New Royal captain set for hectic year

JOCK TANGUY is the 87th captain of the Royal Guernsey Golf Club. He succeeded Mike Vaudin in the role at midnight on New Year's Eve and 12 hours later was belting a ball off the first tee to signify the start of his 12 months of office.

He admits to being mightily proud of his appointment, coming as it does 27 years after he and John Smith transferred clubs, with the latter heading down to the L'Ancresse where Tanguy had started out 14 years earlier.

Tanguy's biggest concern is whether his knee will stand up to the rigours of an extra busy golf season.

It is the norm for Tanguy, whose golfing achievements include losing the 1981 Island championship final to Bobby Eggo, to play just once per week.

At the height of his captaincy year he expects to be playing regularly five times each week and there will be an awful lot of spectating to do, too, not to mention a schedule of entertaining that may lead to piling on a few pounds.

But his hope is that the captaincy and the extra golf, will bring the best out of his game which, as a seven handicap, remains very sound for a man past his 62nd birthday.

Steve Turvey and Tony Ingrouille were two recent Royal captains who found that holding office and playing so much golf, did wonders for their game.

The new captain says he takes over a club in good health.

'I've been pleasantly surprised to find that it is far more professionally run than it was 16 years ago.'

It was at that time Tanguy was in the middle of a long stint on the Royal Guernsey committee.

'Everybody would like to be captain as it is the biggest honour that a club can give you, apart from being made a honorary life member.'

Tanguy points out that in more than a century there have been just 15 of those, the most recent being Ray Lowe, who was afforded the honour at the club's last annual meeting.

His introduction to golf initially came from Barry Willey and Gordon Rowlinson 40 years ago.

But it was in the company of Ted Smith, Brian Farnham and John Vaudin that Tanguy got hooked on the game.

Through R. G. Falla the quartet were all involved in building Longue Rue House in St Martin's, back in the summer of 1962.

They would knock off early on a Friday afternoon and go and play golf.

Having joined L'Ancr-esse he served on their committee for six years and after a period as a social member at the Royal Guernsey transferred there in 1976.

His impact was immediate.

He won the first two Royal Captain's Prize events he played in - Les Lane and Ray Lowe being the captains in question - and to win two on the trot has never been repeated.

Within two years he was on the Royal committee and remained so until 1987.

Six years on he heads into a golfing year which will be one long succession of meetings, functions, events and plenty of golf.

Importantly for his peace of mind, there are no major developments to oversee, although he admits the locker rooms do no need attention and in 2003 work will be completed on the new inter-club practice putting and chipping greens on what was the old quarry.

The course itself is in good nick, despite remaining 'under tremendous pressure.'

He likes the idea of a third 18-hole course at La Ramee, but he believes it needs to be different from what is already in existence.

'The only way to satisfy the needs of the island is to have a municipal course.'

The Royal captain also likes the idea of a multi-use sporting development involving golf, equestrian and cycling.

'If we could have a cycling and horse track around a golf course it would be a wonderful idea.

'Whether there is room at La Ramee, I don't know.'

His own course, meanwhile, keeps improving.

'Magnificent . . . there has been a tremendous improvement since the new company took over.'

The only ongoing problem, he says, is the rabbit infestation - 'it's very bad at the moment.'

Outside of golf he retains a deep affection for football.

'I still watch football most Saturdays,' says this former defender with North juniors and the Athletics and Vale Rec. Priaulx teams.

'I'm absolutely neutral. I'll phone up 8026 on a Saturday morning and go along to the best match.'

As a junior he won three Junior B championship medals with North and a further three Junior A medals with the club.

At senior level he was a rugged half-back and a regular in the 'Tics side and, indeed, played in their very final game, the Jeremie Cup final defeat by St Martin's in 1963.

Tanguy then played one more season for Vale Rec. before his switch of sports.

His list of favourite players contains the usual suspects - Renouf, Harvey, Loveridge etc. - but he has a lot of time for one modern-day player, in particular.

'I think Paul Nobes is one of the best I've ever seen - I like the way he uses a drop of a shoulder to go past players.'

But it is as a more than capable and one-time category one golfer than Tanguy has had most notable sporting success.

In addition to his one Island championship final appearance he has won the Swinburne Cup matchplay twice, the U. V. Trophy (72 holes strokeplay) and a Tradesmen's/Le Riche Cup double in 1979.

In 2003 he will once again captain the Guernsey seniors' team and while naturally he looks forward to that annual clash, he is excited at the prospect of seeing the Island Games golf tournament come to Guernsey.

Two years ago he caddied for Mick Marley for four days in the Isle of Man.

This summer, he plans to leave the bag duties to others, but there will still be a lot of action to follow and much entertaining in the Royal Guernsey clubhouse.

It is his belief that the average islander does not realise how the Games will grip the island at that time.

'I don't think they realise what is going to hit them. It will be bigger than Liberation Day.'