Spot the ball - Here is a picture taken last year on the 12th hole, but can you guess where the golf ball is? Is it 1 (short of the green), 2 (next to the hole) or 3 (15 feet away)? Respond with the number you think is correct and all the winners will be put into a draw to win a dozen Bridgestone E6 golf balls. Cast your vote here.
The Practice Chipping Area is now open. The area is designed for short shots only, so there is a white line around the area which indicates the play zone; if you are inside the white line you can play onto the new area, if you are outside the line you can't. This rule is to reduce pitchmarks caused by long shots landing on the new area. If you do hit a stray shot which pitches on the new area, please repair it. There are some signs there if you are still confused!
Yesterday was the Ladies Open and we had quite a good turnout; the Lady Captain certainly dressed for the occasion and managed to raise more money for Genesis breast cancer (as pictured here). There was a tie for the winners all on 80 points. The winning team came from Heaton Moor.
Chairty Bunkers
Both of our Captains have chosen bunkers to help raise money for their selected charities. The Captain's charity this year is the NSPCC and Allan has chosen the expertly placed fairway bunker (on the apex of the dogleg) on the 10th. The Lady Captain's chosen charity is Genesis and Sheila has chosen another expertly placed bunker which is seeing a lot of action, the new bunker at the 4th. If your ball finishes in any of these bunkers please make sure you put 50p in the correct bucket either in the pro shop or in the bar.
I must point out this picture is of a machine for the golf course and has nothing to do with Star Wars! Nick has had an Air2G2 on hire this week and it is quite literally another breakthrough in how we can improve the greens without disrupting the surface.
The machine inserts micro-tines into the greens (60mm apart) and injects compressed air beneath. Nick explained how the air cracks and fractures the soil beneath the surface, improving aeration and drainage while reducing compaction. The process works well whatever the weather and is beneficial however wet the subsoil is at the time, but what is very different is that this machine can be used in the middle of the golf season, on perfect greens, and when the subsoil is dry the fracturing will be most effective. You will not even know it has been done! Some processes such as scarifying which do disrupt the surface is still necessary, but not as often.
Junior Gathering - Sunday at 3.00pm - Any juniors who wish to turn up and join in are most welcome to do so. We will be meeting on the putting green at 3.00pm. We will be putting, chipping, playing full shots and playing the top five which will be set up into five short holes. There will be a putting competition as well as a nearest the pin prize! Parents are encouraged to attend so if you know any young player who you think may be interested please bring them along.
Sat 9 May - The rearranged Founders Trophy was played on Saturday; the course was playing long, it was windy and I thought around level would be a good score. As it turned out one up was the score of the day, and we will need a six-way play-off to decide the winner! The play-off will include Ivan Kennedy, Tom Beirne, Ryan Swift, Chris Eager, Dave Flanagan and Alan Jones. It has been arranged for Sunday, 24 May at 11.20am and 11.30am. Twos were worth £17.42 each.
Sun 10 May - Jonathon Knight won Sunday's Pro's Stableford with 38 points beating Steve Smith on a card play-off. Dave Pilling's score of 37 points was enough for third place and fourth was Dave Hamilton also on 37 points. Prizes went down to fifth. The twos were worth £9.60 each. Click here for the full results.
Sun 10 May - Simon Davenport and his partner won the Invitation Day on Sunday with 43 points. Simon was the last group out and managed to beat Barry Hammond and Tony Cox by just one shot.
Wed 13 May - Wednesday Section Stableford was played in glorious sunshine. Simon Nicholls won Division One with 37 points, Pete McDonald won Division Two with 36 points and Division Three was won by Alan Finney with 38 points. Twos were worth £6.00 each.