The beginning

Its was back in 1999 when Brian ( aka D’Goose) was managing a team of supervisors which included Mr Stuart C ( Lemon) and Mr Dave R ( Sleepy) that it all began.

He set them a money saving target on Parts and Consumables (Printing company) and over the following 6 months they managed to save around £1200.

So, with this, they decided to spend the money on a golf weekend in Spain. Leaving Croydon one Friday evening in early September after work, they embarked on their first trip to a town called Fuengirola in southern Spain arriving at 11pm and hitting the town for few jars not getting in till 5am!

On awaking in the 4-star Las Pyramids Hotel the heavens had opened and with the only rain on tour that can be remembered and with a hire car and no Sat Nav in those days, the inaugural “find the course” task started!

LAS PIRAMIDS HOTEL 2008

They we due to play 36 holes on Sat and 18 on Sunday which included Torrequebrada and the classic Marbella Golf and Country Club (which would both turn out to be a favorite for years to come). Tired and exhausted they just caught the plane home late Sunday afternoon ready for work on Monday!

2 days - 54 holes, many pints and a few lost balls……. good 1st effort.

From then on we added to the numbers of players and nights stayed every year with pre booked coaches to transfer us singing all the way to the golf.

We ended up spending 12 glorious years playing many courses along the Spanish southern coast, with many memories and classic stories to tell….( but maybe not to ya mum!)

D’Godfather’s heroics in the karaoke bars in the early years gave his the legendary status of the Godfather and his Elvis rendition of “Always on my Line” and Ken Dodds “Happiness” will remain in Tour Law forever.

2009

SPLINTER GROUP 2009 D’GOD & D’BODY

After 12 years hacking up Spanish courses, the tour organizers wanted to try another destination so in 2012 and with a lot a persuasion to the optimist tour veterans they opted for Portugal and a town called Vilamoura as the word on the street was it was pretty good.

This proved a more mature upmarket location than Fuengirola, with bars and restaurants wrapped around a glorious harbour with golf courses in throwing distance of the harbor, it soon become the Tours preferred location to go and still is to this day.

Tour names were introduced in the 3rd or 4th year with Tour shirts introduced around 2006/7 with the early Navy fireman collarless ones sticking in the memory clearly to this day that D’Godfather supplied which got a lot of us into all sorts of situations!!

Trying to claim we were Fireman from Epsom Blue Watch, all claiming we did different jobs at the station had our guests going for some miles over the coming nights!

These evolved into quality Tour shirts that Dynamo and D’silva sort out every year now that allow us to personalize to the player which looks great on the sleeve.

Crew in 2008 @Mijas GC

Playing individual Stapleford competitions on tour is the tradition. Champions on winning the Tour are handed the Tour Claret Cup that Monty’s father has made a presentation box for so it keeps well, back when he won it in 2011 and the top three players every year are to form the committee who organize the trip the following year.

2013 - Ryder Cup

We introduced a team Ryder Cup Competition in Vilamoura back in 2013 and this galvanized the group friendships we hold with our fellow players to this day. It also created a level of competition never seen on tour before with teams eating in different restaurants when the tension got too much.

USA TEAM 2013

The USA team stormed into a 4 -0 lead but the Eurpoean’s drafted in a Captain that doesn’t know how to loose in D’Knowlegde in 2017 and he has won 3 on the bounce leading his team to victory last time out in 2019 in Albufeira in some style. Will he stay on for another year ……. who knows.

European Winning Team, led by D’Knowledge in 2017

The Ryder Cup has brought another level to the Tour and this team game bonds friendships and creates memories that will live forever.

We have used our good friends in Spain who go by the name of CostalessGolf to arrange the whole trip year after year and to be fair they have never let us down or been beaten on price.

Big shout out to Jack and his dad Ron for all the support over the years.

Some memorable moments

\1. Dazza on his 1st tour taking the wrong turn out of the LONDON Bar and not getting back to the hotel till 8.30am…..and we were teeing off at 10am…….

\2. D’Fox coming back from the beach into the London Bar in only his boxers as he had been robbed of his jeans whilst skinny dipping with “a tall friend”!

\3. D’Godfather & D’Body forming the “Splinter group in 2009!!

\4. Monty shooting 34pts round MGCC in 2011 to steel the championship by 1 point!

\5. D’Silva crunching the Numbers after every round and still playing off 18!

\6. D’Godfather not using his Putter until the 11th hole playing MGCC in Spain in 2009 after a heavy night!

\7. D’Boy snapping his Driver over his knee in anger at another wayward Drive @ Chaparral GC.

\8. D’Goose claiming his nick name came from his Fireman heroics when he saved a burning goose from a barn fire!!

\9. D’Knowledge tipping water onto Team USA below from the 7th floor of the hotel in 2018!!

\10. Lemon making to much of Happy hour at the hotel on the 1st night in 2011 and throwing up into his t-shirt whilst taking it over his head whilst sitting in the curry house!

2013 crew Tour Shirt intro (Monty being a bit “cheeky”!)