The Christmas Cracker at Thorpeness

Our end of year Christmas Cracker took us again to the beautiful Suffolk coastline and the delightful Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club. We arrived to find a very mild temperature, clear blue skies and no wind. Was this really mid-December?

Day 1 

The first day of the Cracker is the team event where the best two scores count from the team of four.

Prizes are also awarded for “Best Christmas Jumper” and the eagerly contested “Best Co-Ordinated Couple”. The group teed off with spirits high – emphasized even more by the mulled wine and “possibly the best mince pies ever!” halfway round.

The first team back in consisting of Joe & Pauline Nixon and Peter & Josie Sheridan signed for an incredible score of 95pts. The two ladies had played an unbelievable round and as such, had limited the gents to only appearing on the card on a couple of occasions.

As the rest of the field returned to the clubhouse, it became clear this score was out of reach. Quite a few signed for scores in the 80’s, with the best being 84pts by the team of Andy & Jo Boyes and John & Anne Wardle.

In the evening, the group enjoyed a fantastic meal in the hotel restaurant where plenty of wine was consumed. The night was finished off by our excellent after-dinner speaker, Christine Langford the Director of Golf at Thorpeness and a founder member of the Ladies European Tour.

Day 2

We woke on day 2 (some with a few sore heads from the night before) to yet another stunning day. Two days in a row at Thorpeness with no breeze is unheard of! A good score was definitely on the cards with the fairways still firm and the ball running.

Half of the previous day’s winning team, Joe & Pauline Nixon, continued their good form and were first to post a solid score when they signed for a very respectable 39pts. Mick Erdbeer & Linda Smith then jumped out of the pack, scoring a fantastic 44pts.

A few other couples returned scores in the 40’s, but it wasn’t until Peter & Josie Sheridan finished their round that we found out the “double” had been achieved. Having won the day before, they carded a “best of the day” 45pts to claim the spoils once again and head back to Leighton Buzzard as the “Christmas Cracker Mixed Pairs Champions”.

Our thanks go to Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club for taking such great care of us. We hope to see you all again next year, same time, same place. Let’s hope the weather is the same too!

To book your place at The Christmas Cracker 2022 click here.