Blog

This week’s missive is a bumper read (hence the headline) catching up on lots of results and other news. And what about Bryson’s US Open victory at Winged Foot hey? As a result, Ben Hogan style flat caps, single length irons with grips as thick as cricket bat handles and protein shakes are now selling fast from the Pro Shop… 😂

Medal Final

Congratulations to Jonny Gray for winning Saturday’s Medal Final with an excellent 65. His gross score of 75 was also the lowest of the competition on a day that many found scoring difficult. This was reflected in the CSS rising to 70, two higher than the SSS. Commiserations to Bill Dixon who was just one behind with a nett 66. George Rowland was third with a nett 68.

Ping Demos

For just a couple of weeks, I have lots of Ping demos in store with many different options for you to try. There are mens and ladies drivers, woods, hybrids and wedges – there’s even some left handed items. Please pop in to take a look before the Ping ASM has to take them back.

Ladies Competition Results

Lady captain Irene Kirk romped home to victory in the 18 hole Par with a cracking score of four up. Congratulations LC! Second place went to Louise Gerald with her score of one up.

Eighteen ladies played in the nine hole stableford which was a very good turn out. Vicki Wells finished as the winner with her score of seventeen points. Second place went to Lynette Lodge, just nudging Gail Sampson into third on account of a card play off.

Clothing Sale

The clothing sale has been going well. I have both men’s and ladies’ items. More ladies items were added at the weekend so please take a fresh look when you are passing.

Adult Junior

Well done to Ben & Chris Hinton for winning Friday’s Adult Junior competition. Sadly because of Covid, the season was condensed from the usual five events to just one so winning the claret jug (beware of imitations!!) was based on just one event. The Hintons scored 21 stableford points over the nine holes from the forward tees to gain top spot. Second place was shared between Jack & Phil Hickson and Marcus & Neil Thompson with 20 points.

We had a great turn out of seventeen pairs and many stayed for drinks and a bite to eat afterwards. I always say this but these are truly great events which the players involed love. In fact, it’s often tricky to tell who has the broadest grins at the end of the rounds – the experienced adult golfers or the newbie juniors 😀

Junior Stableford

Dan Turkington scored 19 points to win Tuesday’s nine hole stableford. Well played Dan. Charlie Hindle finished runner up. Ten juniors took part.

Titleist Tour Speed

Titleist have launched a new golf ball, the Tour Speed. Click here to read more.

Titleist now provide seven different models for you to choose from which can be a little bewildering when trying to select the best ball for your game. However their ball fitting link (you can find it here) is very simple and helps you to narrow it down with just a few clicks.

Ladies Away Win

Thanks to Jim Mossop for sending in the following prose and photo.

“A rapturous, spontaneous ovation greeted four Hale Ladies as they arrived in the marquee to join the double birthday celebrations of Andrew Kay and Keith Thompson on Thursday. Word that they had won the prestigious Prestbury Ladies Open Fourball Am Am Stableford had preceded them. Step forward Sally Wright, Tracey Thompson, Mandy Gilbert and Gill Kay. Our Gentleman Captain, Johnny Yates, was soon on his feet to add to the congratulations. What was already a joyful birthday dinner soared to another level when the enchanting quartet took their places. They have decided not to give up their amateur status.”

Gentleman Captain’s Challenge

The other Sunday saw a special Captain’s Challenge – a putting competition with Andrew Richards and John Acratopulo.  Unfortunately “the Best Putter In The Club” wasn’t quite in the groove (he’d not putted for 5 years!) so Andrew and gentleman captain Jonny were defeated!

Further afield, we have the US Open to look forward to this week at Winged Foot. Whilst back here at Hale, we have the men’s Medal Final on Saturday and hopefully a continuation of this great weather 🌞

We had a fantastic turnout for the President’s prize on Saturday with 40 pairs taking part. The winners were Gwynneth Bramwell and Paul Simpson who scored an excellent 39 points. Second place went to Caroline Perkin and Paul Taylor with 37 points.

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Briggs Trophy

Congratulations go to Claire Makin for finishing second out of forty six entrants in the Briggs trophy which was played last week at Mere GC. This is one of the premier strokeplay competitions for ladies in Cheshire. She scored an excellent nett 74 having never played the course before.

Fungus

I was sent in several photos last week of this incredible fungus /mushroom growing short of the seventh green. The second photo it next to a scorecard for scale.

Medal 8

Congratulations to Dave Madeley for winning Saturday’s Medal 8 with a nett 66 and reducing his handicap to 13.6. Ben Fallows and Chris Ravenscroft both had 67s but Ben finished second following the card play off. Al Makin had the best gross of the day with a 74. The CSS was 69.

Best Two from Three

The ladies played a nine hole threeball betterball competition last Thursday followed by lunch. They had a great turnout with 17 teams taking part. The winners on countback with 42 points were Corinne Veitch, Min Fishwick and Kathleen McNairney. Second place went to Janet Grant, Vanessa Veitch and Vicki Wells.

Seniors Summer Stableford Final

Well done to Roger Mattocks for winning this event with 19 points. The ever consistent Barry Jefferies was one point behind in second place.

Next week it’s the Timpson Trophy and the Seniors AGM on Wednesday the 16th.

Junior Stableford

Angus Morris won Tuesday’s junior stableford with a great score of 20 points and reduced his handicap to 35.2 in the process. Second place was shared between Dan Turkington and Isaac Povey, playing in his first competition, with 15 points.

Retail Therapy

I’ve just got in a good selection of waterproof junior Adidas CP Traxion golf shoes in sizes UK 3 up to UK 6. They are great value at £40 per pair.

Some of you have already enjoyed the benefits of 25% off the ladies summer clothing but there are still lots of items left so why swing by to take a look.

Photo

Max Score Medal

Well done to Mandy Gilbert for battling the elements to win last Thursday’s ladies max score Medal with a 75. Second place was shared between Gill Kay and Corinne Veitch with 76s. Tiff Fielden won the alternate day Medal also with a 75.

Twenty two ladies played in the nine hole max score Medal. Rosemary Bowden finished on top of the leaderboard with a nett 36. Lucy Daynes was second with a nett 37.

Summer Stableford

Congratulations to Paul Simpson for winning Saturday’s Summer Stableford with a splendid 40 points. Graham Bryant continued his recent good form to finish in second place just one point adrift. Ian Goulty was third with 37 points. The CSS was 68.

Seniors Summer Nine Hole Stableford

As I’m a little later than usual in sending out this week’s missive, I can include the results from the final Seniors stableford of the campaign which took place on Wednesday 2nd September.

Well done to John Bacon for winning with a fine score of 21 points. Before going out he’d complained of his golf being all over the place so that just about sums up golf doesn’t it? Bill Harvey edged into second place with 19 points ahead of Tony Sampson via a card play off.

Thirty seniors have qualified for the final which takes place on Wednesday so good luck to all those worthy qualifiers.

An Open Letter to New Golfers

An article which appeared in Golf Digest recently gets, in my opinion, the right blend of humour and advice for new golfers. Bear in mind that it’s an American publication so it has a U.S. slant to it. Click here to take a look.

Mixed Centenary Trophy

Well done to Keith and Tracey Thompson for winning the Mixed Centenary trophy on Saturday with 38 points. Second place went to Jan and Chris Ravenscroft with 37 points. Both pairs played together and it was neck and neck until the outcome was decided on the final green.

Special mention to Ann Davies and John Bacon who played in the worst of the weather in the morning. They scored 18 points on the front nine but were completely drenched and so couldn’t carry on.

Ladies Stableford

Congratulations to Claire Makin for finishing on top in last week’s 18 hole stableford with 36 points. Diana Hogben was second with 34 points.

Twenty five ladies played in the 9 hole stableford competition and Emma Daynes was the winner with a cracking score of 22 points. This reduced her handicap to 27.6. Jane Perks finished second with seventeen.

Seniors Summer 9 Hole Stableford

Tony Adamson was the winner with 19 points last Wednesday beating Tarik Rashid into second place via a card play off. This was the penultimate event of the series before the final in September.

Green Fees

As a reminder, when you book a guest to play with you on the Club V1 booking system the green fee is NOT automatically taken from your account. Please let the Pro Shop or the bar know before or immediately after play and we can process the payment.

If you can always try to pay using your HGC swipe card, then it really helps with the admin as this creates a more robust “paper trail” on the system. I go through the tee sheets every seven to fourteen days to chase unpaid green fees.

If a green fee has been taken from your account incorrectly, I’d suggest contacting me in the first instance. Remember though that this is far less likely to happen if you amend the tee sheet if your guest didn’t actually end up playing with you or you decided not to play at all perhaps because of bad weather etc.

Many thanks for your understanding and cooperation with this.

Gordon Murray Salvers

For your information, the Gordon Murray mixed foursomes knockout draw has now been made and can be viewed on Club V1.

Dress Code

There have been one or two members mentioning that some golfers are not following the club’s dress code. For instance, male golfers should wear shorts with long socks of any colour or white short socks. Please click here to read all the regulations.

Medal 7

Congratulations to the club’s hard working treasurer Paul Gilbert for winning Medal 7 on Saturday with a nett 68. Barry Jefferies and Graham Bryant had the same score but were beaten into second and third place respectively on countback. The CSS was 68, the same as the course’s SSS.

Hilda Timpson Trophy

Well done to Diana Hogben for winning the Hilda Timpson in the glorious sunshine last Thursday with a nett 72. Claire Makin can sympathise with Barry and Graham as she was beaten following a card play off. Gillian Brogdon was one shot back in third place. The CSS was 71 which is the same as the par of the course.

Back Nine Stableford

Vanessa Veitch won with 17 points and Jane Perks was second with 16 points. Fourteen players took part.

Golf Access

Well we finally managed to get a Golf Access event to take place on Tuesday following the disruption caused by Covid-19. Five juniors and six of the new ladies temporary members graced the fairways and played three holes from the forward tees. Everyone really enjoyed the encouraging format for newbie golfers. We have three more events on the 1st, 15th and 29th September coming up up so if you’d like to play, please let me know.

Please click here to find out more details about Golf Access.

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Centenary Trophy

Well done to Nigel Taylor for winning the Centenary Trophy last weekend with 42 stableford points. Second place went to Jim Nicholson with 41 points and Philip long was third with 39.

Jim’s round was remarkable for scoring a six for two points on the fourth hole and then a two for six points on the 5th hole!! So that got me thinking what a four under par score on a hole is called? We know one under is a birdie, two under is an eagle and three under is an albatross. So the all knowing Google tells me that it could be called a “double albatross” or a “triple eagle” but a far snappier title is to call it a condor. Suffice to say it’s an exceptionally rare bird!!

Ladies Summer Meeting

Fifteen teams of three took part in this best two from three to count nine hole competition last Thursday. The winners with a fine score of 42 points were Lynette Lodge, Caroline Massey and Vicky Chamberlain. Second place went to Gillian Brogdon, Jane Perks and Moya Malthouse with 39 points beating Pam Dixon, Terri Broadbent and Barbara Spark into third place via a card play off. The event was followed by a lunch for the players.

Seniors Summer Stableford 4

This nine hole competition took place on Friday and was won by Robert Spark with a fine 20 points. After all he’s been through this year, it seems fitting that he should win a competition so congratulations Robert! Robert Manley and Barry Jefferies shared second place just one point adrift.

Range Yardages

One or two of you asked me for the yardages on the range to the different flags so I measured them with my Bushnell laser the other day and they are as per my high tech drawing below.

Pro Shop Opening Hours

I have a couple of short breaks coming up with my family over the next fortnight so Phil will be at the helm in the Pro Shop in my absence. The shop hours might be a little reduced as a consequence. Thanks in advance for your understanding with this.

May Ashton Trophy

Congratulations to Anne Webster for winning the prestigious May Ashton Trophy last week with a fine nett score of 71. Second place went to the in form Gillian Healey with a 72 and she reduced her handicap again, this time from 27 to 26. The CSS was 73 showing that it was a tricky day for scoring.

The nine hole Stableford was won with 19 points by Nancy Fallows, well done. Lynette Lodge was second with sixteen points beating Lucy Daynes via a card play off.

Medal 6

There were fourteen nett scores in the 60s on Saturday so post lockdown golf means that you have to go low to win a men’s competition. Andrew Gething was the man on top of the leader board this week with a gross 82 and a nett 61 (nine under!) to win by only one shot! His handicap has been reduced to 18 so congratulations on all counts Andrew.

Nick Horrocks was second with a nett 62 and Ian Hunt third with a nett 63. But spare a thought for Graham Bryant who also shot shot a nett 63 but didn’t finish on the podium…. tough school! The CSS on the day was 68.

Putting Stroke Too Wristy?

The new SuperStroke Wrist Lock putter grip looks like it could be a really useful product for some golfers. Click here to watch the interesting and informative video. I have one in stock if you’d like to take a look. They retail at £29.99.

Owen Men’s Matchplay

A polite message from the Greens Committee – please play your Owen match as soon as possible. Even if you have a bye into the second round, if you know who your opponent is then please play your match as soon as you can. Thank you.

Gentleman Captain’s Prize

The forecast for Saturday’s Gents Captain’s prize was a bit gloomy in the run up but fortunately the weather played it’s part in making it a successful day.

Dan Turkington was the winner with a fine score of 44 points. He has now reduced his handicap from 24 to 18 so no more holes with two shots Dan – well done! Howard Gill who played on Friday so led for most of the competition only to be pipped at the eleventh hour was second with 42 points. Eamon Dwyer was third with 41.

The nearest the pin prizes went to Alex Mills for being the closest in two shots on the seventeenth, Eric Healey was the winner on eleven and Bob Cooke on the seventh. Well done to all the winners.

Lady Captain’s Day

Thankfully the lady captain also had a dry day for most of last Thursday for her event as 49 ladies took to the course. This was followed by a delicious and exquisitely presented lunch/afternoon tea provided by Ben and his team, courtesy of LC Irene, which proved to a great success.

The 18 hole Stableford was won with 37 points by Vicky Chamberlain. Well done Vicky. Mandy Gilbert was one point behind in second place. The CSS was 71.

Congratulations to Sue Bromley for winning the nine hole stableford with a superb tally of 22 points. This reduces her handicap from 41 to 39 which is great. Ceri Hyde was second with 19 points.

The Nearest the Pin on the 7th was won by Clare Withey. Freda Hunt was the winner of the 18 hole nearest the line competition and Ann Davies won it on for the nine holers. The ninth hole was used for this.

Special mention to both captains, Jonny and Irene for their efforts and generosity for their respective days and of course for all that they do at other times for Hale GC during the tenancy of their captaincy.

How to Calculate a Gents Nine Hole Handicap

This is required for the first few rounds of the men’s knockout competition, the Owen. It’s your exact handicap minus two and then you divided by two.

So for example if a player’s exact handicap is 19.5 (meaning his/her playing handicap would be 20), the calculation is as follows:

19.5 – 2 = 17.5
17.5 divide by 2 = 8.75
so this players nine hole handicap is 9.

Hole in One

Thanks to Paul Simpson for sending this photo of relatively new member Adrian Kershaw following his recent hole in one on the seventh. Well done Ade, always a great achievement. From the left, we have Martin Bramwell, Ade and gentleman captain Jonny Yates who according to Paul “witnessed the ball going in the hole whilst on the 8th tee so barged into the photo”.

Face Coverings

Michelle Rea has been busy making some face coverings (see below) which are available to buy for £5. The proceeds go to the lady captain’s charity Maggie’s Centre which provides free support to people with cancer and their families.
Please contact Michelle directly to buy. Her details are on the website and in the members book.

Afternoon Tea

Here’s another photo of afternoon tea at the club. A few lady members enjoyed a fabulous and tasty birthday celebration. Why don’t you treat yourself when you’re next at the club?

Medal 5

Congratulations to Angus Murray-Brown for winning Medal 5 with a fine nett score of 61. He missed out on breaking eighty gross by just one shot. Howard Gill was second with 66 and Chris Davies third with a 68. The CSS on the day was 69, one higher than the SSS.

Stableford, Granny Cup & Nine Hole Stableford

Last Thursday, Gillian Healey won the 18 hole stableford with a super score of 38 points beating Rosie Gerrard into second place via a card play off.

The Granny Cup this year goes to Tracey Thompson with 34 points. As Sally Wright pointed out in her email, she felt sure that Freddie would be very proud!

In the nine hole stableford, Freda Hunt and Mary Cockbain shared the top spot with 16 points but Freda won on a card playoff. Val Nelstrop came 3rd with 15 points.

Junior Stableford

Well done to junior captain Charlie Hindle for winning Tuesday’s nine hole stableford with a score of 20 points. This reduces his handicap to 16. Matthew Hodder and Dan Turkington shared second place with 17 points.

Face Coverings

The Pro Shop needs to adopt the government’s new regulations from Friday. Below is a quote from England Golf’s most recent update of their “A Framework for Playing Golf”.

From Friday 24 July it is mandatory for customers to wear a face
covering inside a shop. This will apply inside stand-alone professional
shops where a fine of up to £100 may be imposed on anyone breaking
this rule. There are some exemptions to wearing face coverings
including children under the age of 11 and those with certain
disabilities – please refer to government guidance.

Hitting from the Grass on the Practice Ground

We’re very lucky to have a nice flat piece of turf to hit from on the practice ground over the summer months. Please follow the advice on the image below to ensure that we get maximum use from it.