Although Wednesday is traditionally the day to hold a ladies competition at Honiton Golf Club, the ladies decided that the men should be invited to join them for a festive pairs mixed competition, writes Dave Carnall. 

The ladies were delighted that so many men were happy to join in and there were 22 mixed pairs taking part in the shotgun start event.

The Christmas fun competition was a 14-hole American Greensomes format with both the ladies and the men playing off the yellow tees. In addition, there were a couple of 'nearest the pin' holes, plus five holes where specific scoring instructions were revealed once the hole had been completed - eg: double your score, swap scores with your playing partners, add another point if you had two or fewer putts etc. 

There were plenty of festive hats and jumpers on show to get everyone into the Christmas spirit. Further 'spirit' was provided by the ladies at the 'half-way hut' where mulled wine, mulled cider and mince pies were served by the greens staff. 

Following the golf, everyone met in the clubhouse for prizegiving and a very enjoyable buffet lunch served by the excellent catering staff. 

The overall winners of the competition were Lady Vice Captain Cathy Pawley and Men’s Vice Captain Reg Parkinson, scoring 45 points. They both played very well and were able to take advantage of the surprise bonus options on the 'fun' holes. All in all, it was a very enjoyable and successful event.

Away from the course, Head Greenkeeper showed he is a man of many talents, picking up the top player award for Axminster Town in their Devon Cup victory over St Martins.

It has been a great end to a great year for Honiton Golf Club, the Golf Club of the Year in the national club awards. If you fancy playing some golf in the new year, Honiton is a fabulous inclusive club and a parkland course that benefits from fantastic scenery. It is definitely worth the walk!