Captain’’ s


DAVID SMITH REFLECTS ON HIS YEAR LEADING


ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB AND A


SCHEDULE REQUIRING SUPERHUMAN STAMINA.


Log


I WAS IN LUNDIN LINKS in Fife for a few days in November 2015 when I received an email from Captain Rob McBurney asking me to give him a ring. What could this be? It sounded like trouble, but no, they wanted me to be the next Captain. What a surprise. The initial reaction is


that it is a great honour but rather daunting, and I really had a somewhat hazy idea of what was involved. After being told the news nothing


much happened for a month until the St Andrews dinner. This was great fun and after Rob tapped me on the shoulder in the hall I climbed through the throng of past Captains (all of whom seem to have survived the experience) to the uncanny calm of the empty clubroom. The


started


three months until ‘my passed


alarmingly year’ quickly.


Initially I went to see Doreen in the front office who gave me the provisional itinerary - which listed 83 events and ran to 5 pages. Sensing my distress she said, “Don’t worry, more will be added later!” Over the


next few weeks I was


measured for my red coat by the excellent Mr Byrne in Formby and then had my official photograph taken. There was also a number of Society of Liverpool Golf Captains (SLGC) events to attend but in no time the AGM was upon us and Rob McBurney handed over the reins of power. The traditional curtain raiser to the Hoylake Captain’s year is League dinner which


the Winter provided a


friendly audience for my first speaking engagement. It seemed to go reasonably well and I was encouraged. After the


ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2017 MAGAZINE


51


AGM everyone started addressing me as ‘Captain’ which takes a bit of getting used to but is quite nice really. During the year I had to referee


several matchplay finals and the first of these was the Easter Foursomes. After a hard fought encounter Andy Joslin and Richard Horner eventually defeated Blyth Bell and Chris Petersen at the 19th. I learned that refereeing is a bit harder than it looks. You have to pay attention all the time and not be distracted by well meaning members of the gallery. The first Saturday in April brought the


Wallasey dinner, the Hoylake Captain’s first away fixture. All a bit nerve racking but it was an enjoyable occasion and the natives seemed friendly. The following week I was off to the


Southern Hemisphere with my wife Briar to attend the centenary of Royal Hobart and the 125th anniversary of


Above: David Smith, Captain 2016-17


Below: The entrance to Royal Melbourne Golf Club.


Sensing my distress she said, “Don’t worry, more will be added later!”


Royal Melbourne. Hobart is a lovely place with extensive apple orchards and a thriving wine industry. The golf course is inland with fast greens and many trees. The people were very welcoming and we had a marvellous week topped off by the grand gala dinner.


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