Dear All

As the year "paddles" towards the finishing line (this seems the appropriate word given the amount of rain that continues to fall), it is time for a final 2019 message from El Capitan before we disappear into the haze of the coming holiday period. I will be celebrating with my family back in Boston and mercilessly invoking my recent heart surgery to avoid digging out from the inevitable snow storms!

Some of you will by now have clocked that I will be stepping down from the captaincy for 2020 due to the uncertainty of my movements and availability next year, with a return to the US in the offing at some point. I have thoroughly enjoyed and been honoured to be the latest in a long line of Club Captains dating back to our origins in 1924. I do plan to remain involved on the Committee and in helping out while I am around and am buoyed by the knowledge that a hard-working and diligent individual will be taking over the mantle of Captaincy in the guise of Kim Chaffart (Le Capitaine?). Please give him all the support you can muster next year.

I have largely achieved some of the goals I set for myself at the start of the year but there is one more big goal outstanding. On Saturday February 8th the Club will have its Annual Dinner and Prizegiving. Once again it will be held at Malden Golf Club with drinks beforehand and a three course meal to follow, followed further by cheese, fruit and biscuit platters for each table. The Lady Captain and I have selected the menu choices. The full details will be emailed to everyone over the holiday period by Peter Harrington. The Club coffers have been rifled to keep the costs down for everyone so it will be an excellent deal indeed.

We have a maximum of 80 people that the room can accommodate. I would like to see us FILL THAT ROOM! So please mark your calendar and be ready to sign up when the invitation issues. And if you a winner of one of the many trophies that will be on view, please do make every effort to attend. I will be there and I do not recollect a single win by El Capitan this year which I will put down to the pressures of Captaincy rather than the inevitable alternative conclusion - continuing crap golf!!! So with 2024 and our Centenary around the corner, I would like to see the Club show its ability to rally round and fill that room for an evening of excellent fare, generous libations, a celebration of our winners and some generous amounts of humour laced in to Annual Reviews of the year by the respective Captains.

I wish everyone a fine festive period with family and friends and look forward to seeing you at the Park towards the end of January when El Capitan will make his highly anticipated / dreaded return to the golf course (no matter how many holes are available to play!!).

All my best

Nigel Gaymond (El Capitan)
20 December 2019