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AGW Newsletter – December 2019

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 The President, Chairman and members of the AGW executive wish all AGW members and our AGW friends a very Merry Christmas & a rewarding 2020 New Year.

AGW GOLFER OF THE YEAR – Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry

Ireland’s Shane Lowry named – 2019 AGW Golfer of the Year.

It was announced Monday that Ireland’s Shane Lowry is winner of the 2019 AGW Golfer of the Year.

Shane and his Horizon Sports management team were pretty chuffed with news of the award.

As mentioned by AGW Chairman, Martin Dempster Shane won the vote by just two votes from the victorious European Solheim Cup team with Rory McIlroy well back in third place and Spain’s Jon Rahm a distant fourth.

What is pleasing is that more than 100 AGW members, both active and a number of long retired, got involved to show their support by casting a vote.

Full story go to the AGWs website – https://www.agwgolf.org/shane-lowry-wins-2019-agw-golfer-of-the-year/

RENTON LAIDLAW QUAICH

It is great pleasure to advise the Committee has confirmed the new Renton Laidlaw Quaich will be contested for a first occasion next April.

The Renton Laidlaw Quaich will replace the Presidents Putter as one of the five ETIQUS – AGW ‘Road to Hoylake’ Golfer of the Year events.

Renton Laidlaw honoured by PGA of Europe Dec 2018

Former AGW President, Chairman and Secretary Renton Laidlaw to be honoured with the naming of a new AGW golf trophy – Renton Laidlaw Quaich

The Presidents Putter, and first contested in 1986, is being retired however all those names appearing on the very awkward-handling trophy will be transferred to the new Renton Laidlaw Quaich.

Naturally, Renton (Photo – Renton ‘not’ holding the new trophy) is a very proud former President, Chairman and Secretary and is thoroughly delighted to be honoured with the naming of this new AGW trophy.

And after President Martin Dempster and myself met recently with Renton over lunch in Edinburgh it was agreed there will also be a smaller quaich available for the winners to retain.

2020 RENTON LAIDLAW QUAICH – Monday 20th April, 2020

And I can advise the inaugural staging of the Renton Laidlaw Quaich will be held in the early afternoon of Monday 20th April, 2020.

The AGW is currently in discussion with a venue very close to Royal St. George’s and Golf Captain Peter Dixon and I hope to have confirmed details as soon as.

This will be first event of the 2020 ETIQUS – AGW ‘Road to Hoylake’ season and will be held the day prior the R & A Open Championship Media Facilitation outing on Tuesday 21st April, 2020 at Royal St. Georges.

The dates are two weeks following the Masters while the European Tour will be out in China and the PGA Tour in New Orleans.

Put these two dates in your 2020 AGW members diary

AGW GOLF WRITERS – FRED PIGNON TROPHY

And a third and last note on trophies and that is to advise a tarnished-looking Fred Pignon Trophy, and the AGW’s Golf Writers Championship trophy, has been forwarded to John Bowles for much-needed attention.

John is the AGWs long-serving ‘everything trophies’ friend.

AGW GOLF – UPDATED HANDICAPS HEADING TO 2020

Following the close to the 2019 AGW golf season please note the following handicap adjustments heading into the New Year.

⭐️Presidents Putter Liam Kelly – New AGW handicap 22

⭐️R & A Salver Denis Kirwin New AGW handicap 13

⭐️ Michael Williams Hogget Dan Murphy – New AGW handicap 1

⭐️ Ron Moseley Trophy Rob Perkins – Then new AGW handicap 8

⭐️ Golf Writers C’ship Derek Lawrenson – New AGW handicap 7

⭐️ AGW Golfer of the Year – Rob Perkins – New AGW handicap 6

And it is very timely to thank AGW Golf Captain, Peter Dixon for all his efforts over the past year and good to have Peter on board for 2020.

AGW CHRISTMAS HAMPERS

It’s Christmas time and that again means the despatch of the famed and much-loved AGW Christmas hampers.

Around 50 were arranged this year to be sent out across the UK, Ireland and the Continent to our ‘senior’ members and also to those widows/partners/family of our sadly deceased members.

A small number of hampers are sent also to ‘deserving’ members.

The AGW Christmas hamper ( below – just an example) is a long-time traditional gesture the Association undertakes to remind those in receipt we are thinking of them at this special time of the year.

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And thank you to AGW Treasurer Peter Higgs for the ordering and despatch arrangements.

PICK YOUR PRO COMPETITION

The AGW is again indebted to Mark Jarrod for another successful running of the AGWs ‘Pick Your Pro’ (PYP) competition

The year-long competition ended last Sunday with the Presidents Cup and it turned into an all-family affair with Elliott Platts, and son of Mitchell, scooping the £125 first prize and relegating dad to second and a £75 prize.

And congratulation and well done to Elliott who was very kind in emailing the following message Mark and all those who participated in this year’s PYP.

Hi Mark / All,

What a fantastic early Christmas present for Dad and I! Thank you for running the competition and all the regular updates throughout the season.

We will raise a glass to you all and start planning our picks for next season. Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas.

Cheers,

Elliott

AGW Chairman, Martin Dempster (£50) was third with Scott Michaux (£40) fourth, Brian Creighton (£20) fifth and just ahead of Dick Turner (£10) in sixth.

And Trevor Peake picked-up 10 quid for a Christmas pint or two in finishing ‘top’ at the other end of the competition.

Stay tuned for news of the 2020 PYP starting early in the New Year.

2020 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP – MEDIA ACCOMMODATION

We are some eight months away though we have received advice from the R & A re Media accommodation options for the week of the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges.

Accommodation will be available at Canterbury University.

It is a 30-minute drive (Google Directions – 13.4 miles, 27 mins) from the University to the host course with the R & A to again arrange a shuttle bus service to and from the course.

Price per night – Double – £115/night (£805 for the week); Single – £75/night (£525 for the week) min’ stay 7 nights Apartment options are also available.

Please go to:-  https://www.stayattheopen.com/property/rsg0106

MEETING – AGW COMMITTEE WITH EUROPEAN TOUR – DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

The now annual ‘end-of-season’ meeting of the AGW Committee and the European Tour media was held during the week of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Items discussed included –

  • European Tour website short-comings
  • European Tour ‘assistance’ at distant Tour events
  • Embargo of copy at Tour events
  • AGW media accreditation

More detailed notes from the meeting can be found on the Tour’s website.

download (55)AGW HANDBOOKS & DAIRIES

The 2020 AGW Members handbook will soon go to press.

If you have changed your contact details in the past 12 months and have not previously advised me of the changes then you need to do so asap.

Also, if you seek to add a website, Twitter handle or any other relevant details to your entry that currently appears in the 2019 edition of the handbook then also contact me.

The 2020 diaries have been distributed and if you have not received a new diary then please contact Robin Barwick at email – email hidden; JavaScript is required

DENIS LALANNE – Legendary French journalist passes away.

Thank you to AGW member Philippe Hermann for the following …….

“Although French Denis Lalanne wasn’t an AGW member, he has been ‘married’ to golf during half of century or so, attached to L’Equipe or Le Figaro and knew many of the eldest among the AGW members or the Dan Jenkins, Furman Bisher, Peter Dobereiner class in the USA.

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Denis passed away 7th December just days before he was being awarded a “Grand Prix” in literature by the highly respected French Academy. He was 93-year old, semi-retired, but still writing and following golf by all means.

Totally dedicated to rugby and golf, and of course covering many Masters, he managed to get Biarritz and Augusta to become sister towns in 1982, and that’s still the case today.”

REMEMBERING AGW MEMBERS

It may be the Festive Season but it is also appropriate we also remember those AGW members who passed away this year.

Dan Jenkins – 1928-2019 (AGW member since 1974)

Keith Mackie – 1938-2019 (AGW member since 1963)

Peter Godsiff – 1938-2019 (AGW member since 1996)

AND ….

In conclusion just a note to wish all AGW members a great Christmas and trusting everyone enjoys a rewarding 2020, and in the ‘The Year of the Rat’.

While people will consider the rat is not adorable, and it makes its way into derogatory languages, it ranks first on the 12-year cycle Chinese zodiac signs. It has characteristics of an animal with spirit, wit, alertness, delicacy, flexibility and vitality.

What more can I say

Again, have a great Christmas and trust you each get to put your feet up for a few ‘festive’ cheers

Bernie

Secretary