1. • Bro Morris Bentley reports

   • A trio of summer competitions.

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   • Opening Ode Shield

   • The Metropolitan Grand Lodge & Chapter Golf Society held its opening event of 2023 for the Opening Ode Shield on a chilly and overcast April day at Chipstead Golf Club, Coulsdon, Surrey, founded in1906.

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   • Playing off the yellow tees at 5,332 yards on a Par68, this was a stern test of golf on a tight parkl and course: while short, it has two Par 5s and six Par 3s! The rain started on the 1st Tee and kept going formost of the round; and the 11 players found the conditions tricky, especially over the front nine holes.

Michael Fox (left) with Society Captain Kevin Jones (right) resplendent in theSociety Tie with The Opening Ode Shield!

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   • The ‘Nearest the Pin’ prize on the 166-yard, Stroke Index 8-15th Hole was Michael Fox’s. ‘Nearest thePin in Two’ on the 262-yard, Stroke Index 17–9th Hole was Robert Grant; whilst the ‘Longest Drive’on the 18th Hole went to Gordon Beasley, going some 220 yards down the fairway!

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   • In 3rd place was Robert Grant with 34 points (receiving 17 shots), Runner-Up was Gordon Beasleyon 36 points (receiving 17 shots) and the Winner was Michael Fox on 38 points (receiving 29 shots);the other 8 players also had decent rounds in the wet and soggy conditions. All handicaps wereverified by their WHS Index before the round commenced.

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   • Andrew Henderson Memorial Shield

   • The second outing of the season brought the Society to Warley Park Golf Course near Brentwood inEssex, to play for the Andrew Henderson Memorial Shield. Andrew was the Primus Metropolitan Grand Secretary & Grand Scribe Ezra from 2003 until he died tragically young in 2009 at 45. The course atWarley Park is about 30 years old and was played over 5,295 yards with a Par 71. It has some wow-factor holes: including two played over lakes back-to-back!

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   • ‘Nearest the Pin’on the 168-yard 18th hole (downhill over yet another lake!) went to Michael Fox.‘Nearest the Pin in Two’on the 264-yard uphill 16th Hole, with trees in front of the green, went toSteve Pollock; and the ‘Longest Drive’ was also taken by Steve Pollock. As Society Rules request that these Spot Prizes be shared around, the Runner-Up on the Longest Drive went to John Bennett.

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   • The winning guest was Boon Tan, with a very worthwhile score of 44 points off a WHS of 28.2 and receiving 31 shots. In 3rd place was Michael Horley with 34 points off a WHS of 19.8 and receiving 22 shots; while the Runner-Up was the evergreen Gordon Beasley, with 35points off a WHS of 15.9and receiving 18 shots. The Winner was Michael Fox with 39 points off a WHS of 25.6 (including ashot deduction for winning last time he played) and receiving 29 shots. Under Society Rules, Michael will now be cut three shots (onefor winning, one for getting over 36 points and another for getting over 38 points) the next time he plays. Warley Park staff looked after us very nicely; and the two-course meal afterwards was very much enjoyed!

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   • President’s Salver

   • Our third outing was at Maidenhead Golf Club in Berkshire, to play for the President’s Salver. Sadly,our President, Sir Michael Snyder, could not be present. Maidenhead Golf Club was founded in 1896 by senior members of the Brigade of Foot Guards; and is a mature course setin rolling parkland with tree lined fairways, measuring 6,006 yards off the Yellow Tees and with a Par of 70.

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   • Overnight rain, which continued in the early morning, meant the greens were receptive, whilst the fairways were still running fast; and the men from Hampshire were licking their lips! ‘Nearest the Pin’on the 13th Hole (133 yards SI 12) was a tricky 8-iron shot against the wind onto a small plateau: so tricky that no-one managed to land their tee shot onto the green.

Roy Nelson (left) receives the President’s Salver from Society Captain Kevin Jones

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   • ‘Nearest the Pin in Two’on the 5th Hole (318 yards SI 17) was won by Anil Dhiri with a deft 7-iron to the front of the green; while the Longest Drive on the 18th Fairway was won by Kevin Jones with adrive of some 220 yards.
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   • Six golfers scored over 30 points, with Anil Dhiri taking Third Place with 35 points (receiving 19shots) and Raj Kumar taking the Runner-Up spot with 39 points (receiving 23 shots). The Winner was Roy Nelson of Friendship from Service Lodge No 7691, who scored 40 points (receiving 20shots). This is the second time Roy has won this trophy, and it goes back to Hampshire for another year!
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   • The Society now looks forward to its fourth and flagship event of the year, The Captain’s Day Trophy on Thursday 14th September at Redbourn GC, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
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   • If you wish to join the only Golf Society in the Metropolitan Area, no matter what your handicap, then please email Choo–our Treasurer on mchoosl@hotmail.com

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 52 August 2023 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons - Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 52 here.