The Bristow Tankards

For the last three years, the Bristow Tankards have been held at Dale Hill. Whilst the staff and the venue could not have been more helpful, the number of people attending has dropped off. This has led the committee to rethink how this event is run. Many of you have been asked for your thoughts and input on how to restore our flagship event to its former glory. The committee has considered the feedback and decided on a new approach.

The Important Bit

This year, the Bristow Tankards will be held at Royal Eastbourne Golf Club on Thursday, 1st of October. Despite rumours to the contrary, it is not because it is a five-minute walk from Joe’s house. Entry fees are the same as last year, £180 per pair.

We have arranged a discount deal with The Lansdowne Hotel. For those wishing to stay over, there is a 25% discount on the standard room rate. This family-run, 142-bed, seafront hotel is less than a 10-minute drive from the course. For those who don’t want to drive, a taxi is less than £10.

How to book. Enter the discount code GOLF25 when booking online at Lansdowne-hotel.co.uk, email l.goncalves@lansdowne-hotel.co.uk or call them on 01323 725174.

Why the change?

For those of you who are interested, here is a brief account of how we arrived at this decision.

Back in the day, we used to golf at East Brighton and dine at the Ship Hotel. This made for a disjointed day. The event was moved to East Sussex National (ESN), where golf, dinner, and accommodation were all on-site. For 13 years, this proved to be a winning format. However, over those years, the management changed, and the relationship broke down. Issues of service and cost made the event untenable.

In 2022, we took the event to Dale Hill where there is an on-site hotel, two courses and excellent staff. Additionally, we were able to keep costs at a reasonable level. Sadly, the number of attending has dwindled.

Discussions with members indicated that location and hotel availability were significant; the wet weather in 2024 disappointed many people. When asked about the day, the overwhelming feedback was that golf is very much a part of it. For many, the opportunity to bring a guest for a ‘grand day out’ was a bonus. People would rather golf, enjoy a relaxing couple of hours before dinner and partake of a post-dinner refreshment before retiring, rather than, ‘just go to a dinner’.

The committee have several discussions with ESN; these have proved fruitless. The amount they want to charge us to host this event would make it cost prohibitive and poor value for a golf day.

Returning to Brighton was considered. Location within the county was a positive factor, but the time travelling from East Brighton, the difficulty of getting in and out of the city, and the costs involved in hotels and parking meant this was not a favoured option.

We were unable to find a golf and on-site hotel venue within the county which could host us.

Royal Eastbourne avoids many of these difficulties. The food is excellent, the club is delighted to host us, the course is playable all year round, the restaurant can seat up to 140, and there is a large off-road car park. Whilst there is no on site accommodation, we have arranged a deal with The Lansdowne Hotel offering a 25% discount on their standard room rates. The hotel is less than 10 minutes away, Eastbourne has an over supply of taxis for those who don’t want to wait for the minibus at the end of the evening.

As you can see, no venue ticks all of the boxes. This option provides a workable solution that should ensure we retain the spirit of the day and ensure that everyone enjoys themselves.

If you want further details or have any questions please, do not hesitate to contact the committee.

Happy New Year

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