Captain’s Blog No 20, (14.01.21) - New Year 2021
To all Pryors Hayes members,
So, it is not the new year we all hoped for but nevertheless please accept my best wishes for 2021. Surely things will get better soon! On the few days post-Christmas that the course was open before the latest lockdown, demand for tee times was extremely high which just emphasizes how much access to the golf course is valued by everyone. Despite the best efforts of England Golf and others it does not seem likely that the course will be open anytime soon. If I can find any positives in the situation at least the course is being spared damage while so wet which will hopefully improve the golfing experience for the rest of the year (I am clutching at straws here!).
On an incredibly sad note, Wilf Mahon passed away on January 2nd. Wilf was a founder member and an absolute stalwart of the club. He was a lovely man; he always had a cheery remark or an amusing anecdote to share. He played regularly in the Wednesday and Saturday competitions and with the seniors. He will be greatly missed and very fondly remembered at the club. RIP Wilf.
While unable to play, my thoughts have been turning to the spring and the coming golf season. It was great to get details of Gordon’s away weekend planned for June. This was fully subscribed in no time, again illustrating the vitality of the club and promises a great year for Gordon’s Captaincy. It also highlighted that the end of my year as Captain is approaching. Certainly, it has not been the year I envisaged but it has been memorable! While clearly the year has been dominated by the dreadful pandemic hopefully golf related events have provided some positive memories.
It’s not clear how things will pan out over the next couple of months but it if pandemic/lockdown rules allow golf to resume it would be nice to have some event to close out the Captaincy year. Watch this space.
Away from golf, what on earth has everybody been doing to get through the lockdown? For Isabelle and me our impending house move is dominating everything. Contracts have been exchanged (there is no going back now!), completion is on the January 29th. So, our days are full of sorting, packing and discarding!
So far anything associated with house moving is allowed during lockdown and I have just returned from my 10th trip to the recycling centre (the tip). We have arranged to rent a house in Dunham on the Hill for 3 months (thanks to Steve Wynne for putting us in contact with the owners), so we should not be homeless. Meanwhile we continue to look for our next house.
All things considered; I think we are lucky to have something definite to focus on.
Despite the present gloom, I hope everyone can look forward to better times.
Stay safe
Dave