Easter Saturday special: The Brooks Cup at Tenby Golf Club

EVERY year there is a battle royal to get the mixed competition for the Brooks Cup tee times on Easter Saturday morning. Historically it has always been played on this day since it was presented in 1949 by A.J. Brooks. He was a commissioned officer at Manorbier Camp and a keen member of Tenby Golf Club in the days when the clubhouse was converted Nissan huts on the back of the 18th green. It had a wooden veranda overlooking the green which must have been delightful.
It was lovely to see some new faces in the mixed groups today, with some well-known faces basking in foreign places, or welcoming family down for the Easter break. We wish those with Covid a speedy recovery, and many thanks to Jerry Whitehouse for going out and marking his opponents’ card.
The weather started a bit on the cool side, with a stiff onshore breeze rolling the sea mist in and then out again. But by the time we had finished our round we were all wishing those shorts were on as the sun broke through showing a cloudless sky. Summer isn’t too far away. We were also blessed with the course in fine condition as the greenkeepers’ hard work through the winter begins to show results.
The format for the day was straight foursomes with the men playing off the white tees. Playing alternate shots it can be a testing format, and scores are not usually very high with 38 and 39 points winning in the past. However, 39 points was in 5th place today with Angie Gottwaltz and her trusty partner, Roger Schooling. Keith Hubbard and Mary Lewis would have thought they were in with a chance of at least one of the prizes with a very commendable 40 points. But in third place, and leading in the clubhouse for over an hour, with 42 points, were Mick Seal and Julie Tordoff. They were beaten on the back nine by Lucy Anthony and her dad Mike. The winners of the Brooks Cup for 2022 were Issie and Chris Lawrence with a fantastic 45 points. I met Issie before she went out to congratulate her on winning the ladies’ medal on Thursday and husband Chris was moaning that she had been dropped 2 shots! She obviously didn’t need them, Chris.
There were two twos today. On the 6th Mick Seal and Julie Tordoff had one, and on the 17th Nick Allen and Nicola Anthony got the other; (lovely to see Nicola back playing in our competitions). Three pairs won their entry fees back in the bag draw. They were Linda T-Evans, Fair Ball and Allan Morton, and our juniors Jemma and Joseph Nand-Lal. They are delightful to play with so please if you see them down to play in our next mixed do sign up with them. Speaking of which, our next mixed competition is the Mathias Thomas Medal Cup to be played on Sunday 15th May, which can be booked via the Pro Shop from next Sunday (23rd April), or from 6th May on BRS. Thanks to Laura for running the competition, to Rhys in the Pro Shop and Emma and Lee in the bar and restaurant. With the presentation taking place on the patio it almost felt back to normal (with no hugs of course!)