County Volunteers Dinner 2025

Over 80 guests from around the County attended the annual Volunteers Dinner event, held on Thursday 27th November at Brickendon Grange GC. 

This was also Thanksgiving Day in the USA, which was apt as the event is primarily used as a means of thanks for all the various volunteers giving up their time and efforts on behalf of Hertfordshire Golf, alongside the presentation of many of our annual prizes. 

Laurie Owen of Harpenden Common won both the Mens Order of Merit as well as Mens 1st Team Player of the Year after his terrific performances across the season. 

Ben Sessions of Bishop’s Stortford, attending before jetting off to play in the The Telegraph Justin Rose Junior Championship in Portugal, won the Boys Challenge Trophy with a remarkable stroke average of 67.50 across the major boys qualifying events played this year. This is the best winning score in memory and potentially the best ever score. 

The Bishop’s Stortford team of Jackie Foster, Haley Yerxa and Harriet Buchan were invited and were represented their England Golf Womens Champion Club Final trophy they won at the City of Newcastle GC in August. This is the first time a Hertfordshire Club has won this relatively new national prize.

Our County Womens’s Seniors team, captained by Lindsay Murray-Gray of Mid Herts, were on hand to be presented with the trophy for their triumph in the East Region Seniors League with an unbeaten record.

Various other County prizes were presented on the evening, namely Scratch League winning shields for the 2025 season, with Harpenden Common picking up the premier Men’s title represented by Ryan & Dean Hodges collecting the trophy and shield on the night and East Herts picking up the female equivalent and picking up the trophy and shield were Lois Dewhurst & Sally Close. Incidentally, Harpenden Common have now won the Men’s title for the 5th successive year, breaking the previous record.

The Boys and Girls Order of Merit (BOOM & GOOM) winners were on hand to collect their trophies. A double for Sandy Lodge in the Boys, with Nick Curran, formerly of The Shire, winning the Scratch title, and Eisa Nawaz winning the Handicap title. In the Girls event, Tala Clarke of Knebworth won the Scratch prize and Amelia Parker of Letchworth won the Handicap prize. 

Congratulations to all the winners and our thanks again to all volunteers.