Whilst on tour in 1995 at Sheringham golf Club, the Society’s Chair, Mr Alan Brydon, purchased and donated a fine, hickory-shafted cleek.

It was decided there and then that this historic piece of golfing equipment would form part of the Society’s coveted prizeware. After a brief meeting of the membership, it was agreed that this competition would be played in pairs and that those pairings should alternate each year, but never replicate the original VAG Pairs partnerships. The format changed several times, but eventually found its ‘home’ in the popular 2 Ball Texas Stableford configuration.

This competition is also noteworthy for the way in which The Cleek was originally presented to the winners – directly from the arse cleft of the Chair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tradition died-out, however, amid rumours that this classic piece of memorabilia was being damaged by the excessive sweatiness of Chair's cleft during presentation ceremonies.

Initially, once presented, The Cleek and its mounting (carefully crafted by Lionel Tester) was displayed in a communal part of the home of one of the winning pair.

However, in 2004, in keeping with the Society's shift to team focussed events, it was decided that the much loved Cleek would be contested by the VAG against whichever course is played.

It was felt that classic Match Play needed to be retained in some context on Tour, as indeed did the hugely popular 'Texas Two' element of the competition. The Society believes it (probably) founded this format and is considering patenting and selling it to other less vaunted golf societies who don't know how to keep coming up with interesting new golfing challenges

It was thereby agreed that the Society would stand together in teams of two, but now randomly selected by means of the time-honoured 'which-two-members-draw-the-same-playing-card-usually-a-jack' process.

One of the two Texas teams has to birdie a hole to win it and go 1up against the course. A par secures a half, and worse than par on any given hole means that the hole is lost to the course. The Society presses on for the full 18 (occasionally with only 3 members if it's a bit rainy and one of them leaves early) to register a position against the whole course, e.g even if the 17th is won to leave The VAG 2up with 1 to play, the 18th is played with as much gusto as can be mustered, in an attempt to rub the course's nose in it and be 3up after the full complement of holes.

It was intended that Chair would keep the arse-cleft-presented-cleek at his abode and it was suggested that it only be displayed if the Society had acquitted itself well in the event, given that losing 1 down to Royal Birkdale in a howling gale could be seen as marginally more impressive than beating a more fogiving track relatively comfortably in benign conditions. However, the trophy has been residing at the home of Mr Dewhirst for quite some time now - partly because he affords it a prime position above his front door and partly because no-one else can be 'arsed' to take it home and find a place to hang it.