RAF Henlow Station Golf
End of Season Report 2012
During the 2012 golf season the following events have taken place under the umbrella of
Station golf at RAF Henlow.
At the start of the season Sgt Timmins took over as OIC with Sgt Hufton as deputy OIC.
FS Dove was elected as Captain for the season.
Due to a re-assignment to RAF Halton, FS Dove had to step down as Captain at the end of
Aug. As the end of the season was upon us it was decided not to re-elect another player as
Captain until next year.
POC Details
OIC Sgt Jasper Timmins
DOIC Sgt Danny Hufton
95381 4869
95381 7167
The number of golfers taking part in Station activities has increased from last year. A total of
15 golfers managed to get out and play in various competitions throughout the year.
Details of golfers in handicap order are below.
Rank
FS
Sgt
FS
Sgt
Mr
Sgt
LAC
FS
SSgt
Sgt
Cpl
Sgt
Sgt
WO
WO
Name
M Dove
N Timmins
D Smith
D Hufton
M Daniels
P Feeley
A Dalton
P Brown
L Welsh
J Dinning
Bonner
S Miller
B Gillespie
R Parnall
J Harris
Known As
Budgie
Jasper
Dave
Danny
Mark
Paul
Alex
Phil
Les
Jeff
Andy
Si
Bryan
Rupert
John
Handicap
4
7
10
10
10
11
11
13
13
17
18
18
18
21
23
H’Cap
Cat
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
SE
Champs
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
Y
N
N
N
N
Chiltern
League
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Inter
Station
N
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
ASGL
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Competitions Entered Throughout the Season
Chiltern League
On 21 Mar 12 FS Dove and Sgt Timmins attended the Chiltern league AGM with the intention
of joining the league. Due to the distances involved with certain matches,
Henlow V Odiham etc. a discussion took place to ascertain whether it would be viable for
Henlow to join the league. All parties agreed that it would be beneficial to have another team
to play against and Henlow were officially voted into the Chiltern League. The matches
involve 5 players playing individual matchplay with stroke allowance of ¾ the difference.
The maximum handicap for any player is 18. At the time of writing, Henlow are lying 3rd in
the league having played 9 out of their 10 matches with a record as follows: W 3 D 2 L 4.
Anglian Services Golf League
Along with RAF Brampton, Chicksands and Wimbish, RAF Henlow entered a team in the
2012 Anglia Services Golf League (ASGL). The format for the league was a series of
“society” style meets organised by each of the member units with the final event being the
end of season event comprising award of the League Trophy to the winning team. Each meet
was a team event with teams of up to 8 players (there was no minimum number of players).
The format was individual stableford played off full handicap. The maximum handicap
allowance for the league was 24. Players with a higher handicap could play but had to play
off 24. This helped to encourage players of all ability to take part. Henlow managed to field a
team in all events and finished second in the league, narrowly losing out to Chicksands.
RAFGA South East Golf Championships 9 May 12
The RAFGA South East Golf Championships was held at Berkhamsted Golf Club for the
second successive year. RAF Henlow sent 5 players with handicaps ranging from 4 to 18.
On a particularly wet day all players had their fair share of troubles around this great track.
As expected, FS Dove turned in the lowest gross score from Henlow and was duly selected
to represent the SE in the inter-region championships in July.
Sgt Timmins returned the lowest nett score.
RAFGA Individual Championships 2 – 4 Jul 12
FS Dove was the only representative from RAF Henlow, making the cut and finishing a very
creditable 25th in awful conditions.
RAFGA Inter Station Competitions 17 Aug 12
RAF Henlow sent a 3 man team to compete in the combined scratch and handicap
competitions. Unfortunately they failed to make the top 2 and therefore didn’t qualify for the
finals.
Station Championships 5 Oct 12
The Station championships were held at John O Gaunt Golf Club. This well renowned
parkland course is a stern test for any golfer and was presented in fantastic condition for the
time of year. The field consisted of 10 players with Sgt Timmins returning the best gross
score of 82, narrowly beating Cpl Coumbe who returned a score of 86.
The nett prize went to Cpl Bonner with a score of 77 with WO Harris coming second with 78.
Thursday Night Station Golf
Through June to September organisers of golf at RAF Henlow arranged regular play on
Thursday evening at Henlow Golf Course. Play was over 9 holes and was in the form of
Individual Medal and Stableford competitions, with an occasional hidden pairs game thrown
in. Entry was open to Station, Lodger Unit and contractor staffs working or living at RAF
Henlow with members of Henlow Golf Club assisting novice players around the course.
This proved to be very popular and helped to encourage participation from all standards of
golfer.
Charity Involvement
On 6 Oct 12 Chesfield Downs Golf & Country Club (RAF Henlow’s home course)held their
annual H4H Charity Golf event. Over 120 golfers took part in a stableford competition
(best 2 from 4 scores to count) although the golf was only a very small part of the day. The
main focus was to raise money for this worthwhile charity that is very close to the hearts of all
military personnel. After the golf there was an auction including a signed golf top from
Ian Poulter (Chesfield was his original club as a junior) and golf holidays in Spain and
Portugal.
The military were ably represented by Gp Capt Featherstone; who gave a very moving and
poignant speech regarding the importance of H4H, Sgt Timmins from RAF Henlow and
Sgt Darlison from RAF Wittering. There was also a representative from “The Band of
Brothers”; a group of military personnel who have been wounded in theatre. He was shuttled
around the course by Sgt Darlison, distributing refreshments throughout the day and was
treated with admiration and respect by all participants.
The event raised in excess of £11K for H4H; a fantastic achievement for the number of
people involved.
Summary
2012 has been a very productive season for golf at RAF Henlow. Participation in RAFGA
events has grown substantially and it is hoped to continue this next year. The inclusion in the
Chiltern League has meant more competitive golf being played rather than the occasional
social game. This has had the added benefit of a reduction in handicap of at least 4 players
within the squad, emphasising the importance of retaining the leagues within the RAF.
RAF Henlow intends to enter a team in the Chiltern League next year and also enter as many
RAFGA events as possible.
Signed on DII
N Timmins
Sgt
OIC Golf
RAF Henlow