10th January 2023
Dear Fellow Member,
This is my annual letter welcoming in a New Year for the Society; back to normality after an eventful, hugely enjoyable and successful Centenary year. Our profound thanks and congratulations to the outgoing Captain, Bertie Shotton and hearty welcome to Mark Dumas as the 54th Captain of the Society.
Membership List and changes for 2023
Enclosed is the List of Members for the coming year.
We welcome as new members: Colin Hely-Hutchinson and Sir Nigel Sweeney who joined us at the start of this year, coupled with those who joined the Society in August last year: Jeremy Dixon, Ewen Gilmour and Peter Lawrence whom most of you will not yet have met. Their individual handicaps range from 10 to 15.
Despite a sad tally of deaths amongst our members in 2022: Tim Hobson, Brian Evens, David Barrie, Richard Blake, Michael Wauchope, Robin Ord-Smith and Bill Yates, we now have 141 members. Of these 18 are Seniors, 6 are Senior Playing Members and one a Life Member. This leaves 116 other Playing Members. Since the Committees have approved a change to our constitution to the effect that those over 75 – it was 77+ previously- are no longer taken into account in computing our limit of 100 Playing Members, we have space for 15 new members. It is unlikely that we will be seeking to introduce as many as this in one year; the norm is about 6 or 7. The Scribe has currently been furnished with details of some 5 or 6 potential new Lucifers, who if they can be introduced to independent Committee members in good time and are deemed to fulfil the criteria for membership, can become members during this year rather than at normal date of induction, the next being 1st January 2024.
We need to ensure that the information contained on the website about individual members tallies with the contact details contained in the Hon.Scribe’s working copy List of Members so that you don’t miss important communications. Please therefore now check that the information recorded in your name in the Member Directory on the website conforms with the data applicable to you in the 2023 List of Members.
Fixtures List for 2023
The 2023 Fixtures List is enclosed in this letter.
As you will see, the Commonwealth Tournament takes place on the 3rd/4th July. The first day, as usual, is at West Hill and the second day’s venue is at Coombe Hill GC, near Kingston-upon-Thames for the first time. The Tournament will revert to its normal format this year, which means there should be sufficient places for most (if not all) Lucifers who wish to participate. The Commonwealth Dinner will be again at The Savoy Hotel, on Wednesday 5th July. The Tournament being our premier event of the year, as exemplified by our recently adopted motto: “Commonwealth friendship through golf”, it is our hope that all members will participate in the tournament or officiate at it, as well as attend the dinner. A warm welcome and a strong rapport between players and supporters has characterised these occasions in the past. Our overseas competitors will have travelled, in most cases, at least half way across the globe in order to play in the tournament and we do need to show up in good numbers at the Commonwealth dinner to ensure that we are not outnumbered by our guests!
If you are able to help hosting an event or informal fixture, at or connected with, your own golf club during the period of the Commonwealth Tournament, please make contact with our Hon. Commonwealth Scribe, Michael Bourne, at his LCT address: michaelbourne.lgs@gmail.com.
Members are encouraged to communicate at an early stage their interest in playing in the Commonwealth Tournament and surrounding matches against the Australians and the Rest of the World golfers respectively. The same is true of the matches and meetings. You should now be able to do this via the website as the Fixtures List has been loaded by the operators and can now be actioned.
Correspondingly, Match Managers are requested to let those who have put their names down for matches know whether they have been selected to play or are recorded as a reserve, at least 6 weeks prior to the relevant match taking place. This enables members not picked to make alternative arrangements. Our Match Managers are aware that in an effort to integrate newer members who have applied to play in any match, an element of priority is given to them in the selection of players representing the Society. There are some Lucifers who regularly (and most helpfully) record themselves as being willing to be called up at the last moment to play in matches, distance from their homes being the only constraint. Could any such “last moment reserves for 2023” please identify themselves to the Hon. Scribe who will keep a note of their names for Match Managers who find themselves short?
We now have three fixtures in which our ladies can also play against the wives and partners of our opponents, immediately after our own matches on relevant days: those against Aldeburgh (on 30th-31st March), Royal Worlington (on 13th June) and Royal West Norfolk (on 14th June), these last two consecutive days in June to be followed by our playing with our ladies in a mixed game at Hunstanton GC on 15th June. If you are putting your name down to play in any of these fixtures, please communicate separately with the relevant Match Manager whether your wife or partner will be accompanying you and whether she is or is not intending to play golf. There is is no facility to do this as part of registering your interest online. Match Managers will also need to know these details to enable them to make appropriate bookings with hotels.
We have several new Match and Meetings Managers this year: Harry Lewis is taking over the Royal Porthcawl fixture from Sam Rajaratnam, Paul Richards as the new Hon. Match Scribe taking over the running of the Spring, Summer and Autumn meetings and Captain’s Day from Jeff Turner, Michael Bourne taking over the Hon. Commonwealth Scribe’s role from Chris Bonsall, Richard Costain taking over the Family & Guests Day from Paul Dyas and Nigel Majury is organising a new fixture: the Scribe’s and Match Managers day at Swinley Forest. The Committee would like to thank the outgoing Match Managers for their excellent organisational work in previous years and we will all welcome and give continuing support to their above-mentioned worthy successors.
Lucifer long socks and possibly hatbands
The Hon. Scribe maintains in stock a number of pairs of self-elasticated long socks. There are currently 23 pairs available. If you have any interest in buying a pair- they retail at £25 or £45 for two pairs-please let the Hon. Scribe know. I will be ceasing to hold this office and passing over the reins to Alan Arscott immediately after the Members Only Dinner on 21st March. His email address is: alanarscott@gmail.com.
Recently a member enquired whether any Lucifer hat bands could be purchased. Our last order for these was about 10 years ago and there has been no particular demand registered since. If there are likely to be orders for say, a dozen hatbands, it might be worthwhile our ordering a 50 metre length which is the minimum our supplier, Toye Kenning & Spencer will contemplate. If you would like to make an order, assuming there are sufficient others, please let me know over the next few weeks.
Members Dinners in 2023
Please note in your diaries that the Members Only Dinner is being held at the Turf Club on Tuesday 21st March, invitations to which will be the subject of a separate email from me to be despatched in the next week or so, and the Members & Guests Dinner will be at the Caledonian Club on Tuesday 14th November.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year and good health coupled with convivial and fun golfing with the Lucifers in the year ahead.
Yours sincerely,
