8th December 2025
To all Hon Secretaries and Team Captains,
2026 HALFORD HEWITT CUP
I am writing to outline the arrangements for the playing of the 2026 Halford Hewitt Cup.
HALFORD HEWITT 2026
AGM and Draw for the 2026 Competition:
The date of the AGM and Draw is confirmed for Wednesday 7th January 2026 at the East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London beginning at 6.00pm. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE DATE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED.
The 2026 Halford Hewitt:
The Committees of the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and the Royal St. George’s Golf Club have kindly agreed to the Competition being played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9th – 12th April 2026.
Matches will be played by foursomes with each School providing 5 pairs. Each round will be over 18 holes knock-out, and any halved match must immediately continue playing until one School has won 3 matches outright. Each School’s order of play (including the name of the team Captain) must be handed in to the Secretary’s office at the Club at which the match takes place, at least half an hour before the start of the match.
Eligibility to Play in the Halford Hewitt:
Please note the following non-retrospective guidelines for eligibility in the competition:-
- Anyone under 18 on the first day of the competition will be ineligible.
- Contestants must have spent a minimum of 3 full terms or the equivalent of one full curriculum year as a pupil at a Hewitt participating school between the ages of 13 and 18.
- Entry can only be made from one school ad infinitum and it is considered against the spirit of the competition for a contestant to represent two separate schools in different competitions.
- Contestants must be a Member of their Old School Society or its equivalent.
Entry Forms and Fees:
The Hon Secretary of each Society should return the entry form (click here) to me at the above address together with a payment for £1,440 to cover green fees for all competitors, entry for the Princes Plate Competition, staff gratuities, toll-gate fees and general expenses. Payment would be preferred by electronic transfer to the PSGS, account number 01723503, sort code 30-98-26. Please ensure you put the school name as a reference, acronyms or initials are not a unique identification. Cheques should be made payable to the Public Schools Golfing Society and sent to me at 1 Bruce Grove, Orpington, Kent BR6 0HF.
Please ensure that your entry form details your accommodation arrangements, including a telephone number and the full name and address of your Hewitt team Captain.
Please submit entries and payment by Tuesday 6th January 2026.
Practice Arrangements for the 2026 Tournament:
The Members and Committees of the host clubs have generously allowed the Society the courtesy of their courses as free of charge practice days for the selected Halford Hewitt team players only on Tuesday 7th April (when Club Members also have allocated starting times) and Wednesday 8th April. There are conditions of play on each of the two days, and in particular on the Tuesday, which Society Members must ensure they observe.
Society supporters who have not been selected to represent their Society team in the Halford Hewitt are not allowed to use an allocated practice starting time not taken up by their Society on either day although they may do so on payment of a green fee.
Society Secretaries and team captains are requested to stress that any Member of their Society Hewitt team wishing to avail themselves of the free practice rounds is fully conversant with the conditions which apply to the day in question and under which play is permitted. These conditions will be circulated to all Society Secretaries who in turn must please advise their Team Captain, whose responsibility it is to circulate the other Members of his team.
Tuesday Practice Times:
Practice times for Tuesday will be allocated by me and not the Secretaries of the host Clubs, as near as possible to your requested times. Initially not more than two starting times will be allocated, although reservations for additional times will be taken following the draw and then confirmed a few weeks before the Hewitt.
Wednesday Practice Times:
The Wednesday practice rounds are allocated to Schools in draw order. Please note that ALL the Wednesday practice rounds are now limited to 3 balls in play i.e. 4 balls are not permitted. Practice times for the Tuesday and Wednesday will be published on the Halford Hewitt website. The Committee requests that any team not taking up their practice time should notify the Hon Secretary as soon as possible so that their time may be reallocated.
Transportation and Use of Buggies:
We are increasingly being asked about the tournament rules relating to use of buggies so I thought it would be useful to set them out here:
During a round, a player or caddie must not ride on any form of motorised transportation except as authorised or later approved by the Committee.
A player who will play, or has played, under penalty of stroke and distance is always authorised to ride on motorised transportation should a marshal be on hand.
PENALTY FOR BREACH: The player gets the general penalty for each hole during which there was a breach. If the breach occurs between the play of two holes, it applies to the next hole.
The Committee will apply the following guidelines when considering whether to give authorisation:
1. The competitor must hold a valid Blue Badge.
2. The supply of buggies is limited so the competitor must provide their own buggy.
3. The buggy must not provide shelter from the elements and its speed must be restricted to walking pace.
Green Drawcards:
Green drawcards, brown Plate drawcards and the poster-size drawsheet will be available from both clubhouses from the Tuesday practice day onwards.
Prince’s Plate Competition:
The Prince’s Plate competition for all teams that have been beaten in the first round of the Halford Hewitt, is regarded by the Committee as an integral part of the week. Team Captains are requested to field a full team of six players for each round in which they play. Please remember that players in the Plate do not have to have played in the Halford Hewitt.
NICK OWEN
Hon Secretary, Public Schools Golfing Society