GAMES:
A Wonderful Story!
“GAMES”: Golf - Association - Married - European - Seniors!
A European Association of happily married passionate golfers, Seniors more by name than
by nature and, above all, committed to friendship and sharing. The Association comes
together for a splendid week of golf played over superb courses in idyllic surroundings. For
the time being the following countries are members: France, Spain, Holland, Belgium,
England, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Portugal, and recently, Sweden. The "Games"
remains open, of course, to other European countries willing to comply with its precious
criteria.
Each country is represented by, on average, five couples, led by a Captain and the Big Boss
or President of the Games.
What is the origin of this extraordinary Association?
The happy "Mammy" of the Games is our friend Ghislaine THIEULLENT.
Ghislaine, as a young Senior golfer, accompanied Yves, her husband and golf champion,
during the European Seniors Championships and other international competitions, on the
most splendid of our courses on the Old Continent.
Pawing the ground like a young mare in the starting blocks, she was extremely frustrated at
not being able to take part in these exclusively male competitions. Many women, like her,
spent all day twiddling their thumbs whilst waiting all day for their beloved husbands, more
attracted by the golf ball than their spouses.
Hence the idea of establishing a European Golf Association, exclusively for arrived couples,
seemed indispensable to her.
No sooner said than done! Ghislaine discussed her project with a few ladies accompanying
their husbands over a cup of tea. She suggested they join this Association she had thought
up and christened the "GAMES". "Super idea!" was the unanimous response from the other
ladies.
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Immediately awakening the enthusiasm both of the ladies and their other halves, the Games
saw the light of day in 1992. Ghislaine had lots of contacts amongst the French Ladies
Seniors and other European Federations, particularly the Spanish, English, Belgian, Dutch,
Portuguese, German, Swiss and Luxembourg ones.
A summit meeting was convened in Paris at the St. Cloud golf club, so as to set up this
unusual organisation. After a round of golf and dinner, with the night spent in the Club House
stimulating the thought processes, the essential rules of the Games were laid down. The
participants were the Thieullent, Homo, Nicolay, Lagache and Sirot for France, the Fisas,
Rottier and Banus for Spain and the Dubois and Peten for Belgium.
There are two types of Games meetings :
- The "Big Games", where all countries are invited. These take place annually in a different
country.
- The "Little Games" are bilateral events between two countries, at the initiative of their
Captains.
The following match formats were adopted:
BIG GAMES
Monday: 4 ball American Scramble, the player's chosen ball does not play the following
shot. At least tee shots must be chosen for each of the players. Shotgun is the match
format.
A low handicapper is chosen as team captain and should lead his fellow golfers to victory.
Then there are two medium handicappers and a higher handicap golfer.
The prize giving is "give and take", with each couple bringing two presents.
Tuesday: 4 BBB husband and wife Stableford, with 2 gross and 3 net prizes.
Wednesday: day off. A voluntary excursion is usually organized by the members of the host
country.
Thursday: husband and wife Greensome Stableford, with 2 gross and 3 net prizes.
Friday: 4 ball Single Stableford, with 2 men and 2 ladies or 3 of one or the other, without
mixing the categories according to the number of participants, with 2 gross and 3 net prizes
for ladies and the same for the men. Afterwards, there is an addition per couple of the 4 BBB
scores, Greensome and single husband and wife, with 2 gross and 3 net prizes. The winners
are the "Games Champions of the Year".
On one of the days a group photo of all participants is taken which is offered to each couple
during the closing dinner.
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Prizes are covered by the Games budget, notwithstanding any organizing country bringing in
sponsors.
LITTLE GAMES: the countries play Match Play format.
3 points to be played for: 1 point for the first 9 holes, 1 for the second 9 holes and 1 for the
match.
Day 1: husband and wife 4 BBB
Day 2: "false couples" Greensome
Day 3: singles.
The winning team takes away the event's challenge trophy and should have its name
engraved on it.
Some golfers seem to think they are playing in the final of the World Championship and
measure various parameters together with several practice shots. Others play quickly in the
hope of joining this pals in the bar. Therefore, in 2012, our President Claude Azières decided
that the rule would be "We play ready golf"! The golfer who is ready, plays first. This decision
was unanimously acclaimed by all golfers and certainly speeded up play!
The impatience of the Games founders was equal to their passion for this terribly new
adventure! Even before the Games were presented at the baptismal font, the opening shot to
the golfing jousting was given at the Emporda in Spain1992, organized by Santi and Maria
Angeles Fisas!
GAMES is an Association registered under the 1907 French law. It was established on 12
May 1993 and declared at the Préfecture of Paris on 7 June 1993 under the number
93/2288x
The Games' statutes, drafted with the aid of Professor Philippe Malinvaud, were published in
the Journal Official on 30 June 1993.
The Presidents were Ghislaine and Yves Thieullent (FR) and Santiago and Maria Angeles
Fisas (SP).
The Secretary and Treasurer: Nicole and Jacques Homo (GR).
The original founding couples of the Games were : Daniel and Colette Castelle, Pierre and
Michèle Doucet, Jacques and Nicole Homo, Michel and Martine Nicolaï, Paul and MarieClaire Sirot, Jean-Marie and Liliane Lagache, Jérôme and Christine Thion de la Chaume
and, of course, Yves and Ghislaine Thieullent for France.
For Spain: Esteban and Gloria Banus, Emilio and Rusi Aguilar, Santiago and Ana Maria
Assens, Luis and Sol Desvals de Alfarras. Pedro and Mercedes Rodriguez, Jorge and Pili
Rottier, Enrique and Montse Torello and Santi and Maria Angeles Fisas.
For Belgium: Jean and Charlotte Dubois, Baudouin and Michou Peten and Jean-Pierre and
Chantal Froment.
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For Holland: Guus and Margret Verhoef, Menno and Lisbeth Willemse, Bunny and Marlene
Henderson and Jean-Pierre and Bonneke van Son.
For Luxembourg: Armand and Nicky Delvaux
For Portugal: Ruy and Ellen Burmester
For Switzerland: Daniel and Ursi Pfister.
For Germany: Werner and Gisela Lamby
For England: George and Priscilla Ducan.
To take part in the Games, certain criteria must be met:
- Obviously be a member of the Games Association!
- Being previously a member of a golf club is a must!
- Be married and get on divinely well, especially on the golf course, which can sometimes
raise difficulties for the couple!
- One member of the couple must be at least 55 years old. Almost a spring chicken!
- The couples' total handicap must be equal to or lower than 30, with neither of them having a
handicap above 20. Handicaps may fluctuate, just like the stock market!
- And if, with the onset of age a handicap goes up slightly, the couple will still be welcome!
- Be member of a national Golf Federation. A necessity to have a real handicap!
- Be up to date in terms of payment of the annual subscription. Elementary my dear Watson!
Any new candidate couple must be co-opted by the team and Captain of their country, which
would then seek the approval of the President. This is normally a formality, since the Games'
motto created by Ghislaine is:
"The friends of our friends are our friends"!
Ghislaine, in cooperation with Santi Fisas, still had to come up with the Games logo.
The logo was designed and produced by the Spaniards Santi Fisas, the Spanish Boussac!
He also produced the Games flag, which flies every year at the formidable international
meeting and is handed over with some pomp during the gala dinner by the Captain who
organized the meeting and the President, to the Captain of the country where the next
Games will be played and who will carry the torch!
Finally, since the members of the Games are not just someone off the street, they needed to
stand out as compared to other golfers. And Ghislaine created a uniform.....
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Sporting attire:
Blue pullover and top with the Games logo
Blue or white polo shirt with the Games logo
Beige trousers or Bermuda shorts
Evening dress:
For men, beige or grey trousers, navy blue jacket and tie with the Games logo
For ladies, formal dress according to circumstances.
Nowadays, the uniform may be ordered from Jane and David Graham
The programme of a Games week for the "happy few":
Sunday: participants' arrival, followed by a cocktail party with the presentation of new
members introduced by their Captain. Upon this occasion, men receive a Games tie.
Everyone is so thrilled to see old friends and have so much to tell each other after a year's
absence!
The President formally declares the "Games open".
A superb dinner follows!
Each year the organizing country "ups the ante", both in terms of the choice of hotels and
restaurants and the presents discovered in the bedrooms, sometimes specially made for the
occasion, and the choice of prizes and, last but not least, Wednesday' events. What can be
said about the selection of courses chosen amongst the finest: often two different courses
are selected to vary the pleasure both visually and in playing terms!
On Monday and Tuesday, after the competition, return to the hotel and drinks and prize
giving before dinner
Wednesday, after the excursion, Captain's meeting, followed by dinner with their spouses.
The other participants are free to do as they deem fit!
On Thursday and Friday, the competitions continue, always followed by delicious and friendly
dinners!
On Friday evening, a gala dinner with a prize giving for the day and for the week's cumulative
scores. This is usually an unforgettable evening, where no stone is left unturned to make
everybody happy.
History of events that have marked the "Great Games".
1992: For the first edition of the Games, Santi and Maria Angeles Fisas host their friends in
Spain on the Emporda golf course. Nothing was too good for this new Association so full
of promise. They even offered solid silver tumblers to the winners.
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1993: Ghislaine Thieullent, Lady President of the Games, and her husband, Yves, organized
the Games in Servanes, France. This was a great success!
1994: Ursi and Dany Pfister invited the Games to play in Interlaken, Switzerland.
1995: Michou and Baudouin Peten, Chantal and Jean-Pierre Froment and Jean and
Charlotte Dubois hosted the Games in Le Zoute, Belgium.
1996: It was to Palma de Majorca in Spain that the Spanish team of Fisas, Assens, Torello,
Rottier, Desvals and Rodriguez invited the Games.
1997: Over to the course of the Kennemer, the Dutch team comprised of Verhoef,
Willemse, van Son, Blom van Assendelft and Henderson hosted the Games in Holland.
1998: Rui and Elen Burgmester organized the Games over the superb Penina course in
Portugal.
1999: The German couples Werner and Gisela Lamby and Ursula and Peter Schillmoler took
the Games to Bad Griesbach in Germany.
2000: The Lady President, Ghislaine and her husband, Yves, took over the torch and
organized a superb Games event in Deauville, France. A superb course! And its famous
planks. This meeting opened the Games door to a whole series of young seniors, who were
immediately impressed by the welcome and unique atmosphere of this extraordinary
Association. They immediately became friends and created a really splendid atmosphere.
The visit to the Strasburger villa, the most characteristic of Belle Epoch villas with its
multitude of timbers, built in 1907 by Baron Henri de Rothschild, was extremely interesting
and it was on its magnificent stairways leading to the terraces that the Deauville Games
group was immortalised.
2001: Crossing the Channel, many Games members took up the invitation from George and
Priscilla Ducan and Bryan and Mariann Rigby to play over the Thorpness course in
England.
2002: At the beginning of September, with idyllic weather conditions, Dany and Ursi Pfister
organized the Celerina Games as exactly as a Swiss watch in Engadine, a fine course
near St. Moritz, encircled by a magnificent mountains. Given the superb weather, the players
wore bermudas and light clothes. And then it started to snow even on the course! Entranced
by the beauty of the countryside, but frozen to death, the participants rushed to the ski shops
and bought all their winter clothes, replacing cool drinks with very hot soup and chocolate
drinks. What memories! We took the funicular train to go up to the highest mountain for
dinner during a snow storm! We feasted on fendant and music, all these teenagers (x5 and
+) danced their hearts out!
2003: Spain puts its arms out to us. Luis and Sol Desvals, Jorge and Pili Rottier, Enrique
and Montse Torello, Enrique and Ana Sagnier, Alberto and Aurora Cadena, Santi and Ana
Maria Assens host the Games on the very pleasant Perelada course, in Salvator Dali
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country, all washed down with divine nectar of Marquis Desvals. At the hotel, Jérôme Thion
de la Chaume turned himself into a top class lift porter and wanted to take the clients up to
the ladies underwear floor, whilst declaiming the quality of each article. We were in stitches!
Whereas at Casarès, we swooned at the Master's "Montres molles"!
2004: It was Belgium's turn to host the great Games. Philippe and Gaëtane Bolle and JeanMarie and Viviane Vandendaelen awaited with delight their friends at the superb Spa golf
course. The Spaniards had cold feet and were reluctant to travel to this Northern country,
with its rain in all seasons, but friendship overcame the vagaries of the weather and they
turned up. On Monday, whilst everybody was lunching in the Club House after the morning's
Scramble, a herd of cows following their bull, suddenly appeared from nowhere galloping
across the 18th green. This improvised "corrida" led to multiple shouts of "Olé" and triggered
a superb atmosphere! Very moved by this kind attention, our Spanish friends were captivated
and promised to return to Belgium! Many thanks to the Spa green keeper who used a fork to
remove all traces of hoof prints and, upon our return the following day, the greens were in
perfect condition.
During the gala dinner and not without emotion amongst the longstanding members of the
Games, and a hard to hide tear, Ghislaine Thieullent, the Mother of the Games, handed
over the presidency to Bernard Ducass.
2005: Bernard Ducass and his wife Dominique invited their Games friends to France to play
over the magnificent La Frégate course. The view over the sea is exceptional when there is
no fog! There are so, e really fine holes and others less to the taste of golfers. The South of
France sun warmed our hearts after mediocre golfing results. On Wednesday, after strolling
along the Cannebière resonant with the accents of Pagnol, Bernard and Dominique
embarked us all on little boats in the port of Marseille to visit the Calanques de Cassis, a site
whose beauty takes your breath away!
2006: After the sunny South, The Games returned northwards, to Holland, where Peter and
Martine Krom, helped by Marinus and Josephine Balemans, Jean- Pierre and Bonneke Van
Son, Robert and Inès Schipper and Leonhard and Barbara Degle awaited us at Zandvoort
at the very beautiful Kennemer course and the Houtrak course. Amsterdam, with its
famous museums, romantic canals were ever present to make us dream. The gastronomic
dinner in the famous cigar-like surroundings which is the "Hajenius" was "out of this world".
Then quite by surprise, during the gala dinner was dessert was being served, the whole
Dutch team arrived wearing national costume, singing a song especially written for the
Games to the tune of "Tulips from Amsterdam" and accompanied by their Captain, Peter
Krom, playing the trumpet. The applause was overwhelming and many "encores" we're
called for! An unforgettable memory!
” When you’ve lost your heart to playing golf,
Come and join the Games.
If you like to swing your clubs abroad,
Even where it rains.
When you’re through with golf and look around,
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For some real good fun,
Come to Holland,
To the lowland,
To the country of your good friend,
Where there’s love and drinks galore
And where all the girls want more!!!
If you want to keep your ball away,
From water, sand and rough,
If you’re not afraid to catch a cold
Or walking with a cough,
Please be keen to chip your little ball
Right into the hole,
For there’s birdies, pars and eagles,
Lots of sandies and some sea-gulls
Triple-bogey now and then,
Not too far from Amsterdam!
All our Spanish members like to show,
They’re afraid of cold.
And when all of us would do the same,
The Games would be on hold.
If the weather wasn’t always nice,
We apologize.
But remember, in September,
It’s the time for, the tough member;
If you want to find your touch
Come and do it with the Dutch!!!
When you drove your eager little ball
Sometimes out of bounds,
When your game was hampered by the wind,
Bring along your pro.
He’ll be helping to improve your swing,
Wherever you go.
And our golf hearts will be yearning
For you folks to returning.
We’ve enjoyed it very much,
Come again and learn some Dutch!!!
2007: Wulf and Rosi Fischer, Rüdiger and Annette von Gustke and Jens-Peter and Karin
Schäfer invited the Games to Germany, to Berlin. Lodged at the Seaside Garden Hotel,
(somewhat amusing when you think we were in the middle of Germany), the matches were
played over the superb and very fair Märkischer Golf Club Postadam, and the equally
superb, but difficult and somewhat aquatic Seddiner See Golf and Country Club. We
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discovered Berlin, the famous Brandenburg Gate, the moving vestiges of the famous Wall,
which collapsed in 1989, the splendid head of Nefertiti, the fabulous Ishtar Door, the very
formal Bundestag, ending on a high note with lunch at the Foreign Office. Quite up to the
high quality of the Games as reflected internationally. No one will forget above all the
extraordinary old fashioned lift which never stops and into which you jump in or out, unless
you want to take the staircase! An excellent acrobatic memory!
2008: It was in Spain, over the "estupendo Campo de Golf de Pals” (the breathtaking Pals
Golf Course), that Pepe and Dolores Blasi and Juan Manuel and Cristina Leach organised
the 17th Games. A magnificent course, very fair and playable by all golfers, even though
certain stone pines had the outrageous idea of moving from one day to the next! A real youth
cure in an atmosphere of friendship and "joie de vivre": tastings of fish to transfer the
maximum amount of phosphorous to our sometimes tired brains. We spent the whole week
"bathing" in the olive oil of Ramon and Reyes Pont. It cleared our arteries and removed any
obstacles as if using a champagne cork and brought down our cholesterol to its lowest level!
We felt on top of the world as we left our Spanish friends, looking forward to seeing them the
following year in Denmark.
It was in Pals that Bernard Ducass passed on the Presidency to Claude Azières.
2009: Copenhagen, Denmark. Under the charm of the Little Siren, it was in a magnificent
hotel on the water's edge that our Danish friends Kjeld and Ulla Moltke-Leth, Hans-Henrik
and Christel Larsen, Peter and Elisabeth Bernhoft and Birte and Henrik Lehmann, invited us.
Situated between the two courses where the Games were to be played, the exceptional
Royal Copenhagen Golf Course, whose roughs are inhabited by hoards of stags and deers
grazing quite freely and without bothering about the nice golfers! It is the private hunting
estate of Queen Margaret! However, these magnificent animals hide in the woods during the
hunting seasons well out of sight of the evil hunters! The second course was the fine
Rungsted Golf Club. The Danes are joyful and like music and singing, therefore, during the
gala dinner they all began to sing together the famous Danny Kay song, adapted especially
for the Games and sung by all players in a fantastic atmosphere:
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Friendly old girl of a town
'Neath her tavern light
On this merry night
Let us clink and drink one down
To wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Salty old queen of the sea
Once I sailed away
But I'm home today
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Singing Copenhagen, wonderful, wonderful
Copenhagen for me
I sailed up the Skagerrak
And sailed down the Kattegat
Through the harbor and up to the quay
And there she stands waiting for me
With a welcome so warm and so gay
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Games was the crown of the town
on this final night
after golf and fight
did your score go up or down?
On wonderful Rungsted and Copenhagen
Belgian or France took the prize?
Many lost the touch
what about the Dutch?
Singing Copenhagen, wonderful golfing with
hooks and often slice.
We sightsee’ed Wednesday
And came home the coastal way
Watched the landscape with girls an a bike
And Skodsborg was ready waiting for us
With a welcome and smile as we like.
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Soon it is time to depart
Did you meet your friends?
Did this Games make sense?
Is your life a little “hard”?
With wonderful spouses end sporty husbands
All looking great, marvelous
We shall miss you soon
To-morrow afternoon
Singing Copenhagen, wonderful wonderful
Copenhagen for us.
2010: Albino and Eva Bellini, Ueli and Madeleine Schmidli and Siegmund and Ingrid Binder
organized some remarkable Games at Crans Montana, played over the breathtaking course
superb and prepared for the Swiss Open which ended the previous day, and on which there
is a commemorative plate on the 18th hole: " Here Seve Ballesteros played a magical shot
which enable him to win the Swiss Open in 1978". Unfortunately, the Games players need a
little more practice before turning professional! And undoubtedly they preferred admiring the
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surrounding mountains rather than concentrating on their very disobedient little golf balls!
The LEUK course was very fine, but somewhat aquatic and riddled with bunkers, but it was
above all its diabolical greens with mountainous slopes which drove more than one golfer
round the bend! A dinner at the "Cervin" restaurant with a magnificent sunset over this
unique summit remains an exceptional memory. Ueli, as ever the clown and always funny
and good humoured made us all laugh our hearts out.
2011: England. Paul and Diana Salmon, Alan and Rosemary Milton, David and Jane
Graham and Richard and Rosemary Shakeshaft invited the Games to play over the
Marquess's and Duchess's splendid courses at Woburn, part of the land belonging to the
Duke of Bedford. Umbrellas not required, but radiant sunshine bringing out the magic of
autumnal colors. We never tired of admiring these superb courses and even overlooked the
horrors of their diabolical greens, (it must have been the Harry Potter effect!). The visit to the
Duke’s castle and the arrival through his orchards where an armada of stags and deer
roamed peacefully, just like the safari bringing us nose to nose with an outlet of Bengali
tigers was magical ! What can be said about the gala dinner, held, of course, in the castle
and during which the waiters transformed themselves into remarkable opera singers and
imposed an extraordinary atmosphere!
2012: Belgium. For the Games 20th anniversary, Philippe and Gaëtane Bolle, Jean and
Annette de Vooght, Francis and Michèle Remacle, Pierre and Dominique Catlin, Patrick and
Mireille Van Wettere and Tony and Marie Hetoghe hosted the Games at the grandiose site of
the famous battle of Waterloo. Far from being "a sad plain", as described by Victor Hugo, it
was in bright sunshine and over the superb courses of the Royal Waterloo Golf Club, the
Marache and the Lion, and in the magnificent "park" of Patrick Solvay, Hulencourt Golf
Club, that the various coalition troops gathered together under the banners of their captains
before the oncoming confrontation. Without mentioning the good humour and everlasting
cheerfulness of Emperor Claude Azières, who had everyone in stitches with his imperial
simultaneous interpretation into English of his wife Karin's speech.
Philippe Bolle’s speech:
Dear Friends,
If we are all assembled here tonight in this extraordinary atmosphere of golfing friendship, it
is thanks to our dear Ghislaine Thieullent, the happy mother of the Games.
The Games: this exceptional Association of European golfing couples is today celebrating its
20th anniversary.
Ghislaine, a quite young senior, accompanied Yves, her champion husband, during the
various European championships, played over the finest courses of our beloved Continent.
Chomping like a foal in the starting blocks, she was extremely frustrated not to be able to
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take part in these all male competitions.
Hence her idea of creating a European Golf Association reserved for married couples
seemed essential to her.
No sooner said than done! Ghislaine spoke with other ladies accompanying their spouses
and hanging around in corners and suggested they should join this Association she had
created and named the Games: Golf Association for Married European Seniors.
Immediately accepted with enthusiasm both by the ladies and their spouses, the Games
came into being in 1992. At the beginning, there were of course the French and the Spanish,
quickly followed by the Belgians and the Dutch, then other countries such as the English, the
Swiss, the Germans, the Danes and, finally, last year the Portuguese also joined the Games.
If we have the good fortune of having true friends from various European countries, the joy of
meeting together each year during a splendid week in idyllic places and outstanding courses,
we owe all this to Ghislaine and Yves.
It was, therefore, unthinkable to celebrate these 20 years of Games, without the presence of
their mummy and daddy.
We hope that this marvelous adventure which is the Games will still live for a long time, like
its parents. When in love, one is always aged 20!
May I ask you to raise your glasses in honor of Ghislaine and Yves and their irreplaceable
Games!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Brussels, 7 September 2012
Speech by Yves Thieullent :
GAMES
1992 - 2012
20 Years
Introduction :
- Speak to the current President
- Then to the whole assembly
- Thank them for their invitation which we cherish, bringing back so many happy memories
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Both of us were lucky enough to leave the GAMES whilst both alive eight years ago, but it
feels as if at a certain age you are forced no longer to drive....
20 Years of the Games :
Yes, but for us the GAMES began in its preparation in 1988, that is 4 years before the first
meeting.
The GAMES is the fruit of our thoughts we shared as a couple during Men’s seniors and
Ladies' seniors meetings, where inseparable and still in love we accompanied each other,
despite tradition being the opposite. An example being a French Seniors golfing holiday in
South Africa, where our former President literally escorted Ghislaine ( who had come to ask
me for a few pennies) from the golf club bar reserved for gentlemen.
Even at the Zoute Golf Club, during a triangular Ladies Seniors match between Belgians,
Luxembourgers and French golfers, and wearing the men's seniors bordeaux colored jacket,
I was approached at the bar by a charming by a charming requesting a whisky soda!!!
We began to share this idea on the driving range at the Deauville golf club with delegations
taking part in the Men's European Seniors Championship, and particularly with the Belgian
delegation.
May I today turn my thoughts to Jean and Charlotte DUBOIS, Michou and Beaudoin PETEN
AND Chantal and Jean-Pierre Froment, then the Ditch Gus and Irène VERHOEF, Menno
and Lisbeth WILLEMSE, the Portuguese Ellen and Ruy BURMESTER and the
Luxembourgers Armand and Nicky DELVAUX.
How sad that so many of them have left us!
Our criteria were as follows (they may have changed today) : there should be a major annual
meeting limited to 36 couples ( a tradition still in force today) and the golfers from each
country should be chosen according to the following criteria :
1. Married Seniors couples and not concubines... We were able to " regularize" a couple, but
failed where a couple wished to separate and that we wanted to bring under our wing by
letting them take part in an informal mini GAMES in Provence..
2. The two handicaps added together should not exceed 36.
3. People with a certain standing.
4. No "de iure" membership of the Association, since the meetings were based on
invitations.
In terms of implementation, it was the Contessa de BORNOS, President of the Spanish
Seniors Ladies Association, with the help of Nicole HOMO, who put us in contact with Santi
and Maria-Angeles FISAS from Barcelona. They were the leading lights at the beginning and
went with their friends Gloria and Esteban BANUS to Paris for an initial meeting which left an
indelible
memory with us, since we behaved like unbridled little children at the time, believing we were
going to achieve a dream and revolutionize senior’s golf in Europe!!
It was really quite something, this first meeting finalized at Saint Cloud Golf Club.
Fourteen bedrooms.
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The first course played was at Saint Nom La Bretèche, home to the Lancôme Trophy. The
second round was at BOUFFEMONT Golf Club, followed by a closing dinner, organised by
the NICOLAYS at Saint Germain des Prés, rue St. Benoit, where, miraculously, none of the
fleet of cars following each other in monstrous traffic jams, got lost. And it was pouring down
Place de la Concorde. It was decided at this dinner that the Spaniards would be first to host
the GAMES at Emporda, quite close to the secondary residence of the FISAS, in November
1992. The GAMES were up and running!
My dear friends, as you can see, there is a paradox in the GAMES: continuity despite break
ups. Therefore, make the most of it: be successful as often as possible.
May I pay tribute to Ghislaine who has organised, apart from a few annual meetings in
France, many inter-country events.
These were called MINI GAMES, to maintain good relations and get to know each other
better.
Male/female parity, but at the beginning dominated by the ladies with Ghislaine, Nicole
HOMO, Michou PETEN. Santi FISAS was the sponsor: the ladies dominated and the men
took it in their stride ! What is the situation today? In a couple one may pass away and it is
finished: we have lost so many friends that we still think off today.
But what a pleasure to be in your midst this evening. We feel as if we might have served a
purpose. Friendship, playing together a game such as golf at an advanced age shows all its
significance this evening and we would like to say to you many thanks for allowing us to
share this joy together! This human warmth emanating from our friendly relations between
participants at the GAMES is something we have greatly missed over the last 8 years!!!
Fortunately, we can watch the TV serial "PLUS BELLE LA VIE" every evening to keep us
busy!!!
An unforgettable moment was when all the Belgian men arrive dancing and each carrying a
tray full of candles engraved with "GAMES 1992 - 2012", all lit and to be offered as a
souvenir to each of the ladies present all this whilst singing with the orchestra a formidable
"Happy Birthday to you"!
2013: Portugal. José and Isabel Silva Dias-de Botton, who had just joined the Games in
Belgium in 2012, hosted us superbly at Cascais, the Portuguese St. Tropez. We also played
over the magnificent Penha Longa course, in brilliant sunshine, surmoi des by trees and
mountains and struggling against a formidable wind string enough to cover the noise of the
practice rounds for the Estoril grand prix. The Quinta da Marinha course was under water,
with superb views of the sea and the mountains and many "water hazards". This allowed
certain players to participate in another of their favorite sports: fishing! The magical evening
on a boat on the river Tage to discover Lisbon by night, and where we pretended to be
Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant in the film "Charade", left us with an unforgettable memory,
as did the gala dinner on the sea shore looking at a spectacular sun set to the rhythm of the
"fado": both beautiful and moving.
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2014: France. Claude and Karin Azières, Jean-Louis and. Françoise Meunier, Henri and
Béatrice Samuel. Michel and Huguette Barat, Jean-Louis and Michèle Coulon, Rafik and
Anne Rathle, Pierre and Claudine Varaud and Philippe and Martine Zunz invited their Games
friends to a special "vintage", over the marvelous Médoc courses, "Les Vignes" and "Le
Château", in brilliant sunshine. You will easily understand that living like a château owner in
the midst of the vineyards, each night tasting the finest clarets at will, whilst carefully
following the oenology lessons given by top specialists and the visits to the cellars,
surrounded by very pretty and charming Bacchanalian young women, and receiving presents
made for the occasion, we benefited to the full these Dionysiac festivities. Golf was relegated
to a minor role, so as to enjoy fully these overpowering wine festivities! The French team
surprised us by inviting to the gala dinner at Château Léoville Poyferré, Ghislaine and Yves
Thieullent, together with Colette and Danielle Castelle. What a pleasure to see them again,
always so welcoming and healthy!
It was during the course of the extraordinary General Assembly that President Claude
Azières, whose innate sense of friendship, welcome, and eternal good humour and relaxed
attitude will be forgotten by nobody, handed over the Presidency to Frederik de Cock
Buning. It was the first time that the presidency of the Games left France and moved to
Holland, but apart from the horizontal or vertical nature of the color of their flags, the French
and Dutch flags are similar. The Games will always be the Games, with a slightly
different personality, but diversity creates richness, as we know! Good luck Frederik!
The follow up in 2015, after the Games in Maastricht, Holland.
The story of the Games cannot be told simply in words, images and sound are also required:
to achieve this, we make use of the two marvelous artists who, since they became members
of the Games, give us the following year a DVD with full coverage of the previous year's
Games.
We are referring to Albino Bellini “Fellini”, golf champion, poet, film maker, producer and
director, who puts together musically and in images the best and finest moments of theses
memorable Games meetings. It has become a "must" when arriving on the Sunday evening
during the welcoming cocktail to have the pleasure of a preview of Albino's film, which is
always a masterpiece worthy of the Venice Mostra or the Cannes Film Festival. Many thanks
dear Albino for all the work you put in for us, which gives us such pleasure!
Our other artist is the famous Pepe Blasi “Hamilton”. He is never without his camera, so as
to immortalize each moment of these wonderful Games weeks. Camera in hand, he catches
giggles, laughter, the blues, joy, disappointments sometimes (only in the golfing context),
and, above all the joy, good humour and beautiful scenery where the festivities are held. He
is both Hamilton with his superb portraits and Blasi, the most famous reporter worthy of Paris
Match. Hola, Hello, Der Spiegel and many other first rate international magazines! Thank you
and bravo Pepe for all these super memories you give us!
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As far as I am, concerned the Games could also be read in French as: Golf - Amitié Magique - Esprit - Sportif! (Golf - Friendship - Magic - Sporting Spirit).
The translation of "Good Games" is "Have a Good Round"! It is what is usually wished on the
first tee, before the first drive and each time this wish becomes true, even though the course
record remains intact, friendship and fair play always take pride of place.
"Games" is also the name given to safaris searching for the "Big Five", in the savanna. It is
the same for golf balls seeming to assault the rough and woods and which take sometimes a
lot of seeking!
The seniors couples, despite being very active, (they are sometimes more occupied than
when they were at work), still take the time to create friendships and benefit fully from them.
The happiness of having real friends in different European countries, the joy of meeting up
each year during a very special week, in idyllic surroundings playing golf over superb
courses, all this we owe to Ghislaine and Yves!
Gaëtane Bolle
March 2015
I would wish to thank:
Frederik de Cock Buning who showed his confidence in me by asking me to write the History of the Games and
who has continuously encouraged me.
Ghislaine Thieullent, Jean-Marie and Viviane Vandendaelen, Barbara Lehne-Degle, Wulf Fischer, Albino Bellini,
Hans Henrik Larsen, and Philippe Bolle for their precious help.
Ken Cleary for his excellent translation.
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