Simon Byford’s golf column: Club focus on Flempton Golf Club
As we continue our monthly look at the clubs in our area, I must thank golfing historian Christian McMillan and the fascinating Flempton GC website (definitely worth a visit) for their assistance.
Founded in 1895, Flempton & Bury St Edmunds Golf Club (latterly dropping the BSE addition to the title after the creation of Bury St Edmunds Golf Club) was formed on the land of the Hengrave estate. The legend dictates that a homesick Scottish officer based at Bury St Edmunds took to his horse in search of terrain similar to home.
Along with his batman, who wielded a knife, flower pot and stick, they carved out holes as the officer saw fit. A game with fellow officers ensued and attracted the attention of those who rode along the track linking Bury with Mildenhall, leading to the formation of a club on this historic ground.
This is a great tale of pure sporting exploration, and the fact you can really visualise it if you have ever driven from Bury to Mildenhall, cresting the small rise in the road coming out of Hengrave village to see the Golf Course on your right hand side.
The original layout of the course, which has always been 9 holes, sat to the left of the current driveway, and was redesigned in 1906 by JH Taylor. It is ironic that the 1906 renovation was due to technological advances making the course too short. The Haskell Golf ball went further than the old Guttie, and the course was lengthened to accommodate this, and expanded to both sides of the current driveway. Not much has changed in the subsequent 120 years, and since 2016 the club has actually started a restoration project to return some of the original bunkering and hazards installed by the 5-time Open Champion JH Taylor.
My personal experiences of Flempton Golf Club really centre around my School Holiday rounds with my grandparents who were both members of Flempton. My sister and I would journey out with Grandma & Grandpa, and in my memory it was always a balmy spring or summer day. The unique layout of Flempton GC, which loops back to the clubhouse every three holes, meant that as our grandparents aged they could join us for 12, 9 or 6 holes as their golfing days slowed down. Often they would play 6 holes, go to the clubhouse for a rest (probably both from the walking and 2 excitable teenagers!) then join us three holes later for another loop. These are memories I will
treasure forever.
If you haven’t visited Flempton Golf Club before, please do, it is a real treat.
Thetford GC
Thetford Golf Club held its Captain’s Farewell on Saturday 30th November. A celebratory event hosted by Club Captain, Kevin Cooke, saw a large number of members participate in this fun competition.
Run as a shotgun start the event was played in teams of 4 with 2 scores counting on each hole, and all 4 counting on par 3s. The result was close, with 3 teams tied on 99 points. However, one team pipped them all with a fine score of 100 points. Led by Thetford greenkeeper Marcus Locke, the team included Chris Rodwell, Nathan Serriff and Shaun Brighty. As one of the greenkeeping staff, Marcus Locke was able to benefit from his work playing a course that was outstanding – dry underfoot with excellent putting surfaces.
In the evening, players and families enjoyed a fun social event in the clubhouse with a band playing. It rounded off a great day, and a fine year for Captain Cooke who has overseen a successful tenure at Thetford.
On the Sunday the weather turned wetter for a second day of competition. The club held a medal that saw nearly 100 participants. The conditions proved no barrier for Jordan Scrimshaw with an outstanding net 63 to easily win the day. His closest rival was Dan Kelly with a score of 67 that would usually be good enough to win. The Division 1 winner was Ben Dominey who shot a fine one under par 71 (net 68), just pipping Andrew Horsburgh who, with a welcome return to form, also scored nett 68 but lost out due to The Count’s calculations.
Stowmarket GC
The Stowmarket men’s section held midweek & weekend Stableford competitions. It was a family affair in the midweek event for the Hurst-Cotton’s. Father Ian topped Division 1 with 41 points and son Liam took the spoils in Division 2 with 38 points. Division 1 runner-up was Simon Ager on 38, with Roger Fosker third with 35. Division 2 saw Stuart Harland return second place on 36 and Alan Hull third on 35.
Then it was time for the weekend Stablefords. The weather was definitely a factor, especially on the Sunday as the winds rose. Saturday Division 1 saw the finest score across the weekend, with Liam Double collecting 43 points en route to victory. Matt Rawlings proved the form & class theory still holds true as he scored 41 points for second. Ben Forgan was third on 39. Division 2 on Saturday had Nobby Clark top the charts with 41 points, Matt Smythe second with 39 and Colin Waggott third on 38.
In the Sunday edition, Liam Kerry needed the assistance of The Count to edge out Ollie Grogan as the pair both scored 38 points in Division 1. Roy Barnes was no doubt happy to come in third on 37. In Division 2, Josh Knights was the clear winner with 38 points. The minor placings, however, did require The Count’s calculations, Jim Flood getting the nod over Alex Benyon after they both scored 35 points.
The Suffolk GC
It was the senior section that held competitions this week at The Suffolk GC. Firstly, a Monday Stableford. Alexander MacCormick was the leading scorer after he returned a very credible 37 points. Second place went to Andrew Rudd on 36 and Kieron Watson was third on 35. Then Thursday rolled around and the seniors went for it again with another Stableford. This time David Broster returned the top score with 34 points, Bob Hope was second on 33 points and Howard Lee third on 30.
