Simon Byford's golf column: Stepping into Chris Boughton's big shoes
Hello golfers. Welcome to my first golf column for the Bury Free Press/Suffolk News.
My name is Simon Byford and I am a PGA Golf Professional, county coach and content creator. My passion for local golf really has no bounds and hopefully those of you who know me will testify to that!
I realise I have some very big shoes to fill, as Chris Boughton made this article so much more than just a simple list of results.
With the support of the golf clubs in our area, and you the ‘golfers on the ground’, I would love to give readers a sense of what golf in west Suffolk is all about. If you have any golfing stories to share, or feel that your club has an important event that deserves promotion, please feel free to email me on simonbyfordgolf@gmail.com
It would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to thank Chris Boughton for his fantastic work with his golf round-up. His dedication and continuing support of local golf has been amazing, and I wish him all the success in the future.
In six-and-a-half years he documented all aspects of golf, from county and national championships, junior golf and even shining a spotlight on local golf professionals trying to entertain their members on YouTube during lockdown! He always made the articles of great interest to read, so no pressure on his successor.
My abiding memory of Chris on the golf course is as a swashbuckling fast-swinger, with a bag full of woods and hybrids (before hybrids were even ‘a thing’) who would hole putts from everywhere with his trusty Odyssey 2-Ball putter.
Later on when he no longer played, this article became his way to stay connected, and with his fantastic photography skills he captured the essence of what golf in west Suffolk is all about. This is something I hope to emulate.
Bury St Edmunds GC
Bury St Edmunds had their second instalment of the Men’s Winter Goblets, a foursomes Order of Merit event played over four dates across the winter, with the top three scores counting towards the overall winner.
The alternate shot format along with tricky windy conditions often makes this event a lower scoring affair, but three pairings managed to return 37 points.
Tom Brough/Phil Castle and Nic Hardy/Sean Studd were the unlucky pairs on count-back this time around, but with 22 points on the back nine it was Ross Brinkley/Mark Bond who took top spot.
This propelled Ross & Mark to 67 total points after two rounds, but still a little way behind perennial challengers Nick Bonney & Colin Gray who have 74 points from their two rounds.
With one score to drop from the 4 rounds, many pairs will still feel they are in contention.
The Bury St Edmunds Juniors also had their first Stableford of the year, with newly-appointed captain Sam Holland returning 36 points on an absolutely horrendous day on the course.
Junior organiser Joan Hogarth was proud to point out that it was only the Junior members who withstood the rain and wind, golfers were seen retreating to the clubhouse from all parts of the course that afternoon.
Just losing out were Jacob Severn in second and Ethan McCleary in third.
Competition targets
With January being a very quiet month on the competitive front, it is often the time when golfers get prepared for the upcoming season. We look at fixture lists, events we would like to peak for, and in some cases, tournaments that we dream of qualifying for.
Team qualification will be at the forefront of many club golfers in the next few weeks, so I would like to extend the hand of good luck to anyone who is hoping to represent their club in some form this year.
I know from personal experience that representing your club/county/country is an extreme honour and one that all players should feel very proud to accomplish. In that vein stay tuned for next week’s article where I catch up with a local golfer who has such an exciting 2023 in store. He is definitely a name to watch out for.
Have a great golfing week.
