A Message from the Captain

It is indeed a great honour to be chosen to be Club Captain of any golf club but to be asked to lead a club with so much tradition as The Halifax Golf Club just adds to the honour, as well as the perceived expectations.  As I gaze around the dining room of our club at the pictures of all the many past captains who have done the job before me I cannot help but feel inspired.  I hope I will be up to some of their challenging standards.

I would like to thank Mr John Sutcliffe, for his confidence in my abilities to succeed him in the role of Captain.  It has been a pleasure to work alongside him and all the other board members this past year as we have striven to take the club forward in the direction, we feel, it needs to go.

The course itself seems to have benefited from last years atrocious weather. It seems to thrive on the wet conditions and it is testament to the work done by Michael Harris and his staff that we lost very little golf during the year through climatic conditions. We have remained open when some of our neighbours have had to close. (So much for the old “Ogden” reputation). Some long-standing members have remarked that the course has been in it’s best condition ever.

We have started work tidying up the bottom car park as a pre curser to  building an access bridge onto the course. This will enable the Greens Staff to access the course with their materials and equipment without the need to use the lane at the back of the clubhouse. It will also, in the longer term, serve to lengthen the golfing life of some of our elder members by giving access to the course for buggies subject to our insurers advice of course.

We have also had some enjoyable social events thoughout the past year ably organised by Mel Halliday and I hope that this will continue through 2008 as these events, as well as providing a platform to “get together” and have a good time as a club, do help to raise much needed revenue. 

I look forward to playing more golf this year than I have been able to over the last few years. My handicap is suffering through a lack of practice. I also look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, socially, whether that is at a planned function or just casually in the clubhouse or it’s surrounds. My hope for the year is that we all enjoy the forthcoming season and that the weather is kind to us all.

 David Lightfoot M.B.E.  Club Captain
April 2008