Ryston Park has just celebrated its 75th anniversary with the help of two sons of the club’s first captain.
Joe and Bob Wootton no longer play golf, but they teed off to mark the start of the anniversary competitions and attended the celebration dinner.
Their involvement helped to highlight the strength of Ryston Park’s family connections.
Captain John Alflatt pointed out that there are several family names closely associated with the club, including his own.
Among the others are the Rains - including husband and wife Derek and Nan who were both county champions - the Martins, the Scotts and, of course, the Woottons.
John Alflatt, who has held every office in the club and is now captain for the third time, is one of the longest-serving members. He is in his 60th year, having joined as a 21-year-old and having played all his golf, for club and county, from Ryston Park. He is a past county president.
The nine-hole parkland course which is played today is essentially the original design of James Braid, the Open championship winner and one of the Great Triumverate, alongside Harry Vardon and JH Taylor.
“Legend has it that he came in on the 8.10 and had gone again by the afternoon, having laid out the whole course,†said Alflatt.
“It’s a wonderful design and I think it is one of the top clubs in East Anglia.â€
Encouragingly for the future the club boasts its strongest-ever junior section, whose members are making an impact both within Ryston Park and on the county scene.
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