Sibley for sponsorship of the team shirts and to Richard Turner for the team hats. Both teams looked fantastic!"

- Steve Beckham

After all the water based fun of this past week, we have decided to split this year’s President Day in two. After all, what better way to celebrate President Ray (the 2 time Club Captain) than celebrating his day twice in a year!
The 18 hole mixed stableford competition will still take place this Saturday, with (weather permitting) a presentation taking place on the patio at around 6:15-6:30 pm.
The bar will be open all day but there will be no catering.
The planned meal and Casino Night will take place later in the year once the refurbished clubhouse is up and running.

Our juniors have been busy out and about around Norfolk today!

Our Norfolk County Golf Union KK Smith squad went East and put up a battling performance in the final at Royal Cromer Golf Club, but came up just short. Congratulations to Middleton Hall Golf Club for taking the win. We look forward to a rematch next year!

Meanwhile our GolfSixes squad headed West to Kings Lynn Golf Club and put in a great performance to take the win.

The entire club is very proud of everyone who took part. The future of golf is looking very bright.

Congratulations to our K K Smith SemiFinal team, who took a hard fought win over Bawburgh Golf Club in extremely hot conditions.
Well done to Arthur, Jake, Liam and Tibet, pictured with Club Captain Richard Brownlow.

The squad are through to the Final on 7th August where they will face either Royal Norwich or Middleton Hall venue tbc

After the test event at the start of the month (thank you Your Majesty) it’s time for the real big celebration in June, yes we are proud to welcome you to Captain’s Week.

The festivities kick off today with the Ladies section competing for the Club Captain’s prize.
The Men’s section will then battle it out over 36 holes. First on Wednesday there is an 18 hole stableford competition, followed on Saturday by an 18 hole strokeplay competition. Prizes will be awarded for winners on each day and overall.

Saturday night sees the Club Captain host an evening of fun and entertainment, with a barbecue and music from the brilliant Harley Street Band. (Tickets available from the clubhouse)

The festivities will end on Monday with the (soon to be) traditional challenge between teams picked by the Club Captain and the Junior Captain.

It promises to be a great week of celebrations.

We are all ready to kick off our jubilee celebrations!
Today will see members tee off for a mixed pairs Jubilee Scramble, followed by afternoon tea and a loyal toast to Her Majesty The Queen.
Tomorrow sees the annual running of our Jubilee Cup mixed strokeplay competition. Let’s face it, there has never been a more apt time for the running of this competition 😊
Sunday will see our Junior section take to the course to compete for their Club Championship. With so many juniors posting competitive scores of late, it really is too close to call and promises to be a great battle.

May is 2/3rds done but we are by no means finished with the month with plenty coming up before June descends upon us.

Friday 20th sees the return of Friday Night Social Golf, with the ever popular 3 clubs and a putter challenging our members. Will we see someone trying to get out of a bunker with a 5 iron? Will we see a par 5 tee shot with an 8 iron?

Sunday 22nd sees our Cullington Team head out to Heacham Manor Golf Club for their round 2 match, while our Ladies Gillieson Cup Team will also head out on the road, playing their round 1 match at Ryston Park Golf Club.

Saturday 28th sees both the Mens and Ladies Scratch League teams take to the Dereham course, playing their round 1 matches against Bawburgh Golf Club and Eaton Golf Club, Norwich respectively.
That night will see one of our regular Quiz Nights take place in the clubhouse. Open to both members and visitors, if you’re quick you can still get your team entered.

Sunday 29th will see the soon to be traditional battle between the Mens Captain’s Team vs Ladies Captain’s team, taking place over an 18 Hole Greensomes match. Who will win? It’s too close to call!

This will see out the month of May, but then we have a very busy June to look forward to! More on that soon!!

Update

We're pleased to say, after a very hard fought match, Dereham win their match 2 up, and now progress onto round 2.
There they will face an away day trip to the winner of Fakenham Golf Club and Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club.

Well Done to our Barnard Trophy Squad

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The 2022 inter club competitions continue with the Seniors Squad taking part in round one of the Barnard Trophy.

We’re pleased to welcome our friends from Caldecott Hall Golf Club for what promises to be a good match.

Good luck to everyone taking part.

Barnard Trophy Squad
Nigel Elmar/ Ralph Myton
Steve Beckham/ Derek Kevern
John Batty / Nick Franks
Barry Green/Alex Maclean

Update
Well done to our Cullington Squad who took a hard fought win over Wensum Valley to progress to Round 2 away at Heacham Manor.
Our Myhill Squad unfortunately couldn't overcome Thetford and their 2022 journey comes to an end.

Today sees the start of the 2022 inter-club competitions, with our Myhill squad heading south to visit Thetford Golf Club, while in the Cullington we are pleased to welcome our friends from Wensum Valley.
Good luck to both squads, in what look to be two very tough first round fixtures.

Myhill Squad

Simon Chaney
Alex Bates
Jon Baker-Odlin
Matthew Strudwick
Jamie Beeby
Ryan Thorogood
Sam Naughnane
Andrew Hibbard

Cullington Squad

Greg Caffyn
Marc Moore
John Batty
Nick Scott
Marcus Sibley
Michael Barnes
Lee Head
Stuart Fletcher

Please note that until further notice the practice nets will be unavailable for use

Easter is just around the corner and that means one thing (that isn’t covered in chocolate). Yes, it’s the return of the Vincent Eclectic.
Played over 2 rounds, spread over the fours day from Good Friday to Easter Monday.
You book your rounds as normal, then make sure you sign in for the competition on the terminal/HowDidiDo app before you play (and submit your scores afterwards).

This year, part of the proceeds from the competition will be donated to support Ukrainian refugees, alongside the generous donations made by our members and guests over the last month in the club shop.

Members are also encouraged to wear blue and yellow to show their support. There are rumours about our Club Captain and some yellow shorts, could they be true? 🤔 We’ll be on the lookout!

The ladies section enjoyed their annual Ladies Captain's Away Day this past week, with a trip out west to the coast and Heacham Manor Golf Club. A total of 28 ladies made the trip and whilst the weather wasn’t as glorious as the previous few days, it did stay dry which we think we can all agree is whats important!
Louise Barter took the win in a very competitive field, with Annie Langstaff second and Jane Dunsire third.
Louise also took the nearest the pin on the fifth hole.

Well done to all the ladies who took part and a big thank you to Ladies Captain Sheila Brightwell for putting on a great day.

We are delighted to advise we have renewed our SafeGolf accreditation.
This confirms our commitment to the standards set out by England Golf in

“Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people as well as adults at risk, ensuring that all people have fun, safe and positive experience in the sport of golf.”

Congratulations to our Welfare Officer, Sarah Wicks, and everyone involved.

We were delighted to welcome level 3 golf referee Mike Lees to Dereham Golf Club, after a storm Eunice enforced postponement.

Mike provided an engaging and informative presentation on the ABCs of the rules of golf using visual aids and screens, then held an interactive Q&A session mixed in with entertaining stories of his own experiences refereeing competitions.

The audience was a mix of juniors, newer golfers and those who have been playing for many years, and everyone in attendance came away learning something valuable (especially with the new competition season about to get underway).

Mike kindly donated his time for free, and generously insisted that donations made on the night be given to our own Junior section.

Mike has agreed to return to Dereham Golf Club to hold another event, hopefully later this year, which is something that you won’t want to miss.

A message on behalf of Richard Brownlow the Club Captain, Ray Wicks the Club President and all the Officers of the Club.

We would like to wish all our members, their families and friends a very happy and hopefully healthy Christmas.

As we head towards 2022, a lot remains uncertain but you can be sure of a warm welcome at the club and having a great course to play on.

The course will be closed Christmas Day, but reopens on Boxing Day (conditions allowing 🤞🏻) ready for all your golfing presents to get their first trip out.

Stay safe, stay warm and enjoy the festivities in whatever way you choose.

So Golf is done, for Twenty One,
And there is nothing left to do,
‘Cept heed the call,
To tee up your ball,
And do it again in Twenty Two.

We would like to wish all our members, their families and friends a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Following on from their confirmation at our recent AGM, we are proud to introduce our Captains and Club President for 2022.

Ladies Captain: Mrs Sheila Brightwell

Club Captain: Richard Brownlow

Club President: Ray Wicks

We are all looking forward to the 2022 golfing year and all it holds for us under their leadership

Portraits by Michael Lyons
https://www.michaellyonsphotography.co.uk

We are very proud to present the winners of the Turkey Trot 2021.
After a close fought competition, the team of Keith Davidson, Mike Whyman, Elizabeth Bench and Jane Dunsire took a well deserved win. They are pictured receiving their prizes from Captain Richard Brownlow (and his extremely festive waistcoat).

Well done to everyone who took part, and a special thank you to our Green Keeping Gurus who despite all the weather related challenges presented a fantastic course for the competition.

#WinnerWinnerTurkeyDinner #ChristmasCanBeginNow

With Christmas just around the corner (oh yes it is), we are delighted to announce the return of the Turkey Trot on Sunday 12th December.
The festive event starts at Midday with Sausage Rolls and Mince Pies in the Clubhouse before a 1pm Shotgun Start for the 9 hole Team Texas Scramble.

The sign up sheet is available in the clubhouse, and teams will be drawn nearer the date.

Following on from the prizegiving, around 4pm, we will be drawing the winners for our Christmas Prize Draw. It’s not too late to be in with a chance of winning the big prizes (or the little ones); squares are available to purchase behind the bar.

Our Mixed Open event took place on Sunday 10th October, with 27 pairs taking part in a Greensomes competition. They represented 22 different clubs from across Norfolk and the UK with the furtherest joining us from Manchester.

As expected the competition was very tight, with 2nd to 4th having to be decided on countback!

A big congratulations to all our winners:
1st 42 Points
Stephen Eadie & Annie Keeper
Heacham Manor

2nd 39 points OCB
Peter & Margaret Beckley
Links Newmarket

3rd 39 points OCB
Michael & Christine Whyman
Sheringham

4th 39 points OCB
Liz & Steve Harvey
Links Newmarket

Nearest the line Ladies:
Phyllis Taylor
Heacham Manor

Longest Drive Men:
Tom McEvoy
Colmworth & N. Beds

Nearest the Pin Ladies:
Christine Whyman
Sheringham

Nearest the Pin Men:
David Harman
Ringway Hales Barnes (Manchester)

We hope the competitors enjoyed the event as much as we enjoyed hosting it.
Our Mixed Open, along with other Open events, will return in 2022 and we can't wait.

Pictured is our first placed team of Stephen Eadie and Annie Keeper, with Ladies President Helen Howe

Saturday 23rd October saw us celebrate President's Day with our Club President, Peter Brightwell.
110 members from across all sections of the club took the course for a Mixed Stableford competition, followed by a presentation event in the clubhouse that evening.

A huge congratulations to one of our juniors, Jake, who took the overall win with a fantastic score of 40 points. Jake is pictured receiving his prize from the President.

The full list of winners is shown below:

Overall: Jake

Mens Division 1
1: Greg Caffyn
2: Alan Buckingham
3: Liam Caffyn

Mens Division 2
1: Lloyd Hunt
2: Steve Bainbridge
3: Peter Turnbull

Ladies:
1: Polly Slowiok
2: Beth Buckingham

Spot Prizes
Nearest the Pin
Ladies: Sarah Wicks, who so nearly secured her first ever Hole In One
Mens Div 1: Jamie Beeby
Mens Div 2: Peter Turnbull

Longest Putt: Steve Bainbridge, with an epic 44ft effort dropping into the 18th hole.
Nearest the Marker Post: Alex Bates.

Positional Prizes:
30th Place: Jon Baker-Odlin
40th Place: Stuart Fletcher
50th Place: Kevin Mann

A big thank you to President Peter for arranging such a great event, and to everyone who came out to support Peter and the club.