25th CALCO CUP
BELEK 2025

Gentlemen,

This really is ‘The Big One’! We celebrate 25 years of the Calco Cup with a spectacular four-round ‘Major’ on the stunning courses of southern Turkey.

 

In September 2000, eight ‘golfers’ (in the loosest sense of the word) met at the Belfry for the first ever Calco Cup inspired by, and in memory of the late Gary Birkenshaw.

Whilst the winner, Phil Mace, would be a one-hit wonder, three of that small cohort, Mssrs Callaghan, Moyle and Hardwick are still going strong with the latter the one and only Calco Cup ever-present. 25 years later a grand total of 83 golfers have trodden the hallowed Calco turf.

The final countdown to the 25th anniversary event begins with the Loosener on 7th September followed by the draw for the first round fourballs. 39 golfers will breathe a sigh of relief at not being first out of the hat..one won’t! Eagerly anticipated will be the announcement of the handicaps. Will reigning champ Jimmy Curley be awarded more shots than he has years?? Or will the handicapper take a scalpel to the two-time winner?! Shortly afterwards the Calco’s very own bookie David Ding Dong Bell will chew on a fat cigar before releasing his opening show. Rumour has it that Mark Wallis South has already emptied the vaults of several East Anglian financial institutions to make sure he has every angle covered!

Our 40 strong field will fly into Turkey from various UK airports in mid-October where our luxurious accommodation, the Titanic Deluxe, will witness all the significant Calco moments, kicking off with surely the richest ever Auction as 40 golfers go under the hammer. Four days of intense competition will follow as players search for golfing immortality at the Golden Goose end or strive to avoid the ultimate humiliation at the Moose end! Will anyone beat Adam Davison’s single round Calco record of 45 or will someone match Guy Glover’s record low of 5 points! Let’s hope not! Will multiple mooses Callaghan, Copley and current incumbent Bell, be battling it out to avoid the antlers on Day 4 or will a new name fall into the lower reaches and suffer a nerve shredding final round? It can happen to anyone, just ask three-time winner Pete Burke!

Who will claim the ultimate prize? Two-time winner Al Sumner returns, boasting an exceptional Calco record. Rookies also have an excellent record. Will one of this year’s newcomers hit the jackpot? Of those to never have claimed the trophy could it finally be Andy Fearnsides or Robbe Fleming’s year, or, whisper it, could one Stephen Hardwick finally fulfil his golfing destiny??!

Only one thing is certain, whether it’s the ultimate in camaraderie, the fancy dress, the auction, the book, the presentation, the winners speech or the bedecking of the Moose the 25th edition will be every bit as memorable as the years which have preceded it. Time to raise a glass to the institution which is the Calco Cup. Happy 25th Anniversary.

See you soon boys

SAS, with guest appearance Benny ‘Boy’ Moyle 🙂

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The Courses

 

Olympos Golf Course

 

National Golf Course

 

Aspendos Golf Course

 

Carya Golf Course

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The Warm Up

The Sun always shines on the Calco Boys (abroad!?!) ……….
However we thought the persistent drizzle for a good hour has only wet the appetite for what’s to come 😎 

Once again the Calco Warm Up proved to be a tremendous success as many old faces met up to test their skills. Also out in force were six rookies who joined us for a great day. Just a quick thank you, as always, to our southern contingency for a fantastic effort in joining us on the day. Ten southern boys making the journey is a tremendous effort ❤️

 Once again we turned up to Howley Hall GC for the days event and shenanigans and once again they did us proud as the day ran fantastically well. The atmosphere on the first tee box was electric as Calconians went to battle.

In the first group out was our beloved Ginger Moose and with some severe sledging going on and a little moose head peering over his shoulder he managed to compose himself and drive one straight down the middle. Has Mr Copley overcome his demons!!

 We ran two competitions on the day, a team event, after the success of last years MWS format and an individual Stableford event. There was a slight change to the team event with just two to score on each hole and all four to score on hole 18. Again this proved very competitive with just ten points separating all nine teams coming to the last hole. Approaching the last Mr Woolridge’s team were leading the way by one point but after a below par last hole they managed to drop out of the top two positions! This enabled Mr Fearnsides lot to burst clear with a cracking ten points haul on the last ( even Coco himself finishing with a gross par 🤡 ). Stevie Tatts team took advantage of Team Woolridge’s collapse to sneak into second spot with a decent eight points on the last!

 Team prizes sponsored by the Calco Cup, full team scores below.

 

The team event is great fun and keeps everyone interested till the end not wanting to let your team mates down. However the Calco Challenge Cup is an individual event and I’m sure that’s where your interests lie in how you performed on the day, let’s see where you finished! Is there a stand out Golden Goose or a nervous moose amongst us!?!

MWS, Stevie Hardwick and Charlie Porter all found some form on the warm up day coming in with 40 points each. MWS taking the spoils with a back 9 of 24 points. Hardwick second with a back 9 of 22 points and Charlie picking up the final money place with a back 9 of 19 points. A massive improvement from Wallis on last year’s performance and rumours abound of the hard work he’s been putting in over the last 12 months which looks like is starting to pay off. No doubt will now be on the watch list for Bell’s Bookies 👀, if he wasn’t already! After a very average performance two years ago in Spain another jumping out of the pack is Charlie Porter. A very steady player who is certainly looking to peak at the right time. Sharing a buggy with El Prez on the first day who will be keeping a close eye on him 😀. Another good warm up performance from Robbe Fleming even after a ‘Hard Days Night’ with the Bootleg Beatles. Is this the Big Man’s year, one of my favourites with 3 weeks to go! El Presidente looked remarkably solid despite being on a two day bender, proper Calco prep 😀. Solid performances from the next 18 players with only four points separating them all. Huddled in that bunch included regulars such as  Doigy (great to have him back), Silent assassin, Fozmeister, Tatts and reigning champion Jimmy Curley. Some other notable ones were Sean Forster, Alan Sumner and Damien Thorngate, it’s good to welcome these three back and I’m sure they won’t be far away.

 Now looking at the lower echelons , with a few moose droppings appearing, we have a few surprises this year. Simon Woolridge, Ian Warren and Gav Whitworth all well below par on the day which is very surprising as all three have had very good seasons, Ian winning the Order of Merit at Howley Hall GC, fantastic achievement. I’m sure this is just a blip and as they say ‘cream always rises’ 😀. These three will still take comfort knowing that there were still a good nine or ten players below them. One Andy Fearnsides surrounded by moose dung, surely not!! A couple of our serial mooses Ginger & Calla were once again found to be wanting and ended up in the bottom five. Surely no moose abroad 😉. However the bottom three positions on this year’s warm up were all taken up by rookies. I believe Nick & Andy Lambert were both affected by nerves on the day as I’ve played with them and there’s massive potential with both. Still time to make a few tweaks lads. Rock bottom on the day and as big a surprise as Coco winning it was Tony Dent,  ‘Hi my name’s Tony and I’m a C—T’ 🤣. Now this guy can play and what a cracking lad, no doubt in my mind this man will raise his game when it really counts!

 

Other prizes on the day:-

 Nearest Pin – Hole 8 – Darren Mountain          £100     –              Sponsored by Graham Copley
Nearest Pin – Hole 18 – Ben Yeadon                  £100     –              Sponsored by Mark Wallis (South)
Longest Drive – Phil Lister                                     £50       –              Sponsored by Daz Burley
Best net Par 3’s – Chris Ramm/Adam Davison £50   –              Sponsored by Daz Burley

I’d just like to say a big thank you to you all for making the warm up an absolutely cracking day. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. Magic Mike from Heckmondwike (AKA James from Batley) entertained us through the evening and I’m sure you’ll agree a top class performer with plenty of tricks up his sleeve, there’s only two Jimmy Curleys!!!

 A cracking draw lies ahead for the first day boys, time to bring it on, no more talking, A game at the ready.

 Bring on the Turkish delights!

 All the very best Calconians

 The Committee

 SAS, Foz & PLB (Yellow card)

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Warm Up Results

 

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Calco Cup 2025 Information

 

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CALCO CUP 25th Anniversary FORMGUIDE

VENUE – Turkey

FIELD – 40

PREVIOUS WINNERS TAKING PART – Pete Burke (3), Al Sumner (2), Ben Moyle (2), Jimmy Curley (2), Ben Yeadon, Micky Baldwin, Mark Wallis (N) , Paul Rich, Sean Forster, Peter Forster, Gav Whitworth, Alan Doigy, Steve Tattersfield, Stuart Kiltie

PREVIOUS MOOSE’S TAKING PART – David Bell (5), Stephen Callaghan (4), Graham Copley (2), Mark Wallis (N) (2), Stuart Kiltie, Paul Rich, Mark Wallis (S)

WHEN & WHERE TO BET – Bells Bookies via any form of communication

WEATHER – warm & sunny 🌞

 

COURSE GUIDE

DAY 1 – OLYMPOS
Set by the Mediterranean one side and the Besgoz river the other side the beautiful OLYMPOS at Cullinan Links will be the perfect introduction to the 25th Anniversary of the Calco Cup. To score well here good wedges & a strong putter are essential, there is plenty of water around the fairways to gather up any stray shots, remember the prestigious Calco trophy can’t be won on the first day but it can certainly be lost with a poor round.

DAY 2 – The National Course
Voted by many as the best course in Turkey the National will provide a stern but fair test for all Calconians. A testing par 5 followed by an island green par 3 to start the day will sort out those boys who had one too many the night before & overall this course has everything. Only your best all round game will suffice and expect some significant changes to the leaderboard.

DAY 3 – Aspendos
Back to Cullinan links for the Aspendos course and for those that enjoyed themselves at Olympos they will be licking their lips at more of the same. Day 3 is moving day, a solid game with a warm putter can see players move in contention, a cold one and moose droppings will be covering the walk off the 18th!

DAY 4 – Carya
A fitting end to the 25th Calco, a superb heathland type course and home of the Turkish Airline Open on the DP World tour for many years. Make no mistake this is a proper test, all aspects of your game will need to be on song and potentially someone could scythe through the field to grab the glory while equally at the other end a poor day could mean those antlers will be waiting, enjoy!

STORY OF 2024

The 2024 Calco visited Scotland, the home of golf, for the first time!

Day 1
Based in Edinburgh, day 1 would prove to be one of the most memorable in Calco history. The North Berwick Golf Course hugs the coastline of the Firth of Forth and was bathed in glorious sunshine, the Calconians tackled the stunning but testing course whilst dolphins were spotted off the coast.

Unfortunately they weren’t the only wildlife viewed on the day, as a seriously undercooked ‘Ding Dong’ Bell could only muster 9 points and found himself hugely cut adrift in the moose position. Only 14 points separated the remaining 22 players from Copley & Lister on 26 pts to an excellent 40 pts from Paul Ephremsen at the top.

Day 2
The shirt sleeve order of day 1 was a distant memory as the field took on Craigielaw (a hidden gem!) under grey & drizzly skies with a blustery & tricky wind.

However the conditions proved no handicap to veteran Jimmy Curley who recorded a magnificent 43 pts, five clear of John ‘Elvis’ Clements and establishing a 7 point lead going into the final day.

Day 3
The weather took an even worse turn on the final day as thick fog enveloped the Gullane course.

After a two hour wait the plus-four attired field feared the worse but cometh the hour cometh the man and a local hero emerged as rookie Scott ‘Seve’ Fraser arranged tee times and much more at his own club, Archersfield, some 15 minutes away. Thankfully the outstanding course was playable and a fleet of taxis was summoned and the day was saved.

Fraser himself would top the scoring on the day with an excellent 38 pts, Bell would make a brave bid to avoid the moose attire but would ultimately finish 5 adrift of Graham Copley who was Moosette.

Highlight of the day was a superb hole in one at the difficult 17th from Chris ‘Rambo’ Ramm scooping £500 in the process from our hole in one club which was also matched generously by our resident bookie David Bell.

A solid 38 pts would cement Curley’s pole position claiming his second Calco Cup by 7 points from Fraser & Clements completing a brilliant & memorable event.

 

1ST – JIMMY CURLEY – 117 pts…50/1
2nd – Scott Fraser – 110 pts …10/1
3rd – John Clements – 110 pts …50/1
4th – Adam Davison – 105 pts …20/1

Fav – Rob Fleming 6/1 (7th)

Moose
23rd – DAVID BELL – 63pts..evens fav
22nd – Graham Copley – 68 pts …10/1
21st – Martin Crossfield – 74 pts..50/1
20th – Phil Lister – 75 pts…50/1

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PLAYER PROFILES

 

SUMMMARY

25 years of the Calco! Yes 25 years! I’ve been fortunate to have been on around 14 and each & every one has been a joy. I have forged friendships that I couldn’t imagine, it’s a family and we can’t thank Steve Hardwick & Callaghan enough for the incredible amount of time & effort they put in to making sure that this is the best golfing group in the world, bar none! We also remember why it started and Gary Birkenshaw will look down on us and be proud of what has been achieved, indeed it’s not just the SAS that makes this so memorable, it is not possible to have this without some enormous help from others, from all on the committee’s to our resident bookie and there are so many more who chip in to bring lasting memories, thank you!

Now onto the Formguide selections, we are playing two great, but friendly, courses at Cullinan Links on days 1 & 3 and these should have plenty of birdie & par opportunities for all players and I can see why the handicap committee have tried to make sure no one comes back with a ridiculous 45 pts or something. Days 2 & 4 take on the championship courses of The National & Carya, these are two different beasts altogether where only your best golf will suffice. I can quite easily see a few golfing disasters with some huge swings at both ends. The players in form are obvious, Ramm has been burning it up at Howley, Wallis South is starting to back up years of trash talk & Charlie Porter is raising a few eyebrows, these 3 have great chances. Solid top 10’s should come from the likes of Foz, Wallis North, Al Sumner, Paul Sykes, Andy Fearnsides, Gav Whitworth, Gregg Linnell but ultimately my two main selections are the forthcoming Southern Ryder Cup Captain PAUL RICH, he has been playing steady at his club Canterbury all year and looks a handicap snip. He won back in Cork in 2019 and a second Calco could be on its way…. and I think the most consistent golfer on the Calco is IAN WARREN and after a fine debut, when 3rd in 2023, he can contend again. He knows what to expect and can steadily work his way to the top of the leaderboard, both are priced up at 28/1. If I was simply betting on prices available then ANDY FEARNSIDES at a ridiculous 40/1 is a must ew bet while the same applies to CHARLIE PORTER at 50/1.

The dreaded moose is now a head scratcher, I’ve never seen David Bell so determined not to be in the bottom 4 and he has priced himself not to be. Calla has not prepared as well but somehow he keeps finding a way to escape the Antlers, it’s 14 years since he did! I still think he’s bottom 4 material but there’s some great value elsewhere, JOHN ‘ELVIS’ CLEMENTS was in bits after the handicaps came out and 33/1 is the best value bet I’ve seen in 14 years!

Of course this whole formguide is tongue in cheek so shouldn’t be taken seriously, we have had plenty of 100/1 winners & moose’s in recent years and if u can rule out Bell & Callaghan there’s plenty of value in the likes of Lister, Mchugh & Copley while newcomers Dent & Nick Lambert could get sucked into the moose group. But another absolutely hammered in the handicaps is BEN YEADON and though backed to moose already 25/1 is still way overpriced! Plenty have jointly won & moosed in this event as well, if I’m honest 2 players at 80/1 could be bang in trouble and that’s STEVE TATTERSFIELD & SIMON WOOLRIDGE, I will have a few euros on them at these prices!

Love you all & best of luck

MWS