FROM June 12 to 14, Downes Golf Club celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the formal opening of the course by Michael Barrett. The weekend has been a celebration of all the hard work and dedication of the members who have made Downes a truly special golf club.

We asked the current chairman to sum up the the last few years.

He said: “In the past couple of years we have worked hard to stabilise the club in the face of very difficult trading headwinds. Now that has been achieved we have been making significant investments in all areas of the club. Our Clubhouse has recently been refurbished and our course in particular has been much improved. New equipment has been purchased which has vastly improved the presentation and quality of the course we offer to both members and visitors.

“It has been good to see more and more folk from the local community visiting our Clubhouse restaurant and bar – and enjoying one of Crediton’s best views!

“To celebrate our 50th Anniversary we have redesigned and upgraded our 1st tee, invested in a new fleet of buggies, and have improved many areas on the course – including a fantastic new ‘Bug Hotel’ which will become inhabited over the coming months and years. There’ll also be a new clock overlooking the 9th green and a webcam to broadcast ‘live’ the action from our 18th hole on our website and the TV’s in the clubhouse.

“We are confident that we will continue to improve and make Downes Crediton one of the premier clubs in Devon. Exciting times!”

Peter Chave, who joined in 1976 (member number 172) when the course was still nine holes remembers the opening day of the new 18 hole course.

He commented: “I recall standing by the first tee as Michael Barrett declared the course open, and watched the two Ryder Cup players, Neil Coles and Tommy Horton, together with two leading West Country Amateurs start their demonstration competition.

“We followed them around the course and one particular moment stays in my mind. The course layout was quite different at that time, substantial changes have been made, in particular the removal of what was known as ‘coronary hill’.

“Playing what was then the 12th hole, instead of following the dog leg down, both professionals drove strait over the trees and put their balls on the green, completely out of sight of the tee at that time. ‘How did they do that?’ was the general murmur of the followers. In the evening there was jazz in a marquee on the tenth tee, with the Kenny Ball jazz band.’ It was a memorable day.”

On Friday, June 12, Downes Crediton Golf Club hosted it’s 50th Anniversary Ladies Event.

Lady captains, or representatives, from all Devon Clubs were invited to join the ladies’ section for a game of golf followed by afternoon tea with a glass or Prosecco. The format was a 3ball Texas Scramble and the winners were Liz Mapson (past lady captain, DCGC), Sarah Hoff (Stover) and Linda Randell (RND), with a score of 63. Jenny Rodd, who joined Downes at the very beginning, presented the prizes.

Many thanks to all who made the day such a resounding success. Donations received for the Captain’s Charity, Force Cancer Charity, exceeded £200.

The Jubilee Celebrations continued on Saturday with a field in excess of 110 members competing for the Kirton Cup. They were blessed with glorious weather and the Captain arranged for the competitors to feast on an excellent Hog Roast at the halfway point.

A raffle was held to raise funds for FORCE with several four ball vouchers that had been kindly donated by many Clubs across the County.

The scoring was good with 20% of the field matching par or better. The overall winner was Jamie Parsons with 41 points.

The conclusion to our Jubilee weekend was the Kirton Pairs, an open competition once again blessed with good weather. The winners were David Wonnacott and Charlie Cowell from Libbaton.

It was a most enjoyable weekend. With 50 years of history, the club is very positive looking forward to the future.