This article appeared in the Spring 2007 edition of the Newsletter. It was written by John Douglass upon completion of his first year as Managing Secretary of Liphook He includes a brief description of the work done on the new Men's Locker Rooms.

November is never a good time to start a new job and this is especially true at a golf club. The course has been put to bed for the winter and the dark mornings and evenings can get you down. My move from Scotland had gone smoothly but I have to admit there were times when I missed North Berwick with its spectacular views and constant public attention. My main effort at this time was getting used to how the club operated, settling in a new Kitchen Manager and meeting the membership.

Between January and April my focus was on the “Blue Loo” (the temporary portaloo) and the new changing rooms. Looking back, the building work went relatively smoothly but there were times when things did not go according to plans. I remember once being called away from lunch to deal with a major flood in the portakabin. I managed to find the stopcock, but returned for my pudding soaking wet!  I now believe that we have got locker rooms to match the high standard of the course. When I used to come to the Club as a visitor I was always disappointed by the changing facilities. Now no one can complain!

Further disruption in the clubhouse was caused by Phil James’ heart attack in February. Phil’s illness obviously put additional strain on us all, but with the help of Betty and Carol and the recruitment of David Strike we were able to overcome most of the difficulties. I am glad to report that Phil has made steady progress and it is good to see his smiling face back behind the bar

The summer months have continued to be busy. The course has benefited from the wet summer.  In April, the fairways were very poor and I worried what they would be like if we experienced another prolonged dry and hot summer. I do take my hat off to David Murdoch and his team; the course throughout the summer has been in excellent condition. The Club has received many highly complimentary comments, both publicly and privately, about the state of the course.  As a player, I have been surprised at how difficult it is! It is a little short, but this is largely due to the fact that it has 5 par 3’s. Ideally, a course should have 4 par 3’s. However, when you examine these holes, they are all good and it would be difficult to decide which one should be sacrificed. Perhaps my only criticism of the layout of the course is that the last 6 holes, in particular 14 to 16, do not live up to the high standard of the rest. Having three relatively short doglegs in a row is, to me, repetitive and can make your round a bit of an anti-climax.

One of the idiosyncrasies of Liphook that has surprised me is how busy the course is during week days as opposed to week ends.  In my opinion, this is caused by an over-congested fixture list. There is also a number of roll-ups with sizeable turnouts. These groupings and the fixture list can make certain mornings (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) very busy and this has created problems. I have suggested to the Committee that the fixture list is reviewed.

The summer also means the school holidays. August has provided many opportunities for our Junior members to play in competitions and receive coaching. The Junior Section is one of the Club’s success stories. A number of Juniors have represented the Club in official matches and competitions. As Murray Abraham has reported on page 7, the Club’s recent victory in the Border League is largely due to the fact that three Juniors regularly play in the team. John Jeffrey and James Wardrobe do an outstanding job as Junior Co-ordinators and this is reflected in full Junior membership and a long waiting list. This all bodes well for the future of the Club.

Golf in England is going through difficult times. Many clubs have vacancies and waiting lists exist in only a few clubs. In many ways, Liphook is well placed to meet the challenges of the future. It has a good course in excellent condition that can rise to future challenges.   Its Junior section is flourishing and hopefully these youngsters can be encouraged to play their part in ensuring the Club’s long term future.

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#Location:Hampshire Records Office#
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Of the 281 members in 1928, 42 had handicaps at 10 or under, (2 at plus figures), and 126 had no handicaps at all. Members had plenty of time to play golf! The course standard scratch score was 76, which may be the reason why the handicaps were lower than present day ones, although today’s clubs and balls are much more sophisticated.  Most clubs were made by the Professional, Percy Lockyer and his two Assistants.

The Links or the Wheatsheaf Hotel in those days, provided our Clubhouse, and buttered scones and suitable beverages, were partaken after a hard day’s golf. Copies of The Liphook Story are available at £ 19 from Maggie Disney in the Office

Non-shareholders paid Entrance Fees £ 5 . 5s. Annual subs Men £5  5s and ladies £4  4s. Family Members –Sons and Daughters between 14 and 18 £ 1guinea and had no vote). Service Officers £ 3  3s. Regimental Messes.18 playing members at 20 guineas and 9 members at 10 guineas.  £3  3s. Ministers of Religion £ 2  2s. (There were special rates for School Masters later. And people say that today’s categories are complicated!) These rates sound a lot less expensive than today but when you factor in inflation these rates are pretty much the same as we are paying in 2006.

Link to Pics of Percy Lockyear and Wheatsheaf/Links Hotel Click here

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1158 First recorded Lord of the Manor for Rogate Bohunt, William de Chesney.

1866 35 Lords later, Sir John Hawkshaw, celebrated Victorian engineer, buys the manorship.

1897 Common land, including Wheatsheaf, ‘inclosed’ by the Lord of the Manor.

1921 Public meeting at the Anchor Hotel agrees to form Golf Club.

1923 Colonel Oliver Hawkshaw grants the Club a 99-year licence over part of his estate, to form almost half the course.

Oliver Hawkshaw sells lordship of Manor and later Hollycombe House but retains the Wheatsheaf Inclosure.

1949 Clubhouse moved from Links Hotel to wooden huts at western edge of Wheatsheaf Inclosure – course re-aligned to accommodate.

1953 The Inclosure  passes to Mrs Olivia Creswell who sells the remaining plots for housing. Spelling changes to ‘Enclosure’.

1961 New Clubhouse is opened by Roger Wethered.

1966 Developer’s attempt to build more houses to the south thwarted by four residents who bought the roads and formed the Wheatsheaf Private Roads Company.

1990 WERA formed, limited by the Guarantee of all 36 members/residents. Gerry Plumer, Liphook member, was first chairman

1994 New lease signed with LGC continuing licence to maintain the land as a golf course until 2300, at a peppercorn rent of £1 a year.

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Book held in the small bookcase in the Management Secretary's office

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#Date Of Event:1982-2003#
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Book held in the small bookcase in the Management Secretary's office

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There was a full house on Friday October 6th for an excellent dinner and the chance to hear the reminiscences of Ken Schofield on his long career in the service of golf.

The evening was introduced by the Captain who started by announcing the engagement of our assistant Professional Mark Macrae.He then asked Mike Friend to introduce the speaker. Mike Friend said that Ken Schofield had become a golf legend in the  thirty years he was Executive Director of the PGA European Tour. When Ken took over in 1975 the prize money was £430,000 and when he left it had risen to £100 million, due to his hard work in seeking sponsorship and giving the tour prominence throughout the golfing world.

 Ken referred to his predecessor John Jacobs who favoured traditional golf clubs including Liphook.  Inevitably he referred to the recent  Ryder Cup at the 'K'Club  which he had attended and praised the captaincy of Ian Woosnam.  Ken's was able to recall earlier Ryder Cups. He described how Europe's inclusion in the Ryder Cup had been due to a meeting between Jack Nicklaus and Lord Derby in 1977, enabling the competition to develop into the great event that it is today. It is 21 months since Ken left the Tour and his observations on golf events and the characters involved were  perceptive and enlightening. Whilst Europeans find it more difficult to win Majors compared with the United States who find it harder to win team events. – the equivalent of playing One Day Internationals compared with Five Day Tests. He singled out Bernard Langer as a great Ryder Cup captain.  

Ken took many questions from the floor including the achievements of Tony Jacklin, the development of equipment and the R&A's role in controlling it and  a little known fact that the Open has to be on courses within the sound and sight of the sea! The evening finally ended at 11p.m. amid general agreement that the meal, the service provided by the kitchen and bar staff and the speaker's insight into the golfing world had made this event a great privilege for those who were able to attend.

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#Date Of Event:9 Oct 2006#
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Course Maintenance

The major drianage work to the 11th and 12th greens will start on Monday 9th October. Temporary greens will be provided. Every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum but some inconvenince and your patience will be very much appreciated.

Casino Night

The Club will host a Casino night on 17th November. This is a great evening for everyone with an entry fee of £20 covering food and an extravaganza of £200 worth  of gambling chips. The gentleman and lady with the most chips at the end of the evening will be presented with prizes. Please sign up on the sheet in the lobby.

General Committee Candidates

The last day of applications for election to the General Committee is 14th October. The requirements and process are laid down in Rule 2d.

Dress Code

A revised dress code will be issued shortly and the full support of the membership is requested.

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#Date Of Event:6 Oct 2006#
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#Date Of Event:25 Aug 2006#
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New Members' Day.

Due to the current workload while we seek a new Secretary, we have reluctantly decided to postpone the New Members Day which was planned for 12 August.

Upper Car Park.                     

Work on the Upper Car Park has already started and should be completed by 25 August.  During the period 31 July – 25 August the Upper Car Park will be closed.

No Smoking                          

Please note that during the current hot weather smokers are requested not to smoke on the course.

Course Maintenance           

All greens will be aerated during the week commencing 7 August.  Please also note that during the first week in October, the greens staff will start working on the drainage of the 11^th and 12^th greens.  Temporary greens will be provided.

Welcome                               

A very warm welcome to our new Assistant Secretary, Laura Smallridge and our two new waitresses, Sue Ockenden and Cheryl Chalken.

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#Date Of Event:2 Aug 2006#
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Six Summer Midweek Stableford Competitions are taking place in 2006, some already played, the rest on Wednesday 5th July and Thursdays 24th and 31st August. These competitions were started in 2005 in response to a plea by midweek golfers for an extension throughout the year of the Winter Wednesday Men competition.  The principle of Wednesday Men is simple and well tested.  You turn up at any time between 8.00 and 9.30 a.m., identify someone not already paired up, sign in at the Pro shop and set off.  It combines the congeniality and ease of a roll-up with the serious purpose of competing with others and, in common with other Club competitions, keeping your handicap up-to-date.

When this plea was originally mooted in 2000, the Committee acknowledged the advantages and popularity of the proposal but pointed out that it had to be reconciled with the much greater occupancy of the course on Wednesdays during the summer.  It was decided that it would not be feasible.  To provide for those with withdrawal symptoms, a Wednesday 3/4-ball roll-up was started at 8.15 a.m. from the 10th tee.  Despite some initial misgivings, this proved popular and still continues throughout the summer months.

The Committee decided in 2005 that it would be feasible to have a limited number of Midweek Stablefords on days (preferably Wednesdays) when there were no major events on the programme.  For the 6 events last year and this year the rules familiar for the Winter Wednesday Men have been modified.  There is no time limit – games can be played at any time during the day and have to be pre-arranged.  Games are played off white tees (yellow in winter) to comply with requirements for handicaps.  As there is no Wednesday Roll-up on these 6 occasions, those who would otherwise attend it emulate the winter pattern and convene at the Clubhouse at 8.00 a.m. to arrange games.

The change from yellow tees in winter to white tees in summer has caused some anxiety amongst the less robust drivers.  Play has sometimes been slowed down by the consequences of less than perfect drives, and by some players insisting on holing out when no points can be achieved; however, the event has been well attended.

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#Date Of Event:30 Jul 2006#
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#Author:Mike Blakstad#
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