History
The first meeting of the Old Albanian Golf Society took place on Sunday 5th July 1931 at Verulam GC with fourteen OA’s taking part in a Bogey Competition.
Back row (l to r): R Vincett, R F George, R Nelson, Mitchell, Spencer-Peat, F Townson, G D Wiggs.
Front row (l to r): C R Miskin, M A Wiggs, J W Dickson, A J Reynolds, G Richardson.
The winner was M A Wiggs (4up) with R F George (2up) coming second. In a Bogey Competition the individual played against the course, a birdie was a hole won, a par a half and a bogey or worse a loss to the course.
A second meeting took place two months later in September, again at Verulam GC, with 23 members taking part. This meeting was an all-day affair with a Bogey competition in the morning and friendly matches in the afternoon.
During the rest of the 1930s the Society continued to hold two meetings a year, a Spring and Autumn Meeting with a Bogey competition in the morning and a friendly competition in the afternoon. These meetings were generally held on Sundays, ideal for those working, but a situation very unlikely to occur in the present day with courses on a Sunday mainly being reserved for members.
Another feature of the early days was the number of courses the Society visited for its meetings. These included Ashridge, Pinner Hill, Letchworth, Knebworth and Harpenden GC, played in 1934, just a few years after that course opened in 1931. Other courses included Dunstable Downs and Leighton Buzzard where the Society held an evening meeting in July 1937.
Whilst visiting these courses to play in the 21st Century is the norm, it must be remembered that in the 1930s fewer members would have owned cars and roads would have been harder to navigate, being meandering and narrower.
During this period the Society played a number of matches, the first being against Verulam GC in 1934. The account of the match was given as “M A Wiggs and J A Anderson were successful in winning both their matches, the other games, however, were won by the Club.”
Other matches were played in 1937 against Leighton Buzzard GC, Old Finchleians and Bushey Hall GC with the Society losing all three! In 1938 it was noted that the Society had finally beaten Verulam GC.
After the Second World War the Society resumed its golfing activities continuing to play at various courses in the area. Membership was 2/6 per annum (for those born after 1971 this equates to the grand sum of 12.5p!). The annual subscription continued at 2/6 throughout the 1950’s until it was announced in 1961 there was to be no subscription!
More new courses were being played including Porters Park, Cassiobury Park, Berkhamsted and Brookmans Park. It’s also interesting to note that meetings were still being held at weekends and during the summer evenings. M A Wiggs who won the first ever Society competition was still going strong throughout the 1950s and 1960s, winning the OA Cup in 1965, 34 years after his victory in the inaugural OAGS event.
It was during this period that the Society began to arrange 2-to-3-day trips to play courses outside the immediate area. These weekend meetings included trips to Sheringham, Norfolk, Liphook and Ferndown, Hampshire and St Pierre, Monmouthshire.
The period from the 1970s to the present day saw many changes. The Bogey competition gave way to the more familiar Medal and Stableford formats, the number of annual fixtures increased and moved to weekdays. It was also recorded that in 2001 the membership subscription had risen to £3.
Additionally during this period a series of matches with other Old Boy Golf Societies began, including Old Haberdashers, Old Berkhamstedians and Old Fullerians, but rising costs of staging such events has since seen them cease.
The annual away trip moved to Thorpeness, Suffolk and in more recent years to Lakeside Lodge, Cambs. which is noted for its excellent accommodation and cuisine as well as a flat but interesting golf course.
Today the Society holds six meetings, including a match with Mid Herts Golf Club and the Lakeside Lodge away trip in the autumn. The other meetings are an early season team competition, the OA Cup (which remains the primary society event), the Briggs Goblets & Pop Rush Trophy and Captain’s Day. Whilst the annual fee has increased 80 fold since the 2/6 of 1960, it is still only £10 and we look forward to meeting and playing with more OA golfers.