I am writing to outline the arrangements for the playing of the 2023 Halford Hewitt Cup and to communicate more about the Committee’s plans to celebrate the Hewitt Centenary in 2024.
Hewitt Centenary 2024
The Committee is proposing to celebrate the centenary of the Hewitt in 2024 in two ways. Firstly the 2024 draw will take place over dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Wednesday 10th January 2024. Secondly there will be a cocktail party at Royal Cinque Ports GC on Wednesday 10th April 2024 during which suitable presentations will be made to the host clubs to mark the occasion. As you are all aware, there will also be a Centenary Book.
Tickets for the Grosvenor House dinner will cost £160 each. In order to reduce the financial outlay for those who wish to attend, the Committee is asking each society to prepay an element of the cost via the Centenary Levy. In this way we will ensure that each school is able to obtain 12 tickets at a price of £120 each. Subsequent tickets will be priced at £160 each. Any £120 tickets not taken up will be made available to others at that price via a ballot.
In order to fund the dinner prepayment and the events during the 2024 Hewitt itself, the committee is proposing to increase the Centenary Levy to £500 for each of the next two years. Any funds raised that are not used during the centenary celebrations will be used to reduce the entry fee for the 2025 tournament. This will bring the 2023 entry fee to £1,540 or £154 per competitor for guaranteed golf from the Tuesday to the Friday of the Hewitt and possibly the weekend as well.
Halford Hewitt 2023
The Committee met recently and confirmed the date of the AGM and Draw for Wednesday 11th January 2023.
The Committees of the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and the Royal St. George’s Golf Club have kindly agreed to the Competition being played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 31st March – 2nd April 2023.
The Members and Committees of the host clubs have generously allowed the Society the courtesy of their courses as free of charge practice days for the selected Halford Hewitt team players only on Tuesday 28th March (when Club Members also have allocated starting times) and Wednesday 29th March. There are conditions of play on each of the two days, and in particular on the Tuesday, which Society Members must ensure they observe.
Society supporters who have not been selected to represent their Society team in the Halford Hewitt are not allowed to use an allocated practice starting time not taken up by their Society on either day although they may do so on payment of a green fee.
Society Secretaries and team captains are requested to stress that any Member of their Society Hewitt team wishing to avail themselves of the free practice rounds is fully conversant with the conditions which apply to the day in question and under which play is permitted. These conditions will be circulated to all Society Secretaries who in turn must please advise their Team Captain, whose responsibility it is to circulate the other Members of his team.
Practice times for Tuesday will be allocated by me and not the Secretaries of the host Clubs, as near as possible to your requested times. Initially not more than two starting times will be allocated, although reservations for additional times will be taken following the draw and then confirmed a few weeks before the Hewitt.
The Wednesday practice rounds are allocated to Schools in draw order. Please note that ALL the Wednesday practice rounds are now limited to 3 balls in play i.e. 4 balls are not permitted. Practice times for the Tuesday and Wednesday will be published on the Halford Hewitt website. The Committee requests that any team not taking up their practice time should notify the Hon Secretary as soon as possible so that their time may be reallocated.
Green drawcards, brown Plate drawcards and the poster-size drawsheet will be available from both clubhouses from the Tuesday practice day onwards.
Matches will be played by foursomes with each School providing 5 pairs. Each round will be over 18 holes knock-out, and any halved match must immediately continue playing until one School has won 3 matches outright. Each School’s order of play (including the name of the team Captain) must be handed in to the Secretary’s office at the Club at which the match takes place, at least half an hour before the start of the match.
The Prince’s Plate competition for all teams that have been beaten in the first round of the Halford Hewitt, is regarded by the Committee as an integral part of the week. Team Captains are requested to field a full team of six players for each round in which they play. Please remember that players in the Plate do not have to have played in the Halford Hewitt.
Please note the following non-retrospective guidelines for eligibility in the competition:-
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The Hon Secretary of each Society should return the enclosed entry form to me at the above address together with a payment for £1,540 to cover green fees for all competitors, entry for the Princes Plate Competition, staff gratuities, and general expenses as well as the £500 centenary levy referred to above. Payment would be preferred by electronic transfer to the PSGS, account number 01723503, sort code 30-98-26. Please ensure you put the school name as a reference, initials are not a unique identification. Cheques should be made payable to the Public Schools Golfing Society and sent to me at 1 Bruce Grove, Orpington, Kent BR6 0HF.
Please ensure that your entry form details your accommodation arrangements, including a telephone number and the full name and address of your Hewitt team Captain.
Please submit entries by Tuesday 10th January 2023.
The 2023 Annual General Meeting, followed by the draw, will be held in the Smoking Room (on the first floor), at the East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools Club, 16 St James’s Square, London, SW1 on Wednesday 11th January 2023 at 6:00pm. A special bar for the Society’s exclusive use will be prepared in the Clive Room on the ground floor.
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