SPRING NEWSLETTER
2026
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gerry Ross, our President, Sue Bower,
our Immediate Past Captain and Sara Brown and Joyce Jarvis our Vice-Presidents for
all their help and support over the past 12 months whilst I have been Vice-Captain.
Their insight and belief in me have been invaluable. It has left me in no doubt that as
I take over as Captain from Sue, it is a great honour to be part of this Society,
and I will do my best to represent it as best I can.
A couple of things I would like to draw your attention to:
As you will have seen in this year’s booklet, we have introduced an entry start date
and closing date for all our meetings. This is so that
a) we hope it will make your life
easier that you will now be able to sign-up and then pay your entry fee immediately
and not have to wait six months or more as some Banks only let you pre-date a payment
by a month.
b) we hope that it will make the treasurer’s life easier as there will be
a defined window when all payments can be made and we are not receiving payment
for the October Mixed Invitation in February.
We are also trying to work towards all entries, to the meetings and matches, to be online through our web site. The matches are open for entry with the first match against Berkshire to be a Home match
on 14th April at Woking Golf Club.
The on-line entry form for each of the meetings will be open two calendar months before
the event and close one calendar month before the event. Only under exceptional
circumstances will we accept postal entries with a cheque. Any entries arriving prior to
the opening date for that meeting will not be acknowledged until after the opening date.
The same rules will apply as in previous years: if there are too many entries for any
meeting there will be a ballot to reduce numbers, however those that get balloted out
will get priority next year.
It seems that all clubs in Surrey have put their green fees and catering costs up this
year, and I have tried my best to keep the costs down. We are very lucky to have such
lovely courses in Surrey in which to play our meetings, but this does come
with the added burden of higher fees.
My Charity this year is going to be Horatio’s Garden. This is a charity linked to nine Spinal
Injury Hospitals around the UK. A friend of mine had the misfortune to have a life
changing accident in Italy in 2024, which has left him very badly injured. Although he
hasn’t, by some miracle, been paralysed, his mobility has been extremely impaired
which has left him in a wheelchair most of the time.
His experience in the Salisbury Hospital’s Horatio’s Garden has, as he says,
been a ‘life saver’ from the world he now finds himself in.
The Garden is accessible to all in wheelchairs and has been a place for quiet reflection
and positivity whilst watching the seasons change. I do hope you will support the raffles
and ball sweeps this year the proceeds will be split between Horatio’s Garden and
Battleback which we will again be supporting this year.
Battleback is an excellent charity for getting service personnel back on their
feet again through sports such a golf.
Thank you to everyone who has put their faith in me to guide the Society though the
next 12 months and let’s hope that we have as much luck with the weather this year
as Sue had for her year.
Thank you
Clare Grigsby
SLCS Captain 2026