Captain's Blog
August 2025
The summer presses on into August - always a pretty busy month for golfers. Since I wrote my monthly BLOG for July much has happened at Highwoods and there's plenty to come in August. Captain's Day was a pleasing success with many prizewinners. The photos on the captain's notice board bear witness to the enjoyment. Also, as your captain, I thought it would be appropriate for me to at least try to figure in some sort of personal golfing success this year and I was lucky enough to be the host Highwoods member of the Dyke B team in the seniors team invitation competition on July 24. As it turned out the Dyke chaps (a chatty, confident bunch) played pretty well and I was able to share in their success when I handed out the prizes on that occasion. Success on my own seems unlikely, but with a good team around me I can be dynamite!
Trish and I played in the FRAMS "ladies invitation" which was a jolly day. The lady captain and I are still trying to find a way to play well together; with only three months to go of our captaincy we are still searching.....watch this space. We did get a notable victory at Nevill against a very competitive pair - an away win is always pleasing isn't it? Now it's onwards and, perhaps, upwards.
I was honoured to be one of the starters for the afternoon round of the club championship. So many good drives! Such enthusiastic and talented participants! Ed Bergin, who played his two rounds in a total of 3 over par, was a very deserving winner, as was the evergreen Alison Bough. The standard of golf at Highwoods has certainly risen in the ten years that I've been a member. This is partly because we have spotted the need for people to play to the best of their ability whenever they can, rather than the nonsense of simply "massaging" their handicaps so that they can 'win' things. Also, there are members of other clubs (good golfers) transferring their membership to Highwoods because they've heard how good the course is (thank you Jamie and team!). And - don't forget this - as I keep reminding everyone, we're members of a VERY good and friendly club!
Here's a story for you which might be worth recalling the next time things seem to go against you on the course. At a course called Sandford Springs in Hampshire the other day I hit a drive into a small copse just off the fairway. My first attempt to get out hit a tree, went straight up in the air and ended up behind me (the sound of it landing was a particularly disheartening moment). The next shot hit another tree and flew off across an adjoining fairway. My fourth shot, trying to return to the correct fairway, was well-struck but it hit yet another tree and returned to my feet! Undaunted, I then hit two more shots (5 and 6) but I still wasn't on the green so I finally picked up, as we were playing stableford. It seems to me important to remember that a) the golfer must keep trying until there's no point and b) once there is no point, pick the thing up and move on/get out of the way. For info - I parred the next hole. It's a strange game.
The recent vandalism behind the 14th tee is disappointing. Bored teenagers with lots of energy are a tricky problem and most societies seem to have to deal with it somehow. You can be sure that the parents of the perpetrators of this sort of crime would themselves express disgust from the comfort of their sofas at such behaviour generally. What they might have overlooked is their own level of responsibility for the actions of their tedious offspring. Just saying....
We seem to have some more lovely weather on the way so make the most of it! And - the very best of luck to our superb scratch team for their final on September 6. Some of us will I think be playing in a match at Lamberhurst that day but if you have the time I'm sure the team would appreciate some enthusiastic support.
Denis D
Trish and I played in the FRAMS "ladies invitation" which was a jolly day. The lady captain and I are still trying to find a way to play well together; with only three months to go of our captaincy we are still searching.....watch this space. We did get a notable victory at Nevill against a very competitive pair - an away win is always pleasing isn't it? Now it's onwards and, perhaps, upwards.
I was honoured to be one of the starters for the afternoon round of the club championship. So many good drives! Such enthusiastic and talented participants! Ed Bergin, who played his two rounds in a total of 3 over par, was a very deserving winner, as was the evergreen Alison Bough. The standard of golf at Highwoods has certainly risen in the ten years that I've been a member. This is partly because we have spotted the need for people to play to the best of their ability whenever they can, rather than the nonsense of simply "massaging" their handicaps so that they can 'win' things. Also, there are members of other clubs (good golfers) transferring their membership to Highwoods because they've heard how good the course is (thank you Jamie and team!). And - don't forget this - as I keep reminding everyone, we're members of a VERY good and friendly club!
Here's a story for you which might be worth recalling the next time things seem to go against you on the course. At a course called Sandford Springs in Hampshire the other day I hit a drive into a small copse just off the fairway. My first attempt to get out hit a tree, went straight up in the air and ended up behind me (the sound of it landing was a particularly disheartening moment). The next shot hit another tree and flew off across an adjoining fairway. My fourth shot, trying to return to the correct fairway, was well-struck but it hit yet another tree and returned to my feet! Undaunted, I then hit two more shots (5 and 6) but I still wasn't on the green so I finally picked up, as we were playing stableford. It seems to me important to remember that a) the golfer must keep trying until there's no point and b) once there is no point, pick the thing up and move on/get out of the way. For info - I parred the next hole. It's a strange game.
The recent vandalism behind the 14th tee is disappointing. Bored teenagers with lots of energy are a tricky problem and most societies seem to have to deal with it somehow. You can be sure that the parents of the perpetrators of this sort of crime would themselves express disgust from the comfort of their sofas at such behaviour generally. What they might have overlooked is their own level of responsibility for the actions of their tedious offspring. Just saying....
We seem to have some more lovely weather on the way so make the most of it! And - the very best of luck to our superb scratch team for their final on September 6. Some of us will I think be playing in a match at Lamberhurst that day but if you have the time I'm sure the team would appreciate some enthusiastic support.
Denis D