New Mills Golf Club

Ladies Exchange Day at Chatsworth

by Lady Captain, Marion Harrison

This year I contacted lady captain of Chatsworth golf club to arrange an exchange day with us at New Mills, and as she was unable to attend herself, arrangements were made through their lady vice captain, Aileen Churchill and it was agreed for the 26th May.   

Angela Adamson and I duly arrived at their changing room at about 10.45 a.m. to find a few ladies already there raring to start the day. Kettle boiled, tea and coffee brewed and a box of biscuits started the day off and we were ready to play as I understood we could have the course from 11.30 a.m. but the greens staff were still working on the tees. There should have been 14 playing, but due to a couple of ladies being ill, there were 12 of us making four groups of three teeing off at 11.50.

Chatsworth golf club is a 9 holes course, and has to be played twice. The greens and views are to die for and we watched a flock of sheep being herded on a nearby field, bringing my prize theme into perspective. The weather was quite good for the first 9 holes with a medium wind blowing, but the second 9 proved to be quite different with strong winds and driving rain and by the 14th we were all well and truly soaked. I think that we fared better then the Chatsworth ladies did at New Mills, because they had foul weather; 16 ladies having teed off but only 6 finished the course. Hope the chocolates I left for them helped a little. Aileen rang to say they enjoyed the course very much and consequently have entered a team in the Ladies Open on the 3rd July, and they wish to send their appreciation to Liz and John for their kind attention to detail and a most enjoyable meal.

After a quick coffee and spruce up, the presentation took place in the club house. The first prize of a woolly sheep being won by Margaret Palmer with 38 points, second by Jean Taylor, a sheep cruet set, after a 9 hole card play-off with Jackie Piper thus making Jackie third with a sheep soap-on–a-rope, and the winner of the 4 hidden holes was Judith Johnson with a sheep mug, and sheep droppings given as a booby prize.

Game over, off we go to the Devonshire Arms at Pilsley village, now under the management of Chatsworth estate, for our well earned arranged meal for 11 ladies, (Jean Taylor having to attend a meeting), which was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and then we wended our way home at 7 o’clock.