Suffolk Golf Club hosts mid-week Medal in tricky weather conditions
There was a good turn out for the mid-week Medal at the Suffolk Golf Club last week despite the difficult conditions.
I joined some of the golfers on the first tee box between 9.15am and 10am, and despite the sunshine it was brutally cold in the strong gusty wind.
It was clearly not an ideal day for a medal competition and felt more like mid-winter than early autumn.
Not surprisingly the scores reflected the weather conditions, with no-one beating their handicap.
Low ball strikers dominated the leading positions with Brian Hay coming out on top with 89-17=72. Brian Wiltorn, the club’s course marshal, returned to form with a second place nett 75 with John Dale third on nett 77.
The wind really was very difficult to play golf and I do not think I have seen so many gross scores over 100.
There is little doubt that since the last lengthy Covid lockdown, when golf wasn’t permitted for more than three months, golfers value their opportunities to play no matter what the weather.
And with handicaps now calculated via the best eight scores from your last 20 rounds, you do not necessarily suffer an increase for a bad weather golf day.
Also with casual golf rounds allowed for submission on handicap calculations, you have far more opportunities to improve your handicap too.
The common complaint (observation maybe) is that with averages taken over such a large span of rounds, that a good round can result in an increase in handicap and a bad round can result in a cut! Unlikely, but it does happen.
The Suffolk Golf Club also held their annual Senior’s Championship, with the combined score over two days deciding the outcome.
David Trett, whose son Adam is a PGA Pro at the club, took the gross and nett titles for 2021.
Runner-up in the gross, nine shots behind Trett, was Richard Grove but the nett was much closer with Tony Bottrell only one shot back in second place. Ray Keil came third gross and nett.
Former Ladies’ captain June Smart had a good run towards the end of September with two wins – one in the Ladies’ mid-week Stableford at The Suffolk and another in the final of the club’s mixed pairs competition.
In the Stableford, June took top spot with 37 points followed closely by Andrea Leigh with 36. Victoria Clark came third.
In the mixed pairs final, June teamed up with five handicapper Chris Tate to beat club president Peter Plumb and his wife Joan.
And they had to give their opponents 11 shots. No mean feat as the Plumbs, despite their claims of not being competitive, are very difficult opponents to beat!
June said: “They played really well – solid golf. It was nip and tuck the whole way. Chris and I weren’t up until the 16th but won it with the final putt on the 18th.”
Lark Valley Golf Society
The Lark Valley Golf Society held their fourth match of 2021 at Fynn Valley Golf Club, where they competed for the Delaney trophies.
The Men’s trophy was won by Maurice Rose and the Ladies’ went to Julie Middleton.
Their next match is scheduled to take place some time this month, with date and venue still to be confirmed.
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club held their annual competition for the Ladies’ Past Captains’ Cup on Sunday, September 27.
Conditions were difficult and scores were disappointing, but 14 ladies took to the fairways in pursuit of the cup.
The winner was Judy Hampshire with 31 points, pushing Pat Cauldwell into second spot on count-back. Joan Watson scored 30 points for third.
The day before the club held the always popular Napier Cup, a mixed foursomes medal competition.
The Garrets – Joan and Alan – came out on top with 67 followed very closely by the father and daughter pairing of Amy Wyer and Nick Bonney. Third were the Brinkleys with 70.
Stowmarket Golf Club
Forty-one ladies contested the 18-hole Stableford on September 29 for the Veterans and Supervets trophies, but it turned out that anyone not named Di was destined to be among the also-rans!
The Veterans competition was won by the Lady captain Di(ana) Evans, with 37 points off her handicap of 26, while the winner of the Supervets (over 75s) was 21-handicapper Di(ane) Glasswell.
The latter’s 35 points also earned her third spot in the Veterans trophy, she and Diana being split by another 21-handicapper Jenny Buckle, who also scored 35.
Runner-up in the Supervets to Diane, with 32 points, was Rosemary Stutely, playing off 37, and third place went to club President Mo Lloyd (22 handicap) with 27.
Read more: All the latest Suffolk sport news
