Chris Boughton's Golf Column: Keith tees up a big charity challenge
Local golfer Keith Day is running in the London Marathon next April to raise funds for JDRF, the world leading charity for type 1 diabetes research and care.
This is a charity very close to Keith’s heart (grandson) and he would like to raise as much awareness and funds for this amazing charity as he can. For Keith, who is 71 and had a hip replacement earlier this year, it will be a massive personal challenge. However, 30-plus years ago he was a regular runner in the London Marathon.
To help with his fund-raising Keith is hosting a charity golf event at the Suffolk Golf Club on March 28.
The competition format will be 18 holes, Texas Scramble, teams of four, with a £25 per person entry fee. There will be prizes and a one-course meal (with vegetarian option) included and entry forms are available from the Suffolk GC reception.
Another local golfer who is running in next year’s London Marathon is Ollie Boughton. A close friend’s six-year-old daughter has just finished a lengthy run of chemotherapy for leukaemia so Ollie will be raising funds for the Children with Cancer Charity for the second year running.
This year he raised more than £2,500 for the charity and hopes to at least match that next year.
Ollie said: “This will be my ninth full marathon (fifth London Marathon) and my third attempt to finish the race in under three hours. My best time is 3hrs 1minute. A sub 3-hours is seen as the holy grail of marathon running and only about one per cent ever achieve this.”
Ollie has previously raised a total of more than £8,000 running marathons for two national Parkinson’s disease charities (Parkinson’s UK & The Cure Parkinson’s Trust).
Good luck to Keith and Ollie. They both have a challenging four months of winter training ahead of them.
Local golf Pros, Simon Byford (Bury St Edmunds GC) and Adam Trett (The Suffolk GC), both entered the London Marathon ballot for next April but neither were successful. Simon has one London Marathon on his running CV and Adam, who is new to running, has competed in half marathons.
It is very difficult to enter the London event via the ballot with only one in 11 applicants successful.
If there are any other local golfers who have entered next year’s London Marathon to raise funds for a charity, please send me details at the email address above.
Stowmarket Golf Club
Stowmarket Golf Club’s junior captain, Callum Maskell and family organised a much-enjoyed night of chocolate bingo at the golf club where the event was well supported with more than 50 people attending.
A great evening was had by all with lots of chocolate bingo winners and an amazing £445.55 was raised for the junior section.
Kelly Withers, Junior Section helper, said: “The junior section would like to thank members, family and friends who donated raffle prizes and chocolate prizes for the evening. Some of the funds will go towards providing all junior members with a Stowmarket Golf Club crested shirt.”
The Stow seniors held their annual Gruesome Greensomes competition recently at the club which was won by K Stuart & P Freeman with 38 points. Second were R Sheridan & J Gilham, who beat A Lillistone & C Warner on count-back.
In the weekend Stableford, A Gipson won Division One with 38 points on Saturday and N Carrick topped Division Two.
On Sunday W French carded 42pts to win Division One and M Wilson took Division Two.
The Suffolk Golf Club
After five rounds of The Suffolk’s midweek Order of Merit qualifiers Ivan Snelling has a sizeable 22-point lead.
In the Medal last Wednesday, he romped home with a nett 67 from his 9-handicap to win by five shots.
In second place Tony Hurst beat Jim Chapman on count-back, both carded nett 72. Snelling leads the league table with 41 points followed by three golfers on 19pts – James Edgar, Peter Plumb & Mark Rothon.
Suffolk Winter Alliance
The latest Suffolk Winter Alliance meeting was held at Hintlesham last Wednesday. After heavy overnight rain and a lot of work by the green staff, 90 players including two Professionals played on a very wet course but that did not seem to affect the scoring.
The Professional prize was won by Sam Forgan of Stowmarket with a superb eight under score of 64, just one shot ahead of Simon Dainty.
The Team event, any two from four to count, was won by Stowmarket (Kenton Jameson, Keith Rooney, Mel Harradine and Russell Green) with 90 points.
Second were Gus Cutting, Matt Lockwood, Ben Forgan and Sam Forgan, also from Stowmarket and third were the combined Bury and Beccles team of Mike Verhelst, Brian Lever, Julie Ruscoe and Chris Gwynett-Sharp.
The Next Suffolk Alliance Meeting is at Ufford Park on Wednesday, December 11. This is their Christmas meeting and is a Fourball Better Ball Stableford for the John Whiting Trophy.
