Captains Blog

Wed 1st September 2010

Thursday night was committee, there was not too much to discuss and we were done for 8.30 - it must be a record. On Saturday, we travelled the short distance to Patshull and were rewarded with an excellent days golf in good company. Stan and his team looked after us very well. Geoff and I ran out losers on the day, we didn't play badly, for a change, we just didn't make those important putts when it mattered. Mark Bytheway and Rob Walton had a splendid win but it was our only one as the team went down 6.5-1.5. Sunday was the Mixed Open, this is a best man and best lady AM-AM. The conditions were fairly brutal with the Worfield wind blowing hard and making scoring very difficult. I was partnered with the Lady Captain along with the Vice Captains. I must compliment the Lady Vice as she had an excellent game and with Beryl coming in on the odd hole as well along with Geoff and myself playing pretty steadily, we were building a reasonable if not spectacular score. Unfortunately most our hard work on the front 9 disappeared with a poor 9th hole where only I scored and that was just a point. We weren't out of it but it hurt. We started the back 9 well and were soon back on par with some good scoring. On the 17th tee, I said that we needed 5 points off each of the last 2 holes and we might a have a score to finish in the prizes. Sally had an excellent par and with Geoff having a nett par, we picked up the required 5 points from that hole. All down to the 18th and unfortunately my tee shot was nearer the 14th green than the 18th and, without a shot, I failed to score. We all had a poor hole and had to finally settle for just the 1 point - giving us a total of 68 points. I was correct in my assessment that another 4 points would have put us in the prizes as 73 points was the winning score. Well done to all those who played.

Wed 25th August 2010

A busy few days again. Saturday was The Cognac Trophy, this is an annual County competition where the President of Cognac Golf Club provides the prizes  (Cognac, obviously). It is the 22nd year and is held at Kington every other year with the home club of the current County President hosting it in the alternate years. This year's competition was held at Kington. Worfield were second last year but we were unable to repeat that feat this year. The weather was a bit showery and there was a good wind blowing. I must admit that Allan and Ben were quite steady but Geoff and I were a little wayward to start with and Kington is not a course to hit offline on. Hill Valley retained the trophy they won at Patshull last year. My only claim to fame was that I held the nearest the pin on the 18th (a driveable par 4) for a short while and the winning hit was not that much nearer than mine. I did manange to win a bottle of brandy for nearest the pin on the 3rd hole. There was a first though - getting changed later I saw one of the male competitors using curling tongs after he had showered. I do know who but it wouldn't be fair to name names although I did suggest that there was probably a mirror next to a plug socket in the Ladies. Sunday brought a mixed friendly against Cleobury, they were a lady short and Sally arranged for Ann Holland to play for our opponents. Unfortunately for me, they partnered her with the Cleobury captain. I had to give her 19 shots as they decided to play 4BBB with full handicap difference. It was nigh on impossible - Ann just knocked it up the middle, knocked it up the middle again, knocked it on the green and two putted for a 5. I had to make par just to halve. I did manage 2 birdies but it was all too much and Beryl and I went down 4&3 (I shall have to have words with Sally), however the team performed well and returned a 5-3 winning score.  Last night Beryl and I played our mixed knock-out semi-final against Ant and Max. It was played in good humour with Ant and Max running out winners 3&2. We swapped wins for the first 5 holes with Ant and Max winning 3 of them to go 1 up a couple of halves and another pair of wins and losses saw them 1 up at the turn. They won 11 to go two up but we pulled one back on 12 and I missed a short putt on 13 to bring the match back to all square. Two good par putts on 14 by Max and Beryl saw that halved. We made a mess of 15 to go 2 down with 3 to play and with Max putting Ant in a perfect position in the middle of the fairway on 16 then I had to try and hit the green with our second shot and dropped it in the water and when we failed to get up and down from there then it was all over. It would have been nice to reach a final in our year but on the night Max and Ant deserved their win.         

Wed 18th August 2010

What can I say - my first ever hole-in-1. I played in the friendly away at Swindon last night and acheived this feat on the 4th hole. It was a sweetly struck 6-iron, that pitched on the green and rolled up to and into the hole. It was not, as some members have suggested, a topped 3-wood that bounced several times before reaching the green - the cheek of some members. Geoff and myself lost our match and the team lost 3-2. It is a few years since I last played Swindon and it is still very much a straight hitters course and Geoff and I weren't very straight. It is the Cognac Trophy at Kington on Saturday, Worfield are represented by myself, Geoff Camm, Allan Coates and Ben Allen.      

Mon 9th August 2010

Course was closed on Saturday for the Chronicle Cup - Worfield finished 4th. Well done to the team. I played at Llanymynech on Sunday in their 4BBB Open with Paul Morris. There was a group of 12 Worfield members that played - Paul and I managed 45 points to take the money off the Worfield boys - we enjoyed that. It was a great team effort as we both came in on 9 holes each. Llanymynech is in fantastic condition and well worth the visit if you are looking for somewhere different  to play. 45 points was good enough for 2nd place in the Open - we lost on countback - so it looks like another visit to collect our prizes. No golf this weekend - it's my mother-in-laws 80th birthday and I have been dragged, kicking and screaming, down to Weymouth for the weekend, although I will take my clubs and try and squeeze a game in. I won't last a whole weekend with the mother-in-law without wanting to smack something very hard. Only joking, my mother-in-law is just fine - 180 miles away is fine in my book.  

Fri 6th August 2010

Played in the away friendly against Penn on Wednesday night. Once again, Geoff and I got off to a poor start. Well, I say Geoff and I but I only bogeyed the first 3 holes - Geoff didn't complete any of them. So, we were 3 down after 3. We managed to get it back to 1 down at one point but eventually succumbed 5&4. It was pretty much the same all round and Worfield were soundly beaten 6-0. If anyone is playing Penn in the near future and finds (deep in the trees) any Taylormade balls with The Judge on them then Geoff Camm will take them off your hands. I think quite a few of them went missing in action. I can recommend the food at Penn, their chef does a fantastic job and we were well looked after by Tony and the Penn members.    

Mon 2nd August 2010

Saturday was our friendly away to Burghill Valley. It is always a delight to go and play there. It is one of our more recent friendlies and we are always made extremely welcome and the course and food were both excellent. For those of you that haven't played in any of the friendlies, I normally blame my vice captain if we have lost and this week was no exception - he was rubbish although, to be fair, I was too. We did not have our best of days and were soundly beaten by our opponents, Captain Pete and his partner Robin. They certainly did play well. Unfortunately, the team lost 4-2 but we did all enjoy the day and I will look forward to gaining some revenge when we meet at Worfield in October. Sunday was the August Medal and this was my first monthly competition since the May Medal - I don't know where the time has gone. I played nice and steady but a double bogey on 9 spoilt my front 9 and then 2 more on 15 and 16 left me with  a 74 - nowhere near good enough as there was some excellent scoring in all 3 divisions. Rumour has it that we have some bandits in the Ladies section after 3 of our Ladies shot 22 under at Oswestry to walk away with first prize by a considerable margin - this follows up one of the team being part of the winning team in the Ladies AM-AM at Worfield only last week - although I'm not sure you could call our Ladies Club Champion a bandit.     

Wed 28th July 2010

Monday's committee meeting wasn't too long. There was quite a bit to go through in the accounts but that was only because Tony has been away and the bills for Captains Day have been paid. The Juniors had a Handicap League match at home to Patshull - I waited to see them come in and I could only just see them - it was getting pretty dark by the time the last group came in. We were missing some of our regular Juniors and Will had drafted in some of the newer Juniors to give them some experience. You have to feel for Daniel Connolly, he has a club handicap of 38 but it is a 28 limit, he was also drawn to play a girl so he had to give her a courtesy shot as well. He wasn't too bothered about that as he thought he would be playing off the reds as well as her. Sorry, but the boys are off the whites - he has never played off the whites before. Fair play to the lad, he gave it a go, so next time you see him - tell him "well done!!". 

Mon 26th July 2010

I'm tired this morning, Saturday was the first leg of the Triangular at Telford and, partnered by Keith Bowler, we posted a 5-under 67. Most of the team posted sub-par scores as well. Only 1 pair had a really bad day - I wont name names but they know who they are. We finished 15 behind Telford and only 1 behind Patshull. I think that's the closest we have been for many years so we have given ourselves a chance. Sunday was Worfield's turn to host the Sayfield Vase. This is a 36 hole competition between Sapey and ourselves with 6 foursomes matches in the morning followed by 12 singles matches in the afternoon. So, first tee was 9.00am and partnered by Geoff, we made a steady start. Basically, we did not make many errors and played pretty solidly to record a 5&3 win over the Sapey Captain, Dave, and the vice captain, Graham. the morning foursomes ended 3-3 so there was all to play for in the afternoon singles. However, Dave gained revenge for his morning defeat by winning 2 up. There was never more than 1 shot in it all of the way round but I was 1 down playing the 18th and I had to try and get a birdie and ended up losing the hole. Mr Vice won his match and when Sapey won the 3rd match, I thought that it was going to go down to the wire however I shouldn't have doubted my team and they started to rack up the wins. We won the singles 8.5-3.5 to win the trophy with an overall score of 11.5-6.5. This is only the second year of this competition - it will be back at Sapey next year - but all of the guys seemed to enjoy themselves and we look forward to the return match. Committee meeting tonight - hopefully a short one.       

Wed 21st July 2010

The Codgers invited me to their away day yesterday at Puckrup Hall in Tewkesbury. Congratulations to Roger for the excellent choice of venue - I only heard favourable comments about the course in the bar afterwards and the food was pretty good as well. The greens were slower than ours but then again whose aren't. Once you got used to striking the putts a bit harder then it played really well. Congratulations to all of the winners on the day but mainly to Bob Rencke who walked away with the main prize, on count back from Jim Fletcher, with a 40pt total. As the venue was on my way to work, I decided to stay the night to keep the bar ticking over and I certainly enjoyed my cooked breakfast this morning. Long conversation with VC today, he has started planning his diary for next year and is beginning to realise how difficult it is to fit everything in. Good luck with that!!!   

Mon 19th July 2010

Saturday was the mixed friendly away to Market Drayton. It has been a few years since I last played there and although not a difficult course, it is a thinkers course. Plenty of dog-legs and you need to plot your way around. Lady C and I didn't play that badly but Ron, who was partnering their Lady C, was in fine form and his 3 birdies on the front 9 proved pretty decisive as we went down 2&1. Apparently, the VC played out of his skin (41pts on his own ball) and there were many mutterings about handicaps in the locker room - but all in good humour. Even when VC had a bad hole then Sally (Lady VC) stepped in. They ran out convincing winners. The match result was a loss 2.5-5.5. I must say we were well looked after by our opponents. Their Captain and Vice-Captain took time out to greet us even though they were unable to play in the match as they were playing their Handicap League quarter final. A nice touch and much appreciated. On Sunday, Lady C and myself played our Mixed KO quarter final match against Bill and Paulette Morris - and ran out 6&4 winners. It certainly wasn't as easy as the score sounds with it being really tight for the first 7 holes and it was just a couple of mistakes from Bill and Paulette that let us in. Ant and Max in the semi-final - that should be fun.         

Fri 16th July 2010

Played in the Mixed Open at Llanymynech yesterday along with Lady Captain, Will and Sally. It was a team comp with best man and best ladies score to count. I have played Llanymynech many times but yesterday it was probably the toughest I have ever seen it, the wind blew very hard. I think this was shown with the winning score being just 3 under (75pts). We finished outside of the prizes, Will and I carded a respectable 37 points for our betterball - the Ladies have had better days at the office!!!! My highlights were back to back nett birdies on the SI2 & SI6 holes plus Sally's long chip in from off the green at SI2.    

Tue 13th July 2010

A pretty successful few days golfing. Starting last Thursday with Captains Charity Day, 14 teams competed for the prizes. I would like to thank all of those who supported myself and Lady Captain by entering a team. My team, I was joined by Mick Paton, Dennis Burden and John Avey, scored a respectable 84 points to finish just outside the prizes, but, more importantly, we took the money off my second team of Barry Wallace, Keith Bowler, Mark Harris and Jay Parker. That couple of quid was much more important than winning a prize. Looks like we will have raised around the £1000 mark which we are both very pleased about. On Friday, I partnered Nick in the Pro-Captain competition at Staverton Park. It was both mine and Nick's first time at the course and it showed. There are a lot of blind tee shots and although we played well - we just couldn't buy a birdie. We had plenty of chances, especially Nick, but just didn't hole anything. Although, I don't think we could have matched the winning score of -11.  If you see Nick, ask him about the Par 3 he couldn't reach with his 3 wood - and he just couldn't bring himself to hit his driver to a Par 3. Saturday was The Past Captains Trophy, organized by last years winner Graham Hosker (although the Captains passed a rule change before the competition and next years will be organized by the loser). The format was a Bogey competition, which means that you play matchplay (Tollgate) against the course. It certainly took some of the Past Captains a while to understand and I still think some of them never understood. I played in a fourball with Phil White, John Clarke and Will Weaver. We threw the balls up and I was partnered by John. Now, it was quite confusing trying to have a 4BBB match at the same time as playing the Bogey but we managed although we did lose to Phil and Will on the 16th. I came 4th on the day with a score of 3up (a popular score with 6 being returned), Tony Clements was 3rd and Will Weaver 2nd, both with scores of 3up, but the winner was Phil White with a ridiculous score of 9up. Well done Phil!!! Next years organizer - well that task has fallen to Malcolm Williams with a score of ...... it would be unfair to give the score - just ask him when you see him. I don't think Malcolm was a fan of the format and he insists that next year we will be playing individual Texas Scramble.  We were joined in the evening by our partners and enjoyed an excellent meal along with plenty of good humour - Well done Graham for a most entertaining day. As I mentioned in my last update, I was back at the club on Sunday for lunch and, as always, was very well looked after by Matthew and his team.  Sunday was also the 2nd day of the Ladies Club Championship and I watched as Beryl presented Brenda Hayter with the Handicap Trophy and Helen White with the Scratch Trophy - congratulations to them both. No rest for the wicked, and yesterday I was invited by Will to partner him in the Midland Secretaries Invitation at Wallsall. I was very impressed with the course and it's condition and would recommend anyone to pay it a visit. What was more impressive was Will's front 9 - covered in gross 31 - nett 28 on a par 34. He has 6 gross 3's and 8 nett 3's. Needless to say, I struggled to get on the card on the front 9 - I think I managed it once. For the back 9 - Will said it was my turn to do all of the scoring - I thought he was joking (he wasn't) but I suppose the form of the front 9 couldn't last. We managed to accumulate 18 points on the back for a total of 42 points. We were happy with that as I had never played the course before and it had been some time since Will had. It turns out that 42 points was good enough to be the winning score on the day - I'm really thrilled to have won something in my Captains year.      

Wed 7th July 2010

Bit of a delay in getting this update done. I've been pretty busy since last week. Managed to complete the tidy-up of the handicap database. Need to make sure that's done regularly so there's no last minute rush next year. Played in Club Championships at the weekend, decided to use the new bats even though I had only played with them once before. It seemed to pay off as I  shot a 70-74 to finish on 144 and 8th overall. Pretty pleased with that - I think it's my best finish ever. The wind on Sunday certainly caused some chaos and some horror stories, with the pin position on 13 causing many a downfall. Presented the trophies to the handicap winner, Ian Jones, and the Junior winner, Stephen North after the competition on Sunday evening. There was a county meeting on Monday night at Ludlow  where the draws for this years Ken Smith Trophy, Hargrove and next years Handicap League are done. We have drawn Mile End, Shrewsbury and Belmont in the Ken Smith, Herefordshire A in the Hargrove and Burghill Valley and Severn Meadows in next years Handicap League. Also been busy organizing Thursdays Captains Charity Golf Day, 16 teams this year  - down on last but that's no surprise these days. Yesterday I played at the Springs Hotel in Oxford in the second round of the MPS Trophy along with Lady Captain, Anne Holland and Dennis Burden. It's 3 cards from 4 to count and it was my score of 30 points that was discarded. We had a total of 99 points which was some way behind the winners, Whittlebury Park, who had two players in the 40's. The Springs was a nice course with some very interesting  holes. It's relatively new, 1998, and I'm sure that as it matures - it will certainly become a trickier course.  Not sure when my next update will be, I am inundated with golf at the moment. I'm playing tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Monday. I know what your saying - what happened to Sunday, well, Julie happened to Sunday. I will still be at the club but in the restaurant not on the course.

Wed 30th June 2010

Popped into the club last night, we need to make sure our handicap list is correct as the EGU levy is based on the number of members as at 30th June. Didn't quite get it finished so will have to go back tonight. One thing I forgot to mention about Lady Captains Day on Sunday was that one of our past Lady Captains managed to see more of Mr Vice that she intended. As there were a number of Ladies waiting for the showers, she asked me if I was going for a shower and I replied "not yet", so she suggested that the Ladies use the Mens changing rooms and that they would let me know when they had finished. Unfortunately, she had forgotten about Mr Vice, as had I, and managed to cop an eyeful as she opened the changing room doors. I'm not going to name names but If you mention Mr Vice then I'm sure the blushing will give it away.     

Tue 29th June 2010

Committee meeting last night and Will attended to tell us what he could about the new owners. It all seems very encouraging and they appear to have big plans for Worfield. As with all things, time will tell but I, for one, intend to give them the benefit of that time and see what the future brings. I would encourage all members to do the same.    

Mon 28th June 2010

God, I'm tired. What a fantastic day Beryl had. I must say the Ladies did her proud with her bunny rabbit theme or red/white and blue England theme. She had a great turn-out, with approx two thirds of the Ladies playing on the day. The weather was scorching and I think there were more than a few who were glad to see some cloud cover come over in the afternoon. Beryl had invited Julie and I to stay on for the presentation dinner and what a night that turned out to be. I'm sure the Ladies wont mind me saying that some of them are not exactly in their first flush of youth but, by god, they still know how to enjoy themselves. Beryl had booked Shoddywoddy (Mel Holdnall and friends in some very dodgy wigs) to entertain the troops after the presentation. Needless to say, the Ladies rocked the joint, singing along and dancing the night away. I have to admit that it was probably the most entertaining evening I have ever had at the club. Being one of the few men (I think there was 3) attending on the evening then I was in demand as a dance partner. There are some frisky Ladies at the club as I kept having my bottom pinched whilst dancing. It was close on 1am before I got home. A bit of news for you as well - Paulette Morris certainly knows how to rub salt into the wounds - having despatched their opponents 7 & 6 in the pairs competition and deciding to play 13 and 14 before going in, she promptly holes in one on the 13th. Ouch!! - I bet that hurt. 

Sun 27th June 2010

Played with Beryl in the mixed friendly away to Lilleshall. First time with the new woods - probably not a good idea on a tight tree lined course. fortunately Beryl was on her game and when my drive did go miles into the trees she was there in the middle of the fairway. We managed to win our match - 2 up. Graham and Chrissie, Captains of Lilleshall, were excellent hosts and very good company. The match result was 4.5-4.5. Well done to the Worfield team. Lady Captains Day tomorrow, so I am not playing golf - it will be a pleasure to support Beryl on her day.

Tue 22nd June 2010

Played in the Golfer/non-Golfer competition before the BBQ on Sat afternoon. My wife was the non-golfer before anyone else asks which one of us was the non-golfer. It was quite funny to watch the look some some of our groups faces when they managed to hit the putt too hard and watch the ball roll on and on and on. There was still some excellent scoring and congratulations to Tugger and his son along with Lady Captain and Tony and Geoff Dench and partner who all managed to win prizes. The BBQ afterwards was well supported and thanks to all of those who turned up. I thought the food was excellent and thanks to those members who lent BBQ's to aid in keeping the costs down. I noticed that there were not many takers for the karaoke until late in the evening and even then it was a straight competition between 3 young girls and 2 not-so-young girls (!!!). Actually, it was no competition - the 3 young girls won hands down (I suspect it had something to do with them being sober). I must admit it was good to see so many families at the club enjoying themselves - it is not something we see too often. Didn't play on Sunday - Julie wanted to take me out and buy my birthday present, which she did. I managed to sneak in buying a present for myself and replaced my old woods with the more up to date model. She didn't see that coming -  hopefully that's the last time she will ask me to not play on a sunday and go shopping instead.           

Thu 17th June 2010

Finally, a chance to play some golf at Worfield - I haven't played here at all this month. It was our home friendly against Penn last night and although there were some misunderstandings regarding numbers. the match still went ahead. It was unfortunate that we flew round the front 9 and caught up with the tail end of club night that was going off the tenth - this did lead to a delay but I ensured that my Penn pairing took refreshments from the bar to while away the time.Geoff and myself managed to win our match with worfield running out 5.5-0.5 winners on the night. A special mention for Jordan Ford-Jones who completely demoralised his opponents with a 4 under gross front 9, assisted by his playing partner Gary Arnold. He must be an real contender for Club Champion this year. Off to prepare for the golfer/non-golfer compettiion before the BBQ on Sat night. Given the condition and speed of the greens last night - I will have to get Julie practice putting on the tiled kitchen floor.       

Tue 15th June 2010

Just about recovered enough to sit down and write up my blog. A huge thank you to everyone who helped me to celebrate my captaincy on Sunday. What started out as a cold morning with occasional warm sunshine turned into heavy rain showers in the afternoon. Everyone kept telling me it never rains on Captains Day and there were quite a number that believed this to be true given the amount that didn't seem to have any waterproofs with them. Although I suspect the real reason for leaving the course was to participate in more beer drinking. The day didn't get off to the best of starts when the minibus I had ordered turned up 15 minutes late, much to the annoyance of my wife, but we still managed to get to the club in plenty of time. Highlight of the morning has to be Steve Collins going flying off the buggy when being rushed to the 15th tee after turning up late. It was a tangle of legs and arms and clubs going in all directions. The morning session certainly brought some good scoring with Phil Parker scoring 47 points (with a blob on the last). I wouldn't mind but we cut him 2 shots on general play on Saturday - I suspect he will hear from the Handicap Secretary pretty soon. The bacon sandwiches, in the morning, and the pork baps, in the afternoon, certainly appear to have gone down well - must make a note to tell Geoff for next year. The afternoon started well but it soon started to cloud over although I did manage to see my flypast by the Red Arrows. What started as a few short showers soon turned into a heavy downpour that brought many off the course. At one stage we had about 15 people hiding under the beer tent - it made for a very communal feeling and they made short work of my malt whiskey!! The only casualty from the afternoon, apparently, was some-one who managed to let his club slip out of his wet hands on the 3rd and watch as both his ball and his club went sailing into the field. There are so many people to thank for helping me on the day from my Sunday lads, who stayed all day, to the Ladies who managed to extract over £800 towards our charities - I cannot thank the members enough for being so generous. The Past Captains were right when they advised taking Monday off work - we were exhausted by the time we got home although I suspect my wife's tiredness was more to do with the white wine than it was to do with the day itself. And finally, spare a thought for one member who, after over-indulging, was trying to phone his wife holding the phone upside down and couldn't work out why it wasn't working. He then demanded that she come and pick him up straight away without telling her he had volunteered her to take 2 other members home. When she arrived, he realised what hot water he was in and ran off but was finally persuaded into the car and the real clincher is that, yesterday, they were going on holiday for 3 weeks - just the two of them - how quiet is that holiday going to be!!!                   

Thu 10th June 2010

Just received an email from Phil at Llandrindod Wells confirming that Mark Harris won the Vistors Cup on Sunday with Jay Parker coming second. Well done lads. I must be Morrison's best customer this week - I've been shopping there every day, sometimes twice a day, all week. Finish work today to give me a couple of days to get sorted for Sunday - everything is under control, I think.

Mon 7th June 2010

Another really busy few days. Thursday night saw Julie and I down the club with the first (probably of many) delivery of alcohol ready for Captains Day next Sunday. On Friday, I was up at the crack of dawn, for the long journey (3 hour drive) to Harlech and the summer meeting of the Society of Shropshire & Hereford Golf Club Captains. This is traditionally held at Harlech and Worfield were well represented with 9 Past Captains also in attendance. We played 13 holes in the morning, as a blind betterball, and then 18 in the afternoon as a singles competition. For those of you who have never played Harlech, and it is well worth a visit, it is a tough links course where you really need to make your score on the front 9 as the back 9 can easily ruin a card. I was pleased with my game, I scored 25 points in the morning and 32 points in the afternoon. I managed only one No Return in 31 holes and didn't lose a ball and that's some achievement. I played with John Clarke and Rob Walton, both morning and afternoon, with John scoring an excellent 28 points in the morning. John and myself picked up second prize as we came out as partners in the blind betterball competition, only losing out by 1 point. Also, well done to Rod Lumley for a superb 35 points in the afternoon to take 3rd prize. Following the presentation then it was onward to Builth Wells (another 2 hour drive) to join the lads for our weekend away. Arrived at 22.30 and it was obvious that I needed some serious catching up to do given the state of some of them. It was nearly 2am when I got to bed - that really was a long day. Saturday brought the 4BBB and there were a lot of sore heads at the breakfast table, including one or two that couldn't manage breakfast. I was partnered by Paul Morris and we scored a very good 41 points. Good enough to take the money off the Worfield boys but not good enough for the Open where there were two scores of 46 points. Worfield must be lucky though as both winning cards were marked by our members. Saturday evening, traditionally, is when Builth comes alive and there are plenty of people out in the bars howvever it was noticeable that one or two early nights were in evidence - bit of over indulgence on Friday me thinks. I just had a quiet night in the hotel bar but that was still a 1am bedtime. Sunday was a Singles Open where I was joined by Tony Clements and Pete Knill from Llandrindod. I started brightly with 3 consecutive pars but I presume the alcohol kicked in and I finished with a nett 75. Two Worfield members, Mark Harris and Jay Parker, posted good scores of 65 - don't know if they were good enough to make the prizes but I'm sure Llany will let me know if they were. Arrived back home about 6pm, didn't take too much rocking to get to sleep last night. Once again it was highlighted that we are so lucky at Worfield to have the quality of greens that we do, Llany's were not in good condition, brought about mainly by the severe winter and late spring. Speaking to the pro, he said they were probably a good month to 6 weeks behind schedule. This week is all about getting ready for Captains Day on Sunday, prizes have arrived and been checked so that one less thing to worry about.            

Tue 1st June 2010

It was a Saturday and it was pouring with rain - so it must be a bank holiday weekend and it was. Went to the club but waitied until the rain abated and then tried to fit in 9. Came off after 6 as it had started to pour down again and as I was playing Sunday and Monday - I didn't want to have to dry too much out. Much better on Sunday but it was still a little windy. We had our friendly with Telford. It had been a bit of a struggle to get a team together. Maybe, the Sunday of a bank holiday weekend is not the best date for a friendly. As always, Captain Trevor of Telford was delighful company, along with his partner Ian Ward, there was plenty of good-natured banter along the way. I was pleased to win our match, quite convincingly, and have to thank Keith Bowler for partnering me as Geoff is away sunning himself at the moment. The team followed the Captain's lead and ran out convincing 5.5-1.5 winners on the day. Spare a thought for Mel and Bozza as they were the day's only losers and we made sure they knew about it. Keith and myself were lucky enough to win the sweep and donated our winnings to Captains Charity.  Monday brought the better weather, it was warm rather than sunny but the wind had dropped. It was the Mixed Closed today and I was partnering Lady C. We were OK without being outstanding and scored a respectable 35 points. I thought it was respectable however when you see the winning scores then maybe it wasn't. Also, if anyone finds a putter in the trees/field at the back of the 16th, can you let me have it so that I can return it to the member who flung it there after missing yet another putt - it's a poor workman that blames his tools. The entry sheet for the Golfer/Non-Golfer on the BBQ night has been posted on the noticeboard. Please make sure that you have booked into the BBQ with Matthew or Ronnie if you want to play in the competition. I'm not at the club this weekend - I have a County Past Captains event at Harlech on Friday and a weekend of golf at Llandrindod Wells on Saturday and Sunday. I have been going to Llany's Summer Open weekend for some years now and it will be good to go there as Captain. There are 22 other members of Worfield  with me for the weekend as well - so it should be fun.              

Wed 26th May 2010

Been busy this week, I've started my pilgramage to the supermarkets to start stocking up in readiness for Captain's Day. Not sure how much to buy as every time I visit the club the entry list keeps getiing longer and longer. Played in the Member & Guest, with Rich Sheldon from Penn. We had a reasonable front 9, out in 34, but started the back 9 with bogey, bogey and just couldn't pick it back up. I was joined by Tony Mcglue and his partner, Brian Bird. To be honest, if we could have had their back 9 along with our front 9 then we would have had a prize winning score as they came back in 31. Congratulations to Chris Elcock and Tony Smith on winning the gross and nett prizes respectively. Played with my lads on Sunday  and a respectable 36 points, with a couple of blobs. A new member, Phil Parker, took the money with 42 points. I will have to have a word with the handicap secretary as he has only just been allocated his first ever handicap. I hung on to see the Handicap League team come in. This is their 3rd match out of 4 and their 3rd win, 6-0 against Hereford Municipal. Last match is away to Bridgnorth and we will still need to play well to go through as they have 2 wins out of 3. Monday night was our committee meeting, not too much to discuss and I gave a run through of what's happening on Captain's Day.       

Fri 21st May 2010

Had a great golf-free weekend in Weymouth, the only problem with no golf though, was that I had to spend quite a lot of time with my mother-in-law. Don't get me wrong - she is a lovely woman but there is a good reason why I like the fact that she lives 175 miles away. On Tuesday I played in the English Golf Captains S&H qualifier at Leominster. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, looks like summer could be starting. I enjoyed the company of Wayne, the Leominster Captain, along with Barry Pilgrim from Market Drayton and David Ralphs from Hawkstone Park. Unfortunately Wayne made the mistake of teeing the ball up on the wrong side of the markers on the first hole, in front of a few members. I suspect that he will take some stick for that. I managed 27 points, not bad considering it is years since I last played Leominster and it was playing quite tough off the back tees. Wednesday saw our first midweek friendly, away to Shifnal. The course was in wonderful condition and, as always, Stan was good company. Geoff and myself pushed them hard but lost on the 17th after their VC Mike had a huge slice of luck. From the conversation in the clubhouse later it would appear that there were several close games and some excellent play from both teams. The result was a 4.5-3.5 win for Shifnal. Also, on Wednesday I went out and bought the prizes for my Captains Day - I hope all of the winners like them. I popped into the club on my way to Shifnal and was surprised to see that the sheet was already full up - it's only been up a week!!!. Looks like buying more beer. 

Fri 14th May 2010

Played in the Shropshire Star Team event at Wrekin on Wednesday. An unusual team format featuring 1 player from handicap groups 0-6, 7-12, 13-18 and 19-24 with 3 from 4 scoring on each hole - Stableford format. Our team consisted of Mark Chamberlain, John Avey, Geoff Camm and myself.  We did not perform well. Whilst there was nothing wrong with the greens, we all found them to be on the slow side compared with Worfield and really struggled to get the ball to the hole. Our only claim to fame was that we recorded 3 scores on every hole - a remarkable achievement when you realize we were 24 points behind the winners, Severn Meadows, who retained the trophy they won at home last year. I called in to see Will on the way back from Wrekin to discuss Captains Day. It is only a month away already, I understand what the Past Captains mean they tell you that your year flies by. The entry sheet is up on the members board now so I had better start shopping soon. I have the day organized in my head so I just have to put all of the pieces into place and it should all be OK on the day. I'm having a golf free weekend this week as I am taking the better half away. We are down in Weymouth for Jorgina's, my niece, 18th birthday. She's one of my favourites so I couldn't miss that. Going to try and catch up with as many friends and family as possible.            

Mon 10th May 2010

Friday night was Race Night and this was our first social evening of the year and although the attendence was lower than previous events we still managed to raise £300 towards our charities. Thanks to all those members that attended and thanks to Mel Holdnall for organizing the evening. I look forward to the next social, a summer BBQ on Sat June 19th. Just a bit of gossip as well, which of our members can't hold their drink and were seen on their hands and knees by the side of the road. No idea!!!!! Well, it was ..... !! No - it would be unfair to name names. Saturday was a damp and miserable day and to be honest if it hadn't of been for the fact that I had a match in the mixed knock-out, partnered by Lady Captain, then I might of given the golf a miss. However, it had to be played and off we went - fully wrapped up against the wind and rain. It was a tight match, against Mel and Val Holdnall, but the Captains prevailed on the 16th. Also, congratulations to the Ladies Scratch team of Chris Morley, Helen White and Suzanne Shimmin, for their 2.5-0.5 victory. Sunday was a free day for a change and I mananged to have a game with my usual Sunday Lads, although I actually played with a new member, who had just turned up looking for a game, and also a prospective member, who is waiting to see Will before confirming his membership. Baz Wallace made up the four and also managed to take the money with a sparkling 41 points. I stayed at the club to see the Handicap League team through the first 9 where we were up in 2, down in 2 and 2 halves, so there was all to play for. Later, I received a call from Dave Blakeley, HL Captain for the day, to let me know that Worfield had prevailed with a 3.5-2.5 win against Bridgnorth. An excellent result, Bridgnorth had brought a very good team, so that's 2 wins out of 2 to start this year's campaign. Well done to the team and a special thank you to Phil white for standing in at the last moment.                   

Wed 5th May 2010

Another exhausting weekend with 4 consecutive days golf. On Saturday, it was the ritual slaughter that is called Knights v Maidens. I played with Geoff Camm against the Lady Captain and Lady Vice Captain. You know you are onto a hiding to nothing when it, somehow, works out that I had to give twice the difference in handicaps - I know they play off the yellows but it is still weighted heavily in their favour. Fortunately we were on the top of our game and easily saw off our opponents, regardless of what they might tell you. However, I did feel sorry for some of the team. Ant Sennett had to give 32 shots to Anne Holland and still managed a creditable half. Whilst Mel Holdnall and Neil Holden had to give Suzanne Shimmin and Maxine Sennett 15 and 16 shots respectively. That would have tested any pairing and, needless to say, they lost. Once again, the trophy was won by the Ladies, 3-2. That's six years on the trot the Ladies have won, although I think it has always been close. Following the match, some of the players, including me, enjoyed a meal at Blue Ginger in Bridgnorth followed by some more beers in the Falcon. All in all, a very enjoyable day (and evening) - I think it's something we should do more often. Sunday was the monthly medal and also the Chronicle Cup qualifier, the final is at Worfield this year. Unfortunately, the Captain will not be in the team after a very disappointing score. I suspect a few less beers on Saturday night might have improved my round, I blame last year's Lady Captain for that. Congatulations to all of the qualifiers and hopefully they will put up a good show on our home course in the final. On Monday I played my greensomes knock-out, partnered by Paul Morris. We had a terrible start and were 3 down after 3 but we battled away and although 4 down at the turn we managed to pull it back to 1 down after 14. A birdie from our opponents on 15 stretched their their lead to 2 and with 16 and 17 halved, we  went down 2&1. Although,  I did get even by suggesting that the 18th was for the beer and managed  a great birdie from a terrible position after my tee shot. Maybe I should suggest that we play for beer more often!!! On to Tuesday and it was AK Williams Charity day, both Lady Captain and myself had been invited by Trevor. We joined up with Will Weaver and Sally Allen to play in the AM-AM. We played reasonably well but not well enough. We started on the tenth but could only manage a level par 72 on the back 9 however we put up 9 under on the front 9, mainly thanks to some great play from Sally, to record a 137 total. It was not quite good enough to finish in the prizes although it was well away from the winning score of 129 posted by Nigel Howell, Carl Bodnieks, Rory McWilliams and Steve Hodgson. We were only 3 shots off the prizes - if only we could have had a better back 9 - I suppose there's always next year. We have received confirmation from the county that we have been awarded the cancelled HL match 6-0 - not really the way you want to start but then again we had done nothing wrong. Finally, I have to say that I think the course is in magnificent condition at the moment. I know that it has taken a while for the growth to start this spring but all of a sudden it has really taken off. Hopefully a good summer, weather-wise, will follow and Worfield will continue to show that it is the best course in the county. Bit of a quiet weekend coming up with just a mixed knockout match and a game with the lads on Sunday. I will look forward to that, it seems like ages since I have played with my usual Sunday crowd.     

Thu 29th April 2010

Committee meeting tonight, not much to discuss. Sorted out volunteers to support the Juniors in their Handicap League matches. Initial discussions on Captains Day. Discussed the situation re: cancelled HL match. I have requested clarification from the county on our position.  

Mon 26th April 2010

A disastrous weekend for the Captain. It all started so well on Friday as well. I played in the SSHGCC Spring meeting at Shrewsbury. this is a Betterball Medal competition. I was partnered by Jim Keenan from Lilleshall, and we played alongside Dave Rabone (Shifnal) and Graham Oakley (Market Drayton). It was fair to say that neither Jim or myself were on top form but we still scored a respectable level par 70. I was reasonably happy as I had not played Shrewsbury before. I would certainly recommend anyone to go and play, the course is in great condition and you will certainly recognise the greens. Chris is working his magic at Condover as well and they were as quick as ours. Although we did not win, I still managed to mark the winning card as Dave and Graham shot a fantastic 61. We made the mistake of betting a bottle of wine on the lowest score on the first tee and were well and truly spanked. At one stage they were 9 under after 10 holes. Graham must like fast greens as he holed everything. It was great to see our own Mike Walker back playing and he was amongst the prizes too, along with his partner Dr M. Elder (Oswestry), winning the Gross prize with a 76. Once again, thanks to the SSHGCC for an excellent day.  On Saturday, I was down to play in the Handicap League match away at Hereford Municipal. However, they called the match off on the morning. A few frantic phone calls and a dash to the club meant I managed to get a game with the Sat Lads and what started as a reasonable round soon turned into a disaster. I had picked up 15 points on the front 9, the rumours quickly spread that John Greensill was having a mare, 9 pts on the front 9, and that the apron was looking safe. The Captain soon managed to put that under challenge with a back 9 that started one, one, blob, one, blob, blob, blob to give me a grand total of 18 points with 2 holes to play. Not withstanding that,  Phil White and myself had gone from 3 up to 2 down against Geoff Camm and Chris Elcock. I could only manage a bogey on 17 after missing a short putt to win the hole and pick up 3 valuable points - and that was the match gone as well. On 18, I hit a great drive, a good enough second shot and 3-putted for another bogey and a final total of 22 points. Would it be enough to save me from the apron - and the answer was NO!!! John had managed 14 points on the back 9 for a total of 23 points. There was a loud cheer as Dave Blakeley read out the results although the look on John's face when he first announced that the Captain was excluded from receiving the apron, was priceless. It is also worth mentioning a fantastic score by John Littleford of 49 points. Needless to say, I wore the apron and they have a picture to prove it. If I can get a copy, I will load it up. The cancelled Handicap League match certainly cost me dear. Moving swiftly on to Sunday and it was the first trophy of the year - The Directors Cup. Well done to Carl Salt with a great score of 40 points, which was matched by Bob Hamilton but Carl had ther better back 9. Yours truly scored 33 points, a huge improvement on the previous day.  I have a busy weekend ahead with 4 consecutive days of golf - just as well the good lady is off to sunnier climes for a week.                   

Mon 19th April 2010

Another busy weekend behind me. On Friday I played in the SSHGCC New Captains meeting at Arscott. I met a number of the new club Captain's, we were made to feel very welcome by the SSHGCC. First time I have played Arscott, it starts with a very unusual hole - a 90 yard par 3 - not necessarily an easy start when your first shot of the day has to be a controlled sand wedge. Managed to knock it to just off the green and sank the putt for a 2. What a great start and it continued, with a respectable 20 points on the front 9 followed by 16 points on the back 9. Managed to put myself in the wrong place sometimes - will know better next time. So, I finished with 36 points to come 5th overall, on countback, 2nd was 37 points - so I wasn't that far off. Congratulations to Don Lloyd, Captain of Hawkstone Park, for an excellent 41 points. We were well looked after by the team at Arscott, with an excellent meal afterwards. On Saturday, I played with Dave Blakeley's Sat Lads, I was drawn to partner Past Captain Rob Walton, Ant Sennett and Tony Smith. We threw the balls up and I partnered Rob Walton in our betterball match. Now, the main aim of the Sat Lads is to play well enough to not have to wear the apron. I managed that with a fine 38 points - nowhere near good enough to win as Rory McWilliams posted a magnificent 45 points. There was a 4-way tie for last place with Past Captain Mel Holdnall taking the honours, and the apron, with just 26 points (back 6). Sunday was the monthly Stableford and I was pleased with my 33 points plus 2 blobs. 3 good days on the trot with fantastic weather - I must be a warm weather player. I stayed on at the club to see the Juniors come in, it was the 3rd leg of the triangular. It was good to see Worfield triumph on their own course, albeit only by one point from Bridgnorth - but a win is a win. Congratulations to Bridgnorth on winning the overall competition. Worfield came a creditable second - not too bad considering the lack of Juniors here.                

Tues 13th April 2010

Phew!! What a weekend that was. Busy from start to finish, kicking off on Friday night when I attended the Society of Shropshire & Herefordshire Golf Club Captains Annual Dinner at the Punchbowl. We were well represented with 5 past Captains in attendance. One of my duties, as Captain, is to wait on the past Captains for their drinks. Wasn't too onerous this year as most of us were driving. The event was very well attended by the county clubs and the guest speaker was entertaining although I had heard a lot of his jokes before. On Saturday, I played with my usual group and scored a respectable 32 points. On Sunday I was at Breadsall Priory for the first day of my Captains Invitational event. There were 50 Worfield members playing the Priory course and I won the first days competition with 35 points. My first victory as Captain. I was joined in my fourball by Carl Bodnieks, Chris Elcock and Chris Chamberlain. All credit to Chris Chamberlain, he played with a, heavily bandaged, sprained ankle and still came in with a respectable score. Breadsall provided an excellent meal before we all retired to the bar to watch the final days play of the Masters. On Monday, up bright and early as our second day was at Notts Golf Club. Got lost, several times on the way. Apparently, all the Sat Navs send you to Coxmoor if you put in Notts. We were in 3 balls today and my playing partners were Keith Bowler and Stuart Wilson. What an experience playing Notts is. Everything was done well, from having a starter to announce each group onto the tee to the excellent service received in the clubhouse and restaurant. I would recommend anyone to go and play there. Admittedly, we were on winter greens, not temps, with more growth than we are used to. It still didn't stop some spectacular scores. It is as long of the yellows as Worfield is off the whites and there is a lot more trouble!!! Congratulations to Mark Gill for his score of 39 points. As for the winner of the Captains Trophy, this year it went to Jamie Lawrence, on countback, with a 2 day combined Stableford score of 68 (31+37). I have posted the full results on the Home Page.  

Sun 4th April 2010

Monthly Medal and the PGA Pro-Am qualifier. The lowest nett score of those members eligible to enter and have paid the entry fee get a chance to partner Nick in the regional qualifying round at Little Aston. Well it's not going to be me, although I have qualified in previous year's. I couldn't putt today - must have 3 putted most greens and had dropped all my shots on the front 9. I improved on the back 9 but it's a 0.1 increase for me and that's my handicap up to 14 now. I joined friends for lunch in the restaurant afterwards, an excellent meal and I was well looked after by Ronnie and her staff. A great way to spend a sunday.     

Sat 3rd April 2010

First Men's Friendly at home this season, with Lilleshall being the visitors. Always enjoyable with some good banter both on and off the course. Geoff and I managed to record our first win in a topsy turvy game. We went 2up early on but a run of 4 straight losses turned that into 2 down. We battled back to 1up on the back 9 before a generous half on 17 left us 1up going down the 18th. I don't think Geoff was impressed with my offer of the half - especially after he had sunk a 15 footer for a 5 nett 4. I hit a perfexct drive down 18 and it was a pretty straightforward par from there to win our match 2up. Unfortunately, the rest of the team did not fare as well and the team lost 3.5-4.5. I need to improve my jokes as the first one of the season drew a groan. Google - that's the answer.   

Fri 2nd April 2010

Didn't play but spent most of the day at the club bringing the handicap system up to date. I generated National Identification Numbers for all those outstanding. These are available from the Pro-shop, if needed. I also set up the Summer Order of Merit competition, being led by Mark Chamberlain after 2 rounds.  

Wed 31st March 2010

Winter returned with a vengeance for today's Mixed Open. Phone went just after 8am and I thought that there was a problem and the comp was off but no, it was the Lady Captain, asking about raffle prizes. Oops, looks like a trip to Morrisons before gouing to the club. There was rain, sleet, snow and a cold biting wind blowing all day. Even so, 56 pairs of hardy golfers braved the conditions. I must apologise to Lady Captain - I was rubbish. That bad that even Will and Sally posted a higher score than us - the shame of it. To be fair, they played well and missed out on a couple of opportunities that probably meant they missed out on a prize. Highlight of the day was the Lady Captain giving out too many balls for the 2's and watching her steal them back. A thoroughly enjoyable day and thanks to all those who helped to raise £248 pounds towards the Captain's charities on the raffle.  

Tue 30th March 2010

Back home by 9.30 last night. Earliest for year's - must keep that up.

Mon 29th March 2010

Committee meeting tonight, don't think there is too much to discuss. We always say that and then the meeting runs on and on.

Sun 28th March 2010

Certainly wasn't my weekend - after running into an in-form player yesterday, the same happened today. Played, along with John Avey, my 4BBB knock-out match against Daz O'Connor and Keith Bowler. The front 9 was a battle between John and Daz, as neither Keith or myself hit any form and the back 9 was a battle between John and Keith. Keith was 1 under gross for the back 9 and we eventually lost on the 18th. Don't get me wrong,  I did contribute a little but not as often as I would have liked although the way John played it would have been difficult anyway. Good Luck to Daz and Keith in the next round - they will be a formidable pairing this year.   

Sat 27th March 2010

Partnered Lady Captain in the Mixed Friendly against Wrekin. We played against their Captain and Lady Captain, Peter and Joy and what a joy it was. The round consisted of "good putt, Joy" and "Nice chip, Joy" - not to say that Peter did not do his bit but for a 33 handicapper - she certainly did excel herself and we lost 3&2. Needless to say, the rest of the Worfield team did perform and Worfield ran out winners 6.5-3.5. A special mention for the Vice Captains who won their first match as a partnership defeating a good pairing from Wrekin.       

Tue 23rd March 2010

Attended the County meeting at Shrewsbury GC last night. A long discussion on the merits of our County Card scheme as compared to the National scheme. Voted to keep our scheme as the National scheme looks as thought it can be abused and reduce the funds we currently generate. This would mean an increase in our levy to cover the shortfall - not a popular move I think. Found out that we need separate entries on Master Scoreboard for the Mens and the Ladies sections. Got that sorted, with the help of Anne Holland - so hopefully that should be the end of the problems with that.     

Sun 21st March 2010

Monthly Stableford - played with Steve Collins and Stuart Wilson. The course was in great condition - you sometimes forget that it's only March when you play here. Totalled 30 points (16 out and 14 in), too many 1 pointers for my liking. I managed to mark a good card as Steve carded 39 points to come second in division 2.     

Sat 20th March 2010

The solution provided by Handicap Master worked. That's a relief. Our first friendly of the season is away to Sapey today. Pleasing to see the team there as least an hour before the first tee time. Keen and eager - that's what I like. Unfortunately, the golf wasn't quite of the same order and we were soundly thrashed 7-1, our 1 coming in as two halves. The weather almost held out as myself and Geoff made it to the 17th before the heavens opened but the others were not so lucky and there were some very wet golfers. The Sapey lads are excellent companions and really make you feel welcome and the food as always was superb and plenty of it. Probably going to add a few pounds this year and it's not as though I'm a bit short in that area.    

Fri 19th March 2010

Traffic problems meant I couldn't get to the club - will have to wait until tomorrow now. I will call in before I go to Sapey for the first friendly of the season.

Thu 18th March 2010

Emailed the support team and got a response within 10 minutes. That's what I call customer service. I will pop to the club tonight and see if it works.

Wed 17th March 2010

Received a call from Nick, the Mens handicap databases has been corrupted and we can't use it. Went to the club after work and tried to resolve it with no success. Not looking forward to re-keying the lasdt 3 month's information. Hopefully, an email to the Handicap Master support team might provide a solution. 

Mon 15th March 2010

What a glorious weekend for golf. The weather in Weymouth was gorgeous, I tee'd off about 11.00 and within a few holes had taken my jumper off and was playing in short sleeves. Managed 31 points, probably the best I have played there, still it wasn't enough to beat Ilya. He managed 32 points and he has come down from 19 to 16 since we last played. However, the spoils went to my brother-in-law, Mark. He is a society golfer, who hasn't played in over 12 months. He wanted 28 on Friday night but after he had dropped just 8 shots on the front 9, we slashed him to 18 but he still managed a respectable 35 points. The course was in good condition for the time of year, and the greens were quite a bit slower than ours (that's my excuse anyway) and I would like to thank Weymouth for offering Captain's courtesy to me.        

Fri 12th March 2010

Taking the wife away for the weekend, last chance before my golf diary kicks in. Off to Weymouth, Mother's Day on Sunday and that's where the mother-in-law is. Got a tee booked at Weymouth on Sat at 12.00, hoping to use my Captains privilege (wont get that many chances). I have played Weymouth on several occasions and have always enjoyed the course. I might even manage to beat Ilya,  for the first time, the Handicap Secretary must have caught up with him by now.    

Thu 11th March 2010

Fantastic turnout for the first of the midweek Medals to be on a Tuesday. The Codgers had requested that we hold some on a Tuesday to make it easier to gain an active handicap. They certainly supported the first one. Well done to Pete Giles for winning the Medal.   

Mon 8th March 2010

Asked Nick to put up some notices on the board. We are introducing an "Order of Merit" competition, hopefully, this will reward the member who consistently plays well but not well enough to win his division.

Sun 7th March 2010

Played in the Medal - first one off the whites and it was white over when I got to the club. Played with Roger Titley and Jeremy Slater, Roger, as always, has to play for something - so it was a couple of quid for the best nett. I lipped out for par on the first, and on the second. This is not going to be my day. Managed a credible 44 on the front (level par for me), but a poor back 9 (47) left me on 91 - 78 nett. The one saving grace was that I took the money - and I put it into the charity bottle. Congratulated Bob Hamilton on his hole-in-one on the third. This hole must be getting easier - that's 2 in a week. The Ladies had a resounding win over Patshull (5-0) in the Daily Mail knockout - Well done Ladies.

Sat 6th March 2010

Played with the Saturday lads, 16 points on the front 9 but a miserable 11 points on the back left me with 27 points and in danger of wearing the apron. Thankfully, Tugger saved the day (and the Captain) with a score of 25. Had a discussion with Geoff regarding the dates of the knock-out rounds and we decided they would have to be put back as there was insufficient time to get the first round of matches in. Bob Hamilton's put me onto a good idea - Pay £5 into Captains Charity bottle and this gives an exemption from paying when entering the Captain's bunker for the whole of my year. I agreed and already 5 members have taken up the offer. I must sort out some sort of exemption pass.

Tue 2nd March 2010

Got a phone call from Lady Captain, last night, yesterday was her first club competition since becoming LC and she had a hole in one on the third. Well done Bel, it's been an expensive week though and it's all my fault, I gave her some personalized balls at the drive-in and that's what she used for her round. Hubby Tony is not too pleased though, I think he's seen the bar bill. Did the draw for the summer knock-outs last night. Took a little longer as it's different software this year but learned a few new tricks for next year.  First committee meeting as well, afterwards. Welcome to Tony and John. Not too much to discuss - left the club about 9.45.      

Sun 28th February 2010

Up at the crack of dawn to check the weather, not raining - a good sign. Got to the club just before 8 and it's raining - quite heavy at times. Can expect one or two to pull-out. Off to the tee about 8.45 and do the introductions. First mistake as Captain - forgot to present my wife with flowers. I'll pay for that. I wasn't really that nervous beforehand but when you are stood there with 150 people behind you, you definitely start to twitch and my drive showed that as I pulled it onto the 2nd hole. Well done to the other Captains on their drives. As for the competition, then I don't think anyone can complain about the weather. Typical weather forecasters - you weren't even close. I managed 10 points on the front 9 and 20 points on the back 9.  The VC and I took  on the Senior Captain and Junior Captain. We were never in front and were 3 down with 3 to play but a par on 16 for me and a 20ft putt for par by the VC on 17 left the match hingeing on the 18th. VC almost holed his shot from the Captains bunker but the Senior Captain refused to 3 putt from 20ft to allow us to escape with a half. Fair play in the end as they donated their winnings to Captains Charity.  Tee'd of the 10th for the Ladies - hit a much better drive than in the morning - as did Beryl. Quick shower and change before the presentation, congratulations to all of the winners. Hope I didn't miss anybody out - so much to do and think of in your first official outing as Captain. I stayed on to attend the Ladies presentation. Personally, only used to seeing the Saturday Ladies and it was quite a shock to see so many turn out for the drive-in. I know Beryl was thrilled. Draw for the summer knockouts tomorrow night before my first committee meeting - only a week into the job - surely nothing has gone wrong yet!!   

Sat 27th February 2010

Played with Keith Bowler, Mark Harris and Jay Parker. 33 points plus Mark and I won the match. Course in excellent condition and the weather was pretty good for February. Weather forecast for tomorrow isn't looking too good. Looks like we could be in for a soaking.   

Wed 24th February 2010

I was made very welcome by the Ladies last night. There was a great turnout , despite the weather. Suzanne finished off her year in style with a fine speech and although the nerves nearly got the better of Beryl, she managed to make her maiden speech. Sally Allen was introduced as the Ladies Vice-Captain for 2010. They will make a great team. Beryl's charity for this year is "The Meningitis Trust". Next up is the Drive-in on Sunday - probably the most nerve-wracking thing to do during your Captain's year. I've already told Ben Allen not to smack the ball too far past me. Early weather predictions are not good - currently showing heavy rain for Bridgnorth.     

Tue 23rd February 2010

I am now officially Club Captain. I would like to thank all of the members that turned up to support me last night. I was a little nervous but that's as it should be. The meeting went smoothly and I think my speech went down well. My Captains Charity for this year will be "The Beacon Centre for the Blind". Off to the Ladies AGM tonight for Beryl's big moment . 

Mon 22nd February 2010

AGM tonight, just putting the finishing touches to my speech. Not normally nervous but there are a few butterflies at the moment.  

Sun 21st Febraury 2010

More snow and the Feb Stableford is cancelled. That's 2 out of 2 for Stablefords this year.

Sat 20th February 2010