Typical Golfing Week
Southerndown is a friendly club and you will soon find your own 'niche'. To get you started, the following typical week may be helpful:
Mondays
Southerndown became one of the first clubs in the country to offer ladies equal status to men, and as a result ladies are entitled to play on any day of the week. However, traditionally ladies play medal and Stableford competitions on Mondays - twice monthly throughout the year. Many ladies like to play mid-morning on Wednesdays and Fridays, too.
Tuesdays
On Tuesday mornings throughout the year, ″Hanner Ffordd″ meet up. This is an internal society within the golf club that plays ten holes of golf. Hanner Ffordd is a Welsh phrase meaning ″ half way″. If you turn up to play around 9 a.m. and make yourself known someone will look after you. A draw for pairings is made over coffee and 4-ball matches go out in draw order. A small entry fee applies. Year round, weather permitting. In the early evening during the summer the Halletts meet socially and for golf.
(Ladies) Tuesday is a quiet day in the Ladies section and Tuesday afternoons are a fairly quiet time on the golf course, so a good time to get some practise in. We have a group of new members who meet up on a Tuesday and who are known informally as the TAGS (Tuesday Afternoon Golf Society)
Wednesdays
Once a month in the golfing season a Mid-Week Yellow Box Medal (MWYBM) takes place, with start times running on into the evening.
At Wednesday lunchtime an informal ″swindle″ takes place. This is a men’s Stableford competition played off the yellow boxes. Just turn up around 11.45 a.m. and make it known that you are looking for a game. This is a great way to meet new members, with social and competitive golf the order of the day. People fix up 4-ball games either in advance or as they arrive. Players of all handicaps are welcomed and there is a small entry fee. Year round, weather permitting.
(Ladies) Wednesday is busy during the Winter for our ladies with our informal roll up golf. This is very popular especially with new members and a good opportunity to play with different people and to learn the rules. We usually try to pair new members with more experienced members and try to concentrate on a particular rule or point of etiquette each week.
Thursdays
The Hanner Ffordd meet up on Thursday mornings as well - same details as on Tuesday.
Fridays
There is nothing specific in terms of organized competition but several players meet up around mid-day for a game. Just turn up and take your chances! You’ll soon get to know who plays and when.
(Ladies) Friday is often used by the Ladies section for social competitions such as the Strawberry Tea in June and also an opportunity to fit in the preliminary rounds for the MChugh Cup which is a qualifying competition played over 12 holes during the spring and summer months.
Saturdays
In the golfing season, there will be medal / Stableford competitions a couple of times a month on Saturdays / Sundays (- see above).
A group meets at 9 a.m. for a similar style of competition to the "swindles". Partners are drawn out of a hat and games go out in three or four-ball format. There is a small entry fee. Year round, weather permitting.
Saturday afternoons are similar to Fridays in that some people meet up to play around mid-day.
(Ladies) During weekends the Ladies section hold extra medals and Stableford completions so there is plenty of opportunity for those who work to play in qualifying competitions.
Sundays
See Saturday for medals etc.
On Sunday afternoon throughout the year there is an informal ″swindle″. See Wednesday for details.
Clwb Hanner Ffordd
by Eirwyn Roberts
At the end of October 1986 I retired from work. During the previous weeks J C Davies, Jack Wilson, Dai Richards and I had discussed a plan for four-ball weekday golf following my retirement.
On the first Tuesday in November 1986 we met in the clubhouse at 9.30 am. This meant that we missed the bad traffic in town (it has got a lot worse since). That was part of the plan. Then after coffee and a chat we set out from the 1st tee and played our 10 holes, getting back to the clubhouse for a couple of pints and then home in good time for lunch. This was the start of the Clwb Hanner Ffordd.
The choice of Tuesday and Thursday for playing was dictated by the fact that we played bowls on Wednesday and Friday, Monday was poker and snooker night in the club while Saturday and Sunday were our regular weekly rounds of golf.
In the weeks and months that followed a number of people became interested and started doing the same thing. The first of these were John Oakes, David Jones, Don Lewis and Trevor Rowlands. At some time, when we had reached about 12 -15 regulars, it was suggested that a draw for groups of three should be made and a 50p kitty started. In 1992 John Oliver took responsibility for the draw and the daily prize and carried on with this for many years.
Soon the numbers grew to 20-30 players. Hywel Huws began looking after the money and Caron Jones the general organisation. Thus the Clwb Hanner Ffordd grew into its present form with over 80 people on the data file. There are no formal requirements for membership. There is no AGM, no election of officers or any other formalities. The responsibilities mentioned above just seem to pass from one to another in a very natural way. At present Caron still does the organising, Ed Philpin looks after the money and Wyn Jones looks after the draw and the prizes.
The name Clwb Hanner Ffordd came about one morning when it was decided to form a named social club for our group of players. As the competition was over ten holes a suggestion was made that we call ourselves the Half Way Club but John Hodges proposed that we should use the Welsh name. We all agreed, and consequently we became Clwb Hanner Ffordd. Caron Jones designed a logo, and shirts and sweaters were ordered. Later it was decided to have a Clwb Hanner Ffordd tie, the design of which was created by Caron Jones and Gwyn Phillips. Of interest, the first recorded winner of the Clwb Hanner Ffordd competition was Richie Thomas.
A few years ago a cup was donated by Don Evans, to be awarded at our Christmas dinner for the player who had won most prizes during the year.
We are a free association of members of Southerndown Golf Club, now in our 17th year. We are still informal and hopefully we will keep going as we are for many years to come. To the best of my knowledge we are unique, no comparable body existing in any golf club of which I know.
Peter McEvoy OBE , Royal Troon Golf Club - May 24 [Guest Book]