Birmingham Medical Golfing Society

Welcome to the BMGS website.

Membership

Membership of the society is open to golf-playing doctors in the West Midlands area of England (sorry Alabama!) as well as the occasional guest. It costs fifteen pounds per year to be a member.

We have three all-day meetings per year with two competitive rounds of Stableford golf with full handicap allowance to a maximum of 24, followed by dinner and prizes. Most of these prizes have a long history reflecting this long established society and there are extraordinarily high quality trophies for your mantelpiece.

In addition we play matches against the Worcester Doctors, Bristol Doctors and Birmingham Dentists.

News

Angus Mackenzie has stepped down as Secretary after many years contributions in various guises as Captain, Secretary, Webmaster etc. Peter Guest has stepped down from the post of Captain and taken on the role of secretary. John Pogmore is the new Captain.

You can contact them as secretary@bmgs.org and captain@bmgs.org respectively.

Most of the 2009 meetings are now booked. I have picked what I feel are good courses that are relatively local (i.e. less than an hour’s travel) and the price reasonable.

Note down the dates now, book the leave with your hospital trusts, practices or family now and we hope to have good attendances from the doctors of Birmingham! Please let me know which meetings you would like to attend, ideally now, so I can give numbers to the clubs in good time.

I am going to abandon postal communications and go entirely electronic– I therefore need up to date email addresses for all members. You may add your annual subscription of 15 pounds to the cheque for the first meeting you attend. You need not pay a sub - though it would be welcome - if you do not attend a meeting.

Feel free to draw the attention of any possible new members to this web site and ask them to contact me if they would like to come along. All grades of doctor and medical students welcome. Junior doctors on rotation may appreciate the opportunity to play some good courses without having to join a club with its entrance fee etc.

Meetings in 2009

Spring

The spring meeting is to be held at Broadway Golf Club, Worcestershire (www.broadwaygolfclub.co.uk) on Thursday 23^rd April. This course is high on the Cotswold escarpment with good views and a ‘links’ feel, and if windy –as it may be in April could be very interesting.

Tee time 0930 for 18 holes in the morning, lunch, and tee time 1500 for 18 holes in the afternoon. Then there will be a meal with wines and trophy presentation. The trophies will be the Medical Cup and the Alliance Cup. The cost should be about £60.

Summer

The summer meeting will be at Walsall Golf Club on Wednesday 15^th July. This course, designed by Mackenzie (not Angus) is another of the West Midlands excellent urban courses – attractive, quite tight, well bunkered and a good test. www.walsallgolfclub.co.uk – follow this link and you can download the course planner with tips for playing each hole. If you have not been here before I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. Trophies will be the Silver Salver and the Clarityn Cup. Cost about £60.

Autumn

The autumn meeting and AGM will be on Monday 14^th September at Blackwell. The traditional end to the BMGS season; it wouldn't be the same without Blackwell. The morning tee time is from 9.00 and the afternoon from 14.00. Golf will be followed by a meal, prize giving and AGM. Cost should be around 100 pounds.

Matches

We will be having 3 team matches as in the past.

The first is against the Worcestershire Docs – date and time to be notified

The second match is against the Bristol Docs on Sunday 21st June. As is traditional this is at Ross-On-Wye Golf Club - great course, though not forgiving of long wild drives. Playing for the Ross Spur and usually a duck dinner. An informal 9 holes in the morning is followed by the 18 hole match in the afternoon and a relaxed dinner.

Finally we meet the Birmingham dentists - date and time to be notified.

Please let the Captain know by email if you wish to play. Any handicap welcome. He will welcome your interest, and essentially if you volunteer to play you will! – These matches are competitive but good fun, and another way of playing some fine courses.

Peter Guest
secretary@bmgs.org