The men's Veterans Section was formally inaugurated at the Annual General Meeting of 1980 on the initiative of some of the senior members of the club. Since then the section has maintained a very active membership and currently it has a total number of members in excess of 180
The section has its own officers who organise and run various competitions and matches. Being members of the Kent Veteran Golfers League,both over 60s and over 70s league matches are played against 5 other local clubs on a home and away basis and they are always very keenly contested. Together with some 20 friendly matches, monthly Stableford competitions and Special Events, this makes for a very busy season. In addition, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings groups of Veterans turn up and play impromptu matches.
Results of both league matches, friendly matches and competitions are posted on the veterans' notice board in the bar. and on this website and through 'Masters Scoreboard'.
Membership of the Veterans Section is open to all Club members who have reached 60 years of age. The annual subscription is currently £3, which is exceptional value considering the number of events on offer, not to mention the opportunity to meet fellow golfers!
The Section is always very pleased to welcome new members so anyone interested in joining should contact any of the committee shown on the Veterans page
Below are a set of notes to help you settle in to the veterans group of the club, and guide you through our activities during the year. The best way to start is to play in the roll-ups as you quickly get to know your fellow members. Please introduce yourself to the Captain (currently Joginder Dhillon). Vice Captain (currently Winston Murkin) Treasurer (currently Dave Green), and the Secretary (currently Colin Hatcher). Subscriptions - Hospitality fund, currently running at £3 per annum, payable to the Treasurer. You may not officially enter competitions and matches until this is paid. Responsibilities - To uphold the standards of the club by example - of dress code, behavior, and etiquette, both on the course and in the clubhouse. Management - The Vets are managed by a Committee consisting of a Captain, Vice Captain, Past Captain, Hon Treasurer, Hon Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, Competition Secretary and two Committee members. The names will be posted on the notice board after the A.G.M. each year. Notice Board - This is located near the snooker room. Please READ this on a regular basis. All events, matches, competitions, and general information and instructions are posted here. Please do not rip bits off the notices to write down your tee-off times. Use the club diary. Roll-ups - These are on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. 8.00am for an 8.15am start, and another at 10.45am for 11.00am. (this tends to attract lower handicap players). Please remember that these are a privilege and not a right. Please be mindful of this on Public and holiday periods, as other members will want to play; also they sometimes conflict with matches, society games, or competitions, in which case we have to forego the roll-up or make alternative arrangements. Follow the starting time/ tee rules, these are posted on the start boards at the 1st and 10th Tees. Matches - The Veterans Section are members of K.G.V. L.(Kent Golf Veterans League). There are currently 56 Kent Golf Clubs in the over 60s league which is formed of 8 groups and 28 in the Super seniors section (over 70s) which is formed in 5 groups. Sene Valley enter a team in both group 5 (Over 60s)and in Group D (Over 70s) which are the responsibility of the Veterans Captain who may manage them himself or delegate them to individual members. (currently this is the case, and the Over 60s are managed by John Russell) the Super Seniors are managed by Roger Constant. K.V.G. also run an individual singles championship which as far as Sene Valley are concerned, the winner of the Hong Kong Cup (run by the Vets section) goes forward to represent the club the following year.
The Emerton-Court Foursomes run by the Association of Kent Veteran Golfers, The Littlestone Team Invitation, and the Kent Veterans Club Championship run by the Kent County Golf Union, are also the responsibility of the Veterans Captain.
Friendly matches Additionally, there is also a fixture list of Friendly matches against local Kent clubs to which all members are invited to play in irrespective of handicap. Team sheets are posted on the notice board well in advance to apply your name for selection. A sheet with the selected team plus a reserve list, is then posted where you can confirm that you can play by ticking the box next to your name. If you cannot play after all, you should contact the team organiser immediately so that a reserve can take your place. You should be prepared to play in home and away matches.
Diary - At the beginning of each club year, the club publishes a Diary containing a lot of information such as all fixtures, members telephone numbers, club rules, opening times etc.
Open Week- This is normally in June/ July. In return for the privileges we receive, the Vets are responsible for supplying Starters for the week. A schedule is posted on the notice board and you are expected to volunteer your services, even if you are playing in the competitions.
Playing Events - There are a number of playing events during the year: Vets Captains Day, Open Week, Veterans Open Invitation Day (one Sene valley member plays with three members from another club), Past Captains and Supervets, Ladies and Veterans,
Monthly Stableford competitions (April is a Medal) June is played in conjunction with the John Lawton trophy, and November with the Ray Stokes Shield. Plus - David Sells Shield, Frank Barber Medal (2 rounds), Ernie Stagg Greensomes, Richmond Divots 3 Club, Vets Turkey Trot, Supervets (over 75) v Past Captains.
There are two Knockout competitions, the Hong Kong Cup for singles and the Bernie Keen Trophy for pairs.
Please note that on the Vets Open Invitation day, the Ladies supply starters and ball spotters for us, and man the half-way house. We therefore expect members to volunteer as starters and ball spotters for their open day.
Social Events - Every quarter we have a lunch following the monthly Stableford competition. and Ladies night in December,
Help , Complaints , Queries , Suggestions - Generally they can be routed through the Secretary, (see form below) who can help with most questions or queries, but any committee member should also be able to help. Complaints and suggestions should be by letter through the Secretary. .
Honouring Commitments - A few words on this. At our age it is sometimes easy to forget that we have put our names down for selection for a match, competition, or some other event, especially if it is well in advance. Please make an extra effort to honour the commitments you have made. Most of the time there are genuine reasons why they cannot be met, if this is the case please ring the event organiser Bob Musson (phone number in club diary) remember, others are often dependant on your participation. If you simply do not turn up you will be banned from all competitions for the next month.
Handicaps - New members not having a handicap should submit three cards signed by a member to the professional to obtain one.
Annual General Meeting - Lunch followed by - A.G.M. - followed by Prizegiving.