Clwb Golff St. Deiniol Bangor Golf Club

Seniors Section:- Officers elected annually at AGM

Seniors’ Captain

Seniors’ Treasurer

Seniors’ Secretary

 

Eligibility for membership of the Seniors’ Section

Any fully-paid up member of the St Deiniol G.C. and who has attained maturity. (eg 55 years)

A £ 10.00 annual membership fee is levied to cover the administrative expenses of the section and provide refreshments at the AGM..

 

Playing Days and Times

The tee is reserved on Wednesday mornings at 0900 hrs.

Members meet in the clubhouse where a draw is made for playing partners; and based on the numbers of members present, the format, and type, of competition to be played is decided upon.(secretary/social org)

When no visiting club (eg Club match) is involved then the agreement is strictly on a “ turn up and play” basis.

A £1.00 fee is levied for members playing on the Wednesday, all of which returned as cash prizes (treasurer)

On Mondays at 0900 hrs, and Fridays at 1030 of each week an informal meeting of seniors occurs on the first tee. The members present organise the format, nature, and stakes of the competition. Every one is welcome.

Wednesdays in the Summer Season. Between March and September of each year the seniors’ section runs a number of board competitions. Entrance is limited to ‘paid-up’ members of the section. The format of these individual competitions remains constant from year to year.

Also in the summer season, home and away fixtures are organised with the seniors’ sections from other clubs. Home matches are always organised on Wednesday mornings to make use of the tee reservation. Away matches are played on the days and times set by the club we are visiting. Since there is sometimes a restriction on the numbers of guests which can be accepted at some of the clubs, a team sheet for those willing to play will be placed on the seniors’ notice board at least one week in advance of the fixture. This will be followed by a team selection sheet at a minimum of five days in advance of the match. (the complete Seniors’ Fixture List can be found on the Seniors’ Notice Board, and members are supplied with a personal copy at the AGM or when they join.)

The Seniors’ Section has a notice board in the gentlemen’s locker room.
All current notices are posted on this notice board.
The Section has a constitution which governs the work of the section

 

Any member of the club who would like to join us at the casual Monday and Friday meetings will be very welcome.
Those members who can comply with the age restriction will be given a very warm welcome at any of the Wednesday meetings, either on a regular or casual basis.

Please feel free to chat to any of the officers, for the current season as listed on the Seniors Notice Board, for further details.

Alan Massey. Secretary to the Seniors’ Section,

Annual Nefyn Golf Club Seniors Challenge 2016

Seniors Ron Edwards, Mike Jones, Terry Jones and Medwyn Roberts returned victorious from the annual Nefyn Golf Club Seniors challenge held on Thursday 7th April. Click here to read more

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Seniors Inter Club Matches

St. Deiniol's Seniors have kicked off their season with three victories and one half out of their first five matches. The inclusion of several of the Tuesday "slic" players has given the team an added impetus this year with competition for places in the pairings hotting up.

Home fixtures have delivered victories against Anglesey, Henllys and Baron Hill and the first away point was deservedly earned at Betws Y Coed last week. The only blot so far has been the defeat at Nefyn but Wednesday 6th gives the team a quick opportunity for revenge with the visit of Nefyn to St. Deiniol.

Although there is no official Seniors league these inter club, home and away matches are taken seriously with every victory cherished. The social side of our sport is very much enjoyed at these events with players from both sides enjoying a meal, a drink or two and fine conversation in the respective clubhouses. Oh, you also get to hear some amazing speeches and jokes as well.

So if you are aged 55 and over and have some time to spare come and join in the fun and games. There's always a welcome at the St. Deiniol seniors.

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2014 News

1906 links clubs

Seniors captain Medwyn Roberts on a recent caravan holiday in Scotland took advantage of St Deiniol's membership of the 1906 Association when he visited Insch golf club. The town of Insch is about 40 miles north west of Aberdeen which probably makes the club the northernmost member of the 1906 courses.

Medwyn says "I received a warm welcome from the club secretary and numerous members in the modern clubhouse. Many listened with interest to my description of St.Deiniol and were surprised to hear we have such a variety of courses in North Wales, an area they had not associated with golf. The secretary was of the opinion that more could and should be made of our rather unique 1906 association, feeling that not enough club members were taking advantage of the free golf to build relationships between clubs. I thoroughly enjoyed my free round and visit. Insch is a relatively flat, mature parkland course with some interesting holes, similar to a horizontal version of Pennant Park."

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Joe 90 at St. Deiniol
A very special event was celebrated by the Seniors on June 4th with a buffet to mark the 90th birthday of long time member, Joe Owen of Tregarth.

Joe has been a member of St Deiniol golf club since 1973, became club captain in 1984 and is now an honorary member.

Although unable to play much golf these days Joe regularly joins his friends for lunch at their Wednesday meetings; he is still a fully paid member of the seniors section and attends the Annual General Meeting and Christmas dinner every year.

Joe wished to thank his fellow members for the friendship and camaraderie he has enjoyed in their company over many years by treating them all to a meal at the club. The event provided an opportunity to honour Joe; words of appreciation for Joe's contribution to the seniors and the club were delivered by former club President and Captain, Professor Ross Mackay.

Joe was presented with a bottle of his favourite whisky by the seniors captain and all diners enjoyed the food prepared by Sian and Paul followed by a slice of a specially commissioned "Joe 90" cake. 

Members also took the opportunity to celebrate the 80th birthday of Iolo Williams, known to many as the man who produced the club's centenary handbook. In accepting his birthday gift from the captain a surprised Iolo said he was looking forward to playing golf again after a long disablement.

Personal History

John joined the St Deiniol Golf Club twenty years ago. He is a quiet retiring gentle man, the kind of member that golf clubs need in order to thrive and be economically viable.

He makes no demands upon the club and plays almost all of his golf within the Seniors’ Section during the weekdays. He will be the first to admit that he is not the most brilliant of golfers, but every shot matters to him and he has a determination to improve. His pace between shots is reasonable, but he does maintain that he needs time on the “shot”. He is an optimist and at seventy seven years of maturity, he is still positive about his game and expects it to improve. He is considerate and supportive of other players, acknowledging equally advice from others and providing commiseration and sympathy to fellow players. He had a hip replacement in 2007, followed by a lumbar vertebra operation later in the same decade, and although fit, maintained by twice weekly sessions of continuous swimming lengths of the Bangor pool, he takes anti-inflammatory medication to ward off joint pain on the golf course.

 

He is an excellent club member, and gives of his time willingly. The prescription of geometric perfection for the erection of the benches around the course are mainly due to his inputs.

 

He was born in South Kensington, London, in 1937, and although he would have been more fortunate to have supported the local clubs of Fulham or Chelsea, he has remained an ardent supporter of Arsenal throughout his life. A decade ago they won the Premier League without losing a match and what was perhaps as equally remarkable they did so with only twenty players starting the games over that season. Modern teams have at least an average of twenty seven players in the squad. Arsenal now seem to be in a decline and Arsene Wenger’s and John Barker’s optimism although strong is not producing the necessary results yet.

 

Johns own football career started at the Primary School in Beaumaris and continued into the Secondary School when he obtained a scholarship to attend the then Beaumaris Grammar School. At 14 years he was selected for the Anglesey Schoolboys, and captained the side in his second year. As a central defender he was given a trial for Wales; however he was refused a second trial when it was found out that although he had been in Wales since the age of three years he had been born in England and he was not allowed to play. (How times change). He went on to play in the Anglesey League especially playing for Beaumaris and also for Menai Bridge Tigers.

 

His father worked in London during the Second World War and carried out duties as an ARP warden. However, he moved his wife and both John and his younger sister out to Aberyswyth in Wales to live with his John’s Aunt and Uncle and their four children in order for them to escape the blitz in London. Later John’s father obtained a position in the Bulkeley Arms and brought the family to live in Beaumaris. John’s mother died with tuberculosis at the age of 32 years when John was 9 years old. An elder step sister joined them to look after John and his brother.

 

John did not feel that he was academically minded and at the age of sixteen his father obtained an interview for him with Pochin Construction which at that time had a local office in a double decker bus parked in a site in Beaumaris. John had his first interview at a building site in Bethesda, followed up by meeting the chairman in an office on the top deck of the bus. He was appointed to the position of endentured pupil engineer. And to start off with this also involved cleaning the site managers boots, general office work, and making the tea as well as starting to learn his trade……... all this for the princely sum of 25/- (old shillings - £1.25 new money) per week. John still has his indenture certificate. He proceeded up through the Pochin structure serving as Site Engineer, Site Agent, and finally Contract Manager, learning all skills as he worked.

 

This was still the time of National Service and John deferred his call-up until he was 21 and partly qualified. John joined the Royal Artillery and after basic training at the old Oswestry Camp he was transferred down to Aldershot where with a newly met friend they “volunteered” for the 33 ‘rd Light Artillery Parachute Regiment ( an extra 6/- on basic pay was a deciding factor). He did 12 training ‘drops’ (two from the dreaded basket) in order to qualify including one night drops, and was awarded his “blue” wings. In all, he completed 25 drops during his two year service. He spent 6 months of this service in what was then the Aden protectorate… A battery of light artillery consisting of a Captain, a Sergeant and 26 O.R.’s made up the group and they supported a group of 1000 infantry. They and saw a different kind of life! Armed with Howitzers they were often dropped behind lines to protect the border from infiltrators into the Protectorate (now the independent country of the Yemen).

 

During the time in Oswestry, Abingdon (Para training), and Aldershot he maintained his contact with his home football team, and was given leave at weekends to in important cup matches. He travelled by train up to Wales on Friday evening and had to be back in barracks by roll call on Monday. During hixs visits he especially noticed a particular girl at local dances and then they met. She was a nurse, called Generys, and she worked in the then skin specialist unit in Minfordd Hospital. They developed a serious courtship and after completing his N.S in 1959 and after he had reassumed his work with Pochin, they married. Their first child Stephen was born in the same year and their second child David was born in 1964. They have always lived in Bangor, firstly in Victoria Street, then Penchwintan Road, and finally in 1968 they moved to their present house in Ffriddoedd Road. He retired, with an early retirement package when Pochins were slimming down locally, when he was fifty eight years. However unused to idleness after long working hours throughout his life, when he was offered a position with the Welsh Development Agency as a Clerk of Works, he accepted and he remained with them for a further 5 years. His reputation in the construction trade had gone out ahead of him since he was then offered work also as Clerk of Works with the University and continued in full time employment until he was 67 years. Following this he did flexible part time work in a Nursing home, and found this rewarding in a more social way. He is now fully retired. His garden, house and car are immaculate.

 

John is the quintessential family man. His two boys are described by him as being “tidy” footballers. John’s ability has been passed on through them to his two grandchildren who he now regularly supports as they both turn out for the old team, Menai Tigers. His son, Stephen, is a qualified psychiatric nurse and works in private practice in North Wales and lives close by to John and his wife in the Belmont area of Bangor. David carried on at school and took a degree in Birmingham University, and, after working in Cardiff and also taking a teaching qualification, he has risen to become a Senior Leisure Officer in Ynys Mon.

 

John feels that he has been very lucky in that although working for a national company, Pochin, he has, except for a very short spell in Crewe in the 1960’s, always been employed locally. Both his children are now living locally and have happy families. He expresses concern for the present generation who frequently do not have jobs which they can depend upon. He says that the important thing in his life was to have had a regular job, and a regular income which has enabled him to plan ahead and look after those who are dependant upon him.

 

Common questions to all:

• What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol)?
I do not have a favourite course but very much enjoy playing at Betws y Coed G.C.and at Rhos on Sea.

• What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
This has be Betws y Coed. Short yardage, flat, very scenic, in a beautiful location in North Wales

• If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
I do not know. I am not that keen on golf. So probably a nice sunny location in Spain or the Algarve when we are having winter in North Wales.

• What is your favourite golf format and why?
Individual Stableford, since in this format my handicap affords me maximum score/points benefit.

• Who is your favourite tournament golf professional?
Ernie Ells. No fuss, man of the people, just gets on with the game. He has maintained his form over a long period of time.

• Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game?
Maintain yourself steady on the ball, and play through the ball. Always listen to better experienced players if they offer you advice.

• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club?
The look of the course has been vastly improved in my time as a member. However I do feel that the tees could be improved in presentation and maintenance.

• What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section of St Deiniol?
The camaraderie and social activity. It is pleasant to belong to a group where limitations are accepted and yet encouragement to improve ones own game is constantly offered..

 

AM. Sec.

Personal History

Jack is a relatively new member of St Deiniol Golf Club and at present plays his golf mainly in the seniors’ organisation.
He started playing golf twenty two years ago when his son, Andrew (then 12 years), joined Bangor as a Junior. Since Jack was delivering Andrew frequently to the course it took only a little persuasion for him to try out the sport himself. However until recently he has been intensely involved in his business as an antique furniture dealer, which necessitated constant lengthy journeys all around the British Isles to attend auction sales and find antiques. This gave him too little time to join a club. He played his golf on a green fee basis on courses wherever his business took him, and he could spare the time. So in addition to playing golf in Wales he knows courses in both Scotland, and England. Before taking up golf Jack has been successful in winning various local Pool competitions.

 

Seven years ago he suffered from a bad heart attack and collapsed whilst attending a Morgan Evans Auction in Gaerwen. Since then Jack has been trying to take things a bit more easily, and joining St Deiniol G.C. has been a part of his ‘return to fitness programme’.

 

Jack has led a fascinatingly different kind of life. A Welshman by birth, Jack came into the world in Bagillt, a village between Holywell and Flint, in north East Wales. He comes from a traveller family. His grandparents were traditional travellers with horse drawn highly decorated wooden caravans, handed down through the generations. His grandfather joined up during the First World War and, when his expertise with horses was recognised, he was put in charge of the horses pulling the Heavy Artillery guns. He was decorated for his actions during all the four major battles of the war, Mons, Ypres, Somme, and Passchendale.

 

Jacks’s father served served in the ARP during World War 2 and saw action during both the Coventry and London intensive air raids when he worked to put out the fires from incendiary bombs and rescue people trapped in the bombed buildings. After the war Jack’s father carried on the tradition of travelling, and became a dealer in antiques. Jack was brought up on the road, but in more modern caravans and towed by motor vehicles. Mr Wilson senior has recognised that there have been changes in attitudes towards travellers over the past century. Between the two world wars people still welcomed the traditional travellers, when they still followed regular annual circuits and provided labour and skills not always available in the small villages which they called into. Following WW2, attitudes changed, and people became less welcoming. When people are different, in colour, way of life, or culture, prejudices often arise, and since the traveller group after the war was no longer so homogenous, if one group behaved badly then the whole community were blamed. Central government also became involved forcing local councils to provide resting places with amenities. The police moved groups on from places where they had traditionally stayed which were now deemed “illegal”. Jack remembers clearly the traditional camp site, which could accommodate up to forty vans, in Penrhosgarnedd and where he stayed as a young boy with his family. This site was eventually closed to provide land for the new hospital, Ysbyty Gwynedd, which opened in 1983.

 

Jack’s family also had a traditional stopping place in Bethesda by the football pitch, where they paid in kind by looking after the pitch whilst in residence. It was here that Jack met his wife Ellen (a Parry). Her father would only let them get married on condition that Jack settled down and built a house. Jack started out by building a house in Carneddi, then Pentir and finally a house in Bethesda itself where he lives now.

 

Jack and his wife have three children. Andrew the oldest (now 34) attended Bangor University where he became President of the Students Union, and obtained a Masters degree. He now works for a charity and is based in London. His daughter Liza (32) obtained a degree in Sociology and married a local Coed Mawr boy and they live in a smallholding off the Caernarfon Road. She is now works as a Social Worker in Ynys Mon. The youngest daughter Laura (27) lives close to Jack and Ellen in a cottage in Bethesda. Jack has provided for his children well, particularly his two daughters.
He still feels a strong sense of family tradition, and enjoys the sense of belonging to a community with traditions and values. The values are particularly manifested at celebrations such as a marriage, and at times of sorrow such as funerals. The word just goes round and people travel large distances to attend and help. His own mother’s funeral was attended by between three and four hundred people from the traveller community. Jack admits that times are changing and that the younger element are becoming more selfish and do not adhere to community standards. However perhaps this is an indictment of society as a whole.

 

Questions common to all spotlight participants

What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol) ?
Rhos on Sea. It is relatively flat, only few hazards and very little rough . For me it is wonderfully easy to play and walk.

What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
I really enjoy playing St Deiniol. I was very pleased when we obtained buggies for hire since the course is quite physically demanding.

If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
Aygusta, Georgia, USA. After watching the Masters Competition being played on the T.V. I would just like to sample the course and play some of those greens where even the professionals struggle with the speed and borrows.

What is your favourite golf format and why?
Being somewhat of a newcomer to the game, I really enjoy the ‘Texas Scrambl’ format, since it takes the pressure off the individual, and enables one to see how other better players in the team play the same shot.

Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
Seve Ballesteros. Friendly and talked openly to the crowds watching his game. I also enjoyed his adventuresome play.

Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game.
Remain calm throughout. Especially after a bad shot dismiss all negative thoughts before taking your next shot.

Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club
This is a challenging course with marvellous character but could benefit from clearer directional signs particularly for visitors..

What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section of St Deiniol
I particularly enjoy playing in the better ball friendly matches against the seniors of other clubs on the home and away basis.

AM. Sec.

Personal History

A great team man.

 

Reliable and absolutely unflappable on the course especially in better ball match play.
Bill took over the treasurer’s job for the Seniors’ Section in 2007 and continued in the post until 2009. During this time he employed true Scottish grit and ensured that our accounts stayed in the black and showed a satisfactory balance to hand over to the
next person in the role.

 

He is first and foremost a “family” man. He has three children, and has recently become a great granddad.
Steven is the eldest and lives in Talybont. Until recently he was a member of the club along with his son of 26,(Bill’s Grandson), and at one stage they were entering 3 ball competitions as a family team made up of three generations.

 

His eldest daughter, Suzie, completed her degree and then went on a world backpacking gap year. She was soentranced by New Zealand that after returning home and taking a teaching post in Saffron Walden she decided that she would emigrated there. At first she worked as a full time teacher but she now runs her own business. Suzie is a playing member of the Wanaka Golf Club, Ortago in the centre of South Island. The nearest large town is Queenstown. In 2009 Bill and his wife went over on a holiday of a lifetime for a 3 month touring visit.

 

His youngest daughter Sharon lives on Anglesey, with her husband and two daughters, Sophie (16) and Casey(5), and they all maintain very close family contact.

 

Recently Bill’s wife Grace had a cancer scare which necessitated the removal of one of her kidneys. This was a tough time for the family and Suzie came back over from New Zealand to spend over a month with her mum and dad , during the preparation for the surgery, hospitalisation and for the start of Grace’s recuperation. Suzie was seen with Bill on the St Deiniol course whilst both of then were taking a little “time out”, at this stressful time.

 

Bill took time off from all golf for several months in order to care for his wife during this period, and he assumedtotalcontrol over all domestic matters. Grace is now able to cope for short times on her own and the prognosis is good. She iswell enough for Bill to be signed up for golf matches in the Seniors.

 

This is the nature of the man. Quiet, unassuming, reliable.

 

Bill comes from Lockerbie a small village in Lowland Scotland that until December 21st 1988 was relatively unknown. Previously it was only known by motorists for its signpost off the M6. Fortunately none of Bill’s family were hurt in the atrocity. Bill started his golf as a teenager at Lockerbie Golf Club, then a 9 hole course ( but subsequently extended). As a junior of 14 years he paid a 10 old shillings annual subscription. The key to the clubhouse was kept under the mat by the door and juniors could use the key to enter and were allowed to borrow and make up a set of clubs from those left by senior members for them in order to play.

 

After schooling Bill took an apprenticeship in electrical installation. When he an another apprentice obtained they qualifications they were invited to take up work in the developing Trawsfynnydd Nuclear Power Station on the installation of the electrical services by the foreman who also came from Lockerbie. Bill enjoyed being in this part of Wales and has made it his home. He met Grace, a Llanberis girl who he metwith her sister down in Caernarfon in 1962, They were married in 1965.

 

Bill earned his living as an Industrial and Domestic Electrician. His main hobbies in addition to his family and golf are hill walking and DIY.

 

He first joined St Deiniol Golf Club in 1991. His proudest moment was being able to play with his son and grandson in a Captain’s Day at the Club. He also enjoys the Seniors’ better ball matches against other local clubs. In partnership with Ross Mackay they set up a record partnership in the season 2000 by never losing a match together.

 

Questions common to all spotlight participants

What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol) ?
Rhos on Sea, because it is so very different from our own course, and uses water and raised greens to challenge the unwary.

What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
Being able to play the Wanaka Golf Course with my daughter during our visit to New Zealand.

If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
St Andrew Old Course. I am Scottish and proud of it, I have not played this famous course but I would love to do so.

What is your favourite golf format and why?
Better Ball match Play or Better Ball Stableford., because in both formats your play is modified by your partner’s performance. If your performance and your partner’s performance mesh well together then you can win matches & competitions even though neither of you played consistently brilliantly.

Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
Miguel Angel Jimenes. He manifests a deep love of golf for its own sake. He also appears to love life itself enjoying food, fine wine and cigars. He is courteous and interacts well with the public who come to watch tournament golf.

Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game.
My lifelong friend (a scot…. Peter Armstrong) gave me a tip which I found useful. He said “ To help to produce the important follow though on a shot pretend that you are throwing a frisbee and this will bring in your wrist action and follow through in naturally

Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club
Since we have a number of holes on the course which are blind, it would be helpful, especially to visitors, if a mounted hole plan could be provided particularly on those tees.

What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section of St Deiniol
The seniors are a friendly and companionable group, and this applies to all the other clubs we play too.

Personal History

Ross MackayRoss is an elusive man, very sociable and yet maintains a privacy that sets him apart. Like a knight in the life’s game of chess he moves tangentially.

 

He has been a member of St Deiniol Golf Club since 1979, but still remains somewhat of an enigma. However he is a friend indeed to the club and its members. He became Club Captain in 2002, following on from an initiation into that role at Close House Golf Club (Northumberland) in the late 1960’s. He assumed a ‘tour de force’ role during the Centenary Celebrations in 2006, and used his contact with the netherworld to influence the weather patterns to the advantage of the Club’s 2006 Open Week of Competitions. He claimed contacts and influence with the “Mystics” of the east and pulled a magical week of wall to wall hot sunshine out of his proverbial sporran. He was anointed Club President in 2010 and served for three years. He now claims to have found “the peace that passeth all understanding”….. golf without responsibilities!

 

He also led a team of fund raisers to support the finances of the Centenary Year. Meetings were held at his home in Lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogefnychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogoch, (normally shortened to Llanfair PG.),where good wines were imbibed and the spirits raised. Legend has it that the ground beneath this unassuming house has been hollowed out to produce a wine cellar of gargantuan and quality proportions.

 

In 2013 two past Club Captains were secretly employed to work on the driveway and it was suspected that the enlargement of the underground cavern beneath the driveway was causing subsidence and needed strengthening. However there is little concrete evidence to support this literary fabrication.

 

He is perhaps best remembered for knocking out the front teeth of Mr Alun Roberts back in the 1980’s when he took an illjudged practice swing on the first tee whilst preparing for a regular four ball better ball on a cold Saturday morning. It is reputed that Mr Alun Roberts, picked himself up from the ground, swallowed his teeth and insisted on completing the round AND winning the competition, before allowing Ross to take him to the casualty department. Most legends (see last paragraph) are pure fantasy: this one has its base in fact.

 

He has unique confidence in others. It is only in an extreme situation that any complaint is heard to pass from his lips. This combination produces special organisational qualities. When problems arise he finds the right people for the job and can stand back and without interference take pride in the success and work of others. This man has no front. “What you see is what you get”. He is able to support without interference.

 

He is proud of his heritage. He jokes that, he was born in Delhi (India) [ Nov 1940 ], and that he is the last decent product of the British Raj. That part of the British Empire then collapsed. The family moved back to UK to Cromarty, north of Inverness, on the Eastern seaboard of Scotland, where he was brought up. He still claims to be a “Cromarty Gudgie” at heart. [This Gudgie/Gudgie Coff is a loose term, it can be applied affectionately as a person coming from the Dingwall area who at heart always remains there, or otherwise it can imply the village fool (tuathanach)].

 

Ross met his wife at Newcastle University where he lectured in Economics (1965). Christine worked for a Law Professor whose office was on the same floor. They found themselves using the same Driving School. Christine passed but Ross failed. Ross had a car, but no driving licence. Christine took over the car, and tutoring of driving. Ross quotes that “ Christine’s teaching ensured that he failed the test twice: this extreme test of compatibility was the introduction to the marriage in 1966 at Whitley bay, Newcastle”. They form a strong unit, based on her competence and his romantic streak They have a son and a daughter. The son is now a major force in the running of the Christie Hospital in Manchester. Their disabled daughter was fully integrated into the family, and shared an active social life with them, she is now successfully achieving independence in her own life.

 

Both Christine and Ross love to travel. As a family they camped regularly on the continent, using tented camps and their unique compact camper van. As a couple they are well travelled visiting India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Egypt. They love walking and their choice of countries to visit reflects this. Christine has been heard to comment that the places they walk are sometimes so remote (eg, Atlas mountains in Morocco) that when requesting to complete her evening ablutions she was given a spade and a torch.

 

Ross was appointed to a professorship in Economics at Bangor, and specialised (research themes) in regional equality, devolution, labour economics, and public policy. These papers attracted interest from developing areas of the world and Ross frequently travelled to them in an advisory/consultancy role. This was not without challenges! It is reported that when on one of these visits he flew in to Fjairah (smallest of the United Arab Emirates) he was missed by his UN reception party, and found himself marooned without luggage, language ability, or any viable tender. Christine was awoken at 3.00 am to be informed by the UN that Ross was on their “lost” list.

 

Golf is Ross’s abiding passion. Although he views golf generally as a socially constructive force, the quality of his personal game is a more serious matter. Playing off single figure handicaps for most of his life he finds the adjustment to anno domini a challenge.

 

In the 80’s he was a renowned “hooker” of the ball, and when playing the 13th hole at St Deiniol he would guide the ball up and over the out of bounds wall to bring it back to centre fairway. Abruptly in the late 90s , 2000s he became a “fader” of the ball and would float the ball up and over the gorse towards the internal out-of-bounds on the left hand side of the 13th and bring it back to centre fairway. Nowadays he tends to be shorter in distance but always up the middle. However it is the concentration on the short game which keeps his handicap competitive.

 

His humour has an acerbic edge, and like good champagne it is best served cold and very dry.

 

His after-dinner oratory is fluent and coherent, and usually delivered straight from the heart without notes. He is a keen conversationalist, and it is assuredly reported that he so spell blinded a fellow golfer with the quality of his conversation that during a journey by car to an away-day of golf at the Wrexham course, that the driver completely forgot where they were going, missed his turn and ended up doing a tour of Chester.

 

Questions common to all spotlight participants:

• What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol) ?
Morfa Nefyn. Particularly the original 18 holes.

• What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
Royal Dornach. Golf is Scotland’s great gift to the world of leisure. The ‘links’ courses of Scotland are strips of undulating costal land and are part of the rich tradition of golf. Royal Dornach is one of the very best. It is reported to be one of Tom Watson’s ‘best’ courses. If Dornoch was closer to a population centre then it would assuredly become a venue for the British Open.

• If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
I have been told that there are only three true links left in Scotland. I have played and been humbled by, Royal Dornoch, and Cruden Bay. I have still yet to play Machrihanish….will I ever get there?

• What is your favourite golf format and why?
By a long margin it is Match Play, either singles or better ball match play. All games are better against direct opponents, and other golfers are more vulnerable that the golf course.

• Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
If my wife had called me Jack, I would have played better, but my favourite is now Tom Watson. He smiles, he is polite to other golfers, and spectators, and he has held onto a fine golf game for a remarkably long time.

• Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game.
The true way is as follows :- “Use the interlocking grup and keep the staunce a wee bit open and slow back and dinna press or sway the heid and keep your e’e on the ba’ ” from PG Wodehouse ‘The Coming of Gowf’

• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club
Cut gorse, cut rough, and consider running a competition designed more or less purely to raise money for a 107 year old club which needs financial support.

• What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section of St Deiniol
It provides me with friends and companions. Few things draw men more surely together than a shared inability to master ‘gowf’. Quoting again from Wodehouse, who uses the oldest member of the club to recount tales.
“Let my fellow older members rejoice in two certainties.
1. It is the celebrated uncertainty of gowf that makes it the game that it is; we can all achieve uncertainty.
2. A woman is only a woman, but a braw drive is a mighty fine smack”

AM. Sec.

Personal History

Don Wayte is the epitome of a “gentle” man. He is supportive and convivial to all those whom he meets, and he always finds a solicitous, caring and encouraging word for everyone.

 

He joined St Deiniol Golf Club in 1972, and has also been a member in Holyhead and Conwy, where he played off a handicap of 9.

 

Don became Club Captain at St Deiniol in 2005. He always leads by example, and ended his captaincy with a sharply critical political valediction at the Club AGM. He combines a generous nature with a special passion for morality. He sets himself high standards and expects all those in positions of authority or responsibility to maintain equally high standards.

 

One of his gifts to the Club was the provision of a bench at the far end of the putting green by the clubhouse. Here on fine days golfers can be seen looking away to the hills and the magnificent views up the Ogwen Pass, and dream of a game to come or the best shots from the game just ended.

 

During his term of Captaincy, Don took on the “Gorse Preservation” lobby in the Club and in a unilateral action and virtually single handed removed the gorse from the “Valley of Death” which was then in front of the first tee. He followed this by removing gorse on the 9th and 10th holes. His actions have greatly helped to speed up play and to increase the enjoyment of both members and visitors.

 

After serving as Club Captain he took on the role of Club President for a three year term during which he championed the rights and problems of the ordinary Club member. He also worked constantly on the course in particular to remove areas of gorse which had spread to interfere and slow down play.

 

He is an excellent ‘Team Player’ and Club man. Perhaps his only fault is one of self deprecation.

 

He was born in Leicester in 1933, and qualified as a doctor in 1957. He followed this by gaining experience in Teaching Hospitals and General Practice He undertook National Service in 1958/9, obtaining a service commission in the Royal Army Medical Corps. During this time he studied tropical medicine and pathology, serving in Singapore, Malaya, Germany, and the United States (during the Vietnam War). He ended his career in the forces with an appointment at the Royal Army Medical College in London. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in1971 in order to take up a Home Office Pathology appointment in Bangor, and the organisation and running of the Pathology Department in the C & A Hospital (the site where Morrison’s can now be found).

 

As Home Office Pathologist he investigated over 1000 cases during his 32 year tenure when he could be called upon day or night (24/7). He also managed to include the coordinated planning of the pathological and clinical laboratories in the Don Wayteproposed new Ysbyty Gwynedd which opened in 1983, with a staff of 75 in his department.

 

Don retired from the National Health Service in 2003 at the age of 73, and finally from forensic work with the Home Officefive years later. The demands of this hectic life affected his family life and his leisure since he was constantly being called out by the police to examine and produce reports on violent and suspicious deaths. He recounted with humour and a little chagrin that on one occasion whilst playing in a Norman Brookes competition at Maes Ddu he was 5 up after six holes. He saw the police car arriving at the club and attempted to hide. Unfortunately they found him and he had to surrender his match.

 

The loss to the Forensic Service was the gain to the Club and particularly to the Seniors’ Section, whichhe Captained in 2009. He now organises all the Seniors’ Internal Competitions. He constantly entertains the Seniors with his adventuresome golf style and his raunchy style of after-match oration. He is a person whom all club’ members enjoy as a golfing partner, and a friend.
His free time is filled with gardening, reading, modelling, crosswords, reading, the Times, keeping fit and spending time with his children, grandchildren, great grandchild, and especially Avril, his wife.

 

List of Common Questions.

• My favourite golf course in North Wales (excluding St Deiniol) is CONWY.
  It is a great course and holds a lot of wonderful memories for me. It also has enjoyed the long tenure of Peter Lees, Club Professional, who has been an excellent ambassador for the club and golf in general.
• The most enjoyable golf course which I have played is ROSS ON WYE.
  I have special memories of playing with the late Gwilym Davies, Dental Surgeon of Bethesda, on this course.
• My wish list for playing any course in the world would be PEBBLE BEACH in America.
  What a setting and what a course!
• My favourite golf format is STABLEFORD.
  Golf is an idiotic game played by idiots and Stableford gives an idiot like me a chance to succeed.
• My favourite tournament golf professional is LEE TREVINO.
  What a golfer, and what a special kind of man who shared his enthusiasm with his spectators. I always like the story of when Jacklin was getting tense at Muirfield in the British Open, and on the final day he said to Trevino – “I don’t want to speak to you today!” To which Trevino replied “That’s okay Tony, I’ll do all the talking, and you just have to listen!” Needless to say Trevino went on to win!
• My personal golf tip to maintain the quality of my game is to
  Pause at the top of my backswing – when I can remember!
• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club?
  Sell the clubhouse to a private hotel franchise with the understanding that they cater for the needs of the local golfer whilst running their business. I think this because the clubhouse and resident staff are too costly for Club Members to sustain from their subscriptions.
• What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section?
  The seniors’ section provides warm friendship for golfers of all abilities. Warm humour. Sarcasm. Cynicism. Political discussion. It keeps us all alive and I hope that it will always flourish.

Spotlight on Dai Roberts

Personal History

Dai was born in New Zealand in the coastal town of Napier in North Island in March 1930. He returned with his parents to UK by boat at an early age. These early experiences may account for the exuberance and energy which has characterised his life and in particular his golf.

 

At the present time he is the most senior senior and a “super-senior” (80+) who is still playing actively in competitions and friendly matches against other clubs.

 

He is a quantity surveyor and enjoys travel. He has visited the American states of Florida, California and Hawaii, and also Hong Kong, Australia, as well as New Zealand.

 

In addition to his passionate love of golf which he has passed on to both his sons and grandsons, he enjoys gardening walking and reading.

 

He recollects with a certain wryness and humour playing in the “Father & Son Foursomes Competition” (Tarian Teulu - now no longer held) at the Club. He arrived late and after rushing down to the first tee he had the ignominy of playing an air shot. This required his son, David ( now a local Dentist), who had confidently placed himself far up the first fairway in anticipation of playing the next shot, then having to walk all the way back to the tee to take his shot. However the story had a successful conclusion in that they overcame this early disaster and went on to win the competition. (1971)

 

He first joined St Deiniol in 1968, a total now of 45 years of continuous membership. He became Club Captain in 1973-4. He has also served on the House, Games, Greens, and Finance subcommittees of the Club.
In 1993 he was a member of the group who actively initiated the formation of a Seniors Section in St Deiniol. He fulfilled the role of Seniors’ Captain in the playing season of 1995 and was Seniors’ Secretary/Organiser (season 2000- 2001)

 

List of Common Questions to all:

• What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (excluding St Deiniol) ?
Conwy G.C. A good test of golf but the new bunkers which they have introduced have not been a success for ordinary members.

• What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
The Old Course at St Andrews. A special and unique course

• If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
Lytham St Annes competition course. An old links course which was designed to mould into the natural topography of the sand hills.

• What is your favourite golf format and why?
Medal. It is a true test of golf requiring consistency over the full 18 holes.

• Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
Ian Woosnam.

• Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game?
Concentrate on the short game.

• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club?
Maintain the “semi” reasonably short in order maintain speed of play. Members are quite prepared to lose a ball in the gorse since they have gone well off target and to take a second ball. But to walk up to an identified spot in the semi and then to not be able to locate the ball wastes time and leads to frustration and deterioration in play.

• What do you enjoy from being a member of the Seniors’ Section ?
Friendly competition and company but without animosity.

Edited by AM. Sec 29/05/2013

Spotlight on Medwyn Roberts

Medwyn is a relatively new member of the Golf Club. He joined in 2007. However he quickly made his presence felt both in the Seniors’ Section and in the Club as a whole with his unbounded enthusiasm, and willingness to support the club in any way. He is a model “Team Player”, and is prepared to give his time and skills for the benefit of the Club.

 

He has been the treasurer of the Seniors Section since 2009 and has served on the executive committee of the club for the past three to four years. All playing members will have benefited from his joint efforts in providing benches on the course in positions to provide a rest after an uphill climb or on par three tees where hold-ups tend to occur. Likewise visitors have gained from his provision of handmade quality marker posts to indicate the position of the next tee which was not always clear due to the varying terrain of our course. He has also provided a welcome notice board which is located betwixt the upper and lower car parking areas by the club house.

 

He was born in St David’s Hospital Bangor but was quickly relocated to Menai Bridge, Ynys Mon, where he has resided until the present day. He did dally with anglicisation by working as a young man in Liverpool for a few years and has retained a sneaking empathy for the scouser and an appreciation of their sense of humour.

 

His main occupation was as a Regional Sales Manager travelling great distances from home to provide support for agricultural endeavours throughout Wales.

 

When questioned about a humorous story he denied any, stating that he has led a “very serious life”. For those of us who receive his e-mail bulletins on sexism, ageism, and racism, and listened to his many anecdotes this statement starts to lose credibility.

 

• His main hobbies are caravanning, (note: an intrepid trial of a new caravan with an abortive attempt to tour the Midlands during the most recent “white out” March 2013), reading, and DIY.
  
• His favourite golf course in North Wales is Rhos on Sea, due to its wide open spaces, which provides ample opportunities to open up one’s shoulders. However he notes its trickiness in that most greens are raised and being a very flat course without many features that judging the distance to the greens is not easy.
  
• The most enjoyable course which he has played is St Pierre, in Chepstow.
  
• If he could play any course in the world he would like to play Pebble Beach in California. Daunting!
  
• His favourite golf format is singles match play.
  
• His favourite golf professional is Jack Nicklaus. Great Golfer. Great Sportsman. Great Human Being.
  
• His personal golf tip is to remember the maxim that “The road to success is always under construction”.
  
• He feels that the our course could be improved by upgrading the quality and attractiveness of the walkways between greens and tees and in some cases their drainage, so that members and visitors would be unconsciously encouraged to use them and thus reduce damage to adjacent grassy areas.
  
• Being member of the Seniors’ Section makes him feel young.

AM. Sec.

Spotlight on Joe Owen

Joe Owen is a legend in his own lifetime. Although he took a rest from golf last season, he still hopes to get his knees replaced and continue to tread the hallowed turf of St Deiniol in the future. He attends all Wednesday meetings of the Seniors’ Section, exchanges news and breaks bread , normally in the form of Sian’s mixed grills, with the rest of the section.

 

Next year Joe will have achieved an active 90 years of age. He continued to play golf in all competitions and matches within the Seniors Section until the end of 2011.

 

He was born in Llangristiolus a village on the A5 in Anglesey on 20 th May 1924. He attended Llangefni Grammar School and, after studying in the 6 th Form was conscripted into the army and saw service in North Africa and the Desert Campaign during the second World War.

 

He has taken an active and supportive role in the club since joining in 1973, and became Club Captain in 1984. He and his late wife were members of the select Saturday Evening group (80s-90s) who made their presence felt every week at the club (before the Drink and Drive laws were operative). However Joe was best known for his ability to get out on the course on most days of the week. He was the owner and manager of two local garages, and was often referred to as Joe Ogwen Motors, Bethesda. However he seemed to organise matters so that his golf never took second place to his successful businesses. He even found time to help re-open the Betws y Coed G.C. in the late 70’s as a founder member, and enjoyed dual membership for a number of years. He was a keen supporter of the North Wales Golfing Alliance playing out on Wednesdays throughout the winters in all weathers for many years. One of his proudest golfing moments was winning the NWA Individual Championship at Royal Liverpool in 1985 when he came in with 38 stableford points when playing off a 9 H/Cap

 

He has always lived in the Bethesda area, and now lives as a bachelor after his wife passed away, in the “Tregarth Hollywood” (Tal y Cae, Tregarth.). However he is not a stay-at -home man, and took time out from both golf and his businesses to travel the world in 1975. He bought a stop-off fare with Singapore Airlines and with a friend took off around the world for a three month trip. It is rumoured that he did manage to fit in a few rounds whilst away! And a few other adventures.

 

When asked if he had a main hobby or interest other than golf, he expressed amazement and gave a very positive NO. He recalled an anecdote about his main playing days and friends in the club who were Ronnie Carpenter, Jeff Wright, and Goronwy Roberts’ father, Gwilym.. They apparently had developed the tradition of always playing the golf course on Christmas Day when everyone else was at home with family. Unfortunately the club bar is closed on Xmas day and so they organised that Robert (Bob) Jones the then Club Pro and who also ran the bar, left out a bottle of whisky and some cans for their refreshment. They all became so drunk that they did not get home until the early hours and Joe remembers clearly that his wife greeted him and symbolically tipped the charred remains of his Christmas dinner in to the kitchen waste bin.

 

List of Questions asked to all Spotlight candidates:

• What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol) ?
Betws y Coed, because I was a founder member, and it is in a beautiful location.

• What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
Don Pedro in Portugal. A group from the club visited Portugal every winter to play golf.

• If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
I am perfectly happy with St Deiniol G.C. and the other local clubs in North Wales. And I have played most of the British “Open” courses and qualifiers!

• What is your favourite golf format and why?
Medal. Since this is the true test of golf….

• Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
Sevie Ballesteros. Inconsistency mixed with brilliance. He was very exciting to watch.

• Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game?
If things started to go wrong I reminded myself to “Always stay down over the ball and follow through”.

• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club?
NO. It is a wonderful scenic course with no two holes alike, and it enjoys very friendly members.

• What do you enjoy by being a member of the Seniors’ Section at St Deiniol?
A wonderful sense of camaraderie.

AM. Sec

Spotlight on Mike Bryant

Mike stands out within the club and within the Seniors in both girth and gravitas. He has a personality which takes him to the fore within all the interclub sections with which he makes contact. He is an excellent team player, and accepts responsibility for all the roles which he takes on, and endows them with his special brand of enthusiasm, openness and a desire to involve and share ideas with others.

 

Mike is well known throughout the Golf Club. He is a local man and lives with his wife in Menai Bridge. They have been married for forty years. He was born in July 1947.

 

His mother and father were both Club Captains in Pontnewydd G.C. a mountainous course overlooking the Severn Estuary in Cymbran, and where he started playing golf in 1961. This possibly gives us an insight into Mike’s choice of club in North Wales, and the subsequent roles which he has been prepared to take on.

 

He joined the club in 1973, but his work as a Corporate Treasurer kept him away from a full involvement in the club.
He became Captain of the club in 2008 and after his two years of office as vice captain and then full captain he remained on the executive committee of the Club eventually taking on the role of Club Chairman in 2010 a position which he continues to hold.

 

List of Questions:

• What is your favourite Golf Club in North Wales (not St Deiniol) ?
Royal St Davids G.C.. It is always in good condition and is rewarding when you play well.

• What is the most enjoyable golf course which you have played?
Sunningdale G.C. Old Course .Wonderful springy turf, which dries out quickly in wet weather. A tough but fair course.

• If you could have a wish to play on any course in the world where would that be?
Augusta National, Georgia. USA. I would like to see just how difficult it really is!

• What is your favourite golf format and why?
Stableford, since it gives me a chance to forget a bad hole or two.

• Who is your favourite tournament golf professional ?
Bernhard Langer. For his abilty to remain at world class level for 30 years and for his ability to overcome the putting yipps

• Do you have a personal golf tip to maintain the quality of your game?
Try not to be left standing too close to your ball after you have hit your tee shot.

• Do you have one suggestion for improving St Deiniol Golf Club?
Acquire rollers in order to speed up the greens, and give a truer roll to the ball. This was shown in the trial completed in 2012. This could be financed by attracting more visitors paying green fees, and members holding functions at the club.