Play was ‘Strings’ whereby players played off scratch (stableford) but with string equal to their handicap in yards and free to move ball using cuts of their string.

Organiser Jon Cooper won by a country mile incorporating 5 birdies for 40 points. Second using his full 9 yards was James Barker 34 and 3rd Richard Owen with 31.

An immaculately struck shot from Susan Smith ripped onto the 10th green within 2 feet and Susan used 2ft of string to deem the ball holed – a ‘hole in one’. Results…

Good scoring was to be expected from the popular format of American Greensomes. Ground conditions were drier than of recent weeks and Ed Henery and Jon Cooper took advantage to win on 43 points, one ahead of Liam Bridger & Mike Shabani with James Barker & Toby Hunt taking 3rd position with 40. Play was off the ladies card for pars & SI. Results…

Early frost made the greens hard but it soon melted and the wind got up. Muddy conditions didn’t help matters and scoring reflected the playing difficulties. It was a reduction only round.

Nigel Gaymond emerged the winner of the hamper on count-back from Murali Reddy – both 33 points. Charlie Whiteman and Danny Deprez were one further behind and best lady was Gina Jillett with 31 points. Incorporation of latest SSSs awarded by England Golf meant that there was no gender handicap allowance. Results…

Ladies

Ten ladies gathered for Lia Donath’s, the new lady captain, drive-in and to see if they’d won the sweep as to where her shot would go! Following which a team event was the order of the day and results could hardly have been closer with just one point between them.

The winning team of Tenesi Karakaneva, Deborah Potter and Cheryl Woodhouse with their secret partner, Fiona Coombe scored 75 points, just one ahead of the other two teams. Results…

With the temperature having taken a sudden plummet towards the end of the round, the prize of thermal socks was well appreciated!

Men

Intermittent showers associated with a dying cold front gave way to clearer, drier conditions and a drop in temperature. Final games felt the chill in their hands.

It proved difficult to score well and many competitors lost balls and NRd despite only just being in rough. CSS was elevated to 2 over SSS @ 69. The top of the leaderboard featured 3 scores in the 60s with Julian James the medal winner on 66, James Barker 2nd 68 and Jim Deissler 69. But for a ‘loosener’ 8 at the first, Julian returned a very tidy card. Results…

The Handicap Secretary assures all that the ‘Leaderboard’
touchscreen PC will display scores as competitors complete their rounds this coming Sunday.

A momentous day in RPGC history as we entered our own results into the computer provided by Glendale down at the Park – no errors were found when the handicap secretary (ladies’) checked them over. 

As has become a bit of a tradition, the ladies’ provided mulled wine and mince pies for all players

Ladies

After a dismal start, weather-wise rather than golf, the last day of November turned out mild and sunny. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the state of most of the ladies’ golf! The best lady of the day, and winner of the champagne, was Fiona Coombe on 32 points. The runner-up was Jayne Maxwell on 28 and on count-back, Sheena Harrington beat Susan Smith into 3rd place. As a consequence, it was a reduction only round. Results…

Men

Early conditions were grey and chilly but conditions ameliorated with some welcome sunshine. Ground conditions were very muddy in places and accurate crisp striking was needed.

Overall, stableford scoring was low with the round being declared a reduction-only one with CSS being raised +3 from SSS. Murali Reddy was the worthy winner playing consistent golf returning 36 points. James Barker was runner-up 3 points behind Results…

It was almost literally captain v secretary today! For once the forecasters were correct, and it rained from before we started to well after the finish. Out of 35 on the bookings sheet, 19 entered the competition and 9 completed the full 18 holes.

Putting was a lottery with the ball sometimes skimming across the green or alternatively going nowhere until the draw of the water pulled the ball into the hole – until the new greens that is, where you needed to remember how to judge a putt!

Under such conditions, it seems harsh to call it a competition and scores were such that no one was near their buffer zone and hence it was a reduction only round. But with flooded greens it would otherwise have been a non-qualifier.

Paul Brown has obviously been heeding the encouraging words he sends out to the rest of us and was the clear winner on the day with 32 points from Peter Harrington on 27, but a toss of the coin meant that the top of the alphabet belonged to the Captain and Paul’s scoring ensured that the Captain beat the Secretary. Results…

In view of the conditions, a fairer result is that 9 RPGC players beat he weather to complete 18 holes!

Ladies

A grey but still day for the first round of the eclectic for Duke’s, with the after-effects of all the rain ensuring there was little run if any run on the ball gave rise to only two complete rounds to score for the eclectic.

The winner of the day, was Sheena Harrington on 32 points, with Fiona Coombe eight points back on 24. As a results the competition was reduction-only for handicapping purposes. Results…

In the Eclectic, Sheena was one of the two with a complete round and thus leads after the first round by some 14 shots from Cheryl Woodhouse.  However with three more rounds to go, it is fair to say that the competition is wide open! R1 Leader board…

Men

In the second round of the Winter Competition the winner was Danny Deprez with a masterful 38 points. CSS was 35 points and Danny now finds his playing handicap trimmed from 15 to 14 – possibly his lowest recorded handicap. Second last Sunday, losing out on the count-back, was another masterful score of 38 points by Mike Shabani. Mike was followed in third spot by Tony Kopczak with 36 points. Results…

After two weeks of the Winter Competition the top of the leaderboard looks like this: Jim Fogarty 70 points; Martin Heinrich 70 points; Ed Henery 70 points – i.e. no run away leader so ere mortals still have something of a chance. R2 Leader board…

In the first round of the Duke’s Eclectic Danny leads Mike Shabani by 2 but with the number of NRs exceeding full cards there is everything to play for in the remaining rounds. R1 Leader board…

A still misty moist morning greeted competitors for the first winter competition. Conditions which should favour good scoring.

Competitors basked in the unseasonably warm November sunshine after the round, tucking into some exceedingly good hand baked chocolate brownies courtesy James Barker. Not to feel left out of the feast, two Egyptian geese gobbled up the ample supply of green algae on the pond at speed.

Ladies

Six Ladies optimistically turned up to play after torrential rain on Saturday night but Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day. The ball did not roll but it did not deter some excellent putting from the winner, Kate. Her handicap would have been cut had we finished on the 17th! Still no mats but the tees were muddy. We all sat outside after the game and ate brownies! Let’s hope we continue with the bake off throughout the winter. Results…

Princes Eclectic. R1 Leader board…

Men

Conditions certainly appealed to the winner Ed Henery who shot level par 24 points on the back nine for a score of 40 points, nipping Martin Heinrich (who has his first handicap reduction) with Jim Fogarty a further point behind (Jim also scored 24 points on back nine). Results…

In the associated Eclectic Ed leads Richard Owen by three and in the Winter Competition leads as per the first round. R1 Leader board…

Early rain was not conducive to good scoring and a number of players walked in or had no returns. For those returning complete scorecards, the balance of play for both men and ladies determined a reduction only round. For later games, the sun just emerged to give long silhouettes.  Two clear winners emerged.

Ladies

For ladies Jayne Maxwell was winner on 79, two clear of Joan Mulcahy. Results…

Men

For the men it was Raymond Esin on 74, one ahead of Nick Rogers and James Barker. Results…

Proving yet again that for many, more choice is not necessarily better, the annual 3 clubs and a putter competition produced some pretty tight scoring. However, the winner by one shot was Anthony Tama on a net 67 with Pete Davies in second place. In third place on count back, and also the first placed lady was Alison Chadwick with a net 70. Results…

Six 2’s were recorded – again proving that choice of club does not always help the game!

Phil Flanagan is confirmed as the Top Dog Trophy winner by three points over Paul Patching. Final Leader board…