THE President’s Putter match is Farnham’s Golf Club’s way of thanking all members who volunteered their free time to help the club this past year.

Also included are the team of club manager Alasdair Hay, club professional Rob Colborne and head greenkeeper Rupert Lawrence.

The event is organised by the club president Tim Hodges with help from captain Alan Wheatley.

The president chooses two mixed teams to represent the President and Captain and the atmosphere of an ‘end of term party’ pervades the course and clubhouse.

Having lost last year, Tim Hodges picked his side with great care. On a course swept by a chilly wind, the first of the ten four-ball matches teed off at 12.30pm on Saturday. The results were only announced later at the black-tie dinner.

Early success for the captain’s team gave no indication of the massacre that was to follow.

At the dinner, it fell to Dick Molden to introduce each game and for the competitors to announce their scores amidst many loud comments from the gathering.

It soon became obvious that the president had misjudged the strength of his team. Only two games went to the captain. Poetic justice, perhaps, that one one of those vanquished was the president himself and Ray Heath, well beaten by the captain and Bill Talbot.

Eight matches to two was the final score and it was a sheepish Farnham president who stepped forward to receive the President’s Putter from the captain, Alan Wheatley.