The Five Lakes (Links) Golf Club will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special Stableford match on Saturday.

Among the guests of the Tolleshunt Knights club will be 40 past captains, including the first - Steve Hunsdon - and the wife of original owner Maurice Bath, Maureen, will be attending the prize-giving and evening barbecue.

Mrs Bath, who now lives in Sussex, recalled the day her husband first suggested turning part of their Manifold Wick farm into a golf course.

She said: "I wasn't too sure if it was a good idea at the time, but he was proved right. Following planning consent 150 acres was turned into a golf course, but Maurice never got to play his own course due to a hernia operation."

Mr Bath died last year but he did get to see the present Five Lakes hotel and golf complex on the site of his former farmland before his death.

The par 71 course, which started life as Manifold Golf Club in 1974, changed its name to Quietwaters when the site was bought by the Curry family in 1987. In 1994 it became Five Lakes under the ownership of Abraham Bejerano.

This year's captains - Kevin Clark, who first joined the club in 1975, and Margaret Taylor - are busy organising the day along with the club's various competitions committees.

There will be special prizes for best team, best singles competitor, best past male and female captains and a putting competition.

Both captains are having a busy year. Clark, a 16 handicapper, said: "It has been a lot of hard work but I'm thoroughly enjoying my year as captain.

"It's very fortunate to have my year of office coincide with the 25th anniversary."

Nearly 140 competitors will be teeing off in the special stableford event on the day and over 200 are expected to attend the evening celebrations.

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