Chris Boughton's Golf Column: Suffolk Ladies start 2020 season with draw
Suffolk Ladies’ Golf Association first team started their 2020 season with the annual friendly practice match at Aldeburgh last Sunday.
It was a breezy and bitterly cold day, by the coast, but the ladies enjoyed the usual wonderful hospitality at Aldeburgh and the match ended in an honourable draw; a bonus was the Sunday lunch after the golf.
Entries are now open for all the competitions that the Association runs throughout the year. The Strokeplay and Matchplay County Ladies’ Championships (including Seniors) will be held at Bury St Edmunds Golf Club on May 8-10. For entry details visit their website: (suffolkladiesgolf.org.uk).
The division competitions start with Division 4 (32 and over hcp) at Flempton on Thursday, April 30, Division 3 (25 to 31 hcp) is at Rushmere on Monday, May 11, Division 2 at Bungay on Thursday, September 10 and Division 1 takes place at Stowmarket on Wednesday, September 16. To enter visit their website: (Suffolkladiesgolf.org.uk).
Details of the inter-club team knock-out competitions are also now on their website.
If you are on Facebook, they have a new FB page and Twitter page with regular county news. Visit and Like to get regular links to new posts. Local results will also be published in this weekly round-up.
Suffolk County Juniors
The Suffolk County Juniors’ squads (Under-12 and Under-14), coached by local Pro Simon Byford for 2020 were also announced last week. Our local clubs are well represented this year.
Stowmarket Golf Club were very pleased to announce that several members of its Junior Section have been selected for the 2020 Suffolk Under-12 and Under-14 squads.
In the Under-12s, Finlay Edwards, Reece Edwards, Roman Gambling and Callum Maskell have all been chosen. Luca Gambling and away member, Jonathan Point, have been selected for the Under-14s.
Fellow Stow Junior member, Finlay Craddock, has been selected for County coaching.
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club will also be pleased with their selected Juniors. In the Under-12s from Bury, Jacob Severn and Lucas Bond and in the Under-14s Henry Meadows, Sebastian Kubitzek, Charlie Goodridge and Johnathan Points. From Flempton Jack Rust has been selected for the under-14s.
The Suffolk Golf Club
Graham Chapman is a much better golfer than his handicap suggests, and he proved that by winning the first Midweek competition of the second Order of Merit league, in the current captains’ year, at the Suffolk last week.
His score of 94-24=70 in the Medal took top spot on a windy, cold, difficult day for golf. The usual suspects Ivan Snelling (84-9=75) and James Edgar (87-12=75) were second and third. Weather permitting there will be 13 competitions to decide the second quarter champion.
At the weekend the new Saturday and Sunday Order of Merit leagues also got under way. On Saturday Len Hopkinson, a relatively new member at the club, showed his potential with an impressive round of golf that included five birdies to take first place.
Ron Hazell pushed Chris Tate into third spot on countback with both returning nett 68.
On Sunday, Danny Hawkins had two birdies on the back nine which he navigated in just one over par gross. His final score of 73-4=68 was good enough to win by one shot over a very consistent Chris Tate (73-54=69).
The Hawkins family had a good weekend, with Paul taking third place with 87-18=69, which included three birdies, just missing out on second on countback.
Thetford Golf Club
Gareth Mills & Dean Scott combined well for 38pts to win round five of Thetford Golf Club’s Winter League on Sunday. A strong finish, with birdies at the 12th and 13th adding sparkle to a second nine of one-under-par 36, which elevated the two left-handers to the top of the tree.
They finished one ahead of Ian Farnham & Andrew Horsburgh, who had birdies at the 10th, 15th and 16th. Unfortunately for them there were also three bogies on the back nine, which they played in level par.
Newcomers Phil & Dan Smailes were third with 36pts including birdies at the 6th, 10th and 17th.
Overall leaders Tony Brooks & Ross Sanford did not play on Sunday, but they are still firm favourites for the trophy. They have 154 points with Neil Elers & Ashley Forbes their closest challengers with 146.
The format is the best four scores out of six rounds and they have their points in the bank.
Mills & Scott could yet launch a last-gasp bid for the crown as they are on 108pts from three rounds and will aim for 46pts or better in the last round of the competition, a Four-Ball Better-Ball on Sunday, February 16.
The January Midweek Stableford was won by Shaun Phillips (13hcp) with 38pts on countback from eight handicapper Bob Pateman. Graham Hurrell (12hcp), Ian Ramsay (4hcp) and David Hudson (8hcp) all finished with 37pts to finish third, fourth and fifth respectively.
