2024 Platinum
Table of Contents
- The origins of The Halford Hewitt
- Why is it called the Halford Hewitt?
- What format is The Halford Hewitt played in?
- What schools play in The Halford Hewitt?
- What golf course is the Halford Hewitt on?
- How many Scottish schools play in the Halford Hewitt?
- Who won the 2023 Halford Hewitt?
- When is the 2024 Halford Hewitt?
- What golf clothing do the Halford Hewitt teams wear?
Described as “the greatest of all truly amateur tournaments”, The Halford Hewitt Cup is an annual British golf tournament contested between teams of 10 former pupils from the 64 schools of the Public Schools Golfing Society. The sheer size of the 640 strong field plus many supporters, family and friends who routinely turn up makes the “Hewitt” a unique sporting event. The tournament has a rich history, routinely putting golfers against famous internationals, and produces moments of golfing pressure simply not experienced by amateurs elsewhere.
The origins of The Halford Hewitt
Despite some speculation, the tournament was the brainchild of John Beck and GL “Susie” Mellin, devised over lunch at The Addington Club in Surrey during the summer of 1923. Beck and Mellin, old Carthusian and Malvernians respectively, who both achieved great success in the golfing world – with Beck captaining the 1938 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team, and Mellin a semi-finalist of the 1920 Amateur Championship - dreamed of instigating a golf tournament between Public School golfers, similar to the existing Arthur Dunn Cup football tournament.
 |
 |
Why is it called the Halford Hewitt?
In 1924 Halford Hewitt was the Treasurer of Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and later became Captain. Unknowingly, as the legend goes, when Mellin and Beck first instigated the tournament they coerced Halford into presenting the Cup which would go on to bear his name a century on.
What format is The Halford Hewitt played in?
Foursomes was selected as the official format for the tournament at the initial lunch at The Addington in 1924. Foursomes was selected as it is the quickest format of the game, an important consideration which allowed the first few Hewitts to be played over multiple weekends, thereby minimising the amount of time off work required mid-week to compete. In his excellent book "The Halford Hewitt – A Festival Of Foursomes" Peter Ryde described the event as a series of little tournaments within a larger one which encapsulates what the Hewitt is all about.
What schools play in The Halford Hewitt?
The tournament is played between 64 schools of the Public Schools Golfing Society with each team consisting of 10 former pupils. The inaugural draw in 1924 included the founding schools Eton, Charterhouse, Highgate, The Lays, Malvern and Winchester followed by Mill Hill, Rugby, Beaumont and Radley – though the latter two ultimately did not contest.
What golf course is the Halford Hewitt on?
In its 1924 inaugural year it was played round by round over seven different courses in the London region on different dates and took three months to complete. In the final Eton defeated Winchester at the Addington. During the first matches there was pressure on the London courses at weekends so it was decided to condense the event to three days at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, Kent where it has remained the home of the Hewitt to this day. Royal St George’s Golf Club was asked to assist when the competition grew beyond the capacity of a single club in 1950 in addition to extending it to a four day tournament. Since then, Royal St George’s has hosted half the field for its initial two rounds. For the first round, 16 matches compete at Royal St George's and 16 matches play at Royal Cinque Ports making the total 32 matches for the 64 school teams. The second round sees 8 matches go off on each course respectively, with the final four rounds including the final all being played at Royal Cinque Ports.
 |
 |
How many Scottish schools play in the Halford Hewitt?
The first Scottish school to participate in The Halford Hewitt was Loretto. It is Scotland’s oldest boarding school and having achieved their first victory in 2021 and successfully defended in 2022, all eyes were on the Loretto team, including Glenmuir’s own Abs Ruia, for the 2023 matches, played last weekend. Other Scottish school competitors include Watson's, Merchiston Castle and Fettes.
 |
 |
Who won the 2023 Halford Hewitt?
After hard fought matches against Eton in the semi-finals and Epsom in the final, Loretto managed to retain the Halford Hewitt trophy marking their third consecutive win. This achievement matches few other school records of the three-peat, however a Hewitt victory it has never been repeated a fourth time.
When is the 2024 Halford Hewitt?
For its Centenary year the matches will be played once again across Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St George’s Golf Clubs between the 11th and 14th April 2024.
What golf clothing do the Halford Hewitt teams wear?
We are proud and honoured to see many of the teams in the Hewitt choosing to wear Glenmuir as their team clothing. We truly believe successful team spirit is founded on shared identity, fostering commitment and pride in your allegiances and the part played in bespoke team golf clothing cannot be underestimated. The Loretto team have clothing that may be ours, but the win is all theirs, and rightfully so. See you in 2024 for the centenary matches.
