The White Hart Golf Society, named after the pub of the same name in Stoke (a neighbouring village) meets seven times a year from April through to October.

Playing on weekdays, the society plays a number of courses in Hampshire and Wiltshire and its members live in, or have a connection with, Vernham Dean.
The season ends with a presentation dinner held in November at The White Hart in Stoke. New participants are always welcome and are asked to contact Quiller Taylor, 737418, kateandquiller@gmail.com or Richard Winch 737723 at richard.winch@gremble.com

2022 Fixtures are as follows:

Upavon                Apr 12

Test Valley           May 18th

West Berkshire   June 15th

Leckford                July 6th

Tidworth                Aug 18th

Weybrook Park      Sep 6th

Andover                Oct 6th

2022 Reports

Andover October 6th

The last game of the season was preceded by an epic 'Big Boy's Breakfast' which was enjoyed by all with many returning for seconds!

The weather was sunny but very windy, though obviously not a problem for Kevan Balley who returned an excellent 37 points, some way ahead of the runner-up Colin Chilton on 34

Full results below:

1. Kev Balley      37

2. Colin Chilton   34

3. George Searle 32

4. John Garbutt    32

5. Bob Vincent     32

6. Paul Struthers  30

7. Rich Backhouse 30

8. Stuart Haigh       28

9. Simon Lawrence 28

10. Quiller Taylor     28

11. Richard Winch   26

12. Nigel Beck         25

13. Pete Webb        25

14. Phil Fish            23

 

Weybrook Park September 6th

The weather forecast was accurate for once and a torrential downpour around the turn brought play to a halt for 10 minutes or so. However, the sun came out and a fresh wind resulted in sodden clothing been dried out before too long.

Congratulations to Chili for returning a creditable 39 points. Where did he pull that one from?!

Full results below:

1.  Colin Chilton       39

2. Mark Hilsley         36

3. Phil Fish               36

4. John Garbutt        34

5. Dave Nash           33

6. Simon Lawrence  33

7. Brian Haigh          30

8. Stuart Haigh         30

9. Pete Webb            29

10. Richard Winch    29

11. Paul Raymond     27

12. Quiller Taylor      26

13. Bob Vincent        25

14. Nigel Beck          25

15. David Hornblow  23

Tidworth August 18th

It was generally acknowledged that the course was in superb condition and the scores reflected this with 10 players returning scores in the 30s.

Congratulations to Brian Mothersole for emerging victorious with a fine score of 38 points, following on from his 37 at Lecford.

Full results below.

1.  Brian Mothersole  38

2.  Paul Raymond      36

3. Nigel Beck             36

4.  Colin Chilton         35

5. Simon Lawrence    33

6. Pete Webb             32

7. Phil Fish                 31

8. Richard Backhouse 30

9. Brian Haigh              29

10. Quiller Taylor          29

11. Dave Nash             29

12. Bob Vincent           27

13. George Searle       26

14. Michael Phillips      25

15. Stuart Haigh           24

16. Paul Struthers        21

Leckford July 6th

Congratulations to the ever-steady Brian Haigh who returned an amazing 44 points, and to worthy runner-up Michael Phillips with 40 points. Michael narrowly pipped David Hornblow on 39 points lending credence to the old maxim that 'Old Guys Rule!' The first three's aggregate age must be in excess of 230 years!

Leckford really is a course of two halves with most players finding the old front nine pretty challenging. However, the back nine is much kinder and many players notched up in excess of 20 points coming home.

Full results:

1. Brian Haigh       44

2. Michael Phillips 40

3. David Hornblow 39

4. Brian Mothersole 37

5. Paul Struthers    36

6. Stuart Haigh       36

7. George Searle    35

8. Kevan Balley       34

9. Nigel Beck          32

10. Dave Nash        32

11. Michael Knight   31

12. Quiller Taylor      31

13. Pete Webb         31

14. Jack White          31

15. Simon Lawrence 30

16. Richard Backhouse 30

17. Bob Vincent         29

18. Colin Chilton         20  

West Berks June 15th

A record turnout of 21 yesterday in the glorious sunshine with the course playing short and no wind. So, no excuses for poor golf. And yet………..

Congratulations to Keven Balley for romping home the victor on 34 points. I would suggest that Kev reviews his voting allegiances and goes for the Green Party next time out as more than one of his wayward tee shots struck a tree deep in the clag and handily rebounded to the centre of the fairway! (Have a funny taste in my mouth…oh yes, sour grapes)

Four players returned scores of 32 points which after countbacks resulted in George Searle picking up the 2nd place purse and Dave Nash the 3rd.

At the bottom end of the field Colin Chilton, belying his club handicap of 10, accumulated 15 points whilst Richard Backhouse on 16 managed a society record of 8 lost balls and Phil Fish came in with 19 and therefore scrambling an additional shot at his home course next time out. Stuart Haigh on 20 points deserves special mention as he decided to play in a smart new shirt and although he looked good hadn’t figured out that it was two tight for his golf swing and arrived at the 19th with the shirt in tatters and (somehow) covered in oil from the buggy.

Leckford next time out. Most people have already arranged buggies and I assume there are none left now so bear this in mind.

Full results:

1.Kevan Balley          34

2.George Searle        32

3.Dave Nash              32

4.Dave Hornblow        32

5.Michael Knight         32

6.Paul Raymond         31

7.Brian Mothersole      31

8. Brian Haigh              31

9.Jack White                30

10.Quiller Taylor           29

11.Simon Lawrence     29

12. Michael Phillips       28

13.Phil Fish                   27

14.Bob Vincent             26

15.Richard Winch         26

16.John Garbutt           25

17.Pete Webb              23

18.Mark Hillsley            22

19.Stuart Haigh            20

20.Richard Backhouse 16

21.Colin Chilton             15

 

Test Valley May 18th

Ideal conditions with warm sun and a good breeze together with superb fast-running greens all contributed to a good day.

The majority of scores were in the 30s, indicating that for most the handicaps are working out well.

Congratulations to Paul Struthers for emerging victorious on his first puting of the season, though he won;t be pleased with playing off 13 next time out!

1   Paul Struthers            35

2.   Richard Winch           35

3. Jack White                   34

4. John Garbutt                34

5. Stuart Haigh                 34

6. Paul Raymond              33

7. Brian Haigh                   33

8. Michael Phillips              32

9. Colin Chilton                  31

10. Quiller Taylor               31

11. Richard Backhouse     26

12. Peter Webb                  25

13. Brian Mothersole         22

14. Simon Lawrence          20

DNF   Phil Fish

 

Upavon Apr 12th 2022

The forecast rain didn't materialise until late in the rounds though it was chilly with a strong wind blowing off the plain which made the golf rather challenging.

Many congratulations to Pete Webb who came in with 35 points thanks to a particularly hot putter. Brian Haigh continued his good run of form in runners-up spot with a very creditable 33 points..

A warm welcome to new members Keven Balley and Simon Lawrence who we all hope will return.

The course was in great condition and the club's hospitality as ever was first rate.

Full results as follows:

1. Pete Webb        35

2. Brian Haigh       33

3. Dave Hornblow  32

4. John Garbutt      30

5. Michael Knight   30

6. Keven Balley      29

7.  Stuart Haigh      27

8,  Phil Fish             27

9.  Richard Backhouse 26

10. Colin Chilton     26

11. George Searle   25

12. Bob Vincent       24

13. Richard Winch    24

14. Paul Raymond   23

15. Quiller Taylor      22

16. Jack White         21

17. Dave Nash         21

18. Simon Lawrence 18

19. Michael Phillips    15

 

2021 Reports

Andover October 8th 2021

A fine turnout of 20 for the last game of the season at Andover, probably down to the promise of an excellent 'fat boys' breakfast' which, true to form, was both delicious and great value for money at £5 per head!

Though a relatively short 9-hole course, Andover does throw up some challenges and Bob Vincent emerged victorious with a magnificent 40 points. Congratulations also to the runner -up, Phil Fish, with 38 points.

Full results below:

1.  Bob Vincent     40

2. Phil Fish            38

3. Richard Winch   36

4. Paul Raymond   35

5. Jack White         34

    John Garbutt      34

7. Dave Hornblow  33

    Psul Struthers    33

9. George Searle    32

     Nigel Beck         32

     Pete Webb

12. Brian Haigh       30

13. Dave Nash        29

14. Michael Phillips  28

      Richard Backhouse 28

16. Stuart Haigh       27

17. Quiller Taylor      26

18. Colin Chilton       25

19. Brian Mothersole 21

20. Michael Knight     18

 

Weybrook Park, September 14th 2021

Well, how lucky were we today with the weather?

Heavy rain all around, by all accounts, but apart from some ‘mizzle’ we stayed dry and the sun came out at times.

Quiller’s insistence on wearing shorts paid off and he returned a very creditable 37 points, thus earning the £20 first prize and a great deal of kudos. He was moaning before the start about how bad he was playing lately and how he needed some lessons. But then, Quiller often talks utter tosh!

Hot on Q’s heels with scores of 36 and 34 were Nigel and Brian Haigh respectively, thus consolidating their lead at the top of the season leader board. Nigel is on 35.75 and Brian on 35 so very tight and it could all come down to Andover. Brian needs to play so as to record his four outings for the season.

Our final meeting is at Andover on October 7th with a first tee at 11:10.

The club can do us a full breakfast with golf for £27.50 which I can thoroughly recommend. If you are able to confirm at this stage that you will be playing and that you would like breakfast, please let me know. I will need to give the club breakfast numbers a week before, so there is plenty of time. I’d encourage everyone to be there by 10:00 on the day. Fish/Struthers/Beck, that means you!

Finally, Brian H has kindly agreed to put on the end of season dinner at the White Hart on Friday November 12th, so a date for your diaries. For those who have not been before, the food is epic!. No need to confirm at this stage.

Full results of today’s fixture below:

1. Quiller Taylor           37pts

2. Nigel Beck               36 pts

3. Brian Haigh             34 pts

4. David Hornblow       32 pts

5. Paul Raymond         32 pts

6. Brian Mothersole      32pts

7. John Garbutt             31 pts

8. Colin Chilton            30 pts

9. Dave Nash               29 pts

10.George Searle        29pts

11. Paul Struthers        29 pts

12. Chris Parfett          28 pts

13. Richard Winch       28 pts

14. Michael Knight        27 pts

15. Bob Vincent             27 pts

16. Stuart Haigh            26pts

17. Richard Backhouse  26 pts

18. Jack White               25 pts

19. Phil Fish                   DNF

Leckford, August 4th 2021

A great day yesterday at Leckford. Weather and course  were perfect, though scores did not really reflect this, apart from Dave Nash who came in first with a magnificent 42 points. Very odd, since his form of late has been decidedly average. I have arranged for a dope test which I fully expect to show Sanatogen traces far in excess of permissible levels.

Congratulations to Paul Raymond and Stuart Haigh who recorded scores of 38 with Paul winning on a countback.

Full results appear below. Cash winnings will be distributed at our next meeting at Weybrook Park on Sept 14th.

1. Dave Nash              42 pts

2. Paul Raymond        38 pts

3. Stuart Haigh            38 pts

4. Nigel Beck              35 pts

5. Jack White              34 pts

6. Brian Haigh             33pts

7. David Hornblow       33 pts

8. Richard Winch          31 pts

9. Bob Vincent             30 pts

10.Colin Chilton            30 pts

11. George Searle        29 pts

12. Brian Mothersole     29 pts

13. Michael Phillips        28 pts

14. Pete Webb               28 pts

15. Richard Backhouse  26 pts

16. John Garbutt            24 pts

17. Phil Fish                    22 pts

18. Quiller Taylor             21 pts

19. Derek Dyer                13 pts

Upavon, July 8th 2021

Probably the only day of the week without rain! Sunny weather and a fantastic course in great condition made for ideal playing conditions. The views here are amazing, though a couple of steep paths knocked the wind out of some people!

Three players returned scores of 38pts with George Searle triumphant after a countback and a welcome return to form

Full results below:

1. George Searle       38 pts

2. Brian Haigh            38 pts

3. Nigel Beck              38 pts

4. Dave Nash              34 pts

5. Bob Vincent             34 pts

6. Paul Struthers         32 pts

7. Phil Fish                  31 pts

8. John Garbutt           31 pts

9. Richard Winch         27 pts

10. Stuart Haigh           25 pts

11. Quiller Taylor          24 pts

12. Colin Chilton           23 pts

13. Ivor Ayres                22 pts

14. Richard Backhouse 22 pts

15. David Hornblow       22 pts

16. Michael Knight         20 pts

 

The Hampshire, June 2nd 2021

Great weather  at The Hampshire and the last group finished just before the rain came.

Another tight finish with Quiller just pipping Jack on 36 points via a countback.

Well done also to Michael Knight for coming in a close 3rd on 35 points.

Full results below

1. Quiller Taylor     36 pts

2. Jack White         36 pts

3. Michael Knight   35 pts

4. Bob Vincent        34 pts

5. Richard Winch    34 pts

6. David Nash         32 pts

7. David Hornblow   31 pts

8. Brian Mothersole 30 pts

9. Michael Phillips    30 pts

10. Phil Fish              30 pts

11. Stuart Haigh         26 pts

12. Colin Chilton        18 pts

Dummer, May 12th, 2021

An excellent day of golf at Dummer with sunny weather and the course unanimously reckoned to be in great condition.

We had two guests today, Mark Hilsley-Cook (Quiller’s step-son-in-law, twice removed) and Patrick Phillips (son of Michael) both of who returned excellent scores  of 45 and 39 respectively, thereby securing 1st and 2nd places. Both kindly relinquished their winnings. Bloody right! And don’t worry, their handicaps will be suitably adjusted the next time they turn up!

In third place and repeating his podium placing from the last outing was Stuart Haigh, beating Chili on a countback on 38 points. As  permanent members of the society, Stuart therefore has a handicap cut of 3, Chili 2 and Dave Nash in (society) third place 1.

 Jack White was clearly  able to launch his tee shots into low earth orbit. Hamas may be interested in using his driver as a missile delivery system to rain terror on  Tel Aviv. Or vice  versa. Just a thought.

Lots of scores in the mid-thirties, so handicapping system is largely working out!

Full results below.

1. Mark Hilsley-Cook 45pts

2. Patrick Phillips       39

3. Stuart Haigh          38

4 .Colin Chilton          38

5. Dave Nash             37

6. Michael Knight       36

7. John Garbutt          35

8. Phil Fish                 35

9. Dave Hornblow      34

10. Jack White           33

11. Richard Winch     32

12. Brian Motherdole 30

13. Paul Raymond     29

14. Quiller Taylor        29

15. Paul Struthers      27

16. Bob Vincent         25

17. Michael Phillips    18

18. George Searle      17

 

 

Test Valley, April 14th, 2021

Congratulations to Phil Fish for his impressive score of 41 points. He was obviously embarrassed about his performance because he ‘blobbed’ the last hole!

Well done also to Stuart Haigh who beat Joan Garbutt to second place after a countback on 37 points.

And a special mention to Jack White who was seen visiting parts of the course frequented only by pygmies and the shyest deer, despite which he returned a very creditable 34 points. His powers of recovery therefore truly amazing!

The next outing is Dummer on May 12. A mail will be sent out nearer the time.

Full results as follows.

1.Phil Fish               41

2.Stuart Haigh         37

3.John Garbutt         37

4.Michael Phillips     34

5. Bob Vincent          34

6.Jack White             34

7.Nigel Beck             34

8.Paul Raymond       32

9.Paul Struthers         32

10.Quiller Taylor        31

11.Michael Knight      30

12.Richard Winch      29

13.George Searle      29

14.David Hornblow    28

15.Colin Chilton          28

16.Brian Mothersole   27

17.David Nash            25

Weybrook Park Sept 9th, 2020

Apart from the puzzling greens, a good day was had by the 16 participants at Weybrook Park today.

Thanks to significant financial investment in a new set of clubs and some serious professional instruction, Jack White was the (surprise) winner on 37 points on a countback from Nigel Beck with Brian Haigh coming in for yet another podium finish on 34 points.

The final outing of the season will be at Leckford (2 x bottom course) on October 8th where it will seem that only a miracle will stop Brian Haigh walking away with the Johnny Walker Trophy. But it ain’t over until the fat lady sings! A mail will be sent out as usual a couple of weeks beforehand.

Full results are published below and today’s prizes will be distributed at Leckford where it is hoped we will get a good turnout.

We are aiming to hold the annual dinner on November 6th at the White Hart, so make a provisional note in your diaries, Covid permitting, of course!

Name             Score Prize H’cap adj

Jack White        37    £15         -3

Nigel Beck        37     £10         -2

Brian Haigh       34     £7          -1

Dave Nash        33  

Bob Vincent       33  

Stuart Haigh      32  

Chris Parfitt       32  

Richard Winch   32  

Dave Hornblow  29  

Colin Chilton      27  

Quiller Taylor      26  

George Searle    25  

Phil Fish             25  

Paul Struthers    25             +1

John Garbutt      23             +2

Michael Phillips  21             +3

 

Sandford Springs Weds Aug 12th 2020

Congratulations to George Searle for emerging victorious with a very creditable 35 points, including a birdie at the par 3 15th where his tee shot hit the pin! That may have put a dent in his pension fund had it gone in!

The fairways were brown and the lies very tight, but the greens and surrounds were well-watered and the course was in good condition.

Temperatures in the mid-30s (that's low-90s for Baby Boomers) made the round challenging and exhausting for some, with umbrellas being used for sunshades, thought the forecast chance of thunderstorms didn't materialise sadly, as a short downpour would have cooled everyone off!

Today's results:

1) George Searle        35       -3 adj     £15

2) Phil Fish                  33       -2 adj     £10

3) Colin Chilton           33        -1 adj      £5

4) Brian Haig               32

5) Stuart Haigh            31

6) David Nash             29

7) Paul Struthers         29

8) Richard Winch        28

9) Brian Mothersole    28

10) Bob Vincent          28

11) Patrick Phillips      28

12) Michael Knight      27

13) David Hornblow    27     +1 adj

14) Quiller Taylor        24      +2 adj

15) Jack White           22       +3 adj

The table below includes current average score for each player with the number of rounds played so far in brackets against each name. Don't forget that to qualify for 'The Cup' everyone must play a minimum of 4 rounds and only two fixtures remain at West Berks in September and Leckford in October

     Name                   Played                   Avge

Bobby Vincent               5                      27.20

Brian Haigh                   4                      35.25

Brian Mothersole           4                      28.50

Colin Chilton                 4                       35.00

David Nash                   3                       30.33

George Searle              3                       34.00

Jeff North                      1                       35.00

John Garbutt                 4                       32.75

Michael Knight              2                        27.00

Michael Phillips             2                       26.00

Nigel Beck                    2                        28.00

Quiller Taylor                4                        30.00

Richard Winch             5                        28.60

Stuart Haigh                5                        29.20

Dave Hornblow            4                        27.25

Jack White                   5                       24.80

Phil Fish                      5                         33.80

Paul Struthers             2                        32.50

Chris Parfitt                 3                        32.67

Julian Oostendorp       2                         26.00

Dummer Thurs July 23rd 2020

Many thanks to the staff at Dummer for looking after us so well and for the memorable 'bacon butties'! The course was in great condition, given the current dry period, and the greens pretty quick (though not as quick as Tidworth, apparently!)

Welcome back to Dave Nash, though still nursing a sore back, and to our big-hitting guest Patrick Phillips who made up the complement of 15 players.

Congratulations to Colin Chilton for his impressive tally of 41 points, joined on the podium by John Garbutt (39) and Chris Parfitt (36)

The next outing will be at Sandford Springs on Weds 12th August where we will be playing the Parks and Lakes loops. The organisers considered that the infamous Woods course might be a bridge too far for some!

Full results appear below:

Name                               Score                  H'cap adj                Prize

Colin Chilton                         41                           -3                     £15

John Garbutt                        39                           -2                     £10

Chris Parfitt                          36                           -1                      £5

Patrick Phillips                      35

Phil Fish                                33

Dave Nash                            33

Bob Vincent                          32

Michael Phillips                     32

George Searle                      32

Stuart Haigh                         32

Richard Winch                      29                             

Brian Mothersole                  28                             

Jack White                            27                            +1

Michael Knight                      27                            +2

Nigel Beck                            22                            +3

outh Winchester Weds July 8th 2020

A welcome return to bacon rolls and coffee!

With David Nash withdrawing due to a bad back (get better soon, Dave), 13 players turned out at South Winchester expecting another wet round. Luckily the forecast bad weather didn't materialise apart from an odd brief shower and several players stayed on afterwards for a (socially-distanced) beer to toast Paul Struthers' victory on a creditable 36 points.

Full results below.

             Name                       Score                  H'cap adj              Prize

Paul Struthers                          36                           -3                     £13

Chris Parfitt                              33                           -2                      £8

Richard Winch                         33                           -1                      £5

Colin Chilton                            29

Brian Haigh                             29

Phil Fish                                  29

Quiller Taylor                           28

Bob Vincent                            25

John Garbutt                           24

Michael Phillips                       20

Stuart Haigh                           19                             +1

David Hornblow                      17                             +2

Jack White                              16                             +3

The Hampshire Fri June 26th 2020

13 players turned out for the re-arranged May fixture. Quite a change in weather conditions from Test Valley a fortnight earlier with temperatures around 28 degrees and not a whiff of the forecast early thunderstorms, though a stiff breeze undoubtedly accounted for a few wayward drives!

Colin Chilton was victorious on his home course with 37 points from Brian Haigh on the same score with Chili coming through on countback. Great to see Brian continuing his current rich vein of form! Six players were within 2 points of the winning score, thus making the current handicaps appear fairly realistic for a change!

Name           Score           Handicap adj Prize

Colin Chilton    37                 -3                £12 

Brian Haigh      37                 -2                  £8 

Quiller Taylor    36                 -1                  £6

John Garbutt    35

George Searle  35

Phil Fish            35

Stuart Haigh      34

David Hornblow 34

Bob Vincent       32

Julian Oostendorp 30

Jack White           30                   +1 

Brian Mothersole 30                   +2

Richard Winch     29                   +3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Valley GC Fri June 12th 2020

With Covid-19 having accounted for the fixtures in April and May, the relaxation of the restrictions enabled 15 WHGS members to convene at Test Valley, in spite of a weather forecast which promised 'light rain showers and sunny intervals'.

The 'light rain showers' appeared as downpours of biblical proportions though thankfully there were brighter intervals which were enough to encourage some remarkable scoring at the top of the field, notably from Brian Haigh blessed as he was with a starting handicap resembling a cricket score. So much for the R&A's new handicap system.

Congratulations to Phil Fish and Jeff North on their podium finishes, the latter making a welcome return to the society following a year out with a wrist injury.

The full results appear below. Hopefully we shall get a similar good turnout at South Winchester next month where the top three at Test Valley can collect their winnings!