September Tour

Prince’s Golf Club

Prince’s Drive, Sandwich Bay, Sandwich CT13 9Q

Previous winners

2023 - Karen Crum

2024 - Jon Davie

The IPAGs have a long history of going on tour.

Talk to members of a certain vintage and stories of the legendary Irish Match will inevitably be shared - heady tales from halcyon days on hallowed links.

The days of a week-long jolly on expense accounts may have passed, but after a successful trip last year, the traditional of an annual tour lives on.

And so it was that a 10-strong delegation of IPAGs returned to the Kent coast, where the 27-holes of Prince’s Golf Club awaited under bright September skies.

A gusty north-western wind greeted the players on the first tee, and with fairways and greens running firm and fast, the course proved a stern test of golf. Only one hardy golfer managed to break 30 points on day one - captain Jon Davie, who capped off a fine round with a birdie on the last hole to record 32 points and a five shot lead over Steve Kilpatrick and guest Gordon Payne.

After a well-earned dinner, several bottles of Côtes du Rhône and an impromptu floodlit chipping contest, the group retired to bed hoping for easier conditions on day two. We woke to calmer weather, and fortified by an early morning dip in the English Channel and a full English breakfast, the field attacked he course with gusto.

Vice captain Niel Bornman posted a gross score of 79 en route to an impressive 34 points, while Andy Stevens kept things interesting with a 20-point front-nine before settling for 32 points. But the captain held his nerve with a second round 30 points, giving him a total of 62 points and a six-shot win over Kilpatrick and Payne.

A blind draw for the pairs competition saw the winner matched with Matt Reynolds, and a combined total of 111 points was enough to secure a comfortable victory.