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2010 Subscription rates held

at 2009 prices

A cold & frosty New Year's Day saw new Captains Gael Lane and Ivan Cork, aided and abetted by P.C. Jimmy James, entertaining a sizeable gallery with the traditional Captains' Drive-in

Suitably kitted out in "Elf & Safety" gear, they both launched a series of balls from a strange collection of tees, and with an unusual choice of clubs. They both hit one of the balls so hard that they exploded; Gael's with such force that it blew her hat off!

The competition guessing the length of the Captain's' drives raised £230 for the charity Make A Wish. They both hit the fairway, with Gael's drive measured at 151 metres, and Ivan's at 171 metres.

Club President David Lane and Men's Captain Colin Arnold recently presented Roger Port with a bottle of champagne to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his joining the club. Roger, who still plays off a very respectable 18, usually plays 3 times a week. He has seen many changes over the years, and when he joined in October 1949 the Clubhouse was just a shack!

Congratulations to our team of 4 mixed pairs that won the 1895 Trophy at Bush Hill Park Golf Club in Middlesex. They beat 5 other teams from clubs formed in 1895 in a 4-ball better ball stableford competition.

A collective 157 points gave Colin Arnold-Jane Brookling, Ivan Cork-Ann Williams, David Lane-Sheila Cork, and Chrissie Arnold-David Slater, a single point victory over Crowborough Beacon Golf Club from Sussex.

Many, many congratulations to our Foursomes League Team who were crowned Division 1 Champions of the Reading Post Foursomes League in a tense final day at Henley Golf Club. Nick Jacobs captained the team to the title against all the odds, with a final day whitewash of Reading, the club we shared the 2008 title with.

The clean sweep gave us a vital bonus point, which was enough to push Calcot Park, who failed to score in their match against West Berks, into second place. Reading finished third a further half point behind.

Nick and his partner Kyle Crosby won their match 5 up, whilst team-mates, Richard Lee / Liam Bridges, and Sandy Bolton / Jamie Sparrow both won 1 up.

Nick Jacobs was also the Division's top scorer with 17 points over the season, winning 8, and halving 1 of his 12 matches, and finishing 21 holes up.

Also in the squad were, Leon Beer, David Bolton, Laurence Eltham, Ben Harvey, Tony Hedley, Dan Walker, and Luke Williams.

On Thursday 17th September the Red Arrows flew over the course and surrounding villages  - the flying display was part of a charity shooting event organised at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School near Pangbourne in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

It was amazing to watch a super display of flying and from the top of the course see their diamond formation being created over the Chiltern Hills. We happened to have a camera operating at this time (part of a course filming project) and captured some footage as they climbed from a low level from the 14th green. 

2009 has been a fantastic year for Goring & Streatley Golf Club, with our members winning regional championship trophies at every level from junior girls to senior men. We are currently the proud hosts of 4 county champions (top left clockwise) Luke Williams, Emily Savage, Sandy Bolton. David Lane.

This success story began in April, with junior member Luke Williams at the age of 17, winning the BERKS BUCKS & OXON Junior Championship with rounds of 71 & 74, playing off a handicap of 2. Luke's golfing prowess has continued to flourish, and in July he won the Men's Club Championship, and his name now graces the elite list of champions on our honours boards. Luke has represented the BB&O Mens County team, and played for the BB&O Juniors in the English Golf Union South East Group Foursomes at Thetford in August. He has reduced his handicap from 6 to 0 in the past 18 months, and was selected for the Golf Academy at the Bristol Academy of Sport last year.

The success story continued in July, when Goring & Streatley legend David Lane won the BERKS BUCKS & OXON Seniors Championship for the 10th time in 12 years. This year David has also won the International Italian Senior Amateur Championship in Florence, and the Scottish Seniors Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Panmure G.C., Carnoustie. David, a member since 1966, has an absolutely remarkable amateur record, having won international titles in Switzerland, Canada, Portugal, and Spain, as well as a British Seniors, 3 English Seniors, and 3 Scottish Seniors titles. He has also won more than 30 open titles, 17 county titles, and 15 club championships. David has played over 200 times for the BB&O County Team, helping them to win the County Championship in 1983, and was a full English International in 1984. He has been Club Captain and is now an honorary member, and is currently our President. He was also the President of the BERKS BUCKS & OXON Union of Golf Clubs in 2005/2006.

The next success was courtesy of 15 year old junior member Emily Savage, who brought the BERKSHIRE GIRLS SCRATCH CHAMPIONSHIP trophy back to the club. As a reward, Emily was invited to the opening of a Lee Westwood Golf Academy. Emily is a member of the Juniors' Team, and recently played in their semi-final success in the Thames Valley Stags Trophy.

In August another junior member, Sandy Bolton, had an absolutely unbelievable week. He was selected to represent Scotland in the R&A Boys Home International, and was undefeated in his singles matches against the best in his age group from England, Ireland and Wales.

 Sandy captained the BB&O Juniors in the English Golf Union South East Group Foursomes at Thetford in August, defending the trophy that he helped them win last year. He also plays in the BB&O Mens County team. Later this year Sandy will be competing for the EGU Junior Champion of Champions trophy at Woodhall Spa, as will fellow Goring & Streatley champion Luke Williams. Although he has a hectic tournament schedule, Sandy still finds time to play at Goring & Streatley, and he practices here regularly. He is also part of their Junior Team that will shortly be defending their Thames Valley Stags Trophy title. Sandy's ambition is to become a professional golfer, and his temperament and composure, allied to his obvious talent, mark him out as very definitely one to watch for the future.