History
The eight founding members, Col J.M.Arnott (Concord G.C.), C.E.Graham (Killara G.C.), James Kidd (Concord G.C.), A.W.H.Padfield (The Australian G.C.), H. Norman Pope (Manly G.C.), Parke W.Pope (Royal Sydney G.C.), Sir William Vicars, CBE (Bonnie Doon G.C.), and Judge Cecil A.White (Royal Sydney G.C.) met for dinner at Royal Sydney Golf Club on 29 July 1936.
This led to the inaugural meeting of the Senior Golfers Society of New South Wales on 12th August 1936 with His Honour Judge C.A.White presiding. The first forgathering of members was held at The Australian Golf Club, Kensington on 27th October, 1936
This followed the establishment of Senior Golfing Societies in the USA (1905), Canada (1918), the UK (1926), France (1935), and has been followed by societies in well over a dozen more countries, mostly in Europe.
The NSW Society holds 10 or 11 foregathering each year. These games are normally divided into two or three divisions determined by age, not handicap. In the event of a tie there is no count-back. The result it is determined by age with the older man successful.
In NSW Seniors compete for a number of trophies including the championship from 1937, mostly played at Royal Sydney and named the Parke Pope Memorial Trophy in 1956.
Another important event is the Jack Macqueen Memorial Trophy played at Manly G.C. early each year since 1990.
The McIntyre Trophy is played every two years between Seniors from each state and the winner is the state with the highest average stableford score. It was won by Western Australia in Hobart in 2006 and by South Australia in Adelaide in 2008.
Teams of Australian Seniors toured France in 2003, U.K. in 2004 and South Africa in 2008. Seniors from U.K and South Africa have toured Australia in recent years.
In all these activities the emphasis is on good fellowship in and around the game of golf, and performance out on the course is somewhat less important.
