Seniors’ Golf Report
This is the last edition of the Recorder in 2022 and, with our December Grail competition yesterday being cancelled due to snow and ice, there is little hard news to report. Our Christmas 9-hole competition and lunch is due next Wednesday and the weather forecast gives reasonable assurance that the event will go ahead. That reminds me that currently we have only sixty golfers signed up and just a few more for lunch. This is always a fun event and we welcome seniors who want to come to lunch even if age, injury or other issues prevent them from playing on the day.
The December Grail had been scheduled early in the month to avoid clashing with everyone’s Christmas plans. This has now been rescheduled for 4th January and so sign up will be open on 21st December. The January Grail will follow on the 28th of the month.
Reflecting on the past year, a number of things stand out. First, we have maintained a high rate of participation throughout the year, especially in the Grails and Medals. In the summer with hard ground and rough kept at bay by the hot and dry weather, many seniors found their handicaps reducing. A magnificent example of this trend was David Bouch who scored below his age on five out of seven occasions which resulted in his handicap going down to 14.2 from about 18. Needless to say, this is making his winter golf very challenging.
Along with the Men’s and Ladies’ Captains, I have reminded Members regularly of the need for golfers to repair pitch marks, replace divots, rake bunkers and maintain a good pace of play. This message has been heeded by most regular golfers but we must all play our part in order to optimise the experience of all Club Members.
Some of us are beginning to get excited by the prospect of the new Indoor Golf Centre, which is being planned. Speaking for Seniors, I hope it can proceed quickly as currently proposed, so it will open while I am still able to hobble round the course.
Finally, I wish to compliment Peter Bradburn and his team on the condition of the course. Playing in the last two weeks, I noted how beautifully presented many of the fairways and greens were. In particular, I saw that they had taken advantage of the course drying out to mow the fairways and to reduce the height of the rough. This will benefit us all in the winter months when the snow has gone.
As a postscript I should mention that we played a competition last week on a carry only day with four clubs and a putter. Amazingly, some golfers produced scores better than they might have done with a full bag of clubs! The winners of our team Stableford were Gilbert Ellacombe, Nigel Karmel and David Paterson who carded a commendable score of 81 points!
Merry Christmas and a happy golfing new year to everyone.
Douglas Millar, Chairman