The year saw a return to the normal scheduling of university alumni matches post Covid as well as the addition of new fixtures to the calendar.
Of the alumni matches, a competitive match at Muirfield saw the SUGS edge the LUGS 7.5 to 4.5; the LUGS pip the DUGS 6.5 to 5.5 at Sandwich; and the QUGS beat the LUGS by the same narrow margin at Sandwich in April. The ‘away game’ involved a chilly early February warm up at North Berwick followed by dinner at Luffness New where we were to return for the four way ‘Quad match’ against the SUGS, DUGS and QUGS in June.
New in the calendar was a three way game against the Old Uppinghamians and Old St Peters schools at New Zealand. A marvellous addition to the calendar, the game is the brainchild of Stuart Lloyd (St Thomas’s, 1978-83) who attended Uppingham and whose boys attended St Peters.
Also new on the calendar was a match against Walton Heath where Andrew Berryman lead a team against the club. LUGS has a number of Walton members and the hope is that we cement and extend the fixture over the next few years.
So too with Denham. But while the Walton match went ahead, Denham had to cancel at short notice. Matt Wilcox has secured the fixture for 2023 though and we hope to field a fine team for the inaugural fixture in April.
The ‘Quad match’ over two days at Luffness New was the central fixture of the year. With 48 golfers, the matches were well contested over 54 holes. While we came in at the back of the field, we played well in all our matches losing many a game on the last green. That did not detract from the enjoyment of the two days though and, sporting matching LUGS shirts and hats, we might, at least, have looked like a well-coordinated team!
Andrew Westmore led our match against Berkhamsted in October. Extended to twelve a side, the average age of the players came down a little through the introduction of some ‘young guns’.
The attraction of further ‘young guns’ to the LUGS roster was the intention behind reviving the fixture against the university side. Huntercombe were marvellous hosts in early December and a splendid match saw the LUGS take the fixture. Hopefully, a game that will find a regular annual slot in our fixture list.
We also entered a team in the Antlers at Royal Mid Surrey and are hoping to secure places at the Denham Bowl and the Alba Trophy at Woking next year.
In all, a strong return post Covid with the addition of a number of new matches that, we hope, will become regular fixtures. However, much still needs to be done to bring LUGS to the robustness that we are aiming for. Central to this is a strong and long bench of players that we can draw on to play fixtures as well as good match managers. The university match should help to bring new players into the society; but word of mouth and/or the website should, hopefully, create more of a following.
A LUGs meeting should follow at some time in the next couple of years – there are also a number of other fixtures in discussion (including against the PUGS and, potentially, UCD). Other things to consider may be the formalisation of the society through the appointment of officers to take things forward in a more efficient manner.
But, while there is much to be done, 2022 has been a step forward.
London University Golfing Society 