LBGC Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 33
Langland Centenary Book
15/2/05
6:11 pm
Page 33
With the increased land, new equipment was essential;
including a hedge cutter, as the ground staff now had more than
three miles of hedges and banks to tend. Fortunately, Lloyds
Bank continued to smile benignly on the Club’s efforts, and so
new tractors, trailers and mowers came upon the scene.
Jack Moore decided to leave the Club soon after the new
course opened and this was a serious setback especially as the
remainder of the staff did not have the expert knowledge
necessary to deal with the many problems arising. He returned
to the fold in August 1968 and remained for a further twelve
months before leaving again, but he had in that time recruited
Mervyn Sartin from his old club in Leicester. Mervyn
subsequently became Head Greenkeeper for about seven years
until replaced by Ken Payne who with his small but hard
working staff kept the course in first class order. Incidentally,
even in these days of non-discrimination between the sexes, we
were the only Club, as far as we know, with a female
greenkeeper and a finer worker than Mary O’Nions would
have been hard to find, this as well as being a very good golfer.
As shown later in the book Mary was honoured with the
Ladies Vice-Captaincy for Centenary year in 2004.
The main 1968 golfing season was notable for a tremendous
crop of clover on the new land. For many years Dick
Woolacott had sown clover to graze his cattle and the
ploughing and harrowing, combined with a lot of fertiliser,
raised a larger crop than Dick ever had. More balls were lost
on the course in the last four months of this season than had
been lost in the whole of the previous two seasons. A “Maud”
or a “Chippy” would have had a real bonanza. Four-ball matches
would come in having lost twenty or more balls between them
and one winning couple is said to have won because they only
lost six balls.There was no truth in the story going around at
the time that Tom Lynch went around the course fertilising the
clover to increase the sale of golf balls. A high powered
operation was put underway to kill the clover by spraying with
various chemicals and although somewhat expensive it
was successful.
eventual decided to extend the existing Clubhouse in such a
way that further extensions could be made in the future.
At the 1968 Annual General Meeting it was announced that
members would be asked to make interest-free loans to enable
this expansion and as a further method of fund raising a lottery
scheme was commenced. This scheme was brought in to the
Club by Fred Flaxman who, with Colin Campbell, ran it for the
first few years.The lottery or “200 Club” so called, is still in
existence and provides some fun for those who invest in it,
increased bar takings for the Club and amenities such as
additional furnishings and equipment for the Clubhouse.
At a meeting on 1st May 1969 planning permission having been
obtained, the Board sanctioned the Development Committee’s
schemes for alteration and two days later - the meeting was
held on a Friday - an orgy of destruction commenced followed
by what seemed an agonising long period of construction. It
wasn’t really, although it must have been worst for Tom Lynch,
as his shop was the first building to be demolished and his
shop virtually the last to be completed.
Whilst this work was going on, water had been laid to all the
greens.The pressure had not been as good has hoped for and
the moving of the sprinklers was time consuming but at least
the greens could be kept watered and the scheme was about
£9000 cheaper than an automatic sprinkler system.The greens
improved rapidly to the satisfaction of most members.
The new locker room extensions were completed early in
1970 and were officially opened by Major T.S. Morris of
Pennard, a former Welsh Golf Union President. Most of the
credit for the speed and excellence of the new building work
must again go to Ken Phillips who was Clerk of the Works and
everything else combined. At least his dog didn’t have to walk
so far. At the official opening a small presentation was made to
Ken, but his work for the Club over the previous five years had
been of incalculable value.
At the end of 1968 two major considerations were facing the
Club. Water was badly needed to improve the greens and the
locker room facilities were not only inadequate but also
verging on the disgraceful.
It was no good making good greens in the spring for them to
become burnt offerings if there was a rare good summer.
Automatic sprinklers were considered but had to be rejected
on grounds of cost, this especially when past expenditure was
taken into consideration and it was eventually decided that as
the existing wells would not provide sufficient water the Club
should install plastic piping by the mole draining method.This
would be cheaper and cause less upheaval than any other
method; consequently a contract was negotiated to commence
in the spring of 1969.
The increased number of visitors using the course had
generally been complimentary about the standard of layout and
greenkeeping - apart from the clover problem - but their
remarks about locker room facilities were largely unprintable.
The galling point being that they were right.The minutes of this
period show the setting up of a Development Sub-Committee
comprising Vernon Davies, Ken Phillips and David Billings with
such co-opted members as would be required to consider any
future plans. Several were produced these including the
erection of a completely new Clubhouse in the car park facing
down the eighteenth fairway. Had it been possible the place to
have a new Clubhouse would have been on the tent site near
to the practise green but such a scheme was impossible from a
planning point of view as well as from the financial angle. It was
Opening of new locker room 1970
Following this expenditure the Club had to hold back on
further capital work but the excellence of the course
combined with the new locker rooms and improved bar
facilities, increased visitors to a considerable degree.This
inevitably led to car parking problems, which at times bordered
on the chaotic.This was eventually overcome but only by
considerable expenditure and, once again, the help of our
friendly Bankers.
Over the years that all this work was carried out, the indoor
staff were changing with unfortunate regularity. Mr. and Mrs.
Hughes left after some seven years service due to the ill health
of Mrs. Hughes and were replaced by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas who
were in turn replaced by Mr. and Mrs. Loosemore. Fred Job and
his wife acted as temporary steward and stewardess for some
time after the Loosemores left and then Mr. and Mrs.Thomas
were appointed and served a number of years up to 1976.
33
33