….was the throwaway remark which became the catalyst to the formation of Abbey Panels Golf Society. This was way back one hot summer lunchtime in July 1989. Funding was swiftly secured from the works social section, and here we are, still going strong with 26 members aged between their early 20s to late 70s and nine of our members with us from day one!
Abbey Panels, based in Exhall near Coventry, ceased trading in 2001, and was a well-respected sheet metal company specialising in prototype cars and aircraft components for all the major companies, our logo reflects that heritage.
We always begin in March at Kilworth Springs GC, closing in October at Stonebridge and this year we have five venues in Warwickshire, four in Leicestershire, two in Worcestershire and one in Oxfordshire, in essence, a tour of the Midlands. I try to find a new venue each year for the society, something getting increasingly difficult after 34 years.
The jewel in our crown, however, is our Charity Day which we have held for 30 years, the last seven years at Oakridge GC in Nuneaton. This is a competition for teams of three or four players with the best three total Stableford scores to count. We welcome teams from other societies and any society or company wishing to play, simply email us for details at enquiries@abbeypanelsgolf.co.uk.
The chosen charity is the choice of the current years society Captain, this year for Macmillan Cancer Support, where, at our latest event held in June, we raised £1075 on the day.
We also have 50p fines for visits to bunkers and ponds on our match days and currently, with SEVEN matches to go, we have £92 to add to the total. There is a trophy which goes to the player contributing the most to this fund, although for some reason it’s the only trophy no one wants to win!
All this is held together by our comprehensive web site www.abbeypanelsgolf.co.uk (a far cry from a piece of paper pinned to the social club notice board). Here members can access handicaps, results and register for forthcoming fixtures, although, as any matchday organiser will tell you, there are always the usual suspects needing last minute reminders!!
David White – Secretary and Society Captain 2023
