Captain's Weekend
It was a memorable couple of days at Stamford Golf Club as Mr Captain (Roy Cunningham) staged his weekend.
The weather almost behaved itself considering it was the last 2 days of August, although the morning competitors got a sprinkle of rain, the conditions certainly favoured the afternoon players.
Leading in round 1 was Dan Fox with a show stopping nett 64. He lead the field from Josh Ainscough & Tony Hales who both shot nett 66. All was not over though as round 2 was still to play on Sunday, following the Captain's dinner on Saturday night which from time to time has witnessed some involuntary behaviour due to the excess use of alcohol from some of the competitors.
On day 2 it was a case of surprise-surprise as John Wallworth posted a leaderboard topping score. In round 1 he posted a nett 70 but followed it up on day 2 with a nett 66. The score was good enough to take top spot from Josh Ainscough on a card play off, who carded a nett 66 in round 1 and followed it up in round 2 with nett 70.
Chris Holloway (below, left) managed to finish a career high in 3rd place after he posted a personal best final round of nett 62.
Overall it was a weekend of good, competitive golf with several members competing to have their name hetched into the honours board inside the clubhouse. The coveted prize went to a worthy winner & new member John Wallworth (above, right), who joined us this year from neighbouring club Werneth.
Winner: John Wallworth
Runner up: Josh Ainscough
Vice President's weekend
Played in some of the finest conditions this season has offered, the Vice Captain's & Morris Medal is our only 36 hole competition played in one day. What seems like a marathon of golf, the 36 hole strength enduring, energy testing, concentration examination and stamina test is also the deciding event of the year to highlight the club champion golfer of the year.
The Nett prize (Vice president's prize) went to in-form Chris Akers took after two rounds of nett 66 to claim the Vice President's prize which was the best nett score for 36 holes.
Morris Medal
Without question, the most difficult tournament of the year to win. The Morris medal highlights the Champion golfer of the year in the club. He who has the lowest Gross score for 36 holes under pressure, demanding guts, nerve & determination. This year that prize went to Michael Grainger with scores of 75 + 72 = 147
There was a slight twist to the final result though as Youth member and in form Josh Ainscough posted a first round of 72 to follow it up with a second round 76 after having his ball stolen by a passer by on the 10th hole. The resulted in a 2 shot penalty and Josh made a double bogey 6 on that hole. His ball was later retrieved but unfortunately too late. Still it was an extremely brave attempt and next year Josh will bounce back stronger.
Congratulations Mike Grainger!
Pro's away day
Annually a long day although this year the schedule was 18 holes which allowed for a later meeting time. As per usual we drew the names on the coach which is an entertaining half hour to say the least. On arrival the bacon rolls & coffee were served and everyone shout out ready to take on the Delamere Forest links.
The result all came down to the performance of one man after all. Chris Akers carded a blistering stableford score of 43 points alone to clear the field by 4 clear points from myself in 2nd place. In the pairing it was a case of his partner bettering his score by 1 point to win that too although Tony Smith (Teeth) managed to better Chris’ individual score by a further 4 points bringing home a show stopping 47 points to win that prize too.
Chris managed to claim a £90 Pro Shop credit for his doubles win & a 3 night accommodation stay in villamoura at the 5 star Hilton Hotel for his singles win.
Many thanks go to all who took part and a special thank you to sponsor Chris Hey – Total Ropes Solutions.
Summer foursome final
Two buddies have reached the final of the singles knock-out after negotiating their way through each half of the Singles matchplay draw. Kev Duffy & Tony Hales are set to go head to head in a gloves off final set to take place on Sunday 5th October. Spectators are welcome for what is expected to emulate “The Duel in the Sun”.
Gents Open 4ball Betterball
The Gents open Betterball is filling fast with a few tee times available at just £12 per pair. Should you be interested, please contact the pro shop for more information. Tee times are available between 07:30 – 13:30
Course maintenance
The Golf Course has undergone some excessive maintenance work this week including Scarifying & Verti Draining. Scarifying helps to reduces thatch (pictured) build-up on the Greens which consequently helps to retain a healthy sub-soil. Verti draining on the other hand is a method used across the world to help the greens stay aerated and develop a drainage system. This process is finished by topdressing the Greens with sand.
If you notice a slightly bumpy surface this week, it's all for the right reasons, to give you a quality putting surface all year around.
Round of the year..
Congratulations goes to Gaz Chadwick with his round of the year. In the September monthly medal, Gareth managed to nudge the ball around the course in as few shots as 67! Playing off a handicap of 10 gave him a nett score of 57! Yes you read that correct… 57 nett!
The lowest nett score I have ever experienced since being involved in the game!
Happy golfing until next week.