Details/Specifications of Seniors Competitions
The Seniors summer competition season runs throughout British Summer Time i.e. from 1st April to 31st October with the Winter Frostbite outside those dates. Below are details of the individual competitions and a brief summary of the history of each.
Knockout Trophy (Les Hanford)
Les was a retired police officer and a Seniors Captain in 1996 who passed away tragically after a fall on the golf course. This is a singles knockout competition completed in a series of rounds starting in April and concluding in October. The format for the knockout is MatchPlay using the Course Handicap difference and played from the Orange tees. All Players must complete their matches by the due date. Where one of the players is unable to play by the due date they will forfeit the match. If neither player can agree on a suitable date the match will be decided by the toss of a coin.
Plate Trophy (Les Hanford)
A Plate competition will be run for losers of the preliminary and first rounds of the Les Hanford Trophy. The format is the same as the competition shown above. The course can be decided by the participants.
Four Club Challenge (Brian Gibson)
Brian was a founder member of the Seniors and Secretary for many years. This is a non qualifying competition, first started in 2019, in honour of one of our founding members, Brian Gibson. It is a 4-club (including putter) competition singles Stableford using the Course Handicap.
Peter Driver Cup
Peter was a retired Kings School master and was Seniors Captain in 1998.He was remembered as a very competitive golfer who passed away from a brain haemorrhage 2 weeks after a memorable 54 pts Stableford score !! This competition is held in April and is a non qualifying individual Medal competition from the Orange tees using the Course Handicap.
Captains Cup (Ian Powell)
Ian was a retired Marine Engineer and Seniors Captain in 1993 This competition is held in July as a non qualifying individual Stableford competition from the Orange tees using the Course Handicap,.
Captains Away Day (Hamilton Smith)
This was donated by Ron Smith a long time member of the Seniors who had an Insurance Brokerage under the name of Hamilton Smith.He was a retired RAF Navigator flying Vulcans most notably during the Cuban Crisis Members compete in a non qualifying individual Stableford competition from the Orange tees using the Course Handicap.
2nd Away Day
At the discretion of the Captain a Second Away Day may be arranged.The format will be as for the Hamilton Smith Trophy.
Pairs Better Ball Trophy (Peter Prior)
Peter was a retired banker and Captain in 1995.He always played in plus fours in the winter! The Pairs Better Ball Trophy is awarded to the winners of a pair’s better ball competition to be played in October. The intention of the competition is to give high handicap players a better chance of winning a Club Trophy by drawing pairs, matching together as far as is possible, players with the lowest handicap with players with the highest handicap. The format is a better ball Stableford competition off the Orange tees with 85% handicap allowance.
Tom Lambert Cup
Tom was a founder member of the Seniors and all round bon viveur.No surprises that he was a retired wines and spirits buyer. The Tom Lambert Cup is a non qualifying individual Stableford competition using the Orange tees and is played in August.
Memorial Trophy
This trophy commemorates the passing of Seniors through the years. Their names are inscribed on the trophy. The Memorial Trophy is a Medal competition from the Orange tees played over single rounds on alternate courses each year and using a Playing Handicap which is 95% of Course Handicap.
Inter Club Match Championship
The Inter Club Match Championship is awarded to the senior member who has performed best overall in inter-club matches. Those who have played in 50% or more of the matches compete for this trophy and the winner is the player who achieved the highest points. 4 points for a win, 2 points for a half and 1 point for playing. In the event of players having equal points, the player with the highest %age of wins will be declared the winner
Captain v Vice Captain
This is usually held at the beginning of the Summer season. Players are allocated to a team on an ad hoc basis on the day of the competition. The format is a 4 ball matchplay using a 90% playing handicap.
Monthly Competitions
Each month a Monthly Medal and a Monthly Stableford competition is held. These are qualifying competitions using 95% of Course Handicap. Results from these competitions are recorded throughout the season and used to award the following additional trophies:
Summer Eclectic
From April to September inclusive each time a member plays in a monthly competition their best gross score for each hole played will be used to compile a card for each course. At the end of the season the winners are the players with the lowest net scores on each course at the end of each competition.
Winter Frostbite
Runs from October to March. Order of Merit points given to first ten players from the monthly qualifying games. Ten points for the winner, nine for second place and so on.
Seniors Golfer of the Year
Runs from December to November of the following year.Order of Merit points given to first ten players from the monthly qualifying games. Ten points for the winner, nine for second place and so on.
Seniors Club Championship
The competition will be held in June and is acceptable for handicap. It is a individual medal competition played from the orange tees using the course handicap. It will be held over two rounds one on the Woods the other on the Lakes, the first round gross score will be added to the second round net score to decide the overall winner.
Nick Townend
Seniors Competitions and Handicaps Secretary
30 Sept 2025