Report of the Society match against Reddish Vale on Thursday 7 May 2026

After this rather chilly, if dry, early summer the weather had warmed up a little, certainly sufficient to show the course to its best advantage. It was a pleasure both to visit the Club after an unaccountable interval of a few years and to pay tribute to the late Bryan Rendell, Club Secretary at the time, who was one of the three founders of the Society in 1999.

The Clubhouse occupies the old South Cliffe Manor House and offers superb views of the reddish vale in the foreground and the Pennine as a backdrop. Alf Perry, the 1935 Open Champion, was the Club Professional between 1946 and 1949 and the Club has been well served by his successors.

The Society always approaches these matches with member clubs with anticipation, even hope, but all too frequently such feelings are crushed by local knowledge and, it has to be admitted, by superior play. The Club caterer provided an excellent meal after golf, which went a long way to soothing rumpled pride! Many thanks to the Club and to David Ibbotson for his efficient organisation.

RFFletcher