So winter is most definitely upon as we have moved onto using mats from the fairway. Winter wheels are also required on electric trolleys. They are not required on push / pull trolleys. Also in men’s competitions from the blue tees, mats must be used when teeing off on the par threes.
Trackman 4
More details over forthcoming newsletters but suffice to say, I’m super excited to announce that Trackman 4 is coming to the Pro Shop very soon.
End of Season Junior Awards
On Sunday, we held the fourth End of Season Junior Awards match and presentation.
Twenty four players took part in the match from the forward tees between the lady captain’s team and the gentleman captain’s team. Without going into too many details, it ended up being a resounding victory for the lady captain’s side in a one way contest that was reminiscent of this year’s Ryder Cup!! Well played LC’s team.
We then had a meal for approximately fifty adults and juniors in the dining room which was followed by the presentation. We went through all the winners of the year from the junior competitions, the Adult Junior events (and it’s Order of Merit) and the success stories from Golf Access.
Hale’s Golfing Future: The Junior Section
We also awarded trophies for the Best Newcomer, Most Improved Player and Player of the Year awards which went to Tommy Lamb, Ben Hinton and Freddie Fallows respectively. Congratulation to them!
Finally we announced that the new junior captain starting in March 2022 is going to be Dan Turkington. He takes over from Charlie Hindle who has done a great job for the previous two seasons. We wish you the best of luck in your new role Dan!
Christmas Gift Ideas
Ladies Sparkly Ball Competition
The winners of last Thursday’s Sparkly Ball team competition were Amanda Greaves, Jennifer Bradley and Sue Bryant with 38 points. Second place went to Gillian Healey, Jackie Murphy and Trina Walsh with 36 points. Nancy Fallows, Tracey Thompson and Diana Harris finished in third place, having been beaten on a card play off for second.
This was a drawn competition enabling old and new members to get to know each other and to socialize afterwards in the warmth of the clubhouse. There was an excellent turnout with 48 ladies taking part.
Amanda, Jennifer, lady captain Irene & Sue
Gillian, Jackie, Trina & Irene
Nancy, Tracey, Irene & Diana
Afterwards Sue Bromley sold some of her home made aprons to help raise money for LCs Charity, Maggies Manchester. The ladies also purchased Christmas Cards in aid of the charity.
Well it’s just turned November and you’ll be delighted to know that I’ve gone straight in with the Christmas references in this week’s newsletter 👍👍🎅🎅.
We also have details of the winners from last Thursday and some great snaps that have been sent in.
Thursday 9 hole October Stableford
This event was played last Thursday. There was a men’s competition and a ladies competition held concurrently.
The ladies winner was Karen Stockton with 18 stableford points. Kerry Bailey was second with 18 points. jane Perks was third, also with 18 points but Kerry had beaten her on a card play off.
The men’s winner was Bob Siddle with a creditable 21 points. Roger Fielding was two points adrift in second place. It’s good to see Phil Long back playing and he finished third with 18 points.
Titleist Christmas Golf Ball Promotion
Why not give the gift of golf this Christmas?
The offer is available on the certain models of golf balls. I have listed them below. The cost is £44.99 per dozen for all the models except the Tour Speed which retail at £34.99 per dozen. Click here for the Terms & Conditions.
Pro V1 Pro V1 yellow Pro V1x Pro V1x yellow AVX AVX yellow Tour Speed
Please email me if you’d like to go ahead and place an order.
Photos
Thanks to Vicki Wells for these rainbow pics. The first is a double one!
And thanks also to Terri Broadbent for these photos of toadstools that were recently snapped whilst out on the course.
This week we look at recent competition results and the forthcoming End of Year Junior Awards Presentation in early November. I also share with you the Pro Shop opening times from 25th – 29th October. Oh and remember the clocks go back on Saturday night… 😢
Bogey 2
Congratulations to Dave McGlennon for scoring an excellent score of four up to win Bogey 2 on Saturday. Andrew Fishwick was second with two up and gentleman captain Johnny yates was third with one up. Nine scores were recorded during the competition.
Third and first, Johnny and Dave at the presentation.
Ladies Nine Hole Stableford
Well done Kerry Bailey for scoring 16 points to win the ladies back nine stableford on Thursday. Vicki Wells was point adrift to finish in second and Anne Webster beat other golfers who scored 14 points to secure third place.
There wasn’t an 18 hole competition on Thursday as it was Jim McNairney’s funeral on that day followed by a trip to the club for refreshments and to share happy memories of Jim. Our thoughts are with Kathleen, her family and friends at this difficult time.
End of Season Junior Awards
This is a final push to top up the numbers for this event which takes place on Sunday 7th November. Currently over 40 have done so.
The format is golf at 1400 where the lady captain’s side take on the gentleman’s captain’s side over 9 holes from the forward tees. We will then have an informal meal followed by a review of the year and a presentation.
If you are involved in the junior section (child or adult) and have not yet signed up, please send me an email to do so. Non golfing friends and family are welcome to come along afterwards for the food and presentation only.
Pro Shop Opening Times
With it being 1/2 term, the shop’s opening hours will be slightly reduced from Monday to Friday as Phil holds the fort. They will be as follows:
Last week the club’s new captains were announced and there was still a good amount of competitive golf played here at HGC.
New Captains
Last Thursday, the new captains were announced. As you an see they will be Judy Pinnington and David Wainwright. Hearty congratulations to you both and we all wish them well during their time in office which will start in March of next year.
Judy & David at the announcement
David & current gentleman captain Johnny Yates
Current lady captain Irene Kirk & Judy
Saturday 9 Hole Stablefords
Well done to Tarik Rashid for winning on Saturday with 21 points. Second place went to Andrew Warnes with the same score but he was unfortunate to be beaten on a card play off. Ron Kirk was third with 20 points.
Michelle Rea played magnificently to score 24 points and win the ladies event. Helen Davies was second with a very creditable 21 points. Gwynneth Bramwell finished third with 19 points. Over 50 players took part in total which was good to see.
Lady Secretary vs Lady Captain Match
The lady captain’s team were in blue and the lady secretary’s team were in red. Wendy Jenkins deputised for Sandra Mossop as she continues to get fitter and fitter. Irene led her team to victory with an overall score of 5.5 points to 3.5. The match was great fun and played in the right spirit.
Gwynneth, Wendy, Irene & Gail on the first tee prior to their encounter. Wendy tells me that the match was closed out in “style” with a birdie two recorded by Irene & Gail.
Seniors Bradley Winter Series
Well done to Rob Manley for winning the first 9 hole event of the winter season with 21 points, beating Ian Goulty into second place via a card play off. Craig Rea was third with 19 points.
We are now playing preferred lies as the nights draw in and Autumn arrives. As a reminder, preferred lies means you can mark and clean your ball on any part of the General Area that is cut to fairway height or less and move it up to six inches from where it initially lay but no nearer the hole. If you would like to read the R&A’s definition of General Area then please click here.
The winter rates for green fees are also now in operation. This means that the members guest rate is £8 for nine holes and £10 for 18 holes. Visitors fees are £14 for 9 holes and £20 for 18 holes.
Bogey 1
Well done to James Munnery for winning the first Bogey of the winter campaign with a mighty impressive six up. Second place went to David Rodwell with two up. Chris Wood had the same score but was beaten into third place on countback.
James & gentleman captain Johnny Yates
Ladies Competitions
Gwynneth Bramwell played very nicely to score 38 points and win last Thursday’s 18 hole stableford competition. Min Fishwick kept up her recent good form to finish with the same score in second place, Gwynneth beat her in a card play off. Diana Harris was third with 36 points.
Jennifer Bradley amassed a whopping 21 points to win the nine hole stableford on the same day. Ann Davies was the runner up with 18 points. Gillian Healey & Karen Stockton shared third place with 17 points.
Lady captain Irene Kirk & Gwynneth
Irene & Jennifer
Wildlife on the Course
Many thanks to Vicki Wells for this snap from the other day of a fox cub inspecting the new third hole.
This we look at some team competition results, yardages on the practice ground and even a trip to the coast for yours truly! Enjoy the read….
Ladies Autumn Meeting
The ladies Autumn Meeting took place last Thursday and was cut to nine holes after heavy rains the night before. Sue Fallows, Barbara Spark, Wendy Jenkins & Vicki Wells were the winners with a magnificent 43 points. Two points behind in second place were Jennifer Bradley, Gillian Brogdon, Sally Budd & Jan Ravenscroft. Third place went to Helen Davies, Mandy Gilbert, Val Nelstrop & Barbara Grant who scored 38 points.
The results from yesterday (Thursday 7th October) will be in next week’s missive by the way – I’m running a little behind schedule this week!!
Sue, lady captain Irene Kirk, Barbara, Wendy & Vicki
Jennifer, Irene, Gillian, Sally & Jan
Helen, Mandy, Irene, Val & Barbara
Trip to Mottram Hall
Great fun was had by all the ladies who embarked on the overnight trip to Mottram Hall last weekend. In the team competition, Louise Gerald, Wendy Jenkins, Vicki Wells & Karen Stockton finished in first place beating Jill Gower-Jones, Jennifer Bradley, Sue Bryant & Barbara Grant into runner’s up spot.
Louise, Wendy, Irene, Vicki & Karen
Jill, Jennifer, Irene, Sue & Barbara
Gents Invitation
Last Saturday, the revamped Gents Invitation took place. There were approx 15 teams that took part and the weather was ok, not brilliant but ok! In first place were Brian Greenbank, Guy Levers, Dave Wainwright & Andy Begg (Ringway) with 88 points in the best two from four stableford format.
Second place went to gentleman captain’s side of himself, Jonny Gray, Paul Ashling, & Vernon Nuttall who scored 87 points. On the same score but beaten into third place on countback were James Munnery, Nigel Jenkins (Knutsford), Tom Cressey & Robin Sharp (Formby). The Nearest the Pin on 11th was won by Henry Petrie from Prestbury and the Nearest the Pin in two shots on the 18th was won by James Munnery. So overall it was a very good event and an equally good performance by members of the Greens Committee!!
Brian, Guy & Andy
Vernon, Johnny, Jonny & Paul
Brian, James & Nigel
Range Yardages
I’m often asked how far the flags are away on the range so please see the graphic below. I’ve also put the same note on a stick sign on one of the grass tees as a reminder for all you dedicated practice ground users!
Formby Ladies
I had the good fortune to play Formby Ladies for the first time on Wednesday. I have wanted to for some time having played the championship course there several times. Suffice to say I was not disappointed, what a treat! If you can play 18 holes round there with just one ball then you’re definitely going some…
Well things are starting to quieten down on the golf course here at HGC so I have fewer comps to report on this week.
I manged to watch quite a lot of the Ryder Cup. I was aware that the final result was becoming pretty inevitable but I still found it captivating. Perhaps it’s just me but the course suited the event perfectly and to see these players attack the course slightly differently because they were playing matchplay rather than strokeplay was also really engaging.
Europe just didn’t have the fire power as the world rankings had suggested coming into the event. Sadly I think it’s going to be some time before we can compete with the US team in forthcoming Ryder Cups. I wonder who will be the next European captain as it may not be a role that anyone will relish to much at this point in time?
Golf Coaching
Please click here to book a lesson or club fitting with me ⛳
Ladies Competitions
Well done Min Fishwick for romping home to victory with a superb 41 points on Thursday. Tracey Thompson was second with 36 points. Gail Sampson, Jan Ravenscroft and Gillian Brogdon shared third place with 35 points.
In the nine hole stableford both Val Nelstrop and Mandy Gilbert scored 19 points but Val won on countback. Bad luck Mandy! Third place went to Amanda Greaves with 16 points.
On Saturday in the 18 hole stableford, Chris Marsh scored 35 points and Tiff Fielden 29 points.
Well it’s Ryder Cup week and the battle commences on Friday morning from Whistling Straits GC, Wisconsin, USA. Can Europe triumph again or is the difference in the world rankings that favours the American side just going to be too wide a margin to bridge? I’m sure you’ll all be tuning in to watch the drama unfold.
Finals Day
Sunday was Finals Day with four of the club’s knockouts being decided. Tony Sampson beat Andrew Cowan by 2 & 1 to win the Owen Memorial. Current lady captain Irene Kirk and former lady captain Caroline Massey prevailed against Gillian Healey and Ceri Hyde in the ladies foursomes. The Gordon Murray Salver (the mixed foursomes knockout) was won by Caroline Perkin and Peter Veitch. They beat Sally Budd and John Webb in the final and the score was 3 &2. And finally Freddie Fallows, triumphed against Andrew Fishwick by 3 & 1 in the Reid Plate.
Tony & gentleman captain Johnny yates
Caroline M, Johnny & Irene
Irene, Peter, Caroline P & Johnny
Johnny & Freddie
Freddie Fallows also won the inaugral junior knockout on Tuesday evening by beating Edward Lythgoe in the final 3 & 2. The Bech Cup between Jan Ravenscroft and Irene Kirk is to be played this week as is the Charlton Cup. Tiff Fielden and Louise Gerald feature in this final. Good luck to you all!
End of Season Sale
We have some discounted men’s polo shirts and mid layers plus some men’s and ladies shoes as per the photos & information below. Everything is at least 30% off so pop in and grab a bargain!
Mens, Stuburt, size 9 only, softspikes, waterproof, were £64.99, now only £44
Mens, Stuburt, size 9 only, softspikes, waterproof, were £59.99, now only £42
Mens, Stuburt, sizes 8, 9 & 10, spikeless, waterproof, were £69.99, now only £49
Mens FJ, size 6W only, softspikes, waterproof, were 79.99, now only £55
Mens, FJ, size 12M only, softspikes, waterproof, were £87, now only £60
Mens, FJ, size 8.5M only, softspikes, waterproof, were £87, now only £60
Ladies FJ summer shoe, sizes 5M, 6M & 7M, spikeless, not waterproof, were £79, now only £55
Ladies, FJ, size 7W only, spikeless, waterproof, were £115, now only £80
Ladies, FJ, size 6M only, soft spikes, waterproof, were £105, now only £73
Medal Final & Sandiford
Well done to John Bacon for rolling back the years and making use of his many shots (that’s only because he tells me so whenever he collects his scorecard from the Pro Shop!) and winning the Medal Final on Saturday. He shot a nett 66. Martin Oldfield and Martin Bramwell scored nett 67s to finish in second and third place respectively.
At the presentation after play, Lee Bramley was also award his trophy for winning the Sandiford. This is for the best four nett scores over the course of the season from the eight Medals that are played. His total was a stunning 264, sixteen under par. Second place went to Alex Mills who was three shots back. Brian Greenbank was third with 274.
Johnny & John
Lee & Johnny
Stats
I really enjoy following Lou Stagner on Twitter (@LouStagner) as he regularly posts really interesting stats that will help golfers of all levels understand the game a little more and ultimately this information can help us all improve.
The data below tells us the number of double bogeys or worse golfers of different levels have per round on average. It becomes clear that for club golfers scoring better is more about getting rid of the big numbers from your scorecard rather than having to make lots of birdies. So take a look at your own game, is your strategy adversely affecting your scoring?
Ladies Away day
Below are the details of the trip and the photos below courtesy of Wendy Jenkins. Thank you Wendy for sending this onto me to put into this week’s missive.
It was Lady Captain’s fun Exchange Day at Poulton Park Golf Club last Thursday and the ladies attending received a warm welcome from the Exchange Club. There were tricky water hazards on certain holes but thankfully the Ladies Competition Secretary (Sally Wright) had come prepared to retrieve the balls that her team mates (Judy and Wendy) had put into the brook!
Two ladies who were certainly not sick as parrots on the day were Sue Fallows and Gill Kay. Sue got nearest the pin in two shots on the first hole (a par 4) and then followed up by holing her putt for a birdie. Gill also got a birdie on the 10th. They were each awarded a feathered friend! The winners of the front-9 four-ball better ball competition were Sue Fallows, Vicky Chamberlain, Diana Harris & Judy Anderson. In second place were Tracey Thompson, Min Fishwick, Jane Perks and Ann Davies. The winners of the back-9 better-ball competition were Gill Kay and Sally Budd. In second place were Freda Hunt and Vicki Wells.
Prize presentations were made after an enjoyable dinner back at the Hale Club House and Lady Captain took the opportunity to present the prizes and trophies to the outstanding Ladies Finals winners. Tiff Fielden was presented with the Ladies Medal Final Trophy for her jaw dropping nett 63 winning score. And Tracey Thompson was presented with the Ladies Par Final Trophy, having achieved an excellent 5-up score, and with Chris Marsh receiving vouchers for her very creditable 3-up score, having beaten Lady Captain to the par final runner up slot on a card play off.
Sue & LC Irene
Gill & Irene
Vicky, Sue, Diana & Judy
Gill & Sally
Irene & Tiff
Irene & Chris
Cheshire Golf Union Centenary Trophy
A quick shout out to Jonny Gray who represented HGC in the Cheshire Golf Union Centenary Competition which took place on Sunday at Stockport GC. Jonny scored 36 stableford points, just four behind the winner, to finish in fifth place in a field of thirty seven players.
Seniors Competitions
Well done to Rob Manley for winning the Morren trophy (age 74 and under) last week with 40 points. Adam Hyde was second. Martin Oldfield won the “super seniors” Timpson Trophy (for the 75 year olds and over) with 38 points. Cliff Wright was second. Roger Fielding won the Tuttle trophy (9 hole stableford for 75s and over) with 19 points.
The previous week, John Gower-Jones did fantastically well following various joint replacements in recent months to win the nine hole Summer Stableford final with 20 points. That man Martin Oldfield popped up again to take second place.
Well the nights are drawing in now which is a bit depressing isn’t it? However there are still lots of golfing events to help keep your spirits up and look forward to over the coming weeks. We start with the men’s Medal Final on Saturday, Finals Day on Sunday and the Ryder Cup takes place the following week
Ryder Cup
Padraig picked his three wildcards on Sunday opting for experience by going for Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry. However there was no place for Justin Rose which was a talking point. Here are the full line ups for the big match which starts a week on Friday from Whistling Straits, USA.
Finals Day
As mentioned, the culmination of the season’s knockout golf takes place here at HGC this Sunday. The order of play is as follows:
1200 Reid Plate – Freddie Fallows vs either Glyn Isaac or Andrew Fishwick. 1215 Ladies Foursomes – Gillian Healey & Ceri Hyde vs Irene Kirk & Caroline Massey 1230 Gordon Murray Memorial Salver (Mixed foursomes) – Sally Budd & John Webb vs Peter Veitch & Caroline Perkin 1245 Owen Memorial Bowl – Andrew Cowan vs Tony Sampson
Please note the dates of the finals of the Bech Cup (Irene Kirk vs Jan Ravenscroft), the Charlton Cup (Louise Gerald vs Tiff Fielden) and the Junior Matchplay (Freddie Fallows vs Ed Lythgoe or James Beddy) are yet to be announced.
Ladies Comps
At tea last Thursday, the ladies made some presentations as follows:
(a) Previous lady captain Caroline Massey presented the Ladies Stableford Final Trophy to this year’s winner, the current lady captain Irene Kirk.
(b) Irene presented a prize voucher to the runner up in this year’s ladies Medal Final, Gwynneth Bramwell.
(c) Irene also presented a prize voucher to the winner of the 9 hole Stableford, Freda Hunt.
(d) Irene presented prizes to the winner (Caroline Massey) and runner up (Sue Fallows) of the Ladies 9 hole knock-out competition.
(e) And finally, a photo of LC and her trophy.
a
b
c
d
e
President’s Prize
Pam and Bill Dixon took the honours on Saturday with a mighty fine 46 points in the mixed foursome stableford format, which proved to be a most enjoyable day for all participants. Sharon & John Thorne finished four points behind in second place. John wisely bet on Pam & Bill to win in the Tote though and was the only one to do so meaning he snagged the entire pot of £56. Well done to you all!
Pam, club president Barry Jefferies and Bill
Adult Junior
The final event of the Adult Junior season took place on Friday. Erin & Guy Withey were the winners with a whopping 24 points. The other top four finishers from the night are in the table below.
Sam Morris won the Order of Merit with 25 points based on his consistent performances over the course of the season. He had different adult partners over the campaign and they all performed very well! The other well placed finishers can be seen in the other table below.
What excellent viewing the Solheim Cup was and it was fab to see Europe triumph 15 to 13 at the Inverness Club, Ohio. Catriona Matthew led the team superbly to victory for a second time.
Hopefully this bodes well for the Ryder Cup which takes place later this month. Steve Stricker has just made his wildcard picks and their team looks mighty impressive. Padraig Harrington will confirm his final line up on Sunday.
Brand new Autumn / Winter men’s Ping Collection clothing now in stock
Ladies Results
Tiff Fielden recorded a tremendous gross 71, nett 63 to win the Medal Final on Thursday. Gwynneth Bramwell and lady captain Irene Kirk finished second and third respectively with their nett 70s.
Well done to ladies comp secretary Sally Wright for winning the front nine hole stableford on the same day with 20 points. Jennifer Bradley and Sue Fallows also scored 20 points but were beaten on countback to finish in second and third respectively.
Sally & Irene
Golf Lessons
Please click here to book a golf lesson with Richard – to help you either finish your season with a bang or get you ready to hit the ground running for the next one….
Medal 8
Well done for to Andrew Cowan for winning Medal 8 on Saturday. It could have been lower too as he told me after his round that he was concerned that he had squandered his chance to win with a bit of a lacklustre finish. Thankfully not and his nett 66 was good enough to finish on top. Incidentally his gross 74 was the also best of the day. Alan Bradley was second with a nett 68 and Craig Rea third with a 69.
Andrew & Johnny
Presentation Catch Up
Well done Al Makin for winning the Galloway and Arnold competitions during the Summer Meeting in July. He accepted his prizes at Saturday’s presentation.
Johnny & Al
Flamingo
Thanks to Tiff Fielden for being such a good sport and sending me these two photos. They were taken during a trip to Fontainebleau in France. The second snap is a zoom in off the first and you can see that thanks to her outfit and her method of teeing the ball, Tiff bears a resemblance to a flamingo… 🤣
