Long-standing Maidenhead golf society to celebrate 50th anniversary

A long-standing golf society is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this month.

The Windsor & Maidenhead Staff Golf Society was founded in September 1976 by Mike McNamara, who worked in the engineer’s department in Maidenhead Town Hall.

Mr McNamara posted notices onto all the municipal buildings in the Royal Borough to notify the community to a meeting in the Maudsley Room of the former leisure centre.

A total of 31 staff attended and decided to become members.

Mr McNamara was elected as chairman, while Jim Hughes was selected as the treasurer, with a 50p membership fee agreed.

Following the formation of a committee, golf lessons and golf practice were arranged at Lavender Park Golf Club in Ascot.

The first fixture took place on November 25 1976 at Farnham Park in Slough.

“Later, several members joined the mayor’s team to play the Royal Household G.C. at Windsor Castle Golf Centre, and from that we arranged to play our own fixtures against them.

“One fixture, we played them at the castle course and won,” Mr McNamara said.

In 1977, Cllr Iain Harris presented the club with a trophy cup, which was first played for at Eton College Golf Club.

“He came in the mayoral Rolls Royce to the course to present it; the first winner was Mike Hogg.

“The cup was named the Jubilee Cup, but called the Mayors Cup more frequently,” Mr McNamara added.

Other trophies presented to the society in its early days include the Blacker Trophy, the Eldon Trophy and the Chairman’s Cup.

Over the years, the society has held inter-departmental and inter-district competitions, golf film evenings, played all local courses, held raffles and donated profits from some of the competitions, to local charities.

The society has seen several ‘holes in one’ over the years, the first being from Jim Roll in August 1980 at Winter Hill.

A ‘spring event’ has been held by the society for decades and takes place in early May in Bournemouth, organised by Martin Everitt.

In 1983, the society once again joined the mayor’s team to play a visiting municipal golf team from Harare in Zimbabwe.

The society has had three chairs over the years.

In 2022, Jeff Williams was voted in as the third chairman, taking over from Mike Parker, who held the post for seven years.

Prior to this, Mr McNamara held the position for 39 years, prior to stepping down ‘because he had run out of jokes’.

The society is now in its

50th year and while it has dropped the ‘staff’ from its name as no current employees of RBWM are members, it still has some retired employees playing.

Over the years, membership numbers have dropped to around 25, with some facing health challenges.

However, the society still plays 12 games a year on local courses and have two trips away, organised by Martin.

Mr Williams said the society has ‘always been inclusive’ and currently have Stan Bembenek, a member of the Disabled Golf Association, playing golf with them.

Members sponsor prizes at most games, and the membership fee is £15 a year.

To mark the 50th anniversary, the society will be holding a celebratory 50th Anniversary Cup game at Maidenhead Golf Course’s new home at Mill Ride on Wednesday, September 16.

For more information about the society, visit: www.rbwmgolfsociety.co.uk