Ladies

With conditions underfoot more reminiscent of mid-summer run than April mud on the fairways, the state of the greens were slightly easier to deal with, and it was probably those that hadn’t been treated that caused more problems. There was some good scoring from the field of 10 and with 3 of the field beating the SSS, it is no surprise that the CSS went down one to 68.

Habe Crocker continues her good form to record a net 67, but she was piped into 2nd place by Sheena Harrington who came in with a 66. Both players receive playing handicap cuts. Caroline Stilwell was the third lady to beat SSS with a net 68. Special mention to Cheryl Woodhouse who kept within her buffer zone despite recording a 10 on one hole. Results…

Men

The effects of the works that Glendale carried out this week were still visible. Greens were slow and unpredictable on the front 9 but sped noticeably on most of the holes on the back 9.

A lot of the players who played Saturrday’s Greensomes seemed to struggle today. Nigel Ward put on a show. A net 64 (gross 79) would be good enough on any day to win a Medal comp. Today however he was only able to hold off Damian Hackett based on the countback rule. So the prize money and cocktail glass are yours Nigel. Damian will have nightmares about the 15th hole (just don’t blame your 8 on the players who you let play through on that hole!). Jim Fogarty’s solid round of 66 puts him in 3rd place. Kim Chaffart, Keith Cassidy and Brian McMahon complete the Top6. Roger Rojas thought he was playing a links course today and tried to use his 3-iron off the tee on most of the holes. The results speak for themselves. On a final note: if you need any advice on how to play flop shots please get in touch with Kerry Sargeant. Results…

Nigel Ward’s handicap gets cut to 14. Damian Hackett gets a healthy cut completed with an Exceptional Scoring Reduction of one stroke. His new handicap now stands at 10. Well done to both of them.

CSS: 67

Spring Mixed competitors faced a nippy start to their round on Saturday but finished in glorious sunshine. The format, American Greensomes allowed the teams 3/8ths of their combined handicaps with the ladies receiving an extra shot.

Strong pairings meant that there was only 7 points difference between 1st and last place. Mike Shabani and Lia Donath proved that dressing in team colours really does intimidate opponents and drive performance, achieving top spot with an excellent 41 points. Deborah Potter and Peter Osgood, winners of last years mixed knockouts worked out who was the stronger in that pairing when Deborah and her partner Nick Rogers beat Peter and Joan Mulcahy to second place.

Thanks to the club for providing food and refreshments for the day. 

Maintenance work by Glendale meant that the course was inundated with temporary greens. As a result today’s comp became a Non-Qualifier.

Tim Vaughn-Spencer rebounded from a tough loss in the JH Taylor comp to post an excellent score of 67 (Net – 73 gross). God knows what his score would’ve been if his driving hadn’t been sub-par today. Gunnar Sundberg came out firing on the front 9: eagle on 2 and birdie on 3 vaulted him to a gross 38 on the front 9. He faded a little on the way in. A few wayward holes mean that Gunnar has to settle for 2nd today based on the countback rule. Alexander Krasnenkov played steady golf (2 birdies didn’t hurt) to finish 3rd with a 69 Net. Sure you want to order those new clubs Alex? Peter Osgood, Dominik Leisi and Jay Barker complete the Top6. Henry L-B’s round was excellent except 2 holes which cost him a place in the Top6 if not more. Results…

CSS: n/a

The course keeps drying out providing extra roll on the fairways. Although the greens seemed to be improving slightly it remains a challenge to hold the balls with your approaches.

A few players (Paul R., Roger R. & Kim) played good front 9’s but faltered on the way in. Saving energy for the back 9 proved to be the way to go today. The leaderboard was extremely tight. Four players ended with the same points total (37pts). Tenesi wins today’s comp based on the countback rule (her score over the last 6 holes proved to be the tie-breaker). The Mexican sun hasn’t affected Darren’s good form who has to settle for 2nd (keep that going during the Midweek KO comp please). Lee Marshall played consistent golf (19pts out and 18pts in) but a poor 18th hole knocked him back into 3rd. Ray was able to follow up an excellent front 9 (20pts) with a consistent 17pts on the way in to take 4th. Jayne M. and Kyojung Lee complete the Top6. Results…

CSS: 36 (Men & Ladies)

The course is starting to suffer from swirling winds and lack of rain over the last couple of weeks. Therefore Prince’s is starting to dry out quickly. Once the field were aware of today’s competition format the scoring proved to be decent. Ann Gardner is keeping up her excellent form (I pity the team that will face her in the Ladies Double C comp). A storming front 9 (score of 4up) combined with steady back 9 (2up) equals a score of 6up. More than enough to become today’s runaway winner . Ann’s playing handicap gets cut to 28. Well done! Adrian Hurley went out in one of the early groups and posted an excellent score of 3up. Henry L-B, still riding high after his win in Sunday’s Clapham Common comp finishes 3rd with a score of 2up. Alexander Kransnenkov, Seong Lim and Ted Holt (see Ted it wasn’t too difficult to keep up your score?) complete the Top6. Results…

CSS: 2Up (Men & Ladies)

The glorious weather seemed to inspire a reduced field. Birdies and eagles galore were the result. Nobody proved a match for Brian McMahon today. After a “slow” start Brian came alive on the back 9 to score 23pts. His total of 40pts earn him a well deserved victory. David Sandifer was even hotter on the back 9 (25pts !). His weaker outward 9 (total score 38pts) means that he has to settle for 2nd. The last member of today’s Top3, Martin Heinrich, came out all guns blazing (21pts) but softened inward. Based on countback Martin has to settle for 3rd. Paul Rockett (who eagled the 9th), Eelco Snijders and Barry Page complete the Top6. Results…

CSS: 37 pts (Men & Ladies)

Conditions to play golf were very good. However the field of 34 players (another big turnout – thank you all) struggled to master (!) the course. Only 3 players managed to shoot below their handicap today. The late starters faced some issues with an unpredictable water sprinkler on the 1st hole. Fresh from his NAPGC win (teamed with Brett) Mark Rosamond posted a 71 (Net) to become leader in the clubhouse. His score was matched by Richard Owen who went out early to prepare for Sunday’s Clapham Common Pairs match with Mike S. Not sure how an 18-hole medal round can prepare you for such a test. Shout-out to Joseph Shin who had a tap-in birdie on the 14th after he stiffed his wedge approach 2 feet away from the pin. Toby Hunt put in a steady round of 70 (Net). Jeremy Ryan finishes in the Top3 (again) thanks to his score of 70 (Net). The only player to master today’s course was Patrick Poletti. A storming score of 40 (out) was followed by steady back 9. His end score of 69 (Net) would’ve been better had it not been for an untidy 18th hole. Patrick’s playing handicap gets cut by 1.5 strokes and now stands at 18. Well done. Mark Rosamond, Richard Owen and Seong Lim complete the Top6. Results…

CSS: 71 (Men) & 73 (Ladies)

Conditions to play golf seemed very inviting: mild temperatures, freshly cut fairways/greens and no winter tees. Surprisingly scoring proved tricky today. No winter tees meant that the course played quite a bit longer for the men (playing the 17th from the original back tees again was an unwelcome surprise).

Danny Deprez recovered from celebrating carnival in Belgium and played very consistent golf. A score of 69 (Net) was good enough to become leader in the clubhouse. It didn’t prove good enough to win today. His score was bettered by two ladies. Habe Crocker continued her good form by going out +1 (36 gross). A “softer” back 9 meant a total score of 68 (Net). That score was matched by Joan Mulcahy, who recovered from an untidy outward 9. Joan’s superior back 9 (43 gross) elevates her into 1st place. Brian McMahon (69 Net), Stephen Mason (70 Net) and Tenesi Karakaneva (70 Net) complete the Top6. Results…

CSS: 71 (Men) & 73 (Ladies). Lots of handicap changes.

The field were met with freshly cut fairways and greens that are drying quickly thanks to those ever present swirling winds (no sun today unfortunately). Watering the course/the greens wouldn’t hurt (trying hard not to mention the “R” word).

Conditions clearly were no problem for the field. CSS increased with 2pts. 38pts were needed to play to your handicap. These are the days that make a midweek captain proud (guess that’s what I have to cling to if my own round is awful). Good to see Alison’s game getting into the grove. Just keep this form going for the Mixed KO’s please.

Tamas Ladacs put together a great round of 43pts (24pts out & 19pts in) to set the early pace. His playing partners Eelco Snijders (41pts) and Ray Esin (40pts) also put up great numbers but couldn’t match Tamas. Crushing the front 9 clearly was the theme of the day (23pts – Ann Gardner, 21pts – Darren, Paul Cook, Cheryl, Jeremy Ryan).
Only a few players were able to master the back 9. Keith’s eagle on the 14th enabled him to score 20pts on the way in. MIke Jones and Jeremy Ryan netted 22pts on the back 9. Jeremy’s consistent play helped him to 1) match Tamas’ score and 2) take the day’s win based on countback. As a consolation Tamas’ handicap gets a healthy cut. Jeremy on the other hand sees his handicap drop to 12. Well played everybody. Results…

CSS: 38pts (Men & Ladies)