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A Piece of History at West Wilts Golf Club
On Sunday 21st August The annual PP Trophy & SS Plate took place at West Wilts GC with, I suspect, the author and many other competitors having not the slightest clue as to the origins of the event.
PP stands for Mr Polehampton and Mr Payne and SS stands for Mr Stewart and Mr Shaw. John Polehampton was appointed Honorary Secretary of the Club in 1929 and for the following decade took on the additional duties of Treasurer. After commanding a minesweeper in WWII, John Polehampton was welcomed back in 1944 as a member and was immediately co-opted on to the management committee. As an interesting historical note, during WWII many Americans stationed in and around Warminster played on our course. So the story goes, a Mr Sidney Cockayne representing WWGC, was invited by the Lady Director of the American PX to discuss arrangements for the US Military to use our club facilities. The young and rather attractive Lady Director was unwell in bed when Sidney Cockayne visited her but, working on the principle that “the show must go on,” the subsequent business meeting took place in her bedroom. As a result for a block payment of £30 a month, American forces were permitted to use the course with each player paying one shilling a round with a limit of no more than 150 players per week. Two players were allowed to share a bag of clubs. This arrangement proved extremely popular and the income received kept the club alive during those difficult times. Interesting to note that Joe Louis, the later world heavyweight boxing champion, was one of those who took advantage of the excellent facilities provided by WWGC.
Returning to the present day, The PP Trophy & SS Plate 2016 in the 0 to 18 handicap category was won by Kev Griffiths with 40 points and the 19 to 28 category by Andrew Sutton on 38 points. Captain Walter Witts reports a field of 70 competitors with damp and windy conditions hampering the early starters so not much on the weather front has changed since 1929 writes Martin Hicks-Lobbecke.
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