IN the quiet and shortened days after Christmas, and the beginning of the New Year, it was nice to look back at 2025 and many of the activities and events that had taken place at Downes during the last year.

Every outdoor sport has an off-season, or possibly a quiet season, and golf is no exception.

The typical British weather over the last week or so has been no friend to golfers. There are those hardy souls who venture forth whatever the weather.

There are those who turn up for the friendship and warmth of the clubhouse, to while away the time and talk about golf days of the past.

Inevitably, and understandably, there are a few who put their clubs away during these inclement days.

The golf course itself has many moods. In the last few weeks it has gone from verdant green, to brilliant white, and then back again to verdant green.

It has gone from soggy to rock hard, and then back to soggy again. While the weather is so fickle the ground staff grit their teeth and carry out as many winter tasks as they can.

These are often unseen, but benefit the club in the long run, and once again we thank them for all their hard work, however frustrating it can for them be at times.

One of the regular winter activities that does take place and isn’t weather dependent, unless of course there were to be several feet of snow fall, is the Winter Quiz League.

The league takes place on the last Friday of the month from October to March with a break over Christmas holiday.

It is a fun night out and begins with a one course meal, and part of the cost for this feeds into the nightly prizes. The rules say there can be teams up to a maximum of six participants.

The quiz itself has its own format, with a slight golf influence. It is amazing how a room full of people can enjoy their evening, have a lot of fun and yet be quite competitive as well.

So far this Season, the “Past It Captains” team have been victorious in both rounds, looking to take the trophy away from “The Dream Team”. The question is can anyone stop them?

It seems the answer to this question may become clear on Friday, January 30. Not every person taking part is a golfer or even a golf club member, anyone who enjoys quizzes is more than welcome to take part, just give the club a ring.

So has there been any golf played during this period of time? Well indeed there have been a number of competitions, though inevitably some have been curtailed by the weather. Here are just a couple of results.

Monday, December 29, 36 Seniors played in a four ball, event, which was won by the team of Clive Edmunds and Steven Hardes with 42 points.

Saturday, January 3 saw a really large field of over seventy players compete in the January Winter Stapleford. The conditions of recent days were required there to be a slightly modified course.

The winner was Neil Saunders with 35 points. In second place was Paul Sandercock, and in third place David Finnemore. Well done to every who took part.