Club Team Golf

[sunshine]

My club frequently wins multiple competitions and matches, because our course ratings are too low and thus all our handicaps are too high.

I guess I'm mildly pleased when they announce another victory, but I wouldn't go and look up the results if they didn't tell us, put it that way.

I thought all the main inter club leagues and competitions were scratch.

My club does have a tigers team and club team that plays friendlies, but I always thought the prestige was playing for the scratch teams where there are multiple divisions with promotion and relegation etc.

Having said that I have no idea what division my club is in and if they are any good.

 

[sunshine]

Quick google and easy to find full info on Hertfordshire golf website. 6 divisions with 7 teams in each league. Promotion and relegation, the league is even sponsored. Didn’t realise how organised it all was. I can understand how this becomes a point of pride, especially if you get promoted to division one.

Congratulations to Harpenden Common for winning Division One

Plus two divisions of B teams for clubs who can field more than one scratch team.

 

[Orikoru]

I thought all the main inter club leagues and competitions were scratch.

My club does have a tigers team and club team that plays friendlies, but I always thought the prestige was playing for the scratch teams where there are multiple divisions with promotion and relegation etc.

Having said that I have no idea what division my club is in and if they are any good.

Well there's a bit of everything, scratch teams and foxes and rabbits and whatever. Even the scratch team does pretty well, because when other teams come to our place they really struggle with the greens.

 

[nickjdavis]

Back in the day....so maybe 15-20 years ago, there was a large degree of interest from club members as to the performance of the various club teams (no league but knockout comps for the various handicap categories) in competitive matches. Folks would eagerly await the draw, matches would see a healthy number of spectators and, if playing away, status reports through the day would be eagerly awaited by those back at the home club. Post match dinners (jacket and tie) were the norm.

Changing times, changing demographics and it is fair to say that the interest has waned somewhat, no longer are matches followed by rafts of supporters and I'd guess that many folk wouldn't even know when a match was being held. There are still a hard core of golfers who made up the mainstay of the teams who are still at the club who take an interest but your average club member largely wouldnt have a clue. You can see this simply through the difficulties that team captains have in actually getting a team together. In the old days we used to have trials to see who would get in the team(s).

As a small club, formed in 1993, we've had limited success....our first county comp success was from our Seniors (13-20hcap) who won the Beaumont Trophy in its inaugural year in 2010, then the Tolly team (10-18 handicap) won in 2015, before our Hambro (0-9 hcap) won in 2022. We did enter The Curry Cup (an Essex based comp encompassing a variety of handicaps but played off scratch) for the first time last year and managed to win.

Me?..from the above you can probably guess that I fall in to the category of those that do take an interest... like many of my regular group I have played in all the teams (not Curry Cup) and have Captained the Hambro team on several occasions

I find it a bit strange for someone to say "we don't win enough competitions"....it is redolent of a smug superior attitude of someone who thinks they/the club are better than the rest in the area. Just looking at results of various County events since our club was formed, I can see that the Hambro has been won by 17 different clubs in 32 years; the Tolly by 14 clubs in the same period; the Parks Trophy won by 11 different clubs in its 22 years of existence. Like anywhere else in life, there is no god given right to win anything.

One of the good fun things though, is that many of us across various clubs, who competed against each other in the Hambro 20 years ago (and to a lesser extent the Tolly), now find ourselves competing against each other in the Seniors county events. We all do look back fondly on how things were 20 odd years ago when folk did seem to care more about such competitions.

 

[sunshine]

Well there's a bit of everything, scratch teams and foxes and rabbits and whatever. Even the scratch team does pretty well, because when other teams come to our place they really struggle with the greens.

I tried to look up inter club matches on the Middlesex golf website, it looks like a website from the 1990s

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

As a regular team player I fully realised that our results didn’t matter to most of the members, but they did to fellow team and squad members as well as team managers and quite frankly that was/is fine by me.
In this area we have a very active scratch 4somes league with 8 divisions of 6 teams ands some clubs having 4 sides in it. It’s not the case at my club but it appears to be very important to some clubs with quite a few spectators/members coming out to watch matches in the evening.

I played for Filton in that league (mid 1980s-mid 1990s) - mostly our 2nd team - we took it seriously, and I think the club did also. Don’t recall ever having many, or any, spectators other than off the 1st tee some might watch. That said I have played in some regional final qualifier matches where some members watched at least a few holes where a match game tight.

I loved it, playing scratch 4somes is tough but very rewarding.

My current place celebrates the successes of our various teams, and we have many. There is strong competition to get in them. I dabble.

 

[Hobbit]

Some members live for comps and team golf, some like it, some are indifferent and some find it has too high a profile at the club. Everyone is right. It’s all part of the wider picture in club golf. You pay your subs and, within reason, play whatever version of golf suits you.

Personally, I played representative golf for close on 40 years, and loved it. I gave it up when the competitive urge waned. I still look for the results but even if I was capable of playing at that level it just doesn’t light my candle enough to actually play.

 

[Billysboots]

Our representative teams have become way too elitist and too much of a clique for most of us to have any interest, myself included.

Many years ago, winning certain club comps used to qualify you to represent the club the following season. I recall winning a pairs comp and my partner and I played the following year’s County Foursomes. A real honour that was, and one I really enjoyed.

But that has all changed. Every event and representative team match sees players selected, and it invariably involves the same faces, week after week.

Earlier this summer I was asked to play in a regional knockout match. I had to pay for a club shirt, which I didn’t mind, and rocked up at an away venue a bag of nerves. Really enjoyed the afternoon, and was the only player from our club to win my match. I looked forward to being asked to play again at that level and am still waiting - turns out I was merely filling in for one of the clique who was unavailable.

So, sadly, like most at our place I have little interest in what goes on at a representative level. It is an exclusive environment and one which those of us on the outside are not really made welcome to.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Our representative teams have become way too elitist and too much of a clique for most of us to have any interest, myself included.

Many years ago, winning certain club comps used to qualify you to represent the club the following season. I recall winning a pairs comp and my partner and I played the following year’s County Foursomes. A real honour that was, and one I really enjoyed.

But that has all changed. Every event and representative team match sees players selected, and it invariably involves the same faces, week after week.

Earlier this summer I was asked to play in a regional knockout match. I had to pay for a club shirt, which I didn’t mind, and rocked up at an away venue a bag of nerves. Really enjoyed the afternoon, and was the only player from our club to win my match. I looked forward to being asked to play again at that level and am still waiting - turns out I was merely filling in for one of the clique who was unavailable.

So, sadly, like most at our place I have little interest in what goes on at a representative level. It is an exclusive environment and one which those of us on the outside are not really made welcome to.

Cliquishness at golf clubs is one of my biggest irritations.
We had an outflow of around 15 members who all went to other clubs in recent years.
I listened to their gripes. To me it seemed that they felt they were not achieving the same amount of influence as other cliques.
"Why not join the more successful cliques?" was a comment lost on them, I believe.
As one of the longest serving members, I think I might be looked upon as a bit of an anomaly, because I am not a regular member of any clique.
I am quite happy to play with anyone who enjoys playing golf.
It can be difficult for new members to decide which clique to seek to join. And difficult for some who do not join a clique.

 

[clubchamp98]

I think if you get 600+ members in any club , not just golf you’re going to get cliques.
It’s human nature to go to people who are similar to you.

As long as they don’t get preferential treatment I’m not bothered.
It’s good for us not to be alone to much.

Everyone can go out alone to play.
I do that at least once a week for a bit of peace.

 

[doublebogey7]

I think if you get 600+ members in any club , not just golf you’re going to get cliques.
It’s human nature to go to people who are similar to you.

As long as they don’t get preferential treatment I’m not bothered.
It’s good for us not to be alone to much.

Everyone can go out alone to play.
I do that at least once a week for a bit of peace.

Agree with this, replace the term cliques, with groups of friends/like minded people and no one would bat an eyelid.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Agree with this, replace the term cliques, with groups of friends/like minded people and no one would bat an eyelid.

It can be a fine line. Cliques, by their nature, don't let outsiders in, are very insular. A group of friends may be still open to accepting a new person joining them. That's an important difference.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

We have multiple teams within the club


The club team which play friendly social games against local clubs - put your bane down and get picked - been a total of 80 players who have played through the year


Mid HC team - plays in the county Mid HC league ,run by a member who picks players - has squad of around 20 and people can ask to join - they have won it 3 years on the bounce and every final we have seen people from the club go and watch

Scratch teams - we have a number of teams , when we won the winter scratch league people seemed to proud of the win

 

[clubchamp98]

It can be a fine line. Cliques, by their nature, don't let outsiders in, are very insular. A group of friends may be still open to accepting a new person joining them. That's an important difference.

Only if there’s a vacancy.!

At ours you see a few but they are normally 8/12 players to keep their fourballs even.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Only if there’s a vacancy.!

At ours you see a few but they are normally 8/12 players to keep their fourballs even.

I think people understand that. The key is, are you open to fitting someone in if it's possible? If it's a flat no, you are a clique. If you are, where possible, then you aren't.

 

[IanM]

A former colleague once said, "If you don't think there's a clique, you're probably a part of it!"

Think on.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Cliquishness at golf clubs is one of my biggest irritations.
We had an outflow of around 15 members who all went to other clubs in recent years.
I listened to their gripes. To me it seemed that they felt they were not achieving the same amount of influence as other cliques.
"Why not join the more successful cliques?" was a comment lost on them, I believe.
As one of the longest serving members, I think I might be looked upon as a bit of an anomaly, because I am not a regular member of any clique.
I am quite happy to play with anyone who enjoys playing golf.
It can be difficult for new members to decide which clique to seek to join. And difficult for some who do not join a clique.

I could write exactly those words about myself.

I rile against those cliques that there are in my place - there are not many and I can make pointed observations about them if I feel in that sort of mood…or stick my name down in one of the time slots they aim for…just for the heck of it. or

Truth is my place is pretty good and giving everyone a go at playing in one of the teams where team members have a range of handicaps.

Heck…I might even see if my winter league mixed greensomes partner fancies playing in the mixed matches and inter-club comps next year…just for the fun of it.