DARTMOUTH Golf Club’s main charity for the 2025 season is the Devon Air Ambulance, but other charities are supported during the year and on Tuesday, July 29, it was Breast Cancer Now.

Organised each year by Marion Bell, Birthday Pink Tuesday is a fun competition played on the Dartmouth course, complete with mulligans and missing out the ninth and tenth holes to make time for refreshments.

Aided by some of the ladies who were unable to play, Marion was waiting on the 11th tee to serve pink prosecco and snacks - some benefitted from the alcohol, others wilted.

Alison White and Roz Forde showed everyone how to cope with both the course and a little liquid refreshment - although Alison couldn’t maintain all of her front eight momentum, her game remained solid and she finished second with an excellent 41 points.

Roz Forde went from strength to strength and used her mulligans wisely, adding a further 24 points to her front eight and finishing with a magnificent 47 points.

Nearest the pin was won by Chris Mushens and there were lucky dip prizes for Josie Deeley, Chris Mayer, Karen Oldrieve and Jules Vincent. All prizes were provided by Marion and the £300 raised on the day will go to Breast Cancer Now.

The absence of rain has resulted in the course giving some very beneficial rolls for any accurate shots and those who were accurate were enjoying some great scores. In the midweek Texas Scramble, even the team in last place had a score that was 11 under par, with the top places sitting at 16 under.

With score cards showing only pars and birdies, it took countback to separate the top two - a back nine of 30 just pipping a 31.

Paul Durrant, Julian Milner, Robin Steer and John Taylor were the winning quartet with a score of 56, matched by second-placed Stephen Blackie, Jack Kirby, Dave Nicholls and Richie Ogle. Steve Atkins, Steve Maris, John Thompson and Jeremy Wiltshire were just the one further back, on 57, taking third spot.

It’s now thirteen years since the late Geoff Penhale donated the Olympic Tankards to mark the 2012 London Olympics but it remains a hotly contested trophy at the club. Played in the greensomes format with any combination of partner, it tries to reflect the reflect the best of the Olympic spirit and can certainly be a good test of friendship.

As with the midweek competition, the course conditions lent themselves to good scores, which many pairs took full advantage of.

In previous years, a score in the mid-forties has been needed to win, but that wasn’t good enough this year.

Playing out of their skins, Rob Knight and Lew Easter took the course apart and finished the front nine with 26 points and, although they couldn’t quite match that on the back, a further 25 points was enough to seal a very clear victory.

They finished four points clear of their nearest challengers, Rob Isaacs-Berry and Bobby Wotton coming home with 47 points. A further four back on 43 and completing the podium spots for this one, were Brian and Chris Mushens.