Hope you have a fab evening and all the very best for 2026, both on and off the golf course.
Pro Shop Christmas Draw Winners
Welld one to Vicky Chamberlain for winning this year’s Christmas draw. The draw was made following play of the NYE Frolic and before lunch. The other winners are below. I have credited the appropriate amounts to your Pro Shop accounts.
Thanks so much for entering and supporting the draw.
NYE Frolic
Well done to Jo Egerton Nad Ian Hunt for organising this fun comp. The winners of this best two from four front nine stablefoird multiplier were Nancy Fallows, Jo Egerton, Ann & Garrett Coulson with a whopping 55 points. Beaten into second place after a card play off were Paul & Rowene Allen, Helen Williams & Ted Williams.
Christmas 9 Hole Team Comp
Keith Thompson, Rob Manley, Roger Dawson-Smith & Mike Bulcock won this event which took place on Sat 20th December with 44 points. The runners up were Michelle Rea, Craig rea, Ann Coulson & Garrett Coulson with 43 points.
I think this will probably be my last newsletter before Christmas and it’s quite a busy one!
First things first, I just wanted to thank you for your support this year and during all my time here at HGC. In a world where there are so many places to spend your money, I really appreciate all of you who back my business – it means alot.
I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and all the very best for 2026 – both on and off the golf course!
Nine Hole Comps
There are still some spaces in the NYE team comp, which is a nine hole shotgun start at 10am. Please sign up on Club V1 if you’d like to play.
We have some other nine hole comps coming up too, as follows:
Sat 17/1/26 Individual stableford – open to ladies & gents
Thu 29/1/26 Individual stableford – open to ladies & gents
Sat 28/2/26 Lady Captain’s Charity Team Competition
Sat 7/3/26 Individual stableford – open to ladies & gents
The draw will take place on new year’s eve after the team competition
We have 14 of us heading off to Enville in April. There are two spaces left would you like to join us? Contact me to find out more
Ladies Christmas Team Frolic and Lunch (Thu 11/12/25)
Well done to Vicky Chamberlain, Diana Harris, Helen Davies & Pauline Keeling for winning team with 40 points. The runners up were Jane Perks, Irene Kirk, Noelle Morris & Jo Bates 40 points who were beaten on countback.
Some of the outfits were fantastic and Sally Wright won with her version of “pig in blankets”. I love the action shots below on the golf course….
Pro Shop Winter League
It’s cold, dark and wet out there so maybe think about having a go in the Pro Shop winter league for something a little different?
Play Adare Manor, Limerick (home of the 2027 Ryder Cup)
Pairs Betterball Stableford
Nine holes (holes 10-18)
Open to ladies, gents & juniors
Entry fee £4 per pair
Last opportunity to play – 28/2/26
The top two scores will qualify for the final, which will be played over 9 holes (matchplay).
The Small Print
Players can play from whichever tees they choose
Putting is not required and will be set up on the Trackman to “Auto – By Hcp”
Pairs may play their qualifying round as a twoball
The simulator hire charge is not included in the entry fee (except for the final, which will have a complimentary hire fee). The sim hire charges for 2+ players are £27 for 60 mins (£13.50 each if 2 players or £6.75 each if 4 players)
RB will match all entry fees that will go into the prize fund for the winners & runners up
The final must be played by 31/3/26. The team with the highest qualifying score must liaise with RB and give the second placed team 3 dates to play. If the final is not played by the 31/3/26, then we’ll have joint winners and the prize fund will go to charity.
Seniors Texas Scramble (Wed 10/12/25)
Derek Marshall, Gary Beal & Ian Macklin were the winners of this event with 20 points. One shot adrift in second place were Graham Jones, Nigel Taylor & Lee Bramley 19.
Turkey Trot (Sat 6/12/25)
Well played Ian Goulty & John Stevenson as they went round in 38 points in the foursomes format. Tony Adamson & Paul Bramwell were runners up with 37 points.
Ade Kershaw & Rob Manley didn’t trouble the winners too much and so were awarded the wooden spoon. They received some stuffing – kindly donated again by Peter Hardern.
Seniors Best 2 from 3 Team Comp (Wed 3/12/25)
Our winners, with an excellent 39 points in very tough conditions, were Gary B, Ian H and new member Jon Simpson (welcome Jon) in his first Seniors’ comp earning £15 each. In second with 38 points were Phil L, Chris R and Lee (£10 each) and with 38 points in third were Adam, Peter W and Tony A (£5 each). Ian H had a “proper 2” at the 11th and Andrew F had a “2” on 13th and get £5 each.
Bingo Bango Bongo (Thu 27/11/25)
Clare Withey was the winner of this Bingo Bango Bongo Bonkers competition. Well played Clare! Noelle Morris was the runner up and Mary Cockbain came third. This fun format was a big success with the players
Junior European Open
Ollie Grieves recently played in the Junior European Open in Spain, which consisted of a gruelling 4 consecutive days of 18 holes. After the four days, he finished joint 13th nett (35th out of 174) which is top 20% and he was the youngest boy in the competition!
He loved the experience and can be seen below sporting his HGC bucket hat. Plus his proud granfather John Book, also member here at Hale, was his caddy durng the week. Well done Ollie, what an achievement!
Well done to Tony Adamson, Glyn Isaac & Chris Ravenscroft for winning yesterday’s event with 22 points. Phil Long, John Bacon & Peter Wolfenden were a point adrift in scond place. Andrew Fishwick, Derek Marshall & David Cranmer finished third with 20 points.
Pro Shop Winter League
It’s cold, dark and wet out there so maybe think about having a go in the Pro Shop winter league for something a little different?
Play Adare Manor, Limerick (home of the 2027 Ryder Cup)
Pairs Betterball Stableford
Nine holes (holes 10-18)
Open to ladies, gents & juniors
Entry fee £4 per pair
Last opportunity to play – 28/2/26
The top two scores will qualify for the final, which will be played over 9 holes (matchplay).
THE SMALL PRINT
Players can play from whichever tees they choose
Putting is not required and will be set up on the Trackman to “Auto – By Hcp”
Pairs may play their qualifying round as a twoball
The simulator hire charge is not included in the entry fee (except for the final, which will have a complimentary hire fee). The sim hire charges for 2+ players are £27 for 60 mins (£13.50 each if 2 players or £6.75 each if 4 players)
RB will match all entry fees that will go into the prize fund for the winners & runners up
The final must be played by 31/3/26. The team with the highest qualifying score must liaise with RB and give the second placed team 3 dates to play. If the final is not played by the 31/3/26, then we’ll have joint winners and the prize fund will go to charity.
Bogey 3
Well done to Ade Kershaw for winning Bogey 3 with a very good score of 5up. Jonny Gray was second with 3 up & Dave McGlennon was beaten into third following a card play off. Jonny also recorded the only two of the competition… on the 17th!!
The captain showed total dedication to his role by arriving straight from the hockey pitch!
Ladies B9 Stableford (Thu 20/11/25)
Congrats to Mary Cockbain for winning this compettion with 17 points. Vicki Wells was beaten on countback into seond place and Terri Broadbent was third with 16 points.
Photos from Poppy Appeal
Here are the photos of the men’s winner Rob Manley and the ladies runner up Rosie Gerrard from the presentation on the 13th November.
OllIe Grieves
Ollie is currently in Spain playing in the Junior European Open Champions Finals week. He qualified to be there by winning an event at Reddish Vale a few months ago and more recently he also won at Shirley GC in Solihull. This meant he finished joint leader of the Top Gun rankings. We wish him all the very best and what an achievement to even get there in the first place!
This week we have news of a trip away, the start up of the indoor winter league plus other a round up of recent results. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Bogey 3 alt day was called off due to the rain today.
Trip to Enville GC
Would you like to join me on a trip to Enville GC next April? Please see the details below. Any questions, please get in touch.
Poppy Appeal Comps (on Sat 8/11/25 & Thu 13/11/25)
Well done to Rob Manley for winning this event with a superb 24 points. Rowena Allen was second with 22 points and Rosie Gerrard third with 20 points.
Ladies Annual Dinner
I understand that everyone had a lovely evening on Wednesday at the dinner and Vicky Chamberlain’s sister Katy did a great job as the after dinner speaker.
At the presentaion, the crystal golf ball was awarded to Holly Rowlinson for being the most improved player, reducing her handicap from 35.1 to 25.8 over the course of the season.
The Secretary’s prize was awarded to Kate Morris for being the most improved player with a handicap index greater than 36. She started the year off 50.7 and finished the year off a full 10 shots lower, off 40.7.
Min Fishwick won the Joyce Fisher Prize, which is awarded to the most improved senior.
Tiff Fielden won the gross eclectic for the year and Holly won the nett eclectic, just out do-ing her mum Irene who finished in second place.
Tiff won the birdie tree with sixteen birdies and Mandy Gilbert was second with seven.
And finally Helen Williams was the winner of the Medal Final which took place in September, with a score of nett 70.
Seniors Bradley 3 (Wed 12/11/25)
Well done to Steve Bates for adding Bradley 3 to his win of Bradley 1 a few weeks ago with the same score of 22 points. Dave Smith was the runner up with 20 points and Jon Cowan was third with 19 points.
Sparkly Ball Competition (Thu 6/11/25)
This best two from three stableford with one of the scores having to be the player with the “sparkly ball” competition was won by Sally Budd, Jane Wilkinson & Caroline Smith. Well played!
Pro Shop Indoor Winter League 2025/26
Play Adare Manor, Limerick (home of the 2027 Ryder Cup)
Pairs Betterball Stableford
Nine holes (holes 10-18)
Open to ladies & gents
Entry fee £4 per pair
Last opportunity to play – 28/2/26
The top two scores will qualify for the final, which will be played over 9 holes (matchplay).
The Small Print
Players can play from whichever tees they choose
Putting is not required and will be set up on the Trackman to “Auto – By Hcp”
Pairs may play their qualifying round as a twoball
The simulator hire charge is not included in the entry fee (except for the final, which will have a complimentary hire fee). The sim hire charges for 2+ players are £27 for 60 mins (£13.50 each if 2 players or £6.75 each if 4 players)
RB will match all entry fees that will go into the prize fund for the winners & runners up
The final must be played by 31/3/26. The team with the highest qualifying score must liaise with RB and give the second placed team 3 dates to play. If the final is not played by the 31/3/26, then we’ll have joint winners and the prize fund will go to charity.
It’s a busy one this week so please enjoy the read. Thanks as always to everyone who submits photos and stories to contribute to the missive – much appreciated.
Winter Golf
As per the notifications from the club and with immediate effect, the following rules come into play here at HGC.
Mark, Lift, Clean and Replace the ball will continue to be allowed throughout the general area.
If a ball lies on a closely mown area players must play off an artificial mat unless they are using their putter.
When teeing areas are set up on artificial mats, players must tee the ball on those mats.
Captains Nominate
The nominations for Club Captains for 2026/27 were announced on Thursday evening in the Clubhouse and the Lady and Gentleman Captains-Nominate are Helen Davies and Mike Thompson respectively. Both Helen and Mike have been long-standing members and have been fully involved in the life of the Club. The nomination for Junior Captain is Ollie Lynch. I’m sure all three will do a great job and wish them all the best.
Lady Captain vs Lady Secretary Match
In a match to rival the intensity of the Ryder Cup, the Lady Captian’s team beat the Lady Secretary’s team on Thursday over 9 holes, playing 4BBB.
Vicky & Diana
Bradley 2
Well done Roger Mattocks for winning this event on wednesday with 21 points. Roger da Forno was second with 19 points and Jon Cowan finished third following a card play off.
New Stock
FootJoy VersaFit golf shoes, TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe golf balls and FJ chillouts – all at great prices.
Bogey 2 (Fri 24 & Sat 25/10/25)
Well done to Peter Wolfenden for winning on Saturday with 5 up. Guy Levers was beaten on countback and Andrew Hay finsihed on ehole further back on 4 up.
Roger Mattocks, Pete Hindle & Charlie Hindle were keeping it in the family as all qualified for Bogey final on Saturday – that makes all three generations in the same competition!
The best gross of the competition went to Chris Hinton with a 74.
Ladies 18 & 9 hole Stablefords (Thu 23/10/25)
Congrats to Helen Williams for winning the 18 hole satbleford with a whopping 40 points. Gail Sampson was second with 35 points.
Judith Guest won the F9 stableford with 17 points beating Amanda Greaves on countback.
Amanda, Jan Ravenscroft & Helen
Dodson trophy
Past Captain Ben Fallows handing over the Dodson tropy to the victorious Captain Glynn Isaac after a convincing victory at Lymm GC.
Ladies Max Medals on Thu 16/10/25
Well done to Kate Morris for winning the 18 hole Medal with an excellent nett 66. Jo Bryant was the runner up, just one shot adrift.
In the F9 max Medal Sue Wright with a superb nett 27! Rachel McDowell was second with nett 33 beating Sue Bromley on countback.
Rachel, Sue B, Jo, Jan ravenscroft, Sue W & Kate
Bradley 1 (Wed 15/10/25)
Well done Steve Bates for winning this event with an excellent 22 points. Barry Jefferies was second with 20 pooints and Michael Wells came third.
Tuesday Afternoon Roll Up
Here’s a reminder about the men’s Tuesday afternoon roll up that was sent out a week or two ago.
As we approach winter, and the opportunities for golf and a little social activity decrease, there’s no need to despair! The Club still allocates tee times every Tuesday afternoon for the Gentlemen’s roll-up. The roll-up is the ideal opportunity for members (particularly new members) to play with members they’ve perhaps never met and wouldn’t normally play with.
Here’s how it works:
Just turn up a few minutes before the start time ( 1.00 pm before the clocks go back, 12.30 thereafter) – there’s no need to book.
Balls are put in a hat at the first tee to determine playing partners. Groups usually go out in threes or fours.
Play is usually 4 ball betterball (with an adjustment for three balls) with handicaps based on course handicap to keep things simple.
Play is over however many holes the group decides – generally somewhere between 9 and 18, but trending down!
After play, the bar beckons……typically tea and teacakes, maybe followed by the odd beer.
And there’s the opportunity to supplement income – every player puts £1 into the kitty, and the winning team scoops the lot. On a good day it can pay for the tea and teacake.
It’s not at all serious, it’s sociable, and good fun – so if you’ve not tried it, why not give it a go over the winter?
New’s men’s crested clothing now in store. Plus we have some new ladies Swing Out Sister also available.
Bogey 1
A three way tie on 3 up at the top led to Lee Bramley winning on countback. Roger Sheen was second and Danny Fox third. There was some consolation for Danny as he shot his lowest ever gross scorew ith a 71. Well played all!
Junior Step-A-Side Texas Scramble
Well done to Cam S, Charlie, Spencer & Cam J for a great score and win on Saturday. 16 players took part which is a great turn out.
Cam Smurthwaite
Charlie Blake
Spencer McCann
Cam Jones
34
Sam Baxter
Fraser Gregory
Harry Kumar
Charlie McCann
35
Louis Wild
Ollie Grieves
Harry Blake
Eli Pochin
37
Ollie Lynch
Harvey Walsh
Henry Sidwell
Noah Pochin
41
Ladies 9 hole stableford
A high scoring nine hole stableford saw Rachel McDowell win with 23 points. Sue Bromley was the runner up with 22 points and Vicki Wells third with 21 points.
What a horrid day today has been. The lousy weather of the last two days has taken it’s toll with the ladies nine hole open yesterday having to be called off at approx 11.30am and the men’s team competition cancelled before a ball had been strck early this morning. Let’s hope we can get a few more good days in before winter sets in.
Golf Clubs 4 Cash visit (2/10/25)
On Thursday GC4C visited and 11 happy members received Pro Shop credit for their unused golf clubs. Thanks to Connor Wright from GC4C and for everyone who supported the event
Ladies 9 & 18 hole stablefords
Well done to Jo Bryant for winning Thursday’s 18 hole stableford with 36 points. Vicki Wells was the runner up with 35 points. Louise Gerald was third.
Congrats to Barbara Spark for winning the F9 stableford with 20 points. Rachel McDowell was second with 17 points beating Sally Wright on count back.
Louise, LC Vicky Chamberlain, Jo Bryant & Barbara Spark
Seniors Best 2 from 3 team Comp (Wed 1/10/25)
Congrats to Graham Jones, Lee Bramley and John Wright for winning with 43 points. In second place with 41 points were John Kennedy, Nigel Taylor and Tony Adamson.
Kahla Trophy (28/9/25)
Twenty pairs took to the fairways for Kahla Trophy on Ryder Cup Sunday. This was a shotgun start at 3pm playing greensomes over the front nine with all competitors playing from the red tees.
The winners of the Kahla Trophy were Dan and Sue Broadbent with 26 points. Well done great score. The super consistent pairing of Ollie Greaves and John Brook finished as runners up.
In the alternative comp (for those with 1 or more players without an official WHS handicap), Ben Gray and James Gray were the winners. They like Dan & Sue also recorded 26 points.
The Nearest the Line prize on the 1st hole was won by Andy Gregory and on the 6th Hole by Holly Rowlinson.
Thed ay was a great success due to the combined efforts of Holly Rowlinson, James Munnery and myself. As you can see we ot some great photos and hopefully we can grow the event further in 2026.
Medal Final (Sat 27/9/25)
Of the 34 entrants, there was only one score under par an that was the winner Chris Roberts with a nett 67. Gary Beal was second with a nett 71 beating Danny Fox on a card play off. Danny’s score also happened to be the best gross of the day (76).
Well done John Kennedy for showing his season long consistency to win the Bentley with collective best 4 scores of 271 – 9 under par
Last reminder! GC4C will be here at Hale GC tomorrow morning from 0900 – 1100 so bring down your old clubs and bags and see what they’re worth! The amount you receive will be in Pro Shop credit.
As usual, we have lots of results to report on and a news of the GC4C event taking place here on Thursday. Oh and the small matter of the Ryder Cup starts today…..
Golf Clubs 4 Cash
Don’t forget to bring along your unused clubs between 9am and 11am on Thu 2nd October to get mony for them in the form of Pro Shop credit.
If you’re busy on the day, bring them along beforehand and we can speak to GC4C on your behalf.
Ladies Autumn Meeting
Well done to Pam Dixon, Wendy Jenkins, Kathleen McNairney & Gail Sampson for winning the Autumn Meeting with a gross 41 for a nett 28. One stroke adrift and in second place were Gillian Brogdon, Amanda Greaves, Vicki Wells & Jean Green.
We had some water logged bunkers but other than that the course was min great condition for Finals Day after the biblical rain the previous day.
The results were as follows:
Tony Adamson beat Marcus Davies to win the Reid Plate
Sally Budd beat Helen Williams to win the Bech Cup
Mandy Gilbert & Gill Kay beat Chris marsh & Rosi Gerrard to win the ladies foursomes challenge
Al Kenney & Amanda Greaves beat Min & Andrew Fishwick to win the Gordon Murray Memorial
Rachel McDowell beat Sally Blackburn to win the Charlton Cup
John Wright beat Jim Nicholson to win the Owen Memorial Bowl
Brian Greenbank beat Dave Smith to win the Scratch Knockout
Charlie Hindle and grandfather Roger mattocks were also presented with the Sandiford Trophy which they won earlier in the year, beating Jonny Gray & Johnny Yates in the final.
Medal Final
As mentioned the weather go the better of us on Sat 21/9/25 and we had to abandon the Medal Final. It will be replayed tomorrow.
However before the comp was cancelled Gareth Williams recorded a hole in one on the 13th hole. Well done Gareth!
Ladies Front 9 Medal (Thu 18/9/25)
This event was won by Karen Stockton with a nett 34. Lady captain Vicky Chamberlain was the runner up with a nett 37 beating Amanda Greaves on countback.
Another newsletter chock-a-block full of results as we prepare for Finals Day on Sunday and of course the Ryder Cup at the end of the month.
Kahla trophy
Here’s another quick reminder about the Kahla trophy. I have put the details below in list form to hopefully make it easier to follow:
• It’s a 3pm shotgun start on Sunday 28th September • It’s a pairs competition (greensomes) from the F9 red tees. • Pairs must both be related but be of different generations. For example, father & son, grandmother & granddaughter, uncle & niece etc. The younger player does not need to be a child btw. • At least one of the players must be a member here at HGC. • At least one of the players must have a WHS handicap. • To win the Kahla trophy, both players need to have a WHS handicap. • If one of the players doesn’t have a WHS handicap, then they can win the other competition that we’re running alongside the Kahla trophy. • This will be a fun afternoon with the opportunity to stay for a meal afterwards (and invite other family members and friends to join you afterwards if you wish). • The food choices are
So if you’re up for it, please reply asap giving me the names of the players, which club they play at (if not Hale GC) and how many will be coming for dinner afterwards along with your food choices.
Golf Clubs 4 Cash
The GC4C event is taking place here at HGC on Thursday 2nd October from 9am – 11am. Turn your unused clubs into Pro Shop credit. If you’re busy at that time, bring the clubs to the Pro Shop beforehand and we’ll do the deal on your behalf. Please reply to this missive if you have any questions.
President’s Prize (Sat 13/9/25)
Congrats to Freda & Ian Hunt for winning on Saturday with 39 points. Jan & Chris Ravenscroft were one point behind to take second place beating Rosie Gerrard & Dave Smith on countback.
There were only two winners of the Tote and they were Andrew Fishwick & Dave Smith, making it a profitable afternoon for them both.
President Jane Perks
Ladies Stableford final (Thu 11/9/25)
Well done Kate Morrison for winning the stableford final with 42 points. Gail Sampson was the runner up with 39 points and third spot went to Fiona Webster.
Jane Wilkinson won the F9 stableford with 20 points and Jane Perks was second with 19 points.
Fiona, Kate, lady captain Vicky Chamberlain, Jane W, Jane P and Gail
Seniors Results
Lots of winners here, well done to you all.
Tuttle: 1st Bill Harvey, 2nd Peter Wolfenden, 3rd Keith Thompson Final: 1st Graham Jones, 2nd Bill Wrigley, 3rd Adam Hyd Timpson: 1st Andrew Fishwick, 2nd Graham Jones, 3rd Patrick Brown Morren: 1st Johnny Yates, 2nd Mike Kirchin, 3rd Ian Powell
Bill, Graham, Andrew & Johnny
Medal 8 (5th & 6th September)
A brilliant nett 61 ensured Ade Kershaw won Medal 8 last week. Chris Robert’s was second with a nett 65 and Paul Taylor third with nett 68. The best gross score over the two days was Danny Fox’s 75.
Paul, Ade, gents captain Glyn Isaac & Chris
Adult Junior Stableford
The last event of the 2025 season took place on Friday 5th September. Congrats to Haroun & Safe Hammad for scoring a whopping 26 points to pip the McGrails by two points.
Well done Ollie Grieves & John Book for winning the OoM and becoming the first pair to win on two separate occasions in the long history of the event (15 years). Over the season, we had 46 different juniors play in one or more events over the course of the season. Harvey Walsh was second in the OoM and Charlie Blake finished in third place.
George Borthwick, Cam Smurthwaite, Ollie, Haroun & Oscar Saunders
Motocaddy Umbrella Holder Extender
Many of you have enquired about something along these lines over the years and here it is – a Motocaddy umbrella holder extender. It effectively makes your brolly holder 155mm taller so I think it’s going to be a popular accessory. I have them in stock so please pop into the shop to get hold of yours.