Temperature has dropped – so Cowdray Park golfing seniors can play on
On the surface, Cowdray Golf’s seniors’ invitation day was no different from previous years – but it had a rather unusual history.
Originally scheduled for June, the tournament had been cancelled because the forecast of temperatures reaching 37-38C. A picture of the course that day showed it in glorious sunshine, but completely devoid of players.
Director of golf Tim Allen could not remember such an occurrence in more than 30 years in the sport.
Thankfully, the rescheduled day a few months on delivered perfect golfing weather, and the day went ahead in splendid conditions. The pairs competition was won by David Impiazzi and Chris Berry, who recorded an excellent 44 points, with Adrian Poole and Richard Harris runners-up on 43.
The invitation day also brought the curtain down on a packed schedule of friendly inter-club matches.
There were defeats against Alresford, Corhampton, Mannings Heath, Worthing and Hill Barn, while victories were recorded over Liphook, Farnham and Hindhead. The match against Puttenham finished all square.
The annual October Charity Day saw several thousand pounds raised for the club’s 2026-27 charity, On Course, which supports injured veterans.
The four-ball prize was won by Gary Traviss, Mick Fillary, Bill Hummerstone and John Donals, who amassed an impressive 123 points.
In domestic competitions the Seniors Elliot Cup, a three-clubs-and-a-putter competition, was won by Tim Clarke with 40 points, comfortably ahead of Mark Bilsand on 36.
The 2026 Captains’ Prize, a best of three scores from our four rounds competition, was won by Gary Mount with an impressive 113 points, while Steve Dover claimed victory in the fourth round with 40 points.
The October Stableford was won by Andrew Goddard with 42 points from Stephen Henley with 40.
The Seniors Championship, the most prestigious competition on the seniors’ calendar was won by Richard Mellor ahead of Gary Travis on a gross score basis, with the reverse applying to the nett scores. For the first time competition was played over two days, reflecting its importance on the seniors’ calendar.