SOCIETY HISTORY

IN THE BEGINNING  

IT WAS AUGUST 1996 WHEN LAWRENCE AND COLIN MACKENZIE JOINED THE WORKFORCE AT BOWDEN TRANSPORT, IT WAS AROUND ABOUT THIS TIME THAT A MAN BY THE NAME OF TERRY WILKES WAS RUNNING THE ODD GOLF DAY FOR THE WORKERS, IT WAS NOT A SOCIETY MORE OF A GATHERING..

DESPITE BEING QUITE  POPULAR THE GOLF DAYS HAD A LACK OF ORGANISATION, COLIN WHO WAS A VERY ACCOMPLISHED GOLFER AND HAD PLAYED IN MANY SOCIETIES ON MANY DIFFERENT COURSES, OFFERED TO ORGANISE A ONE OFF GOLF DAY. 

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A LOW TURNOUT THE DAY WAS A SUCCESS AND FOR THE FIRST TIME A STAPLEFORD SCORING SYSTEM WAS INTRODUCED (SOMETHING TERRY HAD NEVER USED), MOST NOTABLY ON THIS DAY LAWRENCE MACKENZIE AND DAVE HOWLETT PLAYED GOLF FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

COLIN CONTINUED TO ORGANISE SOME GOLF DAYS AND WAS NOW IN DIRECT COMPETITION WITH TERRY, WITH BOTH PEOPLE ORGANISING SEPARATE DAYS (SOMETIMES ON THE SAME DAY) PLAYERS HAD TO CHOOSE WHO TO PLAY WITH, THIS WORKED IN COLINS FAVOUR AS HIS DAYS PROVED TO BE MORE POPULAR.

AFTER A WHILE TERRY WAS LOSING INTEREST AND ALTHOUGH HE WAS STILL ORGANISING THE DAYS MOST IF NOT ALL THE WORK WAS LEFT UP TO GRAHAM MEAD, THIS WAS NOT A BAD THING AS GRAHAM'S ORGANISING SKILLS AND POLITE MANNER WERE SECOND TO NONE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BOWDEN GOLF DAYS STARTED BECOMING QUITE POPULAR.

AT THE BEGINNING OF 1998 COLIN NOW SETTLED IN A NEW JOB AND HIS FRIEND (ALSO NAMED) COLIN FORMED THE PHOENIX GOLF SOCIETY, MEANWHILE GRAHAM HAD ENLISTED THE HELP OF LAWRENCE AND DAVE TO HELP HIM RUN THE BOWDEN GOLF DAYS, ALL THREE JOINED THE PHOENIX GOLF SOCIETY.

WITH TWO TOTALLY SEPARATE GROUPS OF GOLFERS THE BOYS FROM BOWDEN'S REALISED THEY WANTED TO RUN A SEASONAL COMPETITION FOR THEIR PLAYERS SO THEY WATCHED AND LEARNED HOW THE PHOENIX WENT ABOUT BUSINESS.

THE PHOENIX GOLF DAYS WERE ENJOYABLE BUT STILL NOT RUN QUITE AS THE 3 LADS WOULD HAVE DONE IT, ALTHOUGH THE SOCIETY WAS RUN WELL, THERE WERE STILL AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND THINGS THAT COULD BE ADDED.

GRAHAM, LAWRENCE AND DAVE SENSED THIS AND MID WAY THROUGH THE YEAR THEY STARTED TAKING NOTES SEPERATING THE GOOD POINTS FROM THE BAD POINTS, KEEPING THE GOOD AND WORKING OUT WAYS TO IMPROVE THE BAD.

AT THE END OF 1998 THE FAIRWAYS GOLF SOCIETY WAS FORMED.

THE MAJOR CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS SOCIETY WERE THAT INSTEAD OF THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR BEING DECIDED ON THE BEST FOUR COMBINED SCORES, WHICH LEAVES THE COMPETITION OPEN TO BANDITS, THE FAIRWAYS CAME UP WITH A 10 POINT SCORING SYSTEM, 10 FOR THE WINNER DOWN TO 1 FOR 10TH PLACE, THE COMMITTEE FELT AS MEMBERS WERE PLAYING THE SAME CONDITIONS ON THE SAME DAY THEY SHOULD BE REWARDED FOR WINNING NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE.  INSTEAD OF SOMEONE WINNING AN EASY COURSE ON A DODGY HANDICAP WITH 45 POINTS ALMOST GIVING THEM AN END OF YEAR TROPHY AFTER ONE DAY.

ALSO THE COMMITTEE ADOPTED A FAIRNESS POLICY WHERE EVERYBODY IS TREATED EQUALLY INCLUDING THEMSELVES, DRAWING THE GROUPS WITH NO EXCEPTION AND IMPLEMENTING IDEAS SUGGESTED BY THE MEMBERS (ALL PROBLEMS THEY HAD ENCOUNTERD ELSEWHERE).

  1999

1999 SAW THE FAIRWAYS GOLF SOCIETY KICK OF THEIR FIRST SEASON WITH AN AMAZING 41 MEMBERS, NOT BAD FOR A SATURDAY SOCIETY.

DESPITE THE FACT THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE TO ORGANISE THE YEAR STARTED WELL AND THE FIRST TWO DAYS WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH, IT WASN'T UNTIL THE THIRD DAY THAT PROBLEMS AROSE.

WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH A SPECIFIC GROUP OF PLAYERS WHO DID NOT LIKE OUR FAIRNESS POLICY AND DEMANDED TO PLAY WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE OR GO OUT IN CERTAIN GROUPS, BASICALLY THEY WOULD ONLY PLAY TOGETHER AND WERE COMING IN WITH SOME RIDICULOUS SCORES, WE NIPPED THIS IN THE BUD AND THE PLAYERS IN QUESTION BOYCOTTED MOST OF THE REMAINING SEASON, THE SAME GROUP OF PLAYERS WERE ALSO UNHAPPY THAT THE GROUPS WERE DRAWN AS THEY WANTED TO BE OUT FIRST EVERYDAY..

WITHOUT THESE PLAYERS THE REST OF THE SEASON WENT OFF REALLY WELL AND ALL THE MEMBERS APART FROM THE ONES MENTIONED WERE VERY HAPPY.

THE ONE SORE POINT WAS THAT TERRY UNWILLING TO HELP IN HIS NEW ROLE LEFT THE SOCIETY ON A BAD NOTE, NOT EVEN ATTENDING THE END OF YEAR PRESENTATION.

THE SEASON ACCOMPLISHED WHAT WAS ASKED AND THAT WAS TO LAY DOWN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE SOCIETY AND PRODUCE A PLATFORM ON WHICH WE COULD IMPROVE.

DOUG HUGHES MADE HISTORY BY BEING THE FIRST FAIRWAYS GOLF SOCIETY CLUB CAPTAIN AND RONNIE BRIGGS SET THE STANDARD BY WALKING AWAY AS THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.

2000  

AFTER A POSITIVE FIRST SEASON THE COMMITTEE FELT THERE WAS STILL ROOM FOR A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT.

NOW WITH A TRIMMED DOWN THIRTY MEMBERS THE SOCIETY BECAME EASIER TO MANAGE AND MORE ENJOYABLE TO PLAY IN AS BY THIS STAGE EVERYBODY WAS BECOMING CLOSE.

NOW WITH BETTER COURSES AND ORGANISIATION THE FAIRWAYS FLOURISHED AND ALLOWED THE COMMITTEE TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OTHER PROJECTS, A SOCIETY NEWSLETTER WAS INTRODUCED WHICH BECAME VERY POPULAR AND THE PUTTING COMPETITION WAS A GREAT SUCCESS, COMBINED PAR 3, PAR 4 AND PAR 5 TROPHIES WERE ADDED TO THE END OF THE YEAR AND POSITIVE MEMBER FEEDBACK WAS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.

THERE WAS A SEPARATE EVENING DISCO/DANCE FOR THE END OF YEAR WHICH ALTHOUGH A SUCCESS WILL NOT BE A FORMAT THAT IS CHOSEN AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

AT THE END OF THE YEAR THE COMMITTEE FELT THEY HAD ACHIEVED WHAT THEY WANTED, FAIR AND FUN GOLF DAYS FOR EVERYONE.

GORDON WAS A BRILLIANT CLUB CAPTAIN AND SCOTT A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO RONNIE'S CROWN. 

2001  

THE 2001 SEASON STARTED ON A BAD NOTE, THE PLANNED INTER-SOCIETY MATCH AGAINST THE PHOENIX WAS CALLED OFF DUE TO BAD WEATHER AND OUR FIRST DAY WAS ALSO CANCELLED.

ALAN BRIGGS WAS THE YEARS CLUB CAPTAIN BUT MISSED MOST OF THE SEASON DUE TO PERSONAL COMMITMENTS BUT FORTUNATLEY HIS DEPUTY RUSSELL SIMMONS WAS BRILLIANT. 

THE SEASON WAS FANTASTIC, FINISHING WITH A SIT DOWN MEAL PRESENTATION EVENING WHICH WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.

2001 SAW THE START OF OUR YEARLY MATCHPLAY COMPETITION WHICH LED TO GRAHAM MEAD BECOMING THE FIRST EVER WINNER.

A SOCIETY BOOK AND TOTE WERE STARTED ALL OF WHICH WERE A BIG HIT WITH MEMBERS.

A SOCIETY BEANO WAS ALSO SCHEDULED BUT WAS CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST.

EACH MEMBER WALKED OUT ONTO THE COURSE THIS YEAR IN THEIR NEW FAIRWAYS GOLF SOCIETY SHIRTS WHICH WE HAD SPECIALLY MADE AND THIS OUR SOCIETY WEBSITE,  WHICH STARTED AS A JOKE,  BECAME A REALITY.

RUSSELL SIMMONS PROVED HIMSELF NOT ONLY FOR BEING A SUPERB STAND IN CAPTAIN FOR MOST OF THE YEAR BUT WINNING THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND THE fairwaysgolfsociety.co.uk MAN OF THE YEAR.

ALL IN ALL THIS WAS PROBABLY THE SOCIETY'S BEST YEAR YET, BUT NOT HAPPY WITH THAT THE COMMITTEE ARE ALREADY LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, ROLL ON NEXT YEAR.

2002

Sorry, to be written by Low